Maximum Yield USA December 2017 | Page 98

cycl beginner’s corner Understanding Plant HoRmOnes Thankfully, plants employ a fraction of the hormones your unruly teenagers have, but the ones they do have play an important role in how they function and grow. Chris Bond takes a closer look at how these chemicals interact and how they affect your plants. by Chris Bond 94 grow cycle P lants, just like humans and all other living things, make hormones to fulfill their natural functions. Unlike humans, who produce about 50 different types of hormones, plants only produce five. These five classes of hormones— known as the classical five—are produced in various parts of a plant to serve either at the site of their production or elsewhere in the plant. Naturally occurring plant hormones and hormone types are: auxins, gibberellins, cytokinins, ethylene, and asbscisic acid. Some of their functions overlap, and some are quite unique. All, however, are needed for a plant to maintain health and produce viable flowers, seeds, or fruits.