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Green Building Bible, Fourth Edition
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General: Things growing better

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  1.  
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeJun 16th 2012
     
    A barely mentioned consequence of increased levels of CO2 in our atmosphere is that things grow faster.

    eg foliage, moss on roofs, weeds, crops, trees, all plants in fact.

    I have noticed that plants and weeds seem to grow in roads and footpaths much more than they used to, hedges grow over roads, trees need pruning and controlling more often than in the past.
    • CommentAuthorbillt
    • CommentTimeJun 16th 2012
     
    That's just the time dilation effect of getting older. (And councils cutting back on maintenance.)
    • CommentAuthorowlman
    • CommentTimeJun 16th 2012
     
    Yes I agree tony. I seem to be forever cutting, pruning, weeding, then, it may be just me getting older and slowing down. Once you get off the merry go round everything seems to move faster.
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeJun 16th 2012 edited
     
    Billt, Are you saying that things are growing at the same speed as they used to?
    • CommentAuthorJoiner
    • CommentTimeJun 16th 2012
     
    :bigsmile:

    Big relief, Tony. Thought it was just me. :wink:

    But I thought the matter had been covered some time ago as just one of the implications of rising CO2 levels. More or less a no-brainer given the acknowledged primary function of CO2 in a plant's life cycle. Perhaps it's one of those things that is so obvious that it doesn't warrant attention? Well, not too much anyway.

    I think it's well in hand... http://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/effects-of-rising-atmospheric-concentrations-of-carbon-13254108
    • CommentAuthorEd Davies
    • CommentTimeJun 16th 2012
     
    Posted By: tonyA barely mentioned consequence of increased levels of CO2 in our atmosphere is that things grow faster.


    Actually, that's widely commented on but not usually true. The “CO₂ is plant food” argument has been used a lot by the more “skeptical” elements. It's true that CO₂ can be the limiting factor in plant growth and adding more can increase the growth (common in greenhouses where nutrients, temperature, humidity and water are well controlled) but for most wild plants other factors are more limiting so extra CO₂ has little effect.

    If things are growing faster then it could be it's down to it being warmer and wetter rather than more COâ‚‚ directly.
    • CommentAuthorJoiner
    • CommentTimeJun 16th 2012
     
    I'd just attributed the lush (in the old sense of the word) growth in our garden to the combination of plenty of rain, lots of sun, and very mild, damp mornings with cool nights, not climate change.
    • CommentAuthorSeret
    • CommentTimeJun 16th 2012
     
    Posted By: JoinerI'd just attributed the lush (in the old sense of the word) growth in our garden to the combination of plenty of rain, lots of sun, and very mild, damp mornings with cool nights, not climate change.


    Very much so. Fantastic growing weather lately.
    • CommentAuthorEd Davies
    • CommentTimeJun 16th 2012
     
    Interesting link, Joiner. Thanks. Maybe what I read before was specific to C4 plants or something.
    • CommentAuthornbwilding
    • CommentTimeJun 16th 2012
     
    In the absence of firm data to support the CO2 hypothesis, Occam's razor would back you up Joiner.
    •  
      CommentAuthorDamonHD
    • CommentTimeJun 16th 2012
     
    Unfortunately this recent weather seems to grow slugs rather effectively too: I have visions of CC causing us to drown in slug slime...

    CO2 is not a limiting factor most of the time in my understanding too: transpiration and loss of water while trying to get access to atmospheric CO2 is more typically so for our climes IIRC, so the wet (along with moderate temperatures) is possibly the biggest factor for any increased growth you may be seeing here in the UK.

    Rgds

    Damon
    • CommentAuthorJoiner
    • CommentTimeJun 16th 2012
     
    @nbwilding - which CO2 hypothesis did you have in mind? :wink:
    •  
      CommentAuthorSteamyTea
    • CommentTimeJun 16th 2012 edited
     
    It may help land plants grow better, but ocean biomass is going to suffer from water acidification, and that is pretty limiting.

    There was a bit about seagrass in my favourite comic the other day.
    http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21825-mowing-down-seagrass-meadows-will-cut-loose-carbon.html

    Nearly 20 billion tonnes are currently stored by this one plant and the first meter of bed under it.
    • CommentAuthornbwilding
    • CommentTimeJun 16th 2012
     
    The hypothesis that CO2 increases might be responsible for things growing where they didn't use to...rather than the alternative of lots of rain the past few summers.
    • CommentAuthorJoiner
    • CommentTimeJun 16th 2012
     
    Ah, that one!

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