Evaluation

          My class has been doing horticulture since the beginning of the school year. I have really enjoyed doing it and am very sad to be switching modules. 

We started the programme by drawing a map of the courtyard. I found this very useful as it really helped our understanding of it's layout. It gave us a better idea of where certain plants would go and how we could make the courtyard look the best it could be.

We then started discussing plants and the 5 senses. I really enjoyed this as I have never thought about plants in any other way than sight and smell. I also enjoyed learning more about the different types of plants and their uses. This aspect of horticulture really appealed to me as it made me aware of what I didn't know. This made me more eager to learn during our classes.

   

The next thing we did in horticulture was planting. We were given different plants, were told their names and some information about them, were shown how to actually plant them and were then brought out to the courtyard to try it for ourselves. I really liked the way we were told about the plants we were planting as I found that I learned a lot. I also liked the way we were shown exactly how to plant them to make sure we did it right. Ms. Brady trusted us a lot in the courtyard. We were given independence to make our own decisions about the layout and to learn how to use equipment correctly . I really enjoyed planting in the courtyard and felt a great sense of satisfaction looking back at our work.

Another thing we did throughout the course was weeding. Even though this can take a very long time, I thought it was good as it thought us the importance of weeding and how to weed correctly.
 

 



 

Another aspect of our course was indoor planting. I found this very fun as it was different to what we had previously done. When indoor planting we learned how to plant certain plants that we previously hadn't planted. We also learned about looking after plants inside. This was a very good aspect of the course as I learned a lot from it. I also really enjoyed making the light boxes. This thought me a lot about plants and the benefits of a good light source. The next aspect of our course was learning about composting and the other ways of disposing waste. I think I learned the most from this aspect of the course as there was so much I previously hadn't known about waste disposal. We learned about cultivating soil and protecting it from the elements. This was a very important part of the course as it is something people generally don't think about.

 

 

Our trip to Trinity was also very fun and interesting. I would not change anything about the course as I really enjoyed all the aspects of it. The only thing I found difficult about this module was learning how to use the blogger. It took me ages at the start to learn how to work it; I kept loosing a lot of my posts and am still finding it hard to adjust the size of photos. I think this was beneficial to me though as I know not only have a better understanding of horticulture, but of computers as well.

Courtyard-Day 6

On Tuesday we went back out to the courtyard to prepare it for the winter months ahead.
          Firstly, we cut up some cardboard to use outside later on. We then took a look at the plants we had grown indoors in the lightboxes. They had grown really well because all the right conditions were present. We got to taste the onion sets and smell the paper white daffodils.The onion sets were really strong-tasting but the daffodils smelled, and looked, really nice. The daffodiles grew to be very tall so we had to tie them together with a string to keep them up. I was very happy to see our plants growing. After the class Ms.Brady cut the onion sets and allowed us to take some pieces home.

 

Paper white daffodils.

Onion sets.

Hyacinths.

 

   We then went outside to prepare the courtyard for the winter and the frost. We started by cultivating the rectangular flower beds before covering them up with the cardboard. We used cultivators and rakes to do this. The cardboard protects the soil from the frost and from the birds.

 

 

 We then started to pick up all the leaves that had fallen off the trees and began to cover the whole courtyard floor. Conor held the plastic bag while Laura and I picked the leaves up. We picked the leaves up so they wouldn't clutter the drains and so they wouldn't become slippy when wet.

We had to put all the tools away at the end before returning to classes.

Trinity- Science exhibition.

          On Tuesday the 29th of October we went to trinity college for an exhibition. We left after double First Aid and got the bus there and back. A women showed us around and told us about all the displays. I thought this was very good as we all got a better understanding of what we were looking at.

This was an experiment that turned bad smelling gas into one that smelled strongly of banana. This idea or theory would really help those working with the gas. We were aloud to smell the gas from both jars and I could notice a real difference.

 

The next display we saw was based on cheese. People made cheese using their own sweat etc. and then left it to develop. It got all mouldy and smelled really bad. Trinity were then going to have the people taste their own cheese at a 'cheese and wine tasting night'.

 

I found this display to be one of the most interesting displays as I think that, if it became a thing, it would be very useful. This experiment looked at medicine that would turn your poo a different colour, depending on your sickness. People would take the medicine and if your poo stayed the same colour you were healthy, and if it didn't, you were sick in one way or another. Different colours represented different illness', such as cancer. You could then check which illness you had by comparing the colours. This would be a very good way of catching cancer and many other illness' before they started to actually affect the body. This means you could cure them before they start to take over. In my opinion this would be one of the most useful ideas.

 

 

This experiment looked at DNA and the dangers of it. Scientists went around Dublin picking up used cigarettes. They took note of where they were found and then broth them back to the lab. By looking at the DNA on the cigarette and the area it was found they could make a very educated guess about what the person looked like. They looked into stuff like obesity and gender. Even though they couldn't get the exact person and their appearance, this still posed the question of safety. Our DNA could no longer be ours if it is so easy to get at. Technology has come on so far that in the near future we could be looking at cloning and other scary possibilities. I found this experiment very interesting.

 

 

 

The next thing we looked at was the possibility of mutations. We looked into the possibility of man made mutations that could help the environment.

 



 

 

 This is one of the examples we were shown. These are leaves that would be grown on a certain tree. Their purpose would be to catch the pollutants in the air, helping the environment. Another one included these jelly like sacks that attatched to trees and got rid of any infections in them. I really like the idea of these and think that if they could be used in a responsible manner, eg not aloud to take over and mess up the natural order of things, they could be very useful to us as pollution in our world today has reached a dangerously high level. Another thing we looked at was the possibility of animals and plants changing themselves naturally and the effect this would have on the environment.

 

 

I found the above experiment very interesting. The experiment looked at storing information in food. They stored the first 4 articles of the UDHR in an apple and got different people to eat it. Everyone who ate an apple that had the information stored in it could then recite the first four articles. They put the information into the food in a very complicated way, involving a lot of numbers and codes. I thought this was an extraordinary discovery as I never even imagined that something like that was even possible.

 This experiment looks at the idea of copyright. One flower company has genetically modified a plant to make it grow in a bright blue colour. They then sell bouquets of these flowers to many people. They do not sell the whole plant as that would give people the opportunity to create their own, thus ruining their business. What the scientists in Trinity did was take a bit of the plant and leave it in nutrient agar. They gave it all the right ingredients necessary for growth and were able to make their own blue flowers. This then posed the idea of piracy and copyright. Is it right to steel someone else's idea? I'm not really sure where I stand on this but do agree that it is a very controversial issue.

 

 

The above video showed us a factory built under and with natural materials and plants. This was just telling us about how factories can exist but don't have to ruin the natural land which they inhabit.

 

 

I found this experiment to be kind of funny but sad at the same time. It looked at putting DNA from Elvis Presley's hair into a mouse and then exposing the mouse to all the things Elvis had to go through in his life. The mouse was separated from all the other mice just like Elvis was separate from everyone else during his career. He was also subjected to stress. Finally, the mouse was made run on a treadmill until he died. This was the same as Elvis as Elvis worked himself to death. I found this to be quiet cruel on the mouse but also very interesting.

 

 

 

The next experiment we looked at was related to a 3D printer and it's uses in the future. Some bacteria are useful as they can be used in biotechnology. This experiment looked at printing 3D bacteria in nutrient agar. Although they lost their properties, it was still very interesting to see. In the future I could see this developing into more than just a printer, but something that can actually make new bacteria.

 

 

 

This experiment looked at making gold using the above equipment. I do not really agree with this as I think it would mess up the natural order if things. If people start producing their own gold, it will begin to loose it's value and will eventually become unimportant.

 This experiment looked at a machine that could produce the smell of rain, mutant worms and how they came to be that way, and a gun that would have to be used in the future to keep all the mutations under control.

 

 

 

This experiment I thought was very fun as it looked at using dirt and bacteria to make a dye that was good for the environment. They printed this die onto scarfs and it actually looked pretty cool. The one problem with this was that there was no way of controlling the pattern once the fabric had been placed in on the dirt.

This experiment looked again at a 3D printer and it's benefits in the future. It was used to make organs that looked identical to those found in the body. If scientists could come up with a way to print these organs so that they actually worked, this would help the medicine industry a lot as it would be much easier to have a transplant.

This experiment looked at the possibilities of using bacteria instead of plastic ect to make usefull items. This would be a lot better for the environment as bacteria is biodegradable where as plastic isn't.

Above are the three stages used in the construction of boxes using bacteria.

Another theory we looked at was the possibility of a human giving birth to a dolphin. This was meant to look at overpopulation and the endangered animals. Although Trinity didn't agree with this, they were just putting the idea forward for us to think about.

 

The final thing we did was make a sample of our own DNA. We did this by

1. Washing a sports drink around our mouth, especially against our cheeks where a lot of DNA is. We then spat the sports drink out into a plastic glass before putting it into a test tube. The guide then poured some chemical into it which made it form little white clumps. We then extracted the little white clumps and put them in a separate bottle. This was our sample of DNA.



Composting

We were given a worksheet on composting in class and I have learned a lot from it. Here are the main facts I have learned:

• Composting is the controlled decomposition of organic materials.
• There are 3 types of composting: Home composting (the natural degradation of household organic waste), Vermicomposting (earthworms and other small organisms help decompose household organic waste) and Heat-based composting (based in commercial facilities that increase the rate of degradation by using high temperatures).
• Worms are a composters best friend as they are key to the breakdown of the organic materials into a rich soil like product.
• Good quality compost is the result of:

1. The proper mixture of carbon and nitrogen sources.
2. Adequate amounts of moisture.
3. Oxygen.
4. Time.

• Composting works thanks to invertebrates, eg mites, beetles,  slugs, earwigs, woodlice and worms, fungi and bacteria in the compost. These need oxygen, moisture and the right conditions to form compost. They are naturally found in soil.
• Compost can be broken down into browns (leaves, straw, woody materials) and greens (grass, food scraps) The ideal ratio is 30 parts brown to 1 part green. Odour and other problems can occur if the ratio is not correct.
• The benefits of composting:

1. Instead of throwing organic materials away and clogging up space in landfill sites, they can be turned into a useful resource that can be used in gardens etc.
2. Decomposition of organic waste in landfill sites is bad for the environment as methane and greenhouse gases are produces, destroying the ozone layer.
3. It makes economic sense as less money is paid on waste transportation and disposal, fertilisers, and bin tags.

• A challenge of composting is trying to avoid pests and rodents. Composters do this by not putting meats, oils or fats in as they are difficult to compost and attract pests.
• If compost is used before it is mature the high temperatures could kill the plant life in which it is spread. It also encourages weed growth.
• Business', e.g. restaurants, are now getting involved in composting, saving them money.
• Compost is also being used to clean up land contaminated in one form or another, e.g. from fuel wastes.
• Here are some of the things you van compost:

1. Fruit and vegetable scraps
2. Tea bags
3. Wool and cotton rags
4. leaves
5. Egg shells
6. Sawdust
7. Fireplace ash
8. Non recyclable paper
9. Vacuum cleaner lint
10. Fish scraps
11. Grass/yard clippings
12. Coffee grounds with filters

• Here are some of the things to exclude:

1. Meats
2. Dairy foods
3. Bones
4. Fats
5. Pet excrement
6. Diseased plants
7. Grease
8. Oils (including peanut butter and mayonnaise)

 

 

 

 

The classroom

          On Tuesday we did not go out to the courtyard at all. Instead we did some indoor planting.

The first thing we had to do was check the plants we had planted indoors last week. We observed how much they had grown and then watered them.

 

 

 

 

The next thing we did was make light boxes. I was partnered with Leah for this. 

 

We had to get a cardboard box and  then cut it with a knife on a cutting mat. We marked out where we were cutting with a permanent marker. We then cut out tinfoil in the exact shapes needed before glueing it down to the inside of the cut-out box. We neatened it up by putting celetape at the edges . We wrote our names on the back and then put it at the side of the classroom before placing a plant in it.




 




The box after we had cut it to the correct shape!

 The box after we glued the tinfoil down! The tinfoil is used as it reflects light, allowing the plant to grow better as more photosynthesis can occur.















The equipment we used while making our light box!

After this we made biodegradable pots. We did this by wrapping 5 pieces of newspaper around the end of a bottle. We used duck tape to keep the pieces of paper together before removing them from the bottle. We folded a bit of the paper in at the bottom to make the base of the pot. We only used a small bit of tape as tape is not biodegradable. We then went on to make a second pot. These pots are good for the environment as they as they can be broken down. 

We then answered a worksheet about what goes into each bin; landfill, incineration, recycling, compost. I learned a lot during this exercise and was very surprised by some of the answers. I didn't previously know that you couldn't put cooked meat in the compost bin as it releases methane gas or that so many things are incinerated, not put in landfill. I think this exercise was very beneficial as I am now more aware of what to put in each bin. Our class then played a game on the computer where you were someone picking up rubbish and you had to put it in one of the three bins; compost, rubbish or recycling. This was very fun and thought us about horticulture in an exciting way.

Courtyard-Day 5

On our fourth day as a class doing horticulture we did a lot of planting!
          Firstly we did some indoor planting. We planted hyacinths in blue plastic pots, onion sets in brown plastic pots and white daffodils in brown plastic pots.

Onion Sets

The Hyacinths; We planted these by putting compost at the bottom of the pot, then the bulb, and then more compost. We then watered them.
The Onion Sets; We planted these by filling the whole pot with compost. We then placed a load of the bulbs on top of the compost near the top of the pot.
The White daffodils; We planted these the same way as the hyacinths.

While planting all these flowers we had to be careful to place the bulbs into the pot the right way, with the radicle (beginning of the root) at the bottom and the plumule (beginning of the shoot) at the top.
          When all the plants were in their pots we put them in a warm, dark cupboard. This represents what it would be like for the bulbs to be actually outside under a lot of soil. As they grow we will begin introducing light.


Lollypop sticks were a very important part of our indoor planting. We had to write the name of the bulb on a lolly pop stick before sticking it into the compost in that bulb's pot. This allows us to know which pot contains which bulb. We also made some lolly pop ticks for the plants outside.



After cleaning up the tables, we then got all our equipment, eg gloves, trowels, forks, cultivators, rakes, shovels and wheel barrows ect. before going outside. We were split into different groups and me and Laura were given 'De Hide's baby', otherwise known as an amaryllis, to plant.



Amaryllis

We went out to the courtyard and began digging a deep hole in the ground next to where all the other plants were planted a few weeks ago. When the hole was big enough to fit the amaryllis, we put compost into the bottom of it, then the amaryllis bulb and then some more compost. We covered it over with some topsoil from the other groups flower bed.

We then went on to plant four hyacinths next to the amaryllis. We planted them in a square so they would look neat and presentable when they had grown. We made sure all the bulbs were planted the correct way round in the soil.

 

 





The other groups did two different things.

 

Group 1; Group one cultivated, weeded and evened the soil out in the flower beds around the courtyard. They also got a lot of topsoil out of it.

 

Group 2; Group two planted tulips in the bed I was weeding last week. Firstly they dug a wide, shallow hole in the middle of the flower bed.

 

 

 

They then put compost down in a layer all around the hole. They placed the tulips into the flower bed, making sure they were the right way up, before sprinkling a little more compost into the hole. They then shovelled all the topsoil back on top of the bulbs.This is when I came and began helping too. We had to go into the flowerbed and begin breaking up the soil with our hands.

 

 



 Then Ciara and Zoe began watering them with the watering can.

           We had to water all our plants, both inside and out, before finishing up.

 

 

 

We brought all our equipment back to the storage containers and classrooms, after washing them in the sinks, before heading to our next class.