A recent report shows that cells in the Arabidopsis apical meristem orientate their cortical microtubules along mechanical stress patterns generated during tissue morphogenesis. This in turn is expected to influence the mechanical properties of the cell via the modification of the cortical microtubule network and the cell wall. This feedback loop controlling the shape of the meristem may act in parallel with auxin signalling, which determines the site of organ primordium formation.