¿Las plantas se estresan? 7 tipos de estrés que pueden sufrir las plantas de tu jardín (y cómo prevenirlo)

Are plants under stress? Yes, and it can also be very dangerous. We tell you what types of stress a plant suffers and what consequences it has.

We have all said that at some time: “Ugh, between work, home, and everything else I am extremely stressed.”

But what if we told you that humans (and animals) are not the only ones who can suffer from stress?

Well, yes: it also happens to the plants in your garden.

And it's no joke. Excessive stress can weaken them and even cause death.

But…:

• What types of stress can a plant suffer?
• How does it affect you?
• And what can you do to prevent it?

We are going to explain all that to you here.

Keep reading, because we are going to give your plants the peace of mind they deserve. 

Why stress occurs in plants and what consequences it has

Unlike us, plants do not have to go to work, pay for the car or take the children to school in the morning.

Their reasons for stress are very different from ours.

In general, when we say that a plant is stressed, it is because there is some external factor that poses a danger to its survival.

This means that the plant uses part of its energy to combat this danger. 

And that's not necessarily bad. The problem comes when that stress is too high or lasts for too long.

Then, the plant ends up stopping its development (because it does not have enough energy to grow or to flourish, for example). And in some cases, it can even die.

So what can we do to avoid it?

The first thing is to be clear about the factors that generate stress in our plants.

Types of stress that a plant can suffer and how to prevent it

Broadly speaking, we distinguish two types of stress (they are a bit of strange names, but don't be scared):

• Biotic stress: it is produced by other organisms, such as pests or diseases.
• Abiotic stress: caused by environmental factors.

We see them separately.

A. Stress caused by environmental conditions

It occurs when a certain factor in the plant's environment puts its health at risk.

Within this group, we find several types of stressors.

1. Lack or excess of water

In long periods of drought, plants suffer.

Of course, depending on the species, there will be some that have a worse time than others (a cactus can go a long time without receiving irrigation, while among tropical plants most of them need to have the substrate always humid).

But in general, everyone has a hard time if they do not receive the water they need.

In these cases, the usual thing is that the leaves begin to dry out and take on a yellow colour. If you do not solve the problem in time, the leaves become brittle, the stems dry out and the plant ends up dying.

Now, if there is something worse than a lack of irrigation, it is excess.

The vast majority of plants cannot bear having their roots waterlogged. If you water your plants too much and the water accumulates in the substrate, this will cause the roots to rot and develop fungi.

Make sure the substrate drains well and does not form pools of water.

2. Lack or excess of light

As with water, each plant has specific needs for light. 

Thus, on the one hand, we have plants such as the gipsy or the sunpatiens, which are sun lovers and require many hours of direct exposure.

On the opposite side are what we know as "indoor plants."

These plants are not adapted to living in closed spaces, but rather that, due to their characteristics, they do not support direct sun.

A very long exposure will cause its leaves to burn and end up wilting. 

When buying a plant, find out the hours of daily sunshine it requires and the type of exposure that suits it best.

3. Lack or excess of nutrients

To grow, plants absorb food from the soil: what we give them when fertilizing the substrate in which we have planted them.

And this is important:

There are 13 different types of nutrients (what we call essential nutrients) that all species need to a greater or lesser extent.

The main three are nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, but there are others such as copper, magnesium, zinc, iron, etc.

What if a plant is deficient in one or more of these nutrients?

The consequences vary greatly, but the normal thing is that they suffer some type of disease (such as the well-known “iron chlorosis”, when they have a lack of iron), or that they stop their growth. 

In addition, the lack of nutrients often prevents them from flourishing.

But be careful, because the excess of certain nutrients is also dangerous.

This also varies from case to case, but the most common is that toxicity occurs: a disease caused by too high a level of a nutrient, which causes brown spots of necrosis to appear on the leaves. Eventually the plant wilts.

This is just a summary, but in this mega guide on plant nutrients, we explain it in detail.

4. Excessive salts in the soil

Known as “saline stress”.

This occurs when the soil contains a high amount of salts, which makes the plant unable to absorb water well. 

Its effects are quite similar to those of drought.

This type of stress occurs when you live near the sea and plant plants that are not adapted to that climate. 

5. Too high or too low temperatures

Another important factor is the ambient temperature.

Some plants cannot withstand low temperatures and are unable to survive when the thermometer approaches zero degrees (very typical among tropical plants).

Others, on the contrary, are able to withstand even frost.

Also, although it is less common, there are plants that do not tolerate too high temperatures, because they come from very cold climates. 

Plants that are more sensitive to low temperatures can suffer burns from the cold, while an excess of heat will cause the plants to have symptoms similar to those of drought.

B. Stress caused by other living beings

We now turn to the second type: stress caused by living organisms that attack or affect the plant in some way.

1. Pests and diseases

It occurs when a specimen is attacked by:

• Aphids.
• Mealy bugs.
• Snails.
• Arachnids.
• Etc.

These creatures feed on the plant and can kill it.

But there is also the danger that the plant suffers a disease caused by a fungus, a bacterium or a virus.

To prevent both cases, the most advisable thing is to apply the appropriate phytosanitary products on a regular basis.

2. Mechanical stress

In this case, we are the cause of the stress, by manipulating the plant with tools improperly.

The clearest example is pruning with blunt scissors.

In these cases, the cut is less clean (the edges of the cut are chipped), which makes the wound take longer to heal and increases the risk of disease. 

One last tip to prevent your plants from suffering stress and being always healthy.

As you can see, there are many reasons why a plant can be affected by stressful situations. 

And some of them (such as irrigation or nutrients) you can control, but others such as temperature are out of your reach, especially if you have the plants planted in the garden.

That is why it is best that you choose native species or those adapted to the climate in which you live.

In this way, it will cost them less to adapt to the conditions in which they grow, they will suffer less stress, and they will grow healthier.

Not sure which plants are best for your area?

In that, we can help you. At Viveros González we have been advising our clients for more than 40 years to help them pick the best plants for their garden.

If you want us to help you have healthy and happy plants, click here and get in touch with us.