Tidy Up the Hidden Spots

Whether in our homes or workplaces, we all have a routine for cleaning things. But often apart from our routine, there are those hard-to-reach places where dust or other bits collect. Over time, the buildup of debris can be a shock when the existence of these neglected spots is finally realized.

Today at the U of M Conservatory greenhouse, where I am a volunteer indoor gardener, I spent my 3-hour shift reaching into out-of-the-way spaces to sweep, rinse, or wipe away fallen debris. I focused my efforts on the public area of the conservatory where new guests are more likely to see dusty surfaces that have escaped recent routine maintenance.

A similar form of untidiness is the sudden realization that a particular plant has grown immensely since the last time you noticed it. The leaves have overspread the space and blocked much of the sun light for everything below. It is time to prune away the excess.

My task for today included pruning the largest plant in the collection, a tree fern native to the small island of New Caledonia in the South Pacific. The fronds are each up to three meters long and span the width of the greenhouse room, encroaching into the neighboring space. Using large pruning shears, I was directed to cut down two of the fronds to allow more light to the plants underneath it.

Cyathea intermedia, perhaps one of the largest of the world's tree ferns.

Tree ferns are ancient plants, native to tropical and subtropical biomes. I've had the privilege of hiking in tree fern forests where the fronds grow up and out in huge fiddle head structures from the center of the trunk. Like all ferns, the fronds produce spores on the underside of each leaflet (in the greenhouse the spores fall to coat everything below in fine black dust). In the wild the spores go on to produce small intermediate plants with both male and female parts. The sperm and eggs from different plants recombine to form new ferns.

Fiddle heads of a tree fern, Hawaii's Volcano Nat'l Park

Tree fern shadow casting green filtered light onto the forest floor, New Zealand

A now-clean window sill helps to frame this Phaenocoma prolifera, cape strawflower from South Africa

A spot often missed in routine cleaning are the ledges underneath benches. They slowing collect fallen leaves and dust which potentially could include dormant pathogens waiting to find a plant victim.

Comments

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...

Bog Monsters

As a layman of botany the idea of carnivorous plants has perplexed me. The capturing and eating of other creatures seems like it ought to be limited to animals, since animals are mobile and plants are not. Almost all plants survive and thrive in the world through photosynthesis. They do not need to feed on animals to survive. But, what about the group of plants that are carnivorous? As stationary plants, why and how do they eat critters? This topic was stimulated by my assignment today at the Conservatory Greenhouse of the University of Minnesota. My task was to clean several large tanks of water filled with aquatic plants. While cleaning the tanks I realized many of the plants were classified as carnivorous . What is it about the aquatic environment that causes plants to eat - in effect - other creatures? The short answer is carnivorous plants evolved in nutrient-poor settings such as pond water which is naturally low in the amount of nitrogen needed to synthesize proteins. To compens...

Autumn Inside the Greenhouse

I felt the firm grip of fall as I walked the half-mile from the parking lot to the Conservatory Greenhouse at the University of Minnesota, where I volunteer. The temperature outside was in the 30s, and the wind whipped at my face. Yesterday there had been snow flurries. In stark contrast to the outside world, the greenhouse climate was quite different. Part of the greenhouse is maintained at near-tropical temperatures. But other sections of the greenhouse are kept significantly cooler to support plants that have evolved in seasonal climates. Although indoors, autumn has arrived here too. The sunlight dims, and the nights grow long. Inside these cool greenhouse rooms the plants shed their leaves and virtually cease growth for the winter months, just as they would outdoors. Part of my assignment for today included the pruning of yellowing and brown leaves. Removing the dead foliage from the plants and the floors helps to reduce the overall risk of mold and other pests affectin...

City Gardener

Search This Blog