Garden with Insight v1.0 Help: Plant next day functions: accumulate vernalization units

Vernalization is the speeding of flowering by exposure to cold temperatures (vernal meaning spring). It happens in many biennial plants which flower in the second year -- onions and carrots, for example. The cold period is taken by the plant to indicate that the right amount of time has passed and it is time to flower.

Vernalization is simulated here by accumulating thermal units. Accumulation works by a sine curve based on the minimum, optimal and maximum temperatures for vernalization. On a day in which the air temperature is exactly the same as the optimal vernalization temperature, one thermal unit is accumulated. This means that if for example a plant requires 20 days of vernalization, the shortest time in which it could be vernalized is 20 days. If the temperature is not optimal for those 20 days, it will take longer.

calculation of germination, vernalization
More on the flowering and fruiting submodel
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