HORT 429

Picture: Sophie Cascade

Pests: No new pests this week.

Nutrition: No readings taken this week.

Growth: From 3/19/08 to 3/26/08

Cultural Treatment: This we had very little to do. We looked at the growth of our plant. We trimmed the Ipomoea in our mixed containers if necessary but for me it was not. We also got to take home some our seedlings, the tomatoes, cosmos, and alyssum. We then thinned the peppers leaving only one per cell, and the petunias we left 3 per cell. For the basil we transplanted two of them into 4.5 inch pots with Sunshine #1 media. We were also given a new plant this week called Huechera to take care of. Then I did the usual measuring and taking pictures. 

With the remaining time we reviewed for the test and discussed the defects of different cultural treatments in the greenhouse. 

Watering is as follows:

No field trip. Bummer.

Picture: Easter Lilies and Azaleas

Pest: This week I found there to be four Fungus Gnats on my sticky card, this is unusual and more than the rest of the weeks combined.

Nutrition: This week I took the PH and EC reading for Miramar Mums and Avendia Geraniums. They read as follows, Miramar PH of 5.7 and an EC level of 3.9, the EC seems pretty high. The Avendia had an average PH of 6.5, and an EC varying very little from 1.9.  Growth: From 3/4/08 to 3/19/08

Cultural Treatment: This week was fun and we had little to do. We got to see how much our crops had grown over spring break, which was a lot. For the Mums we did a treatment called center bud removal on all but one which we removed all buds except the center bud. We did this to improve the quality of the flowers. And we also stopped fertilizing the mums. On the mixed container we disbudded the Heliotrope plant. Then thinned the Marigolds if necessary and sprayed them with B-nine 2500ppm. After that we thinned the seedlings as follows, leaving one tomato, cosmos, and pepper plant per cell. Basil and Petunias we left 3 plants per cell, and the alyssum we left 5 per cell. Then we disbudded the Zinnias again. The best part was we got to take home the Easter Lilies, Chives, and Azaleas. Then I took pictures and measurements as always.  

Watering is as follows:

Fun Lab!!!

Picture: Lilies and Azaleas

Pests: Amazingly there are no new pests to be found on my sticky card.

Nutrition: This week I took the readings on the Sophie Cascade Geraniums and the Easter Lilies. The Sophie Cascade had a PH level of 7.1 and an EC reading of 0.8 and the Easter Lilies had an average PH of 6.0 and EC level of 1.2. These are pretty normal readings.

Growth: From 2/27/08 to 3/4/08

Cultural Treatment: This week we had a lot to do. We planted four, 1 quart nursery containers with Indian Summer Rudbeckia in Sunshine #1 Media, and two of them are being interrupted with LD lighting. Then we planted a vegetative annual mixed container that contained the following: Heliotropium arborescens, Ipomoea batatas, Angelomia angustifolia, coleus, and Calibrachoa hybrid. These were planted in one 10 inch decorative pot filled with Sunshine #1, in a square pattern with one in the middle. Also we thinned out the Marigolds leaving only one plant in each spot using scissors. I did not need to tie another layer of string on the snapdragons. I disbudded the geraniums for the last time an once again removed the blind shoots on the Azaleas. My Easter Lilies buds have 10 days to bloom. We also pinched the buds off the Zinnias we planted the week before. After al this I took the EC and PH readings and took pictures and measurements as required.    

Watering is as follows.

Picture: Geraniums

Pests: There were no more pests to be found this week but I did replace the sticky card.

Nutrition: This week took the EC and PH readings for the snapdragons and the Boston Fern. The snapdragons had an average PH of 6.3 and an EC level of 1.2. The Boston Jr. Fern had a PH level of 6.0 and an EC level of 2.7.

Growth: From 2/20/08 to 2/27/08

This week I discovered that I don’t have to take a zillion measurements every week, just the four crops every week.

Cultural Treatment: This week we had a lot to do. First we got to plant lots of seeds of different plants such as tomato, cosmos, basil, petunia, ornamental pepper, and alyssum. The last three we left uncovered. We planted them in Metro Mix 200 media in 6 packs; each variety got its own 6 pack. Then I planted six 6 packs of Durango Tangerine Marigolds and my watering partner planted Durango Bolero in Metro Mix 200 media, two seeds per cell, covered lightly with media. Also I planted 4 Profusion White Zinnias in four 5 inch pots using SunShine #1 media. Then I did the usual removal of dead leaves and flower buds on the geraniums and tied another string grid to better support the snapdragons. The azaleas I removed the blind shoots again. And finally, rotated the Easter Lilies and measured the biggest bud which shows 14 ½ days till blossom.

Watering is as follows.

Picture: Easter Lily

Pests: No new pests were on the sticky card this week and I did not replace the card like some others did because there are only a total of two insects on it.

Nutrition: This week I took the PH and EC readings for the Roanoke mums and the Tango Geranium. The Roanoke PH varied very little averaging 6.7 and EC level was 0.6, which way below the correct range. As for the Tango’s PH readings were all right at 6.6. with slightly varying EC readings of averaging 1.3, which is on the lower end of the suggested range for growing Geraniums as well as the PH level.

Growth: From 2/13/08 to 2/20/08

Cultural Treatment: This week we sprayed B-nine, a growth regulator at 2500 ppm on all the mums. For the Ivy geranium baskets, Avenida, and Tango we removed the flower bud and dead leaves and then sprayed their leaves with Florel at a concentration of 350 ppm. This week we also tied the snapdragons up with string three inches above the last one to continue to support them as they grow up. The Azaleas we removed the blind shoots again. I was also a able to measure one of the Easter Lily buds which has 25 days to flower according to the chart, the others were too small to measure still. We did not pot any new plants this week. Also I am cutting back the watering on the ferns and chives this week.

Watering is as follows.

Photo: Prize Azalea

Pests: This week on the sticky card I found one insect that was not one of the types on the sheet so I placed it in the “others” category bringing the total number of pests to two.

Nutrition: This week I took the PH and EC readings for the Miramar Mums and the Avenida Geranium. The Miramar’s PH varied slightly averaging 5.5 and EC level was 3.2, which is in the correct range. As for the Avenida’s PH readings were all right at 6.0 with slightly varying EC readings of averaging 2.3, which is on the lower end of the suggested range for growing Geraniums as well as the PH level.

Growth: From 2/6/08 to 2/13/08

New Plants stating height and width. (Azaleas)

Remembrance 23-46

Prize 27-38

Scarlet 23-34

Cultural Treatment: This week we leached the mums and stopped the n.i. lighting, start SD by moving the Roanoke and Miramar to my bench with spaced with 1 foot centers. The Ivy Geraniums I soft pinched the main branch of each plant, attached the hangers to the pots and disbudded them as usual, spacing on 2 foot centers. This week we used a Gnatrol sprenched the Easter lilies for the fungus gnats and measured the visible bud but mine were to small so I will do that next week, and placed them on 1 foot centers.  On all crops I removed the dead leaves from the pots and plants and disbudded all the Geraniums. And 6 inch center spacing for the chives and ferns.

Watering

Picture: Chives

This Week: Lab was not near as busy as far as planting is concerned, I only planted four Pot Onion Chives. I planted five chive cuttings in each 4.5 inch pots in a square pattern with one of them in the center of the pot. We used Sunshine #1 media and watered them in with regular water initially, but in the future they will be watered in with 200 ppm 15-16-17 fertilizer. The stating measurement of the chives is a height of 16cm and a width of 20cm.
Pest: I detected no new types of pests nor any more thrips on the sticky card.
Nutrition: This week I was responsible the PH and EC readings for the Sophie Cascade Geraniums and the Easter Lilies. The Sophie cascade had a PH level of 6.4 and an EC level of 3.3. The Easter Lilies PH had a variety of readings averaging 6.4 and an EC level of 0.6. Both plants were in the recommended PH levels according to the charts. The EC level was a little high for the Geraniums and the Lilies are in the correct range.
Growth: Measurements from 1/30/08 to2/6/08
Plant Height (cm) Width (cm)
Miramar 0 1
Roanoke -4 4
Tango 1 4
Avendia 0 5
Sophie Cascade 1 1
Easter Lilies 6 3
Mixed Snapdragons 8 6

Cultural Treatment: This week I tied four strings in a crossing pattern to help support and divide the mixed snapdragons, and also moved them outside to continue growing. Also I newly spaced the geraniums and Easter Lilies to one foot center to center to promote more growth and allow more light to the base of the plants. For the Mums I clipped them back at 7 nodes to stimulate new shuts with scissors and still continuing with n.i lighting. The Geraniums I removed the flower buds and new leaves and they are being fertilized with a 350 ppm on all varieties.

Picture: Mixed Snapdragons

Pests: After examining the sticky card and plants I discovered that there was a single thrip bug stuck on the card.

Nutrition: This week I took readings on the ph levels of the Tango Geraniums and the Roanoke mums.  The average ph for the tango dark red was exactly six, which is an acceptable level for that plant. The Roanoke mum read vary similarly with a average ph level of 5.9, which is also in the correct range for the mum family. The differing factor was the readings of the MillMH05/cm, the Tango average level was normal at 3.1, but the Roanoke readings were off the charts for an unknown reason or there is a possibility that there could have been a problem with the machine.

Growth:  In one week from 1/23 to 1/30

Cultural Treatments:  This week I removed about three or four buds from the Geraniums to keep the plant from beginning flowering before it reached its proper size.  I also continued to treat the plants with 300 ppm fertilized water accept I water the Easter Lilies with plain water.

Other: I planted a variety of ferns this week and two three gallon pots with ten mixed snapdragons that I also placed tomato cages to stake them up so they will not fall over as they grow tall. I used a SunShine LC1 with no vermiculite being the difference. After taking the ph readings and planting I took all the plant measurements and watered in with the correct fertilizer amounts to finish up the lab.

It was another fun lab.

Photo: Tango Dark Red Geranium

Week #1 Lab: The First week of lab was great. It was very busy and we accomplished a lot, in the hour we were out in the greenhouse we managed to plant a total of 14 pots most with more than one plant in each. We got our growing kits to use.  As well as large amounts of information on how to water, plant, and label and so on. 

First I planted two different cultivars of mums, Roanoke and Miramar, rooted cuttings, five plants in each six inch pots angled outward toward the edge of the pot. Roanoke was the bigger of the two being 12cm tall and 21cm wide. The Miramar was only 9cm high and 22cm across. Then I watered in with 300 ppm 20-10-20 fertilizer.

Next thing I did was plant the two types of geraniums, Tango Dark Red and Avendia Mosaic Red, which were also rooted cuttings of which I planted one in the center of each pot filled with ProMix BX type medium. The Tango measured 9cm high and 11cm across, and was planted in five inch pot. The Avendia initial size was 11cm high and 13cm across and was planted in a six inch pot.  After finishing they were watered in with a 200 ppm 15-16-17 fertilizer. 

Finally I planted two ten inch hanging basket pots of a different cultivar of geraniums called Sophie Cascade, which were six rooted cuttings in a double triangle formation in the pot. All together they were 11cm tall and 29cm wide, filling out the basket which I watered in with 200 ppm 15-16-17 fertilizer. 

I was also given three Easter Lilies to grow that were already in their pots. The plants were 16cm tall and 21cm across.

After completing the planting I checked and removed all the buds and yellow leaves. Then set a sticky card above the plants to watch for pests and made sure all my plants were labeled correctly. Then organized them properly, took their measurements and carefully watered all of them.

It was a great first lab.

Name: Frederick Perry Billings IV

Grade: Freshman, Class of 2011

Home Town: Houston, Texas

Greenhouse experience: I have a fair amount of experience in the growing plants in greenhouses, but I do not have a very deep understanding of how to be successful at growing, or why plants react to the environment the way they do. My knowledge primarily has to do with four inch color crops such as Pansies, Dianthus, Snapdragons, and many more.  I have had no formal training; everything I have learned is a result of my Dad’s occupation as a grower and landscape architect. Before I went to college I was very involved in the growing process, mainly as labor. So you could say that I have planted thousands of flats of flowers in my life, but beyond that I do not know much.

Career aspirations:  My Dad currently owns a growing, whole sale, and retail nursery in north west Houston called Buds and Blossoms which after graduation I plan on working there and some day take over the family business. That is why I am very interested to take this class to improve my understanding and help in the future greenhouse production at our nursery.