Friday began bright and early, sun shining and temperate for this time of year. As we entered the greenhouse, we were greeted by Jeff who was ready to explain in great detail the tasks and responsibilities for the weekend ahead. Such tasks included completing our first greenhouse circle check list sheet. We continued our day with cleaning up the cuttings and their trays in the propagation chamber then rotating them so the bottom heat was evenly distributed throughout the whole cutting tray. As the day progressed we then rescued a pallet of soon to be disposed of pavers and moved them to their new home in the compound.

Jeff then masterfully explained and demonstrated how to properly mix fertilizer for the incredibly important poinsettia crop. This is done to provide the much needed nutrients to help them grow. Due to extreme heat levels, not typical for September, much spot watering was needed throughout the afternoon to keep our poinsettias happy; so whenever needed they received a hug from us with water. Spot watering is required because it is not necessary to water all plants as overwatered plants can suffer root rot and/or algae. This is especially important as we noted that one plant had already succumb to root rot while others had algae on the soil surface. As the day came closer to an end we managed to re-crate some of the Canna’s to ensure they successfully overwinter. We also attempted to fix some of the poinsettia water emitters; however, our efforts were unsuccessful, and as a result hand watering is required until the system can be corrected. Finally we finished our Friday with the closing checklist and locked up for the night, until tomorrow when we would return to continue finishing our weekend’s assigned tasks.

Saturday arrived at the greenhouse, another sunny, warm, autumn day. On arrival we were greeted with the sound of running water! A pipe became dislodged from the propagation chamber, we quickly determined the source of the pipe and fixed it so Michael’s newly transported cuttings from Cuddy’s wouldn’t parish from thirst. Then it was on to our checklist and insect identification which was very interesting and educational. In order to properly identify the insects, we needed to view them under a microscope. Identification was necessary in order to continue to monitor insect counts. The whitefly and thrip counts continue to increase in the greenhouse while fungus gnat counts decreased from the previous weekends. For a second week in a row, there are new insects in the greenhouse, we found one housefly and four shore flies. Since it was another warm unseasonal day, we checked in on the poinsettias more often and spot watered them as required. Today also required cleaning numerous cacti that arrived from Cuddy’s, including removing debris in the soil and from their spines, as well as sanitizing their pots with a solution of 10% bleach/90% water. This is very important in the greenhouse as it ensures that no insects or diseases are introduced into the greenhouse environment. Unfortunately, the cacti spines pricked Chad a few times while cleaning out the debris! OUCH! As the day came to a close we provided the Canna’s and Elephant Ears a much needed drink of water. And so another day ends of our weekend duty.

The final day arrives and we start off by completing the checklist and arranging Michael’s prized cactus collection in the greenhouse by Genus.

Today again came with a lot of cleaning and sanitizing. This included the floors, benches, pots, trays and sinks. Also included in the sanitizing tasks was the removal of waste potting soil and compost, which was dumped out from the RTV in the back compost area. All four of the floor drains and the sink drain were cleaned out as well to ensure a sanitary environment. With the tractor bay cleaned out, the RTV was happily returned to its home. As the day was coming to an end, we posted the signs that Sharri had printed and laminated the week prior, to let everyone know that we are now entering a blackout period in the greenhouse. At 5pm we started to close the curtains, much to our surprise some of the curtains wouldn’t close; however, with time and perseverance we managed to get them closed so that our poinsettia crop can receive the proper amount of darkness to produce coloured modified leaves (bracts). The blackout period was initiated on schedule to ensure crops are ready for sale mid-November. With the curtains closed it also symbolized the closing of our weekend.