Wednesday 11/6/13

Strange plant that Prof Skirvin passed around is Hand of Buddha smells like a lemon
and is hand-like
16 essential elements macro and micro elements (quantity needed)
o Carbon, Boron, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorous, Potassium, Nitrogen, Sulfur,
Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Chlorine, Molybdenum, Manganese, Copper, Zinc
Vegetative stage Juvenile
Sexual reproduction stage Mature
Cuttings are taken from juvenile plants since they retain the ability to root
Nitrogen deficiency makes the leaves turn yellow due to lagging chlorophyll production
Thorny shoots on trees are juvenile
Root suckers that come up from the ground from a propagated tree should be cut off. The
root suckers are of a different genotype as well
Water sprouts that shoot straight up from the tree branch should be cut off since they can
get really big. They can be used for grafting.
The oldest part of a tree is the one thats juvenile
You can cut off the arms of the tree to lose apical dominance so the axillary buds can
grow to form a cutting
Pollarding Cutting off the top of the tree to lose apical dominance and promoting dense
foliage
The first sign of flowering is when the apical meristem is flattened. The leaves continue
to reproduce but turn into sexual organs such as petals, pistol, stamen, and etc. fruits
and flower parts are modified leaves
Friday 11/8/13
3 main inorganic constituents in soil
o Sand (biggest in size)
o Clay
o Silt (smallest in size)
Organic components
o Worms, insects, fungus, bacteria, decaying plant and animal material
Soils are classified based on inorganic components but the presence of organic
components is very important.
Soil classification
Mineral soils
o Different proportions of sand, silt and clay
Organic soils
o Muck, peat (found in previous wetlands/bogs)
Water and O
2
holding capacity of soils
Sand
Advantages
o Huge airspaces good aeration
o Easy for root growth
Disadvantages
o Heavy expensive to ship
o Doesnt hold water very well
Ocean sand and river sand cant be used for growing since they have a lot of salt and
have formed into round particles over time. Desert sand should be used. #2 course sand
Alternatives
Perlite volcanic material that is superheated which then expands and is good for
aeration
Vermiculite clay like material
Silt
Finer than sand
Increases the water holding capacity of the soil
Clay
Finer than silt. Layers of clay are used to contain water to reservoirs.
Micelles crystals of clay bound together (hydrogen bonds) by hydroxide ions, giving
lay a negative charge
Is negatively charged which attract cations which are important for plant growth
Gives rise to cation exchange capacity the ability of the soil to hold cations as a source
of nutrients for the plant to take up
Loam
The ideal soil consists of almost equal parts:
o Sand (40%)
o Silt (40%)
o Clay (20%)
Peat moss is no longer used in US greenhouses due to the discovery of the Bogmen.
Living sphagnum is used instead of peat moss now
Soil for home use
Mix in a 1:1:1 ratio
o Soil
o Sphagnum
o Perlite and/or vermiculite (or sand)
Pasteruize
o 180
o
F, 30 mins will kill all pathogens in the soil
o Different than sterilization which is to kill everything. Sterilization is not desired
since it will also kill beneficial bacteria.
Nutrient availability
Present but unavailable
o Inadequate H
2
O, solubility, pH, temporary loss, permanent loss
pH
o It is the measurement of how alkaline or acidic the soil is (-log[H
+
])
o Lime increases the pH
o Different amounts of certain nutrients are available to the plant at different pH
levels
o Different plants prefer different pH level soil
o Ericaceae family (acid loving plants such as blueberry and azaleas)
pH = 4.5 to 5.5 (very acid)
Add sphagnum and/or elemental sulfur to increase acidity
o Grasses
pH 6.5 to 7.0 (neutral)
Achieved with lime (CaO)
Monday 11/18/13
Seed development
Pollination
Fertilization
Embryo Development
Pollination
The transfer of pollen from the male parts (anther) to the female parts (stigma)
Most crop plants need help from animals to be pollinated. Most popular are bees.
Bees comb off the pollen on the cones of their hands to store on their backs. They drop it
off when they enter the hive.
Bumblebees are shipped to be used in greenhouses.
Bracts
Modified leaf with a flower or flower cluster in its axil
Handkerchief tree has huge bracts
Pollinators
Butterflies dont have to touch the flower to get the nectar and pollinate the plant
Hummingbirds pineapple
Bats Found in Arizona and is pollinates the Saguaro cacti
Flies Amorphophallus
o Attracts flies because it smells like dead animals
o The color of the flower looks like road kill and it gets warm
o The plant grows giant leaves which produces sugar to produce a bulb and then
dies back to produce a flower
Sexual reproduction
Pollen grains have 2 nuclei, haploid. One nucleus forms into a pollen tube to help the
other two nuclei travel down to the embryo sac.
One sperm nucleus fertilizes the egg to form a zygote, and the other fertilizes with 2 polar
bodies to form a triploid endosperm which is the food source of the zygote once it forms
into a seed.
Monocot
One cotyledon
Radicle preformed root
Endosperm food storage
Dicot
Best example: soybeans
Hilum site of pollen tube enters the embryo sac
Radicle preformed root
Plumule preformed shoot
2 cotyledons
Seed imbibition
Uptake of water to begin germination
Corn
In an ear of corn, each silk connects to a single embryo. Each silk must be pollinated to
produce a full ear of corn.
Embryo Rescue
The embryos can be placed in tissue culture medium to replace natural endosperm
Monday 12/2/13
Big Boy Tomato
Hybridized to grow them
Blackberry Hybridization
In hybridization, flowers are emasculated of their male parts and the pollen from another
male plant are used to fertilize the female parts.
After a few days, the pistils of the emasculated flower spread apart and become receptive
to pollen.
Seed propagation
Advantages
o Really easy
Disadvantages
o Sometimes dont understand how to germinate the seeds
o Sometimes there are no seeds to propagate
Seed storage
Read the packet
Cool temperatures
Dry conditions
Factors Affecting Seed Germination (all the steps from water absorption (imbibition) until
photosynthesis begins)
Moisture
o Helps make enzymes and hormones soluble within the seed
Temperature
o Must be correct for these reactions to take place
Oxygen
o Is required for the sugars to be converted to energy
Light
Cool season crops:
Grows best at temperatures 40-70
o
F (lettuce broccoli, cabbage)
Warm season crops
Grows best at temperatures 70-95
o
F (corn, soybeans)
Ponderosa lemon
Seed germinates within the fruit (live birth)
Popcorn
Popcorn that doesnt pop very well can be improved by adding a little bit of water to a jar
with the popcorn, shaken up, and then put in the fridge for about a week. The popcorn
will pop better.
Tomato
Tomato seeds wont germinate because they have abscisic acid within the jelly of the
fruit
Scarification
Some seeds wont germinate because their seed covering is so hard. They require damage
to the seed coat to allow water and oxygen to enter. It takes 5 years to normally
germinate. Example: Kentucky Coffee Tree
Birds have a muscular organ called a gizzard which breaks down the seed and then
pooped out which allow the seed to then be germinated
Stratification
Cold cue to germinate
Place the seed in cool moist conditions to create an artificial winter
Double dormancy
Some seeds require both stratification and scarification
Seeds will be eaten by birds and then pooped out to spend a winter which will then cue it
to germinate.
Friday 12/7/13
Encircling Roots
Roots that grow around a tree.
It will kill the tree by girdling it.
Cut the encircling root by the root ball and then transplant it. The root regrowth will no
longer encircle the plant
Protecting Newly Planted Trees
Tie tree to post/s. Make sure to leave enough space for the tree to move
Replacing a lost leader
If the apical meristem is destroyed and the plant loses apical dominance, another bud can
be placed physical higher than other buds and will presume apical dominance.
Prune branches that have weak angles
A crotch angle of a branch that is greater than 45 degrees is considered weak against
weathering and damage.
The xylem is discontinuous in tree branches that have a narrow crotch angle
A branch with less than 45 degree crotch angle will develop a collar. Dont remove the
collar as it protects the plant
Properly pruning a branch
First cut to cut off a branch is to cut underneath the branch
Cut off the branch by another cut on top
Make sure not to leave a stump at the cut site otherwise fungi and bacteria can get into
the tree and eat it away.
Training the branches to have a strong crotch angle
Spreaders are used when the tree is young
Tie the branches down
Landscaping
The landscape is always built around the house.
Is an art form that creates an illusion that the house belongs in the land
Site preparation
The land will be levelled and all the trees will be cut down
o Wanted trees should be stated in the contract
Site preparation will remove the topsoil and sell them. Make sure to tell construction
crew to leave topsoil.
Blending a house into its environment
Rounded plant forms makes the house blend in better
Lawn
Serve as a background for a landscape
Should lead the eye to the house
Slope
1%-2% slope
Screening
Blocking off an unsightly view by shrubs
Monday 12/9/13
The Private Area of the House (backyard)
This area should be personalized and adapted to fit the needs of the family
Choosing plants for house landscaping
Choose plants that look interesting for more than one season
Forsynthia looks only good during the spring
Blueberries looks good for three seasons
Dont choose plants that are too big for the house. If the plant is too big like the
Specimen tree, build the landscape around the tree instead of the house.
Avoid overplanting
Dont misplace trees. Trees can grow very large and will need to be chopped down if it
grows too close to the house.
Xeriscape
Landscape form used primarily further West where there is little water such as Arizona.
Primarily using rocks, sands, and native desert plants
Cane Toad Video notes: Girl names cane toad Cane and tickled belly but not feet. Cane grubs
needed to be eliminated. Talked about during 1932 in Puerto Rico. Amplexus, grasping of
female by male to mate. Females can lay up to 40,000 eggs in a summer. Cane toad and beetles
don't synchronize in timing. Homophilic, like humans, specifically the lights that attract insects.
Toads are toxic. Toxin is in skin and explodes outwards from pressure on toad. People abuse
Cane toad toxin to hallucinate. Males will try to mate with lots of things, like shoes, dead
females, and stuff. Lots of native animals died when biting cane toads.

Cranberries
One of three Native American fruits
o Its vines thrive in acid, peat soil, along streams, in bogs, and cool swampy areas
of the US & Canada
The Wampahoag Indians, who used the berries in foods, dyes & medicines, shared their
savvy with the Pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620
Good for scurvy

A lot of cranberries come from Cape Cod
o Massachusetts ~40%
Most from Wisconsin ~53%

For every acre of cranberry, you need 11 acre feet of water

Cranberry plants are woody perennials
o they grow in a string
Cranberry flower looks like a crane
o Thats why its called crane berry
Cranberry flowers anthers are hollow
Inside of cranberries are float chambers; make them float
Cranberries are high in pectin
Cranberry sauce requires a lot of sugar

Cranberry juice did not have a big industry since not a lot of people liked it
o But once they started mixing with other juices, became more popular
Ocean Spray
o Growers cooperative
o A Massachusetts grower noticed that best growth was near the ocean
The sand from the ocean helped growth
They called the sand oceans spray

Cranberry juice can prevent urinary tract infection
o However caloric content of cranberry juice is very high
o So a lot of people take capsules instead
Cranberries are grown in bogs (125 feet of crops)
o There are moats with water constantly flowing in that help the bogs stay clean
Soil Preparation for Cranberries
o Land Prep:
pH 4.5-5.8
clear & burn
Build roads
Grad ethe sand to 1%
Make waterways
To collect cranberries, tractor cuts off foliage and you collect to propagate
Cranberries are evergreen; dark through winter
Since cranberries grow on sand, you cant take a truck or tractor on the fields
Have to use different methods to care for the field
One way is a 125 foot bridge connected by two ducks on each end that drives down the
sides of the field while the bridge sprays
To protect the cranberries in the winter, water is added 1 inch at a time to cover the plants
with ice for the winter
o Air exchange occurs freely through ice
o Problems occur when ice melts; oxygen doesnt move through water very well
o Sanding: sand can be spread over ice; it will fall on plants when ice melts
Two ways to harvest cranberries:
o Dry harvest (rakes & scoops)
You pick up dry harvested fruit by helicopter
o Wet harvest
Fields are flooded so a machine can come in and rake the fruits and dump
them in a boat
Boats are floated to the side & dumped into trucks
Another way is to knock the cranberries off the plant and leave them to
float
They are left to float for the weekend
Light exposure gives them better color
Wind pushes the berries in one corner for easy harvest
The cranberries are pulled in and a hose sucks up all the
cranberries
Cranberries will be washed and processed (frozen) within a few hours
Sorting cranberries
o Sound cranberries are separated by bouncing
o Bad berries (with soft spots) bounce fewer times
o Based on John Peg Leg Webbs discovery
o Good = 7-bounce berries; Bad = pie berries
Craisins (dried cranberry) invented at UofI Food Science Department
o a lot of sugar
Pruning
Basic Cuts: Heading Back
o Removal of the apical meristem
Basic Cuts: Thinning
o Removal of branches
Bypass Clippers
o Look like scissors; they cut
o Should use these
o Best are felco clippers
Anvil Clippers
o They smash on flat edge
Topiary
o Also pruning
o Most use wire and you buzz everything out of wires
o Some of the best are at Disney World
Espalier
o Plants are forced to grow against a wall
o Used for fruiting trees; pleaching used in cities
Pleaching is when trees are barely wide and cover apartment walls
Bonsai
o Small trees bent into different patterns
o Asian, outside plant
Hedging
o Everything grown out of a certain boundary is cut off
o Leggy hedges have not been pruned properly
Has to be narrow at top and wider at bottom
Sever pruning
o Most plants cant take it, but burning bush will regrow
When you plant a tree, you have to watch for power lines
o Mandated pruning by government if tree too close to power lines
Pruning plants with buds
o Flower buds are a lot bigger than leaf buds
o You break off leaf bud to get more flowers
Extend flowering
o When roses flower, the fruit it produces is a rose hip
o To keep a rose flowering, you cut off hips
Pruning Evergreen Candles
o When Evergreens grow, candles form
o You can break these and break apical dominance and make trees shorter and more
dense
Ball and Burlap
o Contains roots; used for moving plants/trees
o Proper transplanting: Trees
Dig a hole that is:
As deep as the root ball or a little shallower
Wider than the diameter of the plant
Remove all twine or wire
Loosen or remove burlap
Adjust pH as needed
Trees need to be anchored when transplanted

Final Review
3 areas of domain of house
o Public area
o Private area
o Service area
Ringing
o Cutting around the bark of a tree
Stripping
o Cutting a section of the bark
Scoring
o Making incisions in the bark
Nitrogen deficiency
o Yellowing
Phosphorous deficiency
o Red discoloration
Potassium deficiency
o Necrosis between the leaf veins
Pruning
o Heading back
Removing apical meristem
o Thinning
Removing lateral branches
True to seed vs not true to seed
o True to seed
Pollen is self-compatible
Homozygous
o Not true to seed
Pollen is no self-compatible
Heterozygous
Example: apple varieties must mate with another variety to reproduce