Apical dominance

Okay kiddo, so you know how you have a head and your hair grows from your head? Plants also have a head, it's called the shoot tip! The shoot tip is really important because it decides how the plant will grow.

Apical dominance means that the shoot tip is in charge and tells the rest of the plant what to do. It's like the boss of the plant! The shoot tip grows taller and stronger than the other parts of the plant, and it sends a hormone called auxin down to the rest of the plant.

This hormone makes the other parts of the plant grow slower and focus on other things, like making leaves or flowers. It's kind of like how you might boss your little sister around and tell her what to do, even though you're not the boss of the whole family!

Sometimes, if you cut off the shoot tip, the rest of the plant will start growing in a different way because they don't have the boss to tell them what to do anymore. This can make the plant bushier or wider instead of just growing up tall.

So remember kiddo, apical dominance means the shoot tip is the boss and tells the rest of the plant what to do. It's super important for how plants grow!