Today's Lesson: Getting acquainted with the bloom structure

Often we display flowers in vases as a way to beautify the home, or display them in wrappings as a gift (very popular for birthdays, dates and holidays), but have you stopped to think that flowers, the bloom that is so enchanting and beautiful with many a variety of colors that women like to stick their noses in and inhale deeply and say "how wonderful that smells" is actually the reproductive organ of the plant? < Yes, very much like the penis of a man and the vagina of a woman.

The bloom of a plant (or as many others like to call them, the flower) has but one intention, to reproduce, the beauty of flowers is a mere side affect of their endeavors to reproduce.  As I've seen on a couple of my grows in the garden the bloom is often followed by the vegetables, the flowers often is pushed out.  This lead me to a curiosity of the plant blooms themselves, the structure and the workings, it seemed pretty important to know the basics of especially as a grower.

Here is the interesting information I found on on Wikipedia...

The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs. Since the flowers are the reproductive organs of plant, they mediate the joining of the sperm, contained within pollen to the ovules - contained within the ovary.  Pollination is the movement of pollen from the anthers to the stigma. The joining of the sperm to the ovules is called fertilization.  Normally pollen is moved from one plant to another, but many plants are able to self pollinate.

A stereotypical flower consists of four kinds of structures attached to the tip of a short stalk.  Each of these kinds of parts is arranged in a whorl [a circular arrangement of like parts, as leaves or flowers, around a point on an axis, shaped like a coil completing a full circle, Dictionary] on the receptacle.  The four main whorls (starting from the base of the flower to lowest node and working upwards) are as follows:

• Calyx - the outermost whorl consisting of units called sepals; these are typically green and enclose the rest of the flower in the bud stage, however, they can be absent or prominent and petal-like in some species.
• Corolla - the next whorl toward the apex, composed of units called petals, which are typically thin, soft and colored to attract animals that help the process of pollination.
• Androecium (from Greek andros oikia: "man's house") - the next whorl (sometimes multiplied into several whorls), consisting of units called stamens.  Stamens consist of two parts: a stalk called a filament, topped by an anther where pollen is produced by meiosis and eventually dispersed.
• Gynoecium (from Greek gynaikos oikia: "woman's house") - the innermost whorl of a flower, consisting of one or more units calls carpels.  The carpel or multiple fused carpels form a hollow structure called an ovary, which produces ovules [plant part that contains the embryo sac, the female germ cell which after fertilization develops into a seed, Dictionary] internally.  Ovules are megasporangia and they in turn produce megaspores by meiosis which develop into female gametophytes.  These give rise to egg cells.  The gynoecium of a flower is also described using an alternative terminology wherein the structure one sees in the innermost whorl (consisting of an ovary, style and stigma) is called a pistil.  A pistil may consist of a single carpel or a number of carpels fused together.  The sticky tip of the pistil, the stigma, is the receptor of pollen.  The supportive stalk, the style, becomes the pathway for pollen tubes to grow from pollen grains adhering to the stigma.

Pollen may be transferred between plants via a number of 'vectors'. Some plants make use of abiotic vectors - namely wind or, much less commonly, water.  Others use biotic vectors including insects, birds, bats, or other animals.  Flowers of plants that make use of biotic pollen vectors commonly have glands called nectaries that act as an incentive for animals to visit the flower.  Some flowers have patterns, called nectar guides, that show pollinators where to look for nectar.  Flowers also attract pollinators by scent and color.  Still other flowers use mimicry to attract pollinators.  Some species of orchids, for example, produce flowers resembling female bees in color, shape and scent.

*Read the full article on flowers on Wikipedia

Today's Lesson: Know They Enemy, The Figeater Beetle

My mom came for a short visit today, minutes after she arrived I found her in my yard chasing Figeater Beetles from the fig tree with a toilet bowl cleaner, who would think a toilet bowl cleaner would actually work {though I probably wouldn't recommend anyone else trying this method}, all I had to say was "Thanks Mom, I didn't have the guts to do it but apparently the crunching of these huge insects don't bother you- you've got balls."  What I thought was just one Figeater Beetle getting comfortable in my fig tree actually turned out to be many- ick, I'll definitely have to invite Mom over more often.

The nuisance as of late that I've been having with the Figeater Beetles has led me to believe that yes, Today's Lesson should cover the Figeater Beetle which apparently is mistaken quite easily for the Green June Bug and the Japanese Beetles.  A lot of the information I read about this green jewel of an insect seems to say that the Figeater Beetle is not as destructive as the Japanese Beetle which tend to eat all the foliage and soft fleshy fruit, instead the figeater beetle tend to stick with eating soft fleshy fruit< in my opinion this is a matter of perspective, if you've got many soft-flesh fruiting trees than the Figeater Beetle will be quite a nuisance to you opposed to those who have only a couple soft-flesh fruiting trees or none at all.  In my yard the figeater will most definitely be a problem as I have no less than five soft-flesh fruiting trees.

'Adult figeater beetles grow to approximately 1.25 inches. They are dull green on the top and a brilliant iridescent green on the underside and legs. They are active during daylight hours, often congregating in the shade of trees near choice breeding grounds to find mates. They makes a loud buzzing sound similar to that of carpenter bees.' -Wiki

Whilst digging around in the soil of my tomato bed, where tomato seedlings used to stand before they were violently taken to their deaths by some mysterious rodent or some other, I found in the soil a larvae that looked very much like the ones above. I didn't know what it was and tossed it aside onto the ground but it looked very much like a figeater beetle (as shown above) and now feel pretty confident that that is what it was.

'Pupation occurs in the spring and adult figeater beetles emerge from July-September. After mating, eggs are laid in decaying matter or compost piles, which provide sustenance for the larvae when they emerge.' -Wiki

The figeater Beetle are large round and quite heavy for their wings it seems they bumble around quite clumsily, I'd often find them falling from the fig tree but they seem to be pretty hardy physically and none of the falls I've witnessed seem to do them any harm.  As it so seems {and also from what I've read around} the Figeater Beetles are quite harmless and can even be picked by hand, so... if you've got the nuts that I haven't, go for it.

SUGGESTED METHOD FOR TERMINATION:

Pick the beetles by hand and squash them underfoot

*Read the full article on Wikipedia, Figeater Beetle

Today's Lesson: Know Thy Enemy, Grasshoppers

As with anything I run into that is of interest I look for as much information on it as I can.  Today's interest?  Grasshoppers.  I figure the more I know about these guys the better, "keep your friends close and your enemies closer", right?  Well they pose as enemies to my garden which makes them an enemy to me as well, after all, I do want to taste the lettuce, basil and bush beans at some point.

The physical structure of the grasshopper consists of antennae which are generally shorter in length than their bodies (opposed to roaches, which is the first insect I think about when thinking about insects with long antennae- ick!)  The female grasshopper is larger than the male grasshopper and can be distinguished from the males in many ways, one way is that the female grasshopper have two pairs of triangles at the end of their abdomen opposed to one single plate that the male has, the two pairs of triangles appropriately known as valves are used for laying eggs in the sand.  The valves are used to dig into the sand where the female grasshopper will lay her eggs.

The grasshopper also have tiny hairs all over the exterior of the body with the main purpose of acting as sensors. These little hairs are specially calibrated to respond to certain stimulus.  However the portion of the grasshopper that is the most sensitive to sensing are the antennae, part of the mouth and near the posterior.  Grasshoppers also have tympanal organs for sound reception.

Grasshoppers are easily confused with crickets, but are different in many aspects.

This is a cricket

The grasshopper diet consists mainly of grasses, leaves and cereal crops (as in grains).  Many grasshoppers eat a variety of plants making them polyphagous, and many tend to eat from multiple sources in one day (in my experience they jump from basil to bush bean).  Some grasshoppers however do feast on the same, one plant (monophagous), the monophagous grasshoppers are far fewer (about one out of 8,000).

The digestive system of a grasshopper consists of a foregut, midgut and a hindgut...

The function of the foregut (the mouth region):  the mouth is distinct due to the presence of a mandible and salivary glands.  It is the mandibles job to begin the mechanical portion of the digestion by chewing, but only very slightly.

The function of the midgut:  is where most of the food is handled in the crop which has the ability to hold food. The crop leads the food into the gizzard consisting of teeth like features.  From the gizzard the food enters the stomach where digestive enzymes help to break down particles.

The function of the hindgut (the anal region):  the hindgut, similar to human anatomy, is the portion of the digestive system that is focused on excreting the waste, which consists of uric acid, urea and amino acids, and are normally converted into dry pellets before being disposed.

SUGGESTED METHOD FOR TERMINATION:
Dusting host plants lightly with baking flour


*Read the full article on Wikipedia, Grasshopper

Today's Lesson: Annuals, Biennials, Perennials & Self-Seeding Annuals

When I first stepped into my yard with plans for an organice vegetable and fruit garden I immediately began to pay close attention to the existing plants.  The mint in the front yard spreads like weed as it gradually begins to take the whole side of one yard.  Black currants keep popping up everywhere, even in cracks which is really quite annoying especially since I'm no fan of the berry.  The lemon tree never really seems to be without lemons (that's odd :/).  And what happened to that little spot of cilantro?  It just vanished without a trace.  Yes, I paid very close attention to the yard, I was beginning to get to know my existing friends only to find out that they were all a lot more complicated than anticipated.  So what's with it anyway?  Some stay, some go, some... you can't even get rid of.

A little bit of book-worming and typing questions into the handy dandy computer which of course has all the answers I was able to find out a few very important and interesting information on classifying plants: annuals, self-seeding annual, biennials and perennials; classifying plants by their longevity or their not-so-long lifecycles.  

Annuals 

(Annus: "year" = one year)

"Never make it past a year, and some even die before the end of one season" -Easy Growing by Gayla Trail

An annual normally germinates, flowers and dies in a year or season.  A single seed-to-seed cycle for a plant classified as an annual can occur in as little as month to several months depending on the plant species.  Summer annuals germinate, flower, produce seed, and die during the warmer months of the year.  While winter annuals germinate in autumn or winter, living through the winter and then blooming in winter or spring.

Examples of annuals:  corn, wheat, rice, lettuce, peas, watermelon, beans, zinnia, marigold, basil, bush beans, dill, cilantro, sunflower, potatoes, radishes

Self-Seeding annuals 

"Go kaput when their jig is up, but come back and start all over again the spring via the seeds they drop into the soil."  -Easy Growing by Gayla Trail

The self-seeding annual is exactly what it sounds like, an annual (which has a lifecycle of one year) that can self-seed.  This means that during the flowering stage of the annual the plant will be able to drop seeds and if successful grow new seedlings the following season.  And while you can say that this is very much like being a perennial in that the self-seeding annual will always be in the garden due to the self-seeding characteristic, it isn't quite so.  The difference between the perennial and self-seeding annual would be that the perennial never dies, instead goes dormant only to come back from the same root-stock the following season.  While the self-seeding annual dies and a new seedling must again germinate and grow from seed, forming new roots and all.

Examples of self-seeding annuals:  dill, cilantro, sunflower bush beans, black currant

Biennials 

(Bienni: "two" = every two years)

"Plants survive from the same root for two years tops, making lots of leaves in year one, followed by flowers and seeds in the second year."  -Easy Growing by Gayla Trail

As you can probably already tell where this is going a biennial is a plant that takes two years to complete its lifecycle.  The first year is marked by the plant growing leaves, stems and roots when the cooler months fall upon the plant the plant enters a period of dormancy.  Then in the following spring or summer the stems of the biennial plant grow and flower, producing fruit and seeds then eventually dying.  And while it normally takes a biennial two years to complete its lifecycle it can vary may complete it in a far short time (within a few months) if grown under extreme climates; common in vegetables or flowers exposed to cold conditions.

Examples of biennials:  onion, parsley, carrot, caraway

Perennials 

(Per: "through" + Annus: "year" = through the year)

"Flower and set seed yearly, yet they spring forth and prosper from the same root almost indefinitely...  More expensive in stores but are worth it for their longevity."  -Easy Growing by Gayla Trail

A perennial (my favorite) is a plant that lives for two years or more (how low maintenance of them, wouldn't you agree?).  Perennials grow and bloom over the warmer months (spring and summer) then die back during the cooler months (autumn and winter).  These plants then return on their own during warmer month (normally during spring) from their root-stock, this is in addition to seeding themselves, which means you'll have new seedlings popping up if the plant was successful.

Because the perennials live through the year the plant itself can be quite old, as a result the perennial often has deep, extensive root systems which can be beneficial in many ways.  A deeper root system not only means the plant will be more hardy as it will have longer root systems to look for nutrients water deeper into the soil but the long root system also prevents soil erosion and is able to capture dissolved nitrogen before it can contaminate  ground surface water.

Examples of perennials:  shrubs, trees, orchids, grass, lavender, rosemary, garlic, mint, bay, oregano, marjoram, thyme, strawberries, blueberries

Today's Lesson : What Is A Seedling?

What I like to call "my little sprouts" are actually scientifically called in the gardening world "seedlings".  In a nutshell it is the first little greenery you see protruding from the earth after the seeds have germinated underneath ground.

My research into seedlings led me to a short Wikipedia article on seedling that gave basic but rather interesting information,

"A seedling is a young plant sporophyte developing out of a plant embryo from a seed.  Seedling development starts with germination of the seed.  A typical young seedling consists of three main parts: the radicle (embryonic root), the hypocotyl (embryonic shoot), and the cotyledons (seed leaves). " -read the full Wiki article on Seedling

The seedling is yet protected by the seed

"Newly germinated plants are just like chicken eggs in that they carry all the nutrition they require with them in the form of seed leaves, the first leaves that emerge from the soil.  Those are soon replaced by a second set, known as the true leaves.  Seedlings start to require some added nutrition once the seed leaves shrivel off and disappear.  Some seed-starting soil mixes come with a bit of organic matter in them, but if yours doesn't, now is the time to add a teaspoon of vermicompost and sea kelp for good measure." - Gayla Trail, Grow Great Grub

Pictured monocot (left) & dicot (right)

There are different kinds of seedlings, each described by the number of seed leaves (cotyledons) they have, for example monocotyledons (monocots) have one blade-shaped cotyledon, dicotyledons (dicots) have two cotyledons.

Today's Lesson: Know Thy Enemy, The Slug

After having seen numerous amounts of slug in my garden, particularly loitering about my bush bean leaves I've become somewhat temporarily obsessed with them, and I don't mean a good obsession, I mean to kill as many of them as possible.  I know that I cannot get rid of them and they will probably always be a pester to me but I must find a way to thwart them from their evil plans of garden domination.  In order to do this I must know them better, so I wiki'ed it up and found some pretty interesting information definitely worth sharing.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Slug

• Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, that has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell. (This is in contrast to the common name snail, applied to gastropods that have a coiled shell large enough that the soft parts of the animal can retract fully into it.)
• The soft, slimy bodies of slugs are prone to desiccation, so land-living slugs are confined to moist environments and must retreat to damp hiding places when the weather is dry.
• Like other pulmonate land snails, most slugs have two pairs of 'feelers' or tentacles on their head. The upper pair is light sensing and has eyespots at the ends, while the lower pair provides the sense of smell. Both pairs are retractable, and can be regrown if lost.
• Some slug species hibernate underground during the winter in temperate climates, but in other species, the adults die in the autumn.
• Slugs' bodies are made up mostly of water, and without a full-sized shell, their soft tissues are prone to desiccation. They must generate protective mucus to survive. Many species are most active just after rain because of the moist ground. In drier conditions, they hide in damp places such as under tree bark, fallen logs, rocks, and man-made structures, such as planters, to help retain body moisture.
• The mucus secreted by the foot contains fibres which help prevent the slug from slipping down vertical surfaces. 
• Slugs are hermaphrodites, having both female and male reproductive organs.

• Once a slug has located a mate, they encircle each other and sperm is exchanged through their protruded genitalia. A few days later the slugs lay around 30 eggs in a hole in the ground, or beneath the cover of an object such as a fallen log.
• Many slug species play an important ecosystem role by eating dead leaves, fungus, and decaying vegetable material. Other species eat parts of living plants.
• Some slugs are predators and eat other slugs and snails, or earthworms.
• Some slugs can self-amputate (autotomy) a portion of their tail to help the slug escape from a predator.
• The great majority of slug species are harmless to humans and to their interests, but a small number of species are serious pests of agriculture and horticulture. They can destroy foliage faster than plants can grow, thus killing even fairly large plants. They also feed on fruits and vegetables prior to harvest, making holes in the crop, which can make individual items unsuitable to sell for aesthetic reasons, and which can make the crop more vulnerable to rot and disease.
• As control measures, baits are the norm in both agriculture and the garden. In recent years iron phosphate baits have emerged and are preferred over the toxicmetaldehyde, especially because domestic or wild animals may be exposed to the bait. The environmentally safer iron phosphate has been shown to be at least as effective as poisonous baits. Methiocarb baits are no longer widely used.
• Beneficial nematodes (Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita) are a commercially available biological control method that are effective against a wide range of common slug species. The nematodes are applied in water and actively seek out slugs in the soil and infect them, leading to the death of the slug. This control method is suitable for use in organic growing systems.
• Other slug control methods are generally ineffective, but can be somewhat useful in small gardens. These include beer traps, diatomaceous earth, crushed eggshells, coffee grounds, and copper.
• It is of scientific interest that salt kills slugs by causing water to leave its body owing to osmosis 
• but this is not used for agricultural control as soil salinity is detrimental to crops.

SUGGESTED METHOD FOR TERMINATION:
Sprinkling coffee ground around the soil of leafy green plants, especially around seedlings


*Read the complete article on Wikipedia, Slugs