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Horticulturists have investigated whether reflective ground covers can help young plants receive light on the shaded sides of their leaves. In a greenhouse, researchers placed reflective covers beneath 10 of 20 genetically similar seedlings and dark covers beneath the other 10. After four weeks, seedlings above reflective covers had gained a median of 40 grams of dry mass, whereas seedlings above dark covers had gained 22 grams. The seedlings were grown under one greenhouse lighting schedule and were not followed beyond the four-week period. The experiment suggests that reflective ground covers can increase short-term growth under the tested greenhouse conditions.