fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Seven things you should know about Oxford’s botanical treasure troves
By: Oxford Giving
Tags: University Of Oxford, Plants, Research, Plant Science, Biodiversity

4. The herbaria and their specimens could help to secure the future of biodiversity on Earth.

The herbaria’s early contributors could have had little idea of the innovative ways in which their pressed, dried specimens would be used by researchers today. As well as telling us about the past, Oxford’s collections have become essential tools for those investigating modern biodiversity-related issues, such as species conservation, environmental change and food security.

Last year, for example, herbaria specimens helped scientists to discover the closest living relative to the sweet potato — research that can now be used to introduce important traits such as pathogen resistance into this incredibly valuable food crop.

5. The way the collections are currently arranged makes it extremely time-consuming to extract data from them.

The fact that the majority of the herbaria are stored in cupboards (rather than digitised and made available online) presents a whole host of challenges for today’s researchers, particularly those searching the collections by something other than scientific name.

Let’s say, for example, that someone wants to see all of the herbaria’s holdings of trees found in Oxfordshire during the 19th century — without a list of scientific names, they will have to hunt through approximately 200,000 specimens to find what they need. Less than ideal, we’re sure you’ll agree.

6. The replacement value of the Oxford University Herbaria has been estimated at at least £48 million.

Whilst it’s impossible to put a price on such unique specimens, the cost of recollecting them is thought to be at least £48 million. This means that, were the worst ever to happen, the herbaria would be near impossible to replace.

‘We’ve got these incredible resources, but they’re under huge threat as well, because you only need one fire… If you think about dried plants in dried paper in wooden cupboards — the whole lot could go up so easily.’ Kathy Willis, Professor of Biodiversity at the University of Oxford (BBC News)

7. Digitising the collections will be absolutely, positively transformative.

One solution to the herbaria’s predicament is to harness the power of a digital database — something the team is striving very hard to do. With the collections digitised in full, not only would they be protected for future generations, but researchers around the world would be able to capitalise quickly and efficiently upon vast quantities of data, collected over centuries, to answer pressing questions about the planet’s plants.
Getting Lit with CRISPR 🌱💡
By: Mikey Taylor
Tags: Innovation, Science, Tech, Genetics, Plants

Getting Lit with CRISPR 🌱💡

Food, water, and shelter are considered to be the three most vital things humans need for survival. However, I would argue that there is one more that is often forgotten, that we all rely on in one way or another: light💡

Light is something we all take for granted. There are so many things we wouldn’t be able to do without light — we wouldn’t be able to read, and it’d be 10x harder for us to learn. We wouldn’t be able to see without light.

Light is a necessity that connects us all. But there’s a problem: 1.3 billion don’t have light without the sun, lacking access to electricity.

Light is also expensive, and nonrenewable energy resources can’t be replaced. Even renewable energy has its pitfalls.

So I asked myself a pretty straightforward question: what would be the most efficient + costly way to produce light?

Being a biology nerd, I turned to nature for the answer. And that’s when it hit me — glow in the dark plants🌱💡

Glow in the dark plants (or bioluminaires, if you will) are the perfect solution to this problem.

If a plant has enough nutrients, it grows, and if it were to be glow in the dark, more leaves ➡️ more light.

But how could we make a plant glow in the freaking dark? Is that even possible?!

This is where the novel technology comes in — CRISPR-Cas9, time to shine! ☀️Literally…

CRISPR-Cas9 steps

CRISPR-Cas9 is a novel gene editing technology that is inspired by a biological process in bacteria. It allows us to take a gene out of an organism, and put a gene from another organism in its place.

It does this with Cas9, an enzyme that acts like scissors. Cas9 binds with guide RNA, a sequence of nitrogenous bases that is complementary to the target DNA, or the gene we want to get rid of. The guide RNA leads the Cas9 enzyme to the target DNA and binds to it. The Cas9 cuts the target DNA out, and the scientist adds a new piece of DNA in to take its place! ✂️

This technology could be used to edit the DNA of plants, adding in the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene in place of the target DNA to make glow in the dark plants.

Bioluminescent jellyfish

The green fluorescent protein actually comes from jellyfish which use it to scare predators away.

By engineering glow in the dark plants, millions of people around the world could be given light without electricity, meaning more people could read and learn, in addition to helping the environment.

They could be used in place of streetlights, or even replace lightbulbs, having the potential to save homeowners $200 each month! The possibilities are virtually endless.

Key Takeaways 🔑
My Three Favourite House Plants
Tags: Plants, Houseplants, Asparagus Fern, Calathea, Watermelon Peperomia

Hi everyone, as you’ve probably gathered from my profile, my main focus is on plants.

So everything I write, everything I read and everything I do is normally in some way related to plants.

At the moment I have three houseplants that I absolutely love and thought I should share with you.

They’re all different so require varying degrees of care which is perfect if you’re looking for a recommendation because you can just find the one that works best for you.

Calathea

The Calathea plant is probably the fussiest out of the three I’m going to mention. So if you’re new to houseplanting you probably won’t be too bothered with this one.

But if you’ve looked after a few and think maybe I can handle it then I would seriously recommend trying this houseplant.

The Calathea are a family of house plants with the most beautiful foliage you’ll ever encounter. They have intricate patterns but the downside is that they can be incredibly difficult to look after.

Calathea plants need watering but not too often, misting but not soaking, warm but without dry air. They can be a nightmare.

But if you learn how to take care of one then they are some of the most rewarding houseplants you could get. They’re definitely number one in my list of favourites.

Asparagus Fern

The Asparagus Fern is my second favourite type of houseplant and it’s often one of the most underrated! The asparagus fern is a dainty little thing with feathery foliage that brightens up any living space.

They’re cute and they look like they belong in a Twilight movie, what’s more to love?

Watermelon Peperomia

The clue is in the name! The Watermelon Peperomia is a fabulous little plant and I love this one so much because…. you guessed it! It looks like a Watermelon! Or at least its leaves do.

The Watermelon Peperomia gets its name from the watermelon like appearance found on its leaves.

This is a personal favourite of mine and might even work its way up to number one.

So there you have it! My first article on Medium and also my three favourite houseplants currently. Of course this is subject to change but for now Calathea, Asparagus Fern and Watermelon Peperomia all have a special place in my heart.
First Time Growing Cannabis Outdoors in South Africa? Here’s what you need.
Tags: Plants, Growing, Organic, Garden, Cannabis

What is the recommended time of year to plant?

For best results, it’s best to germinate seeds in October as the amount of hours of sunlight are over 12. Plants will generally go straight into flower if the hours of light are hovering around 12. So for example, I plant at the beginning of September, after 6 weeks the plant is actually mature enough to produce buds/flowers. So what happens is, your plant will be in flower in October then because you’ll be moving toward the summer solstice, light will be increasing and there will be a point where you plant will stop growing and change from flowering mode back to vegetative(Leaf mode), this can waste a lot of time and cause stress on your plant and potentially turn into a raging hermaphrodite.

What you’ll need for seed germination

You’ll need a jiffy pellet, available at most grow shops.

Expanding coco pellets. AKA Jiffies

Pots Pots Pots

You’re going to need a smaller pot to start with, solocups are cheap and easy.

Perfect for your seedling to grow in.

Fabric pots are amazing and come in different sizes

Where to get fabric pots?

www.plantmatter.co.za

www.freedomfarms.co.za

www.mantisgrow.co.za

www.zootly.co.za

Organic soil?

Do yourself a favor and buy the best soil you can, it will reward you later on.
What is Aloe vera & the way to care for this plant? -
By: Meenakshi Jain
Tags: Care, Plants, Home, Garden, Aloe Vera

Posted on March 17, 2020 by dpkndls

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Aloe Vera may be a succulent plant, meaning it stores water in its leaves (it’s 94% water). It grows up to about 36 inches tall and spreads outward by offsets or form a good cluster of chubby leaves.

Where am I able to Get an Aloe vera Plant?

If you’ve got a lover or a loved one that happens to possess Aloe vera growing somewhere, you’ll propagate it by removing an offset with care. Your local plant nursery should have Aloe vera plants. you would possibly even be ready to find it within the farmer’s market. And, of course, like everything else, you’ll find it on Amazon.

How does one look after Aloe vera ?

Here are some useful tips to grow Aloe vera plants with care at home and garden.

* Harvest the aloe leaf for its gel using a sharp knife or scissors.

* Fertilize the Aloe vera plant once in the spring season throughout the year.

* Aloe Vera plants don’t tolerate the extremely cool weather or frost conditions.

* Make sure the Aloe vera plant receives sunlight for a minimum of 6–8 hours each day.

* Pot or container must have holes at the lowest for air circulation and to empty water completely.

* When you select Aloe vera leaf or stems from a mature plant to propagate, confirm it’s healthy & disease resistant.

Aloe Uses

The Aloe vera plant produces two substances that we will use as medicine for skincare. The gel is clear and comes from the inner a part of the leaf, and therefore the latex which is yellow and is found right under the skin (you’ll notice it once you cut the leaf).

There are two main ways to use aloe vera: externally and internally.

Externally — both the gel and the latex are used externally to heal skin care problems, support healthy mouth and teeth and healthy hair and scalp.

Here could be a list of skincare problems Aloe vera can help heal by applying the gel on the skin:

Burns.

Itchy skin due to insect bites.

Sunburns care.

Skincare

Athlete’s foot.

Rushes.

Blisters.

Prevent and heal acne.

Aloe Vera Beneficial for our daily care.

Most people are already very familiar with the medicinal and healing benefits of Aloe vera plants. currently, you’ll find Aloe vera plant gel in everything from skincare and hair care products to drinks, supplements, and food products.

You can harvest Aloe vera gel from your plant to use it on minor burns and cuts, and even to make your own soaps, lotions, and other skincare products if you would like.

Another great advantage of growing Aloe vera as a houseplant is that it helps to purify the air in our homes.

Now we all know why Aloe vera is such a well-liked plant lately, and everybody wants to care & grow their own. Thanks for reading
Ty Ty Nursery: Cold Hardy Windmill Palm Trees for Northern Climates
By: Ty Ty Nursery
Tags: Environment, Plants, Gardening, Green

Most individuals do not equate snowfall with palm trees; however, the windmill palm tree can survive harsh northern climates and is one of the most cold-hardy trees in existence. The windmill palm tree or the Trachycarpus fortunei are available at Ty Ty Nursery and can be purchased and planted in states across the USA, including northern states such as Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan.

Trachycarpus Fortunei

Commonly known as the windmill palm tree, the Trachycarpus fortunei is thought to have originated in China, from where seedlings and specimen trees were imported to the United States. The palm tree grows fan-shaped leaves and a few feet wide, making them an excellent source of shade in warmer months.

The trunk of this palm tree is approximately 1 foot in thickness and can reach heights of about 1 foot per year, depending on climate. In warmer temperatures, the palm trees can grow over 14 inches per year, whereas in colder climates they may only reach a growth rate of 8 inches.

Once fully matured, the tree can be expected to grow to an average height of 15ft, although the final heights can vary from 10 feet-30 feet depending on the location in which they are grown. According to Ty Ty Nursery, windmill palms are known for producing copious amounts of seeds which are eaten by animals but are inedible for people.

Suitable for Northern Climates

There are multiple cold hardy palm trees that are available for purchase throughout the US. However, the windmill is the hardiest and can be found as far north as Canada. Ty Ty Nursery notes that in Switzerland, this palm tree can be found lined around Lake Lucerne and leading up to the city walls. In the US, the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) has broken down land into hardiness zones, starting north and moving down south.

Growing Zones

The Windmill palm tree can usually be grown in hardiness zones 6 through 11. Zone 6 covers a large area of the mid-USA, spanning from Kansas through to the east coast, with small areas of states west of Kansas. Included in zone 6 are areas in southern Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Ty Ty Nursery points out that the of the recommended zones as per the USDA, the Windmill palm tree can grow in zone 6 with temperatures going as low as -5 to 5 degrees.

It has been over a decade since Ty Ty Nursery began selling small windmill palm trees to their customers. Originally beginning with smaller trees, they have recently successfully delivered larger trees via semi-trucks to Illinois, New York and New Jersey. Ty Ty Nursery believes that the windmill palm trees will do great in the coming years in the USA, with the tropical feel and the hardiness to survive harsher northern climates.



For more information on the windmill palm please visit https://www.tytyga.com/.
Don’t Sell Yourself Short, Having a Green Thumb Isn’t Impossible Even for the Inexperienced
By: Nikki W
Tags: Gardening, Plants, New Hobby, Covid 19, Gardening Tips

Isolation in itself is a difficult challenge to face, and finding meaning in the silence can be even harder. That’s why you may have noticed the surge in plant buying happening all around you. Taking care of plants is rewarding, and can bring you a feeling of self-satisfaction that many of us so desperately need this year. Now you may be thinking gardening is not for you, after all, don’t you need a green thumb for that?

Green thumbs aren’t elusive or magical

Let’s stop for one second the needless narrative that to keep plants alive, you need this thing only some people have. It’s not magic, and it’s not genetics, it’s something even a newcomer can attain. The most important things to become a great plant person are as follows:

Patience Observation A thirst for knowledge

The Trinity of Troubleshooting

Most people give up on gardening due to mistakes and too many losses. Which is why patience is the number one most important thing to have. You could do everything right, but sometimes things happen that you can’t control.

Observation is all you need to become the best plant provider possible. Pests are a never-ending army, and they will never give up their frontal assault on your crops or your houseplants. Make sure you know your enemy, can identify them and have a plan of attack. All it takes is not looking close enough at your plants for a couple of days for them to become infested.

They don’t say knowledge is power for nothing, and research is king to keeping this hobby alive. With the power of the internet at your disposal, do as much searching and studying as possible. If you are taking care of a garden, your local agriculture extension is your best friend.

Gardening today can make a better future for tomorrow

Change is a constant thing, and if you stand still for long enough, you might catch it speeding past you. With so many things changing in our lives, especially as of late, it’s nice to go back to basics. Gardening is something that can soothe us and provide actual fruits of our labor. It’s something every person on this planet can do. So don’t let yourself become discouraged because you have a green thumb, it just needs some patience and observation to see.
8 Homemade Natural Rooting Hormone for Plants
By: Manoj Pandey
Tags: Natural, Roots, Plants, Plant Based, Hormones

Honey

Take two cup of boiled water add 1 teaspoon of honey and mix well let it to cool then store in a container keep away from sunlight. keep it as root hormone when you want to grow cuttings keep cuttings in that honey boiled water for 2 to 4 hour after that you can plant your cuttings in the starting

As we used honey as root hormone i will tell you how first of all prepare cutting remove leaves cut leaves half some friends cut leaves from the root do not cut from there because new buds start from there new growth start from there so don’t cut from there you can cut half or cut that leaf’s stick. Now the remain part will fall after 2,3 days naturally Then Start new buds so we can cut leaves after it.

Cut the edge

This method that also easy cut the end sharply with using blade or etc tools. Now the process is done .you have to prepare soil for cutting put coco coir in the bottom for draining water use well drain soil otherwise cutting affected by fungus.

Use sand and some perlite and some gravel now put soil and add cow dung first fill soil then plant cutting

I will give you this method because it works well. we will cut this branch and take honey in bottle dip cutting in the honey. Honey is antibacterial so it protect from fungus so its good to grow root well mostly cuttings not grow because they affected from fungus now plant it like this now press soil gently so cutting will not move its necessary that don’t move cutting after plant it. Add some more soil on top its done now watering use well drain soil if water not drain well then cutting affected with fungus.

Grow With Prelite

In the This method (if we don’t have a route hormone )we need perlite for it first prepare cutting and then take a pot like and fill with perlite nothing to add only pure perlite because perlite good for grow new roots. Perlite a little part of Volcano the little part have many air pocket these air pocket store water so its good for rooting so we can grow cutting with pure perlite dip in honey and plant is easy method

Best season for cutting is early summer that time roots growing fast some cutting we can grow in rainy season if you have good experience then you can grow when you want. So now you can also grow cuttings.
Positive Outcomes of Wildfires
By: Laura Wright
Tags: Climate Change, Plants, Wildfires, Animals

Demorian Smith

When we think of wildfires and the burning of an ecosystem, the media tends to perceive them as the worst natural disaster. Fire is just as important to plant life and the ecological environment as rain and water. Animals and insects aren’t affected that much by fire either because most can dig themselves into the ground or escape before they’re reached. During fires the forest floors get cleans of all debris, old shrubs and weeds that suck nutrients for trees and other plant life. After fires the water supply in streams and rivers also increase since less water is being sucked up by trees. Diseases like pitch canker and bark beetle infestations that cause series damage to certain trees are burned away during fires. Also, during this process, the forest floor gets more sunlight causing thousands of colorful flowers bloom.

Fireweeds are the first under growth to begin after a fire. Certain trees depend on fires every three-25 years to help them reproduce since the heat opens the tree letting seeds fall to the ground. Chaparral plants like scrub oak need heat for germination and without wildfires they would eventually go extinct. Predators like bears and other wild animals that hunt also benefit because they can find meals quick from animals trying to escape. Fires Just like we go through different cycle in life and many changes, the environment does the same thing and that’s why it is constantly evolving. Many animals live and thrive in the aftereffects of fires. Black Bear and woodpeckers typically habit in dead wood. Just like there are rain forest there are also fire forest and they need fire to thrive.
Bamboo
Tags: Gardening, Plants, Botany, Plants400, Bamboo

Bamboos are familiar to many as effective screening plants in gardens, for the canes that support runner beans and as the preferred food of giant pandas. Strips of dried, planed and glued bamboo have also become popular as hard-wearing wood substitutes for flooring and carpentry.

There are approximately 1,500 bamboo species worldwide. These species comprise a distinct subfamily of perennial grasses that is distributed in tropical and warm temperate regions. Within these regions, bamboos occupy habitats extending from sea-level to 4,500 metres, on the snowline of the Andes, in the case of Neurolepis aristata.

Below ground, a bamboo plant comprises a branched, underground stem (rhizome) from which vertical shoots (culms) arise. Culms grow rapidly, in some species tens of centimetres per day, and can reach more than thirty metres in height. Strap-like leaves, which arise from the culms, may reach five metres in length and over thirty centimetres in width in the Ecuadorian bamboo Neurolepis elata. Bamboos flower rarely, often only once in their lifetime. Moreover, bamboos may display a mass-flowering phenomenon, where all the individual plants in an area produce flowers. After flowering. individual bamboos may produce millions of small, dry fruits. In contrast the Indo-Burmese pear bamboo (Melocanna baccifera) produces edible, fleshy fruits, approximately every half century, which are about the size and shape of a small avocado.

Bamboos have been used by peoples across the globe for thousands of years. Bamboo culms are rich in silica which makes them very tough and, when they are split, very sharp. Furthermore, culms resist forces of compression, tension and torsion but are easily split, woven, twisted and bent. Culms, bent and lashed, are the bases of traditional architecture in South and East Asia and the South Pacific, whilst twisted culms have been used to make cables for suspension bridges. Large bamboo culms make excellent water pipes if the walls, which divide the culm at the nodes, are broken. When the walls are left intact, fire- and water-proof cooking pots are produced.

In China, bamboo, one of the ‘Four Gentlemen’, denotes virtues of tenacity, integrity and elegance. Bamboo culms have been used to make writing surfaces and musical instruments. Bamboo fibres, which are very short, have been used for centuries in paper manufacture. More recently, cellulose in the fibres has been used as the raw material for the synthetic fibre, rayon. Bamboos also useful environmental engineers, as their rhizomes stabilising soils.

Professor Stephen Harris

Druce Curator of the University of Oxford Herbaria and Associate Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences

Oxford Plants 400

Twitter: Plants400
Top 5 things I learnt from Plants
By: Anamika Banerjee
Tags: Gardening, Life Lessons, Plants, Life, Philosophy

I’ve gotten a lot of my life lessons from my plants, especially I’m spending my time in the garden, I observe them a lot, here are few things I noticed, which is very well relatable with life-

1. The bigger the space of the pot or ground, the roots spread well and the leaves broaden much: one needs a considerate amount of me-time to grow as a person.

2. When two plants are placed too close, both of them never grow well: when in a relationship, you should always give space and time to eachother.

3. Different plants need different things, like table rose needs plenty of sunlight and not much care, while Calathea zebrina needs very less sunlight and in shade, else the leaves get burnt and the plant doesn’t grow: Different people have different needs, some people need too much care and attention, some people like too much space and less attention, all you need to do is give yourself some time to understand other person.

4. Some plants like climbers need support because of weaker stem, with better support, they grow much better: some people need some attention and care at first, with a nice firm support, you give them more confidence and they grow up well.

5. Some plants might not seem much useful to you, but who knows they’re very important in one way or other, for example Pterris vitata ( a kind of fern) is an excellent plant to control pollution, it is an arsenic hyperaccumulator plant: Someone can be useful to you in an unexpected way, always be kind to everyone.
UX Case Study: RootLogic App — the new way of growing
By: Cecilia Weissbein
Tags: UI, UX, Plants, User Experience, Indoor Farming

2) Low Fidelity Prototype

I decided to face RootLogic design with a dashboard as the main screen, which will show the value of weather variables in real-time and the current status of every component.

An important point of dashboard design is that, at a quick glance, users have to be able to know what is going on. Since its function is informative, no changes or actions are executed on the dashboard. To do this, each control has an individual screen.

3) Testing

A usability test took place to evaluate the LoFi Prototype. Users were asked to perform tasks and the rate of success was measured. During the test, they were also asked to express their feelings and thoughts out loud. Feedback was useful to define:

Icons: the dashboard layout was understood, but there was a general agreement on the fact that icons would allow faster recognition of components. People were asked which icons they associated with each component, and this feedback helped to make icon selection in HiFi stages.

the dashboard layout was understood, but there was a general agreement on the fact that icons would allow faster recognition of components. People were asked which icons they associated with each component, and this feedback helped to make icon selection in HiFi stages. Wording: I confirmed that words used in the app were understood (For example AC, Tank, etc).

I confirmed that words used in the app were understood (For example AC, Tank, etc). Navigation: the navigation bar remained unchanged but the way of getting to the list of devices changed. This is shown below:

Old navigation

New Navigation

4) High Fidelity Prototype

The color palette consists of:

Dark purple.

Turquoise: This color was used for interactions, some CTA buttons and to show ON mode.

Red: To show OFF mode.

Shades of purple: The color palette was completed with shades of purple and white.

Icon selection was done with user feedback, as mentioned earlier. The idea was to pick minimalistic icons to avoid visual overload on our dashboard.

The main screen was divided into two sections in order to differentiate sensors and tappable controls:

Each control screen is different because they all perform different tasks. Let’s take a look at them:
i know in my heart
Tags: Trailblazer, Plants, Hiking, Nature, Trees

i know in my heart

the sweet smell of the grasses and old pines,

the quick brush and swish of the dirt beneath your feet.

the breeze that passes by you as if you are nothing,

you are in the primitive atmosphere of nature.

the quietness of what is everything.

the trees that seem to want to grasp you and keep you,

maybe the old fables of trees taking those who walk through them are true.

the roots that you stumble over, giving life.

the history and life of the ancient entities that quietly watch over you,

step by step, breath by breath, and thought by thought.

they are the ones who provide air for your lungs,

air for your soul, air for your life.

these perennial plants, who reach great lengths in the skies,

the ones who might know if there is a God humble you.

who, to the average person are nothing, who to the greedy are nothing.

you see in vain, you walk in vain, you live in vain,

if the trees have no affect on your mind, on your soul, you are lost.

their quietness is deafening, the sweet rumble of their leaves,

only moved by the spirit of the wind, washing their foliage,

levaes singing their song to the sun above.

the sun who gives you as much life as them,

for either of you would be nothing without the sun.

the roots, believed by my ancestors to be rooted within myself,

are presenting and calling me back to them.

i know in my heart.
First, Gabrielle, acknowledgment to you for writing this.
By: Riane Tyler
Tags: Plants, Race, Spirituality, Environment, Nature

First, Gabrielle, acknowledgment to you for writing this. Thank you for expanding my perspective. I recently moved to a concrete jungle, and within a couple of weeks in quarantine found myself desperate for green space. I come from spending my days outside in the sun, facilitating tours and dives (I’m a scuba instructor). So I can align with you on the highlighted statement. I purchased three plants and have been gifted or have found propagules and seeds to raise. Now I have a stable growing family of 13, and as a mermaid, I did not think I’d be so into plant mom life.

When I speak to my grandmother about gardening, she actively disconnects because it reminds her of time growing up on a farm in rural Alabama. I know, though, that there are ancestral ties to gardening and tending to plant life in my line. I hope that more black people can connect in this way with nature and bring some life into their homes/space or find a sacred space outdoors they can tend to.

Have you any experience with homesteading? If so, I’d love to read more.
Plant Propagation Part 1: How to Turn 1 Plant Into 50 Plants for Free
By: Clara Brashear
Tags: Plants

I have an addiction-

to plants.

I started out with four succulents, and over the months my collection has grown tremendously. But I have not spent money (ok maybe just a little) on any new plants. How?

I propagate them. Plant propagation is my latest obsession and is a great hobby that I encourage everyone to try.

Without further ado, I will show you how I turn one plant into fifty plants:

I use a technique that involves taking a leaf off the original succulent (also called the mother plant) and turning that leaf into an exact duplicate. Yes, I clone them. However, this technique is mostly used for succulents, and can not be used with most leafy house plants.

Leaf propagation is the easiest and most entertaining way to make multiple versions of one succulent.

Step 1:

Take a leaf off of a healthy succulent. The cleaner the break, the better chance of the leaf surviving, so try to tear the leaf off near the plant’s base.

Step 2:

Lay the leaf on a dry paper towel. Place it in a well-lit area and do not water.

Step 3:

Play the waiting game.

The leaves will start to grow roots on their own, and they will eventually produce tiny versions of the original plant. This process can be sped up with more complicated techniques (which is what I enjoy experimenting with), but for now, we will stick with this one.

This is what the process looks like starting with the leaf on the right end.

These took about 8 months to develop: keep in mind they do not grow as fast in the winter, or in cold climates.

That’s all folks. This is incredibly easy, fascinating, and rewarding. I encourage you to give this a try and to start experimenting with different techniques.

Keep an eye out for part 2 of this post:

“The different ways to propagate a plant” where I explain the more complicated techniques that I like to use.
Citizen Science Step 11: Finalize Design
By: Hannah Fales
Tags: Uxui Design, Design, Plants, Xd, Prototype

Hello everyone!! I am proud to say that this app design is officially finalized. After user testing my design, I went back into the prototype to make some final touches. These changes increased the clarity of my design which allows the users to be able to fully understand the content within the app.

One change I made within the design was the visual of the dying plant on a fellow friend’s profile. When I placed a screenshot of that page into the color blind generator, I reaized that my indicators between a healthy plant and dying plant heavily relied on colors. If a green-blind user were looking at my app, he/she would not be able to tell any difference between the plants. I decided to redesign the way the unhealthy plant looks by making a leave from the plant fall off. This was a better way of showing off the condition of the plant without relying solely on color.

On a user’s profile page, you can look at the badges they have earned and the plant they are currently growing. I felt this was a good way to keep people motivated in making sure their plant stays healthy and grows. However, I found that the section felt unclear because nothing explains its purpose. I decided to add a short description so that the user will have no trouble understanding the role of the page.

In my original design, the homescreen showed the amount of points you have earned so far for your plant. I discovered through my user testings that people read “0 points” as “OPTS”. It wasn’t clear whether the phrase showed a zero or the letter “O”. I solved this through the use of scaling. I made the abbreviation of the word “points” all lowercase and at a smaller font size than the number zero. I also decided there needed to be a section that showed the current points the user has earned for their plants versus the total number of points the user has earned in general. That way the user knew how many points that had and needed to grow their plant and how many total points they had from all the plants they have grown.

It is these small choices in a design that deteremine the clarity within it. It is our job to think about how others interpret the information we present. We may see one thing but they may see something entirely different. I am really happy with the way this project turned out and am thankful for the people who helped critique my work. It was those critiques led me to a more successful app.

Link To My Protoype:

https://xd.adobe.com/view/0301271f-b5df-4765-42a1-e07f7ada7f3e-7530/screen/823845af-18a9-417a-bea5-bf2194f64e3b/iPhone-X-XS-11-Pro-6
Wood sorrel
Tags: Invasive Species, Genetics, Plants, Botany, Plants400

European wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), the minor Andean food plant oca (Oxalis tuberosa) and the South African Bermuda-buttercup (Oxalis pes-caprae) are members of the large, cosmopolitan genus Oxalis. The genus is particularly species-rich in South America and the Cape Region of South Africa.

The bright yellow, funnel-shaped flowers of Oxalis pes-caprae open when the sun is shining. In cloudy conditions, the flowers are closed, and trumpet-shaped. In the mid-eighteenth century, Oxalis pes-caprae was introduced into European gardens as a horticultural novelty. Over the past 150 years, its distinctive flowers and clover-like leaves have become familiar sights in many parts of Europe, especially in the western Mediterranean. In this region, Oxalis pes-caprae is a major agricultural weed and can form dense mats that out-compete early spring growth of native plants in natural habitats. It is another plant categorised as an invasive species, after escaping from gardens.

In South Africa, populations of Oxalis pes-caprae may contain individuals with three different types of flowers. The differences are associated with the relative positions of the styles and anthers (tristyly); the flowers are described as long-styled, mid-styled and short-styled. Tristyly is a means of promoting crossing between different plants, therefore reducing the possibility that individual plants mate with themselves. In Bermuda-buttercup’s native distribution, most plants are fertile and tetraploid (they have four complete sets of chromosomes). In contrast, in the Mediterranean most plants are short-styled pentaploids (they have five complete sets of chromosomes). The brilliant floral displays, so attractive to insects, have no biological function as the plants do not produce seeds. Propagation and spread is through tiny, underground bulbs.

In 1891, the Lamarckian botanist George Henslow (1835–1925) explained the absence of variation in European Oxalis pes-caprae populations because they propagated and spread from a single plant introduced to Malta in the early nineteenth century. Detailed analysis of herbarium data shows European plants are derived from at least two independent introductions, whilst DNA suggests at least three main areas of introduction: Iberian Peninsula; Apennine Peninsula; and the Levant. Given the evidence of multiple introductions, an explanation now needs to be found for why the most common type of European Oxalis pes-caprae is a short-styled pentaploid.

Oxalis is derived from the Greek oxus (sour) because of the taste of the oxalic-acid-rich leaves. The acid was first extracted from the leaves of Oxalis acetosella, which is now in bloom in British woodlands, including the Arboretum.

Professor Stephen Harris

Druce Curator of the University of Oxford Herbaria and Associate Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences

Oxford Plants 400

Twitter: Plants400
Herb-Robert
By: Uea Ecology Ben
Tags: Wildlife, Plants, Weeds And Wildflowers, Garden, Nature

Herb-Robert growing in a shaded corner of my garden.

Herb-Robert, Geranium robertianum, is a native wildflower with pink star-shaped flowers. Each flower has five petals and is the most striking of pinks. The foliage is palmate and green in colour and there is often a red hue to the stems (Royal Horticultural Society). It flowers from May through until December (Lippert and Podlech, 2010). If you handle the plant, you will notice that it carries a strong and unpleasant scent.

This member of the Geranium family dislikes acidic soil and is found growing anywhere where there is some shade (Wildlife Trusts). It is a plant of woodland, hedgerow and coastal areas (Woodland Trust). It is considered to be a weed in the garden and spreads rapidly due to its exploding seed pods (Royal Horticultural Society).

Traditionally, herb-Robert was believed to treat a number of medical conditions including, nose-bleeds, stomach upsets and headaches. The plant was also used as an antiseptic and some believe it to be a useful mosquito repellent (Wildlife Trusts).

References

Lippert, W. and Podlech, D. Wildflowers of Britain and Europe HarperCollins, London, 2010

Royal Horticultural Society https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=991 (last accessed May 2020)

Wildlife Trusts https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/wildflowers/herb-robert (last accessed May 2020)

Woodland Trust https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants/wild-flowers/herb-robert/ (last accessed May 2020)
Want To A Live Happy, Healthy and Colorful Life ?
By: Warda Riaz
Tags: Healthy Foods, Plants Online, Plants, Colorful Living Room, Happy Life

Want To A Live Happy, Healthy and Colorful Life ?

Want to live a happy, healthy and colorful life!

There is a way by which you can live happy healthy and colorful life,just garden plants,and look after like your chlids.

They will make you healthy and happy whole day.With colorful flowers you will feel like that you life is full of happiness and colors.

But how Plants makes you happy?

ALLAH has given us many blessings in the form of its nature and its beauty.Plants with their fantastic green foliage make people happy. Flowers generate happiness and improve people’s moods.

Plants remove the anxiety and depression from us and gives a smiley life.They have ability to remove hurdles from our minds.

It will be a great moment when you wake up and see the beauty for nature.

So grew up Plants and make yourself happy.

But how Plants makes you healthy?

As we eat to live,but if we eat eat fresh and healthy food then we can live a healthy and happy life.

When you grow food plants in your home and use fresh food daily then you can live long,happy and healthy life.

You can grow daily usage food in home like beans,peas,mint,broccoli and lettuce.

How plants make our life colorful?

Flowers have different colors and beauty in them.Ones who love flowers is living a worry less life.Having flowers in our home is just like a fresh environment and makes your life colorful by loving and caring them.

REFERENCES:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcnews.com%2Fbetter%2Fhealth%2Fwhy-more-millennials-are-buying-plant-parenthood-ncna935836&psig=AOvVaw0_aHaJPV54FDUg01IGhvnr&ust=1588494216649000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCKDUj6bglOkCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
Bioluminescent fungi unlock new toolkit for plant research
Tags: Biology, Science, Plants, Bioluminescence, Fungi

Many animals have evolved the capacity to produce light from chemical reactions. For example, an enzyme known as luciferase in fireflies produces light by acting on a molecule called luciferin.

Scientists have identified the enzymes that drive several of these systems and used them to build reporters that can study the activity of genes in the tissues of plants and other lifeforms over space and time. However, these reporters often require chemicals to be added to the tissues to produce light. These chemicals tend to be expensive and may not penetrate evenly into the tissues of interest, limiting the potential applications of the reporters in research studies.

Recently, it has been discovered that fungi have a bioluminescence pathway that converts a molecule known as caffeic acid into luciferin. Caffeic acid is a common molecule in plants, therefore, it is possible the fungal bioluminescence pathway could be used to build reporters that produce light without needing the addition of chemicals.

Now, Khakhar et al. have inserted the genes that encode the enzymes of the fungal bioluminescence pathway into tobacco plants. The experiments found that this was sufficient to turn caffeic acid into molecules of luciferin which are able to produce light. Inserting the same genes into several other plant species, including tomatoes and dahlias, produced similar results. Further experiments showed that the fungal bioluminescence pathway can be used to build reporters that monitor the activity of plant genes throughout living tissues and over a period of several days as well as examine the response to plant hormones.

Alongside studying the activities of genes in plants, Khakhar et al. propose that the toolkit developed in this work could be used to generate plants with luminescence that can be switched on or off as desired. This could have many uses including helping plants attract insects to pollinate flowers and building plant biosensors that emit light in response to environmental signals.
Take a break from the Corona-verse via a tour of Half Moon Bay’s best (& only) carnivorous plant emporium
By: Johanna Hickle
Tags: Bay Area, Gardening, Plants, Weird, Small Business

The Collector Following

“A lot of my collectors are broadly collectors,” Brown observes. “They’ve done saltwater terrariums, they’ve done orchids.” Sometimes they’ve done tarantulas. A number keep geckos, incorporating carnivorous plants into their enclosures. “They love each other,” he notes of the two species.

It’s a good time to be in the industry. Millennials today are proud plant parents, adopting pincushion cacti, ponytail palms and painted ladies at a rapidly growing rate. They’re a great alternative to puppies when dealing with non-pet-friendly apartments.

Anyone else getting Little Shop of Horrors vibes? (Image via Johanna Hickle)

But plant collecting isn’t just a current trend. Different plants have popped in and out of the spotlight over the years. Take Holland’s bizarre tulip craze during the 1630s (when the average price of a single bulb went for the modern equivalent of $50,000 to $150,000). Or look at the Orchidelirium of the Victorian era. Orchids — a little like flowery cobras with petals fanning out like hoods, open mouthed lips like forked tongues and exposed throats as if caught mid-hiss — resurfaced as the “it” plant during the 1980s when a swarm of hobbyists joined local orchid societies. They gained such a following that wild orchid smugglers and black market deals became a problem.

Brown notes orchid collecting started declining ever since they were mass-produced overseas. “They were brought over here in big shipping containers and just dumped into the market,” he says. “That took a plant that had kind of an elite, illustrious collector mentality, democratized it and brought down the mystique.” He adds, “The Pacific Orchid Expo used to be held in a hangar at Fort Mason and was this cavernous monstrous thing where people from all over the world came. It is now downsized to a small venue in San Francisco.”

For whatever reason, carnivorous plants seem to attract a younger generation of sellers and a strong social media presence, which translates better to the current market.
I think my house plants are trying to murder me.
By: Bharat Vishwakarma
Tags: Plants, Comedy

Since a few days I have been suspecting that my house plants are making a diabolical plan to kill me. I will not be surprised if I find a copy of the same plan’s draft in the trashcan.

Why I suspect you ask?

Here’s why —

Have you ever woken up from a bad dream in the middle of the night, first thing you see is your house plant, just sitting there, silently, like nothing happened?

Many times you listen an eerie sounds in dead of the night when no one is home.

One day I found a kitchen knife near my plant, Coincidence? I think not.

I believe they are evolving, soon they ll be able to handle knives and guns and the day is not far when one of them try to press the nuke button from the presidents office.

I have been having plants for a long time and most of them died because I was careless and couldn’t water them. I also think their souls are still in my apartment hunting for water. Condensation explained my friend.

I have been nurturing two plants on my work desk. One of them fell on my pinky toe the other day. I believe he (Yes, I call it “He” because I named it Satan.) did that, because I kept listening to the same Justin Bieber song again and again in front of him.

Whenever I buy a new plant, my cat tries to slide the plant from the balcony rake to the floor, why? Because she knows what the son of satan is up to.

Next time something odd happens to you in presence of plants, remember me.

Until next time. (If I live.)