Techno Babble

Variegation is a term used to describe plants that have leaves that contain more then one colour. Green and white is the most common of combinations. I occasionally get asked why some variegated plants turn fully green when growing in the shade, or why variegated plants grow much slower then their plain green counterparts. Plants make food from a pigment in their leaves called Chlorophyll. It absorbs light to provide the energy for photosynthesis, the process in which plants turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, which in turn provides food for the plant to grow. Chlorophyll is green in colour, so where ever there is green on a plant, there is chlolorphyll. Where there is white, there is no chlorophyll, and that part of the plant is wholly dependent on the green parts to supply food to it. When there is very little light, plants are sometimes able to produce more chlorophyll and revert back to their natural green state, losing their variegation in order to make more food for the plant to survive. Variegated plants grow slower then their plain green counterparts as they just arent able to make as much food as the green plant. So there you have it, if youre a hungry plant, then variegation sucks. Man this is an educational blog today! Thanks for bearing with me.