Skip to main content

Repotting an 8-foot agave

Today only B... and Curator J... were staffing the greenhouse. B did the watering of plants in rooms 4,3, and 2, while Curator J attended a meeting during the early morning hours. 

B allowed me to complete the watering of room 1, and a couple of outside plants (although it was raining, so I guess the fertilized water was the only useful addition).

After we completed the watering, the next task was to repot an 8-foot Agave americana that had been donated by a former student of the University. The student had obtained the agave cutting from the U of M greenhouse some 30 years ago. The plant had grown very well over the 3 decades, producing many “pups” which came attached to the plant. The agave had been delivered on a palette and dropped outside the backdoor of the collection rooms.

Before I arrived, B and Curator J had removed several pups and retained three of them to be potted up in their collection. Curator J offered another of the unused pups to me, which I gratefully accepted. 
Curator J and B had also been able to cut away the old plastic pot from the root ball, but the base of the old pot was still underneath the ball when I arrived. Next to the plant a very large new plastic pot had been placed to accept the plant. 

Curator J and B had planned to tip the plant on its side, remove the remainder of the old pot from the bottom, cut away part of the old root ball, then tip the ball into the new pot, then set the plant upright onto a four-wheeled plant dolly.

Using thick gloves and long-sleeved shirts, we were able to complete the repotting. However, the spines of the agave leaves were very sharp, and managed to cut my forearm skin through the fabric, in several spots, on both arms. My arms are a bit shredded and scabby now.

After getting the plant upright in the new pot, and on its dolly, we hauled it down to the loading dock where we filled the pot with a 1:1 mix of the #4 arid mix and the #1a mix. The plant was left outside the loading dock to be picked up and delivered to the Cargill Building located across the street from the greenhouses. The Cargill Building has a large atrium suitable for a large agave (I have not yet seen the atrium).


Having finished with the large agave plant, I completed the potting of the three small pups to be retained in the collection. I’m not sure of the species name of the agave plant, it was not yet labeled, and I neglected to ask Curator J. I’ll try to remember to get the species name next week when I’m there again.

I finished potting the pups and left them sitting on the work bench for Curator J to label and accession into the collection database.

Finally, with a half-hour left in my shift, I grabbed a bucket of soapy water to scrub the scale from 3 small Zamia plants in room C2.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A Sensitive Plant and Common Weed

Mimosa pudica, also commonly called the sensitive plant  was a popular houseplant when I was growing up in the 1970s. It was popular for its ability to quicky change shape by folding up its leaves to protect them from herbivore predators. At the slightest touch the plant is able to expell water from special cells in the leaves, changing the shape from frond-like to a stick-form. The plant creeps along the ground, never for than a foot or so in height. In tropical parts of the world this plant is considered and invasive weed. Today, as I was treating plants to remove pests I happened to touch the leaves of a Mimosa pudica , one with a pretty puff-like flower. Sure enough, the leaves all folded up to almost nothing. Mimosa pudica , the sensitive plant Other more routine chores during my four-hour shift at the U of M Conservatory included cleaning three plants of Hibiscus clayi, native to Hawaii. These three plants in particular have suffered repeated infestations with a variety of in...

A Thames River Walk Through Time: Repurposing Tow Paths

I love it when old technologies are repurposed to solve entirely different problems. A perfect example is the extensive system of canals and tow paths throughout England. Before the Industrial Revolution and the advent of railways, these canals were built to transport goods between cities and towns. Narrow boats pulled by horses or mules along tow paths were a common sight. Today, however, these tow paths have found a new purpose: recreational walking. They offer picturesque routes through the English countryside, allowing people to explore the beauty of the canals and rivers. The commerce that once flowed along these waterways may have shifted to railways, but the paths themselves continue to serve a valuable function. This year, I had the privilege of joining three other hikers on a journey along the River Thames tow path, from the city of Oxford to its source, a distance of about 50 miles. Farther upstream, the river gradually narrowed, eventually transforming into a swollen creek b...

Plantulary: Botanical Dance

The title of the dance performance was Plantulary. The theme, botanical. On a whim, my partner suggested we attend a performance of a new dance work by a small immersive arts collaborative, Aniccha Arts. Through the arc of a single year—from growth through to dormancy—the dancers describe the story of plant life using percussive dance rhythms, music, literary, and various vegetable props. For me, this dance performance was a challenge to appreciate; it was no Swan Lake. I didn’t fully understand the connection between many of the sound and dance elements. But, curiously, the memory of it has stuck with me for the past few days. To set the scene, the stage consisted of a simple dark room lit by spotlights and early evening sunlight coming in through large windows. Along the baseboard of the stage were narrow trays of green seedlings lit by fluorescent grow-lights, forming the outer limit of the performance space. To further imbue the stage with plant life, several moss balls (kokedama-l...