Water plant maintenance

The weather is glorious today, so of course, I cycled to the greenhouse.

Student T... was given instructions from B... that I should clean the water plant reservoirs in room C2. In preparation for the job I tried without success to decouple the hose between the upper and lower reservoirs. I don’t think it is possible without cutting the hoses, so I just let them dangle while I drained and lifted the large upper reservoir/tank - I estimate it measures 4 x 10 feet, and 1.5 feet deep (about 150 gallons). The lower reservoir is 40 gallons, and holds R/O water which is pumped to the upper chamber constantly to provide waterflow and aeration to the plants. Both chambers needed emptying and cleaning.

I first removed the plants from the upper chamber, setting the small plants on a cart, and the large plants on the floor. I opened the valve of the upper chamber to allow the dirty water to flow onto the floor and into the nearby floor drain. I then tilted the now-empty large chamber up on its side where it rested against the tall. I used the hose and tempered tap water to blast the dirty surfaces, then scrubbed them with a scour sponge. There were many snails, which I had to sacrifice, although many more remained attached to the plant pots and their roots - so I didn’t feel too badly about losing some of them in the cleaning process. I reset the tray onto its base, and used R/O water to refill it.

Next, I emptied the lower chamber by tipping it on its side to drain the dirty water onto the floor. As with the upper chamber, I used tempered water to scrub and rinse the surfaces. After returning the lower chamber to its position, I replaced the hoses and allowed the upper chamber to begin draining into the lower chamber through the hoses. I restarted the circulating pump, to send water from the lower reservoir back to the upper reservoir, thereby completing the circulation loop.

Then, the plants were hosed down to clean the roots and outer surfaces of the pots before they were placed back in the upper reservoir. I trimmed out dead leaves as I returned the pots to the water.

After cleaning the reservoirs B had a small shrub (Illicium floridanum) to be repotted. I used #1 mix, pre-wetted, to line the bottom of the new pot to prevent the soil from falling out of the drainage holes. This is a trick I overheard Curator J suggest to someone else. It works!

Comments

I celebrate learning this about cycad plants

I didn't know that the cardboard palm - Zamia furfuracea - is a cycad. It isn't a palm tree (don't judge me, I'm not a botanist). But it also doesn't look like the other more familiar types of cycads with their fluted upright palm-like fronds. I didn't know it is said to be the second most commonly cultivated cycad, after Cycas revoluta . I didn't know this plant is unrelated to the common ZZ plant - Zamioculcas zamifolia - although they have a similar appearance. Before today I didn't know any of these things, but now I am happy to have learned them. From the parking lot I walked to the U of M Conservatory greenhouse in near-zero F weather. Stepping into the tropical spaces was a joy of its own. But being able to learn new information and experience new procedures was a compounding factor. Joy squared. During my 3-hour volunteer shift, my initial task was to clean the parasite critters (mealybugs and scale) from the stems and leaves of the cycad, Zami...

Mobile indoor green wall

Finally, after three years... my plant vines have grown and spread to be green wall that I had hoped for. I'm not sure it would have taken as long if the plants were in a more humid, sunny climate, et cetera. But given our indoor Minnesota location - even with a southwest exposure - the vines have needed that amount of time to climb the six feet from the base to the top rungs of the metal grid supporting them. The result has been worth the effort. And to be honest, I didn't have to wait three years to begin enjoying the green wall. The vines were already attractive when only half way up the trellis. A metal grid is filled with mix of Epipremnum aureum cultivar "Marble Queen", Epipremnum aureum aka golden pothos, and Philodendron Brasil . Architecture of the green wall The initial intent of the project was to grow a green wall, in an apartment, that could be moved around to be able to clean underneath, and also to provide a mobile room divider for our open-plan loft....

The eponymous palm of Palm Springs

Tens of thousands of native California fan palms ( Washingtonia filifera) rise over the gardens and streets of Palm Springs. The fan-like leaves flutter and wave as the trees gently sway in the desert breeze. If a plant could be described as elegant, this plant would certainly be one. Delicate fibers peel away from the leaf blade as they age, giving the palm part of its name, filifera . The advantage of the fibers to the plant is uncertain; however, the fibers were used by the indigenous Cuhuilla tribes for tools and fabrics. It is no accident the city is named for the palm. For centuries the native Cuhuilla residents were vastly outnumbered by fan palms. For the Cuhuilla, the plant became an important resource for their tools and shelters. Even today, I wouldn't be surprised if the number of palms outnumber the residents of the current modern city. Bird's eye view over old Palm Springs neighborhood; fan palms are everywhere. In their native environment, the palms grow best al...

City Gardener

Search This Blog