Greenhouse Weekend Duty Blog: October 12th-14th, 2018

Felix C. and Ellyn H. 

Succulent Planters

We found a beautiful way to display succulents was by carefully arranging them in
medium sized clay pots. We filled half the pot with greenhouse media that contains
mycorrhizae, then we potted three different and distinct succulents that fit and
contrasted well together. Lastly, we finished off the pots by adding decorative stone
as the top layer giving it an eye appealing look.

How to care for succulents:
- Surprisingly succulents need a fair amount of water to thrive but not as frequently as most indoor plants.
- They prefer to have their roots completely soaked and dried out rather quickly.
- Daily watering not recommended. Try the soak and dry method instead for optimum growth.

After we finished the decorative potting we were left with a few cuttings that fell off the succulents. So we felt it was a good idea to grow some new plants from the cuttings! Who said compost when you can possibly get beautiful new succulents with the proper propagation and controlled climate conditions.

With Canada's winter rapidly approaching, preparation for winter storage is very important. A lot of the annual plants around campus won’t make it due to the harsh cold winds in the winter season. So
in order to help them survive for the next year so that they can grow and bloom again we store them in the greenhouse for the winter months. We begin by carefully pulling out the roots or bulbs of the desired plants. Then we prepared a place to store them with some potting media, ensuring that they would receive sufficient water to stay alive. In this case we used crates and on the inside we covered them with newspaper. That way none of the media can fall out and it avoids messy media all over the floor.

Many of the annuals on campus also won’t make it through the snowy weather and cold frosts. As a way to preserve them we prune them back and store them in the greenhouse alongside the thriving poinsettias and rest of the plants. Doing this ensures that we will still be able to grow beautiful plants for the next year. By us storing a lot of these annuals it ensures that we maintain a healthy stock inventory for future plantings.


Fertilizing: A very important factor in greenhouse production and overall crop production. As weeks went by the poinsettias have been fertilized on a daily basis while making sure that the media is dried before applying another watering. But even through fertilizing and regular waterings there were 2 cultivars that seemed to show some discolouration along the margins of the leaves. Our professor Sue Millar and Fanshawe’s Horticulture Technician, Jeff Rowley came to the conclusion that there was a nutrient deficiency and decided it would be best to “kick” up the formula by increasing the 250 ppm (Parts per million) to 350 ppm of fertilizer that those two specific cultivars were receiving. Walking the crop in this matter becomes a crucial step in monitoring the poinsettias for any drastic changes.
This is where the fun part began as we got the opportunity to do some chemistry. In the midst of this change Ellyn and I learned how to properly increase the number of grams of 20-20-20 to achieve the desired 350 ppm. The 20-20-20 formula stands for the percentages of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium in the fertilizer. The fertilizer is added to the crop through its irrigation, and so we had to dissolve a calculated amount of granular concentrate in water and connect it to the Dosatron irrigation system. Gloves, an apron, and eye protection are required to mix fertilizer, as well as a scale. We are fully weighed the concentrate and mixed 10 litres worth of fertilizer that will be further diluted at a ratio of 1:100 (1 part fertilizer solution to 100 parts water) by the Dosatron. This system makes it easy to ensure that all plants are getting a predetermined amount of nutrition in a certain amount of water optimal for their development. Climate Control Concern: Climate control is an essential factor in every greenhouse operation. Even subtle changes can sometimes have dramatic effects on the health of a crop, especially when the greenhouse is competing against an adverse climate outside. When we arrived on Saturday morning, we discovered that the temperature in the greenhouse had dropped significantly overnight, and that it was no longer within the desired 22-24 degrees. The plants were not showing any visible signs of distress, but we feared the drop in temperature might affect them before too long. Further inspection revealed no breakages in glass or open vents, however the heating pipes below the benches were cold. To help troubleshoot, we called Horticulture Technician Jeff Rowley. He helped us interpret the computer monitoring software and guided us through checking the status of the water boiler (alive and well). We reset the auxiliary fan in the greenhouse to circulate the air at the temperature it was at, and that helped distribute air and heat coming from the peripheral heaters. A combination of this circulation, the removal of the shade
curtains, the peripheral heat, and the emergence of the sun from behind clouds allowed the temperature to steadily increase until it was within the acceptable range.

Dividing Perennials

Dividing plants is an excellent (if not the best) way to multiply your perennials quickly, easily, and cheaply. For the ever expanding gardens of Fanshawe, it’s essential. This weekend, we dug up and divided 4 types of ornamental perennials from large clumpings, to be nurtured over the winter in the
greenhouse and planted elsewhere in the spring. Our selections were:

Salvia nemerosa ‘Caradonna’ (Caradonna sage), Pycanthemum muticum (mountain mint), Imperata cylindrica ‘Red Baron’ (Japanese blood grass), and Agastache ‘Cotton Candy’ (cotton candy  hummingbird mint). The sage and mints created a fantastic smell and while digging them up, we noticed they were favourites of pollinators.

Bracts on the Poinsettias

What many people don’t realize about the poinsettia plant is that the vibrant colour it’s known for comes from the leaves surrounding the flower (called ‘bracts’), rather than the flower petals. In fact, the flower itself is tiny and fairly unremarkable and hence often goes unnoticed next to the beauty of the bracts in full colour. They also serve an evolutionary purpose- they act as an attractant for pollinators. Humans are also attracted to them, and they have become a Christmas and holiday season staple because of these striking festive colours. Yet, because the plant is native to Mexico and people want to see them in full colour in mid-winter, the plant needs some help to decide to colour its bracts (which are green in the off seasons). Greenhouse growers employ something called a ‘photoperiod’ to achieve this. With the poinsettias you know you have initiated the ‘photoperiod’ when you start to notice the venation turning a vivid red (as shown in the picture).

A photoperiod refers to specific duration of time in which the plant is exposed to light or darkness (to mimic the light patterns  provided by its natural climate in its colourful season). Many greenhouses, Fanshawe included, achieve the photoperiod by using a combination of automatic and manual shade curtains to physically block access to light. Each of our duties began and ended with the drawing and closing of the shade curtains. Bracts on a few red cultivars and a white one are already beginning to turn, reminding us that our time and effort are not in vain, and results are fast approaching!