26/04/2013 - Hardwood Cuttings On Roses in Backyard House

On 26/04/2013 after my Machinery Unit with Kim Thomas on how to operate four stroke lawn mover and two stroke lawn mover. In the afternoon behind the backyard there some old rose plants which is quite sick because of powdery mildew and black leaf spot. Then I decided to cut the hardwood cutting on the stems. 

The two photos are the pink roses which now is attacked by powdery mildew and black leaf spot and left by no leaves on the plants.

After most of leaves have  dropped and woody plants will go dormant and this is the time to do hardwood cuttings. For many woody plants this s the easiest way to ensure propagation, partly because they are so impervious to damage at this stage and partly because the callus that forms on the end of the stem over winter stimulates root production.

There are three types of hardwood cuttings such as straight, mallet and heel cuttings. Straight hardwood cutting just cut below a node of the past season's growth. Make the bottom cut straight across the wood and the top cut slanted. Mallet cutting one that includes 1/2 or 1 inch of the branch from which the stem grows when you take the cutting. Heel cutting a sliver of the bark and some of the interior of the wood from which the cutting emerges and most suitable for conifers.

• Cut ideally, hardwood cuttings should be about as thick as a pencil and remove any softwood at the top. Make the bottom cutting straight across and top cut at a slant. 
• Cutting usually between 5 - 15cm long.
• Dibber holes in your planting media and place the cutting into the holes. Firm the medium around the cuttings and water well. 

18/04/2013 Working On Greenhouse In My Home

A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse) is a building in which plants are grown. Some hobby gardeners use a greenhouse for starting seeds and caring for delicate, young seedlings before transplanting them to  the outdoor garden. Some gardeners keep their plant in containers in the greenhouse for the life of the plant. A greenhouse is designed to provide the optimal environment for health, however, container plants in a greenhouse must be checked and cared for numerous times over the course of the day and to have a successful greenhouse develop a daily routine to work with plants every day. 

The house where I am leaving now has a small greenhouse in the back of the garden. The are large grapes tree and tomatoes trees which was planted by the previous tenant.  Once when I entered the greenhouse, there were a lot of grapes which is ready to pluck and eat. I managed to collect three bags full of grapes. Grapes comes in more 50 varieties in black, golden red, green, purple and white colour with a juice pulp inside. The grapes are seedless look very firm, plump, well coloured clusters. Fully ripe grapes are soft and tender. I decided to crushed the grapes into juice and the other half  gave to my neighbours. 

The tomatoes is the edible, often red fruit and are commonly grow in greenhouse in cooler climates. The tomatoes are consumed in diverse ways, including raw, as an ingredients  in many dishes, sauces salads and drinks.  Tomatoes grows with adequate sunlight, water and patience and the tree grows with five foot tall tomato plant with big red juicy tomatoes. 

The weather was sunny and the temperature was 18 degree Celsius Wind Speed 21 KM/H.

13/03/2013 to 17/04/2013 - Turf Monitoring Unit 24646

The basic building block of a healthy lawn is a healthy soil.  Aside from air and sunlight, almost everything else  a plant needs enters it by way of the roots. The basic idea behind aerating is perfect simple. Holes and slits are created so that air and water can penetrate beneath the surface. 

Everyone wants a lawn to be proud of, and we all see spendid examples on our travels. The area of rich green turf may be as small as a living carpet or a large as the vast rolling acres surrounding a stately home, but in each case our question is always the same - "Why cant my lawn look like that?"

The types of grasses present in the lawn are one of the factors controlling its appearance, but the basic cause of disappointment is the lack of proper  maintenance. The turf is mown fairly regularly and the edges are keep neatly trimmed. When the grasses looks pale we buy a fertilisers, and when it turns brown after weeks without rain we rush out and water.  Usually moss and weed appear, and when patches becomes large enough to disfigure the surface.

Bare patches, broken edges, bumps and hollows are all the serious problems when they occur in a prominent area of the lawn. Together, they make up the main cause of the patchy effect which spoils so many lawns, and they can make moving more difficult than usual.

Much of this work involves using replacement of turf in small area. The turfing area is the L Block right hand site of the building. The grasses making up the turf should be similar to those present in the lawn.

• First, cut out square of turf carrying the broken edge. Prise it up gently with a spade to free it from the soil. Move the turf forward so that the damaged part projects beyond the border. Area of bump or hollow. Cut turf with a spade or edging iron. Peel back the turves carefully. Remove all the dead patch of turf and affected areas.

• Order the turf such as find a reputable supplier and buy the best quality and cheapest of grade is bound to produce a poor quality lawn so we purchase the "readylawn" supplier. We bought grass "Kye Fescue Browntop".  Always order five per cent more than calculated area to allow for wastage. There may be a choice in turf sizes, but that small turves are easier to lay than larger ones.

• If the clods left after digging are not properly broken down, then settlement is bound to occur later and your lawn will be uneven. The problem of bumps and hollow is established turf is difficult to cure, but it is easy to prevent. As you proceed break up hard clods and remove debris, weeds and large stones at this stage.

• Get the plot (3 1/2 ft X  6ft) in right hand side of L Block ready by mark out the area to be turfed, using a garden line for the straight edges. Curves are move difficult to mark - scratch out a shallow drill with a stick and fill this boundary line with sand. 
• Standard turves (1ft X 3ft) will be rolled up when delivered to you. Laying should take place as soon as possible after delivery - turf can deteriorate quite quickly.
• The most suitable time to turf is in March or April, but this will mean regular watering when the weather is dry - failure to do so will mean shrinkage of the turves and death of the roots. Choosing the right day is also important. Laying turf in the rain is a filthy job, so our day was cloudy and the soil is reasonable dry.
• Lay the first row of turves by starting with a single row along the side of the site closest to moving edge. Tamp down each row of turves with stand on a plank. Gently press them down don't beat them down. Check the level with a board after tamping down. If there are bumps and hollows never beat the turf down with the back of a spade. You should lift the turf and add or remove soil as necessary. 
• Inspect each piece of turf before placing it in position - pull out any weeds. The final piece to be laid at the end of a row should be a half size or full size of turf. Fill in the gap behind with a piece cut to fit. Never use a small piece of turf at the edge. Trim edges with sharp edging knife, leaving room to allow for retrimming once the turf is well established.   
• Finish laying the turves by standing on a plank and never on the newly-laid turf nor on the unturfed plot. If you plant to bring turves across the turfed area in a barrow, do not overload it and lay down planks to avoid rutting. 

Although the young grass may look healthy and vigorous, the new lawn should be tended carefully and not subjected to any heavy loading after sowing. Water carefully when necessary and most probably daily when is still new and keep a careful watch of disease right form the beginning. Water again after finishing so the water penetrates to 100 - 150 mm (4 - 6 in) and then keep moist until the turf has well rooted in usually two to three weeks in good growing conditions. Ensure sufficient water is given to penetrate through the turf mat and at least 100mm into the soil. Lift the corner to check. Weeds and bare patches can be an additional problem for diagnosis of and cure for new lawn troubles.

Always clear the site of sticks, stones and builders debris. Note the height of the grass when it is laid and mow when it grows to half its height again back to the original height. In other words - mow only the top third and reduce height gradually if required.

                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

10/04/2013 - Field trip to Outram (Readylawn Farm)

My class on Turf dated 10th April, 2013 we went to field trip to Outram. It if a largest grower and marketer of instant turf lawn, servicing the entire country from Kaitaia to the Bluff. 

Readylawn is the original New Zealand roll out lawn, so when you want a lush green lawn that’s guaranteed to perform, there’s only one call to make – Readylawn. Remember Readylawn is grown under license nationwide. If it doesn’t have the logo – it’s not Readylawn.

No matter where you live, no matter what time of the year, you can have a beautiful, healthy, lush lawn growing in a matter of hours.

The sign of good Ready lawn turf are no pest or diseases, good uniform colour - desirable lawn grasses clearly present and no bare patches. It is virtually no weeds, good soil, neither clayey nor distinctly sandy and no stones present. The lawn has good underground growth - plenty of white root present. Usually good lawn when lift up by holding one end with both hands. Shake it gently up and down and it should not tear nor fall to pieces.

09/04/2013 - Breaking Dormancy of Seed In Propagate Plants From Seeds Unit 20557

Hot Water Treatment - Some seed with hard or impermeable seed coats can be prepared for sowing by treating the seeds with hot water. This extracts sufficient "water proofing" and allows the seed to take up water and swell. 

Using three volume of water to volume of seeds, place the seeds in a shallow dish and pour hot water that has just gone off the boil over them. Do not use more than this ratio of water otherwise the temperature will be too high for too long and this may cause damage to the embryo. Place the dish in a warm environment, leave for 24 hours. If the seed do not swell, repeat the exercise.

My Plant Propagation Class with Ms. Lisa Short on 09/04/2013 was sowing Clianthus puniceus commonly known as kaka beak, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Clianthus of the legume family Fabaceae, native to New Zealand's North Island.

Before choosing a container decide how much seed to be sown. Then heap the container with QS mix with Base Supstate soil and to ensure it is evenly distributed and there are no air locks, very lightly firm it to the corners and base using the fingers. Do not compact the compost. Strike off the compost with the presser board so that it is level with the top of the container ensuring that the surface is level. Water the container from the host and direct it over the compost once an even flow is attained. Label the container with seed full name and date of sowing. 

-----------PS4 consists of 62 seeds

The container is now prepared for sowing. The seeds is sown evenly over the surface. If the seed is uneven size, station sow at recommended spacing. Then placed the container in the nursery.

Then the seed of Dianthus confetti approximately of 40 pieces and 55 pieces, before sowing any seed check the specific germination requirements for the plant species. Choose two containers size appropriate to the quantity and size of the seed sown. Wide shallow container are usually best. Then loosely fill the containers and remove any large lumps. use a float to remove any excess, level the containers and then gently firm. Water the containers and allow to drained. Label the container with the botanical name and date.

----------PS5 consists of 40 pieces








----------PS6 consists of 55 pieces

Sow seeds thinly and evenly across the surface of the media. To obtain a more even coverage, the seeds can be divided into two amounts with the second amount sown at right angles to the first. Before covering the seed re-check the germination requirements. Gently shake some vermiculite over the container and cover the seed by sieving low over. Apparently, place the container in the appropriate germination environment such as Polygrow Nursery Block L.

---------PS5 & PS6 after sieve with vermiculite







Web Address :  Refer to www.metservice.com

08/04/2013 - Identifying Different Parts of The Plant Propagation Unit

Use eight different photographs to illiustrate the different parts of a plant. Each photographmust be correctly labelled with name of the plant part.

Terminal Bud-------

As the tip of a shoot is an apical bud, which can also be termed a terminal bud as it terminates the shoot. This bud is not associated with a leaf. The bud at the very tip of the stem.



Petiole -----

A petiole is the small portion of a plant that attaches the leaf to the stem. Petiole have more than one important and essential function. While the main purpose of a leafstalk is to connect a plant's leaves with a plant stem, these small sections of a plant can also predict any diseases that a plant may encounter. Keeping an eye on petiole is a great way to ensure that your plants are in good health at all times.

Midrib or main vein ---

The central of largest vein of a leaf or carpel. The midrib is the largest vein that runs through the middle of a leaf. It is easiest seen in leaf  or it may be protruding above the surface.

The midrib may be contained within the leaf or it may be protruding above the surface.

In most leaves, the midrib extends beyond the leaf and becomes the petiole, which is a leaf stalk that joins the leaf to the trunk.

Internodes---

The section of stem between two nodes. If the nodes are crucial "organ" of the plant, the internodes are the blood vessels carrying water, hormones and food from node to node.

Usually internodes seem long and provide spacing between nodes of many inches. However some plants are notable for how close together their leaves and thus their nodes always are. The space between the leaves and the stem is called the internode.


Nodes ---

Nodes are the points on a stem where the buds, leaves and branching twigs originate. They are crucial spots on the plant where important healing, structural support and biological processes take place.
Segment of stem where leaves and lateral buds are attached. When the leaves join the stem is called the node.

 Stem---

The stem is the stalk of a plant or the main trunk of the tree. The stem is a part of the plant that holds up other structures such as the leaves and flowers. The stem conducts water, minerals and food to other parts of plants; it may also store food and green stems themselves produce food.

Stems carry water and nutrients taken up by the roots to the leaves. Stems also provide support for the plant allowing the leaves  to reach the sunlight that they need to produce food.

Lateral or axilliary bud ----

Buds that develop along the length of the stem within the leaf axil. A bud located on the side of the stem, usually in a leaf axil. The axillary bud is a bud that develops in the axil of a leaf of a plant. Axillary buds develop from the nodes which then becomes a new stem. Sometimes from axillary buds instead of branches also arise flowers. A bud that is borne at the axil of a leaf and is capable of developing into a branch shoot or flower cluster.

Lamina----

The surface of leaf. The thin and usually flattened blade of a leaf.

IDENTIFICATION DIFFERENT PARTS OF PLANTS

04/04/2013 - Field Trip The Dunedin Chinese Garden

On 4th April, 2013 with Ms. Lisa Burton and Ms. Lisa Short,  we have a field trip to Dunedin Chinese Garden which is the most cherished in this mundane world and is a place without traffic, truly in the midst of a city there can be mountain and forest. It was a sunny day and lovely place.

The Dunedin Chinese Garden commemorates the contribution Chinese people have made, and continue to make, to Dunedin's history, culture and ongoing prosperity. 

The design of the Garden evolved over a period of eight years to ensure authenticity and cultural accuracy, as well as practical functionality. The Garden construction and design was closely supervised and influenced by the architect from Shanghai Construction and Decoration Company and the Shanghai Museum. The Garden was pre-fabricated and assembled in Shanghai on a site identical in size and shape to that of Dunedin, and then dismantled and transported to Dunedin where it was reconstructed on site using artisans and supervisors from Shanghai.

The area consists of Pai Lau Gateway which elaborate  archway represents the face of the garden. Green and blue were the most commonly used colours of the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties.

Secondly, I saw main entrance hall where the river running in front of the main door is the boundary between the "inside" and "outside" world. The partition inside the main door serves to demonstrate the deferential nature of Chinese culture and to quicken the curiosity of visitors.

Then we climb the mountain corridor which is the ascending path to the top of the rockery with a small garden, Tingchuan, meaning tranquil lake and running river, on the side of the corridor.

From there we climb mountain Half Pavilion which is located at the highest point of the rockery, this pavilion, in its tranquil setting, symbolises the Ming philosophy of "Keeping the clouds and borrowing the moon".

Further from there we reached Tower Block / Conference Room which is two storey building is traditionally a place for a quiet drink with peaceful music. 

Down from there Main Hall / Tea House by overlooking the lake, with views on all four sides of the buildings, this is the traditional dinning room for the Scholar and his friends or guests. In the Chinese Garden, it is a place for visitors to enjoy authentic Chinese tea.

Working down is the inner corridor is traditionally used to display the history of the family. The outer corridor allows visitors to bask in the morning sunshine. 

There is only square pavilion in the garden and it reveals a different view at the turning point. in the middle of the lake stands a pavilion named Chongyuan with its mirror clear images of the garden. Chongyuan remind Chinese visitors to the garden of where their cultural roots lie.

Finally, the Zigzag Bridge, this is the one of the important elements of Chinese Garden design and divides the lake into two parts while connecting the Heart of the Lake Pavilion to the rock mountain.