How do plants "feel" heat?

Hey folks,

Quick question. My plant is approx 2" beneath a 96w T5 light. If I place my hand level with the top of my plant, I can feel a slight warmth from the heat of the bulbs.

So my question is; How do plants translate this heat?

Is heat which is 'warm' to the human hand magnified and felt as 'extremely hot' to plants, due to their anatomy / size... Or will the plant just be feeling the equivalent 'warmth' as I'm feeling on my hand?

Advance thanks

plants dont feel anything. they have no nervous system. increased heat causes the plant to transpire (exhale) more water to keep itself cool. If the temp inside the plant's tissues rises too high, the chemical processes inside the plant's structure and cells can halt, resulting in wilting, withering and eventually death.

the wilting you see on a hot day is rapid water loss through the leaves, or depletion of the plant's overall water supply. many plants experience shock when there is a sudden change in environment, and this can even be lethal. Just like your first outdoor gardening day of the summer, a plant that was wintered indoors can easily sunburn. Indoor/shaded plants make much more pigment and chlorophyll to catch more light for photosynthesis. when these plants suddenly find themselves under full direct sun, they can rapidly go into shock, or even die just like ginger kids at the beach. The same thing can happen with heat. A plant that has spent months in a cool climate makes fewer and smaller breathing holes (ganja has robbed me of the real name for these lil spicules) and when they suddenly get dropped into extreme heat, they just aren't equipped to move enough water to stay inside their operating temperature. In brief, if you plan to radically change any plant's environment (not just cannabis), ease the plant into it, slowly by stages, or you just might lose the plant.

cannabis grows best in tmeperatures we (humans) find comfortable, or even quite warm, because thats the climate the plant evolved in. plants that grow at the arctic circle, or in deep deserts can sometimes simply not survive in a temperate climate. you cant raise Polar Bears in Barstow, or Macaws in Greenland. Nor can you make fine wine in Jamaica or Siberia.

Addendum: Barstow is the balls hottest place on the planet, in the middle of the Mojave Desert. daytime ambient temps regularly hit 140 degrees Fahrenheit (that's 60 C) in the summer, and frequently go over 100 (37 C) in the winter. In full sun, frying an egg on the sidewalk, is child's play. My Grandfather used to cook steaks on a cast iron plate by his back door (there was no fire!)

Dr Kynes,

Right on, brilliant answer - thanks! Wow, the Mojave sounds like hell (I'm a "snowman", I literally wither & melt in hot temperatures) I don't think I could handle that place. I visited the Philippines a few years ago and it was a struggle! (although you do get used to it, I suppose). Hmm, derailed thought - I bet it would be insanely easy to grow MJ outdoors in a climate like the Philippines. Dirt cheap place to live too...

So no worries about having my seedling too close to the light (within reason)? Perfect! Reason I asked is she seems to have underwent a huge spurt of growth lately - Pretty much developed 2 new pairs of leaf in the past 4 days. Though I'm not complaining, I'd hate to wake up / come home to find burns on her lovely green-ness

Cheers Dr!

Actually, the mojave is balls hot, and the heat can straight up kill you if you forget to respect the power of the desert, but the incredibly low humidity causes sweat to evaporate so fast your pits dont even get wet. when you work or hike outdoors in the mojave you can drink 2 gallons of water a day, and it feels like your basking in a sauna. if you run out of water shit gets downright unpleasant quick. in georgia, where the temp gets into the 80's, but humidity hovers around 90% i felt like i was gonna drown in my motel room.

humidity makes all the difference, for people and plants. if water cant evaporate, you, (and your plants) have to hold onto all that heat, until your nuts get all squidgie and fungus starts growing. i would rather live (and grow plants) in the desert than the tropics. when the air is 2% from becoming a liquid, and the temp squeaks past 80 F plants and people just dont do well, but fungus, parasites, bacteria, and other diseases do grand!

Nothing matches the startling display of the mojave in bloom, when overnight after a rain the desert disappears under a blanket of flowers in more colors than you can imagine. If you have never seen the stars at night in the desert, or watched the sunrise over the painted mountains, you dont know what youre missing. Of course the deep forest canopies of the yucatan peninsula, or the swamps of louisiana, and the redwood forests of northern california and oergon also have their charms.

Dr Kynes said:

Nothing matches the startling display of the mojave in bloom, when overnight after a rain the desert disappears under a blanket of flowers in more colors than you can imagine. If you have never seen the stars at night in the desert, or watched the sunrise over the painted mountains, you dont know what youre missing. Of course the deep forest canopies of the yucatan peninsula, or the swamps of louisiana, and the redwood forests of northern california and oergon also have their charms.

Click to expand...

Brutal, but beautiful. Yeah it's amazing how climates that can kill us relatively quickly can provide the ideal environment for certain animals and plants. Wonder what it's like for those desert lizards that can't even stand still without burning their feet in the sand, thus they're constantly lifting their legs - what a life, lol. Unfortunately, about 80% of my life has been spent in the UK, and the climate here is just so bland, depressing and predictable. The only nice thing is the snow. There's not much beauty either, unless you head into the Scottish Glens & Highlands. Man, there are so many awesome places I want to see in this big old world before I leave the land of the living - curse the usual limitations of time and money. You've inspired me to buy a lotto ticket this weekend though, Dr. - So fingers crossed.

what about the places i always wanted to visit, the cotswalds, wales, the isle of mann, ireland, and scotland, london's seamy streets packed with despairing genteel prostitutes, gruff fishmongers, curt but polite bobbies flexing their knees and calling each other Skip, and sly fast talking grifters? being in the UK you're just a eurorail ride away from all the varied lands of seductive Europa! Paris, nromandy, the french riviera, germany in oktoberfest, or better still BEERFEST, amsterdam's wild drug addled nightlife, the fjords of norway, swedens willing and not terribly choosy blonde air hostesses, the picturesque hills and elegant salons of austria, spain's rugged and inviting mountains, italy and all the wonders of the eternal city Rome, or the welcoming and friendly peoples of greece with a 4 thousand year old culture? then theres the mysterious and exotic orient, with it's spice stalls, rug bazzares and camel races. from there you could explore the dark reaches of africa, teeming with exotic and dangerous beasts, or travel through the caucasus to distant cathay, where the imperial court reclines on silken cushions amid teeming peacocks and tame tigers!! wonders are where you find them matey. Even in Los Angeles most residents never stray into the world's largest wilderness preserve located within the borders of an urban metroplex. Those who wish to can climb mountains, swim in alpine lakes, explore termperate forests, and wander the trackless western chapparal without ever losing their cellular signal, or leaving the confines of the city. Too bad most people dont even realize it's there. Hell, i know a place 10 minutes drive outside of downtown Oakland California where you can stroll through 1000 year old redwoods in a grove that looks like nobody else has ever passed this way. I often spend my weekends in the summer panning for gold in the rivers and streams of northern california (found some too) just to get some time away from the dipshits in the city. no matter where you are, you can find something awesome just outside your comfort zone. take a look, maybe youll see something awesome. it also helps if you bring a bag of cannabis.