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When reading about plants I've heard that plants only produce for a few years, then die. Why can't they produce for as long as they're healthy?

black thumb
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  • Plants come in various lifespans: Annuals, Biennials, Perennials. So, this depends on the species. – Fiasco Labs May 27 '16 at 03:08
  • @FiascoLabs where I'm from the plants that survive are either trees, or perennials. – black thumb May 27 '16 at 04:02
  • I've pondered this question myself, and postulate - at least in the case of nightshades - that this probably has to do with the increasing difficulty pushing nutrients to the growing part of the plants. (In the case of Eggplants, they tend to keep growing longer and longer, but production drops off as they age) – davidgo May 27 '16 at 04:41
  • Also, some plants do produce for pretty close to forever - for example the original Hass avocado tree lived 76 years until it dies of root rot. – davidgo May 27 '16 at 04:42
  • Fruit trees can produce for 10 years or more depending on which fruit or variety it is. Can you edit your question and be more specific about what perennial food crops you were thinking of? – Bulrush May 27 '16 at 11:13

2 Answers2

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Nothing lasts forever.The term perennial simply means a plant that will last for more than 2 years. That can mean 3 years that can mean 50 years or more. As the plants age they can lose their ability to produce the same quantity or quality of fruit.

Perennials don't live forever. They do eventually die or lose their ability to produce. For example asparagus is said to only produce for about 20 years. Lavender will survive for about 15 years.

In addition to their expected life span, other issues such as pests and disease can be a problem. These issues can build up over the course of many seasons. For various reasons it's suggested that strawberries be removed and new ones replanted every 4 years for example.

You might get a more meaningful answer if you indicate specific plants you're interested in.

OrganicLawnDIY
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  • Why do people say something doesn't last long when it lasts forever growing? – black thumb May 27 '16 at 14:26
  • To be able to put my answer in better context.. may I ask how old you are? Is this for a school project? – OrganicLawnDIY May 27 '16 at 15:01
  • 32, and just getting into gardening. – black thumb May 27 '16 at 15:15
  • @blackthumb I updated my answer to provide some more details. I believe your confusion may be a result of thinking perennials mean the plants will last forever. That's not the case as I mentioned in my answer. It just means they'll live longer than 2 years. Or more specifically they have a reproductive cycle that isn't complete or repeats itself past 1 or 2 years. – OrganicLawnDIY May 27 '16 at 15:35
  • @blackthumb Think of pets: a dog can get ten or fifteen years old, then it dies of old age. A hamster lives for two to three years, a large parrot fifty to a hundred years. The same is true for plants - a few hundred years is no problem for some kinds of trees, strawberries won't last a fraction of that time. – Stephie May 27 '16 at 15:49
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It's called evolution. Different plants have different strategies to help replicate their genome across the planet. Annuals, or bi-annuals have found it best to flower in the first or second year. So, you'll see cabbages etc change their shape dramatically as they become tall and flowery so that they can disperse their seeds as far as possible. Once they have fulfilled their purpose, there's no biological need to persist and compete with their offspring, so they die.

Graham Chiu
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  • I was thinking more about about perennial food crops. – black thumb May 27 '16 at 02:23
  • If you'd only like answers relating to perennial food crops, rather than flowers, would you mind editing your comment into the body of your question? That way the comment won't get lost, and people won't miss an important part of the purpose of the question. Thanks! – Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL May 27 '16 at 02:39
  • if you feel the question is better asked/explained another way, always feel free to edit it. – black thumb May 27 '16 at 04:00