Dave Brown wrote:Alexander,
My collies are kept wet all summer, but don't grow to the same size as in autumn.
My theory..... not proven
Could be humidity levels higher, or something about day length, all coupled with temperature. These are tropical plants and maybe prefer an equal day/night (1/2, 1/2), rather than the 2/3, 1/3 of June
Even when I kept collies going overwinter, they get smaller as light levels/temps fall over winter, but don't regain the size again until late summer/autumn, even from a larger rhizome
3 factors that may affect growth are Temp/Day length, light level/Humidity
Winter = cold/short day, low light/humid = small leaf, slow growth
Spring = cool/equal day, medium light/dry = medium leaf, medium growth
Summer = warm/long day, bright light/dry = medium leaf, fast growth
Autumn = warmish/equal day, medium light/humid= large leaf, medium growth
My conclusion from that would be...
Temp = growth rate.
light level = leaf size (too dark/too light =equals smaller)
humidity = plant happiness/health
The problem we have at this latitude is that we need exposure to sun to get the warmth in spring/early summer, this result in growth but only medium sized leaves. However, we manage to get warmth with lower light levels in late summer autumn, this gives medium growth and larger leaves.
