Division vs. Enlargement

Excellent topic!

Beth, 

I think you raise a fantastic analogy from another disipline.   It would be
in our best interest to find a way to maximize what the plant needs in
these two phases of growth.   My opinion is that the division phase ends
fairly soon after fertilization has occured.   Most plant species end
division completely before fertilization.   So I would be suprised if it
went on much beyond ten days after fertilization.   The next question in my
mind is how can we maximize the plants cell division during this time span.
  The reccomdation of emphasizing phosphorous prior to fruit set is very
sound.  Developing plants take up as much as 70-85 percent of their
lifetime supply of P early on, and definately before fruit set.   By giving
the plant all the P it needs then will be helping your cause when you get
to the division phase-which needs a lot of phosphorous.  Outside of
choosing good genetics there isn't much else we can control during this
phase.   Just keeping the plant in good general health is the best we can
realistically do.   I think the recomendation of using relatively small
amounts of balanced fert. during fruit set is a good one.   It makes sense
in this light, since the plant has already take up its major supply of
phosphorous.    

The enlargement phase which we are all more familiar with has many factors
as well.  Most of them we have pretty good control of.   Good watering
practices and general plant health is a key.   Also the use of high K
fertilizers is important.   Potassium is crucial as a functional element in
the plant.  It plays a major role in water management which is critical to
cell enlargement as we all know.  

Someday if we have a consistent stabil variety we could conduct experiments
to figure out the exact time frame of these two phases, and find the
conditions that maximize division and enlargement in them both.   Until
then I think our best shot is to learn from what we already have found out
and try to grow plants with good genetic backgrounds.  

Rick
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