Forcing is the

horticultural Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

practice of bringing a cultivated

plant Plants are the eukaryotes that form the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with c ...

into active growth outside of its natural growing season. Plants do not produce new growth or flowers (and hence fruit) during the winter, and many species only produce flowers or fruit for a very limited period. Forcing allows horticulturalists to produce these flowers and fruits at other times. This can be accomplished by cultural, physical, or chemical means, and is typically done to produce out-of-season

flowers Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

for display, consumption or sale. Forcing allows the more predictable production of products for sale, and can improve the quality of the products in some cases. Plants respond to different types of cues to break dormancy. Forcing usually involves manipulating the temperature of the plants. Forcing a certain plant may mean it needs a certain amount of time experiencing very cold weather, or experiencing hot weather prior to cold weather. They may also need to have a wet period or a dry period separately from or in conjunction with those temperature fluctuations. For example, exposing the dormant roots of some geophytic plants, such as

tulips Tulips are spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes in the ''Tulipa'' genus. Their flowers are usually large, showy, and brightly coloured, generally red, orange, pink, yellow, or white. They often have a different coloure ...

, to a combination of cold temperatures and moisture immediately prior to warm temperatures is an effective method of forcing them into flower. Exposing woody plants, such as fruit trees, to warmer conditions than are normal in the area--such as growing them in a warm

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often slightly but sometimes substantially. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square m ...

--forces them to flower and fruit earlier than usual. Cuttings taken in the fall can be moved indoors to force them into bud break. Pruning during the growing season is an effective way to force some plants, such as

asparagus Asparagus (''Asparagus officinalis'') is a perennial flowering plant species in the genus ''Asparagus (genus), Asparagus'' native to Eurasia. Widely cultivated as a vegetable crop, its young shoots are used as a spring vegetable. Description ...

, which are grown for their new shoots. Forcing as a horticultural technique has been recorded as early as 1608. Historically, rotting manure was used to create

hotbed A hotbed is a biological term for an area of decaying organic matter that is warmer than its surroundings. The heat gradient is generated by the decomposition of organic substituent within the pile by microorganism metabolization. A hotbed covere ...

s which would provide warmer temperatures, allowing some or all of a farmer or gardener's crop to ripen earlier than it would in the open air. Cold frames and

greenhouses A greenhouse is a structure that is designed to regulate the temperature and humidity of the environment inside. There are different types of greenhouses, but they all have large areas covered with transparent materials that let sunlight pass an ...

are also methods of warming plants in order to force them.

Greenhouses A greenhouse is a structure that is designed to regulate the temperature and humidity of the environment inside. There are different types of greenhouses, but they all have large areas covered with transparent materials that let sunlight pass an ...

that were used specifically for growing off-season plants were sometimes known as forcing houses. In the Rhubarb Triangle area of

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

, England, forced

rhubarb Rhubarb is the fleshy, edible stalks ( petioles) of species and hybrids (culinary rhubarb) of ''Rheum'' in the family Polygonaceae, which are cooked and used for food. The plant is a herbaceous perennial that grows from short, thick rhizomes. ...

is commercially grown in dark sheds and harvested by

candle A candle is an ignitable candle wick, wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a Aroma compound, fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. ...

light. The name "Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb" was granted

Protected Designation of Origin The protected designation of origin (PDO) is a type of geographical indication of the European Union aimed at preserving the designations of origin of food-related products. The designation was created in 1992 and its main purpose is to designat ...

(PDO) status by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

in 2010. Rhubarb plants can also be grown under a rhubarb forcer, traditionally a ceramic pot which excludes the light.

References

Horticultural techniques {{Horticulture-stub

See also

References