Greenhouse weekend blog - Raeshawn and Josh

November 27-29, 2015

On the morn of Friday, November 27, 2015, inside a building engineered to encompass a suitable, adapting environment for optimum plant growth, Jeff anticipated the arrival of the next pair of students to work it. Raeshawn and Eros (Josh) turned up promptly at eight a.m. and received guidelines and instructions. The longtime friends and symbiotic partners commenced with regular procedures including checking humidity, temperatures and walking about the poinsettia crop to check for abnormalities.

The two of them set aside different large orders of poinsettias. The grasses were wetted. They made certain that each poinsettia had a drip line, this lead to the conclusion that they needed to be watered and long enough so that water would moisten the whole root ball. Meanwhile and after sufficient watering, poinsettias were moved from the back to front to make the stock look more full and lively, and moved to new tables to have better organization and to clear a table entirely. Half way through the day the pair of them headed to a Royal Botanical Gardens presentation for over an hour of learning possibilities for their future. Throughout the day, a handful of customers happily came to buy our poinsettias as well as deliveries that took Rae and Eros to unknown parts of the college. As a result of these sales more poinsettias needed to be moved forward.

Before the end of the day the duo brought down the curtains, folding and putting them away. In reverse of the morning, they went through the checklist assuring everything was in order. The cash register was added up and profits were set aside. With the greenhouse locked, they both went home together keeping the main keys.

On the morrow, Raeshawn and Eros in unison entered the House of Green to learn that they were to relinquish the keys with every evening to security. They went to deal with their folly and set things right. Right after they watered the ficuses and poinsettias in front of the bookstore. Their shift started with displaying the plant sale signs, preparing the cash register and completing the checklist.

The quirky twosome worked more separately on this day. Eros began attaching hanger hooks to baskets whilst Rae checked and condensed poinsettias. Part way through the baskets Eros discovered an ivy with an astounishing and revolting amount of aphids coating its stems. Soon a few more plants with varying severities of infestations had been found. It was decided between them that mending this was a priority and so Eros mixed a spray of nine parts water and one part Safer’s Insecticidal Soap. Eros came down upon all the aphids, scale insects and mealybugs like Death itself, vanquishing them (with some remorse). As he did Rae grew the collection of infected plants before him. She also established fly traps and moved purchasable cacti and succulents closer to the entrance to be more easily noticed. Approximately half the baskets needed to be treated thoroughly as well as the canna lilies beneath the benches; this kept Eros busy for the rest of the day. Rae spot watered still thirsty poinsettias, checking the root balls and monitoring for more pests. The pair was lucky enough to have one happy customer that day of Saturn.

They did their closing checklist, brought in the signs, put away the cash register and profit and dropped off the chaves with security after locking up.

The next day, the day of Sun, Rae and Eros ventured to get the keys to unlock and unleash their last day of weaving their essences into the flora of Fanshawe. Once in, they put their keen and penetrating minds to the tasks at hand. Partners mirrored partners with opening duties.

Eros gladly got caught in the orbit of the remaining infected plants, freeing them so that they may thrive, whilst Rae watered canna lilies and succulents, removing fallen or dead parts all the while. Later, Rae monitored for pests and then proceeded to analyze her fly traps for different insects (beneficial and detrimental) with the microscope and did research. That afternoon, she moved on to making new labels for pots to better organize them and Eros wrought mugo pine seeds into moist seed mix, cautious to give them enough space. Once done he placed them into the fridge so that they can stratify for two to four weeks. They came together at the end of the day to clean and clean the whole area for that is a top necessity in this kind of work.

Their weekend wrapped up nicely. They went through the closing checklist, put away the cash register, brought in the signs and double-checked that everything was good. Doors sealed, the two good everlasting friends strolled over to security to leave behind the keys of the House of Green!

The End... Perhaps