Week 14 - Pruning Fruit Trees

Time in: 10am

Time out: 12:15pm

Today I had the opportunity to prune a few fruit trees at The Ranch. Since it was my first time, it was quite an exciting endeavor. Scott had to go to some meetings so he equipped me with a "How to Prune" book and his pair of clippers. The rest was up to me and my common sense.

Out of all the pictures I found on the web about pruning, I like this one the best because it gives you a few rules of thumb to go by:

1. Lop root suckers close to the ground
2. Trim limbs growing too close together
3. Lop water sprouts ever with main branch
4. Clear sucker growth from crotches
5. Lop weak under branches from limbs
6. Remove lower branches from forks
7. Remove "crows feet"
8. Eliminate crossing branches
9. Remove branches that turn back into the tree

Can't say I followed all these rules perfectly, but it was a good first try.

Week 12 & 13 - Seeding

This post is for November 24th...
Time in: 9:30
Time out: 12noon

...and December 4th
Time in: 9:45
Time out: 12noon


My first and second assignment at The Ranch was to fill up numerous seed trays with a wide array of mostly organic veggies. We then laid the trays in the hothouse. Most of the trays that were seeded a week before have already sprouted.

So far, so good. I've met some nice people who are also volunteering and interning there and am getting acquiainted with a new area of the Huntington. Looking forward to see what else is in store...

Week 12 - Time to Turn!

Time in: 12noon
Time out: 3pm

Today was the perfect day to turn over the rest of the green manure plots. I'll keep the water going for the week or so to help quicken their decomposition process and get soil samples then. The results may differ if taken a week or so after turning the plots over as opposed to testing a month or so after, but for the sake of my class project, I'll need to take some tests soon. It'll be very interesting to see the results!

Other tasks I was able to complete were:

• Set up a half circle adjustable sprinkler for the east plot
• Plant Nasturtiums, Peas, and Crimson Clover in the east plot
• Transfer some tomato plants (that have been sprouting from last season's harvest) to the plot behind the shed.
• Clean and rake
• Paint the step to the lath house

Week 11 - More Progress in the Garden

Time in: 10:15
Time out: 12:30

It was a beautiful day to get some work done in the garden. So beautiful, in fact, that my step father, Steve, and even my mom came outside to tend to her plots around the back of the house.

Here are some of the tasks we were able to get done:

Turn the Braco Mustard into Green Manure

• It was time for the Braco Mustard to become green manure. Here's a video of me cutting the greens into pieces. After this, I dug it into the soil (see top photo) and will let it compost itself for natural fertilization.

Building a step

• Meanwhile, Steve and Jared devised a plan to build one long step in front of the lathe house. They used square-foot bricks from Steve's old walkway and had to do a lot of digging and filling of dirt to make it level out. Steve then screwed in an 8 foot 2x4 for the top surface of the step. The next step of the process is to paint the step.
  

Moving the Clematis

• I had purchased two clematis plants last season and thoughtfully (yet naively) planted them on the east end of the lath house in a narrow 2x8 foot plot. Summer then kicked into full gear and the clematis suffered from the high temperatures and the eastern side's full sun exposure. I attempted to create more shade around it and still, they were much too exposed. Finally, I decided to move them over to the other side. The same side where the passion flower is growing (very slowly) and in fact, one in the same pot. There's still some life in them yet, so hopefully this will be a better home for them!

Water installation and plastic wall

• Moving the clematis over to the other side provided another free space I can use to plant. Since I haven't yet planted the Dundale Peas, I believe this will be the perfect location and opportunity to do so. In order for them to grow successfully, I had to reconnect the water source to this end of the lath house. I found a sprinkler head from my last season's irrigation stock and decided to try it on this side. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite what I was looking for. This sprinkler head creates streams of water that only focuses itself on particular spots. I need a half-circle sprinkler that sprays, just like the one I purchased for the green-manure plot, which covers the entire area. For now, I had to build a plastic wall in front of the sprinker in order for the streams of water to stay inside the plot.
  

Here are the next tasks I would like to get done:

• Plant Dundale Peas, Nasturtiums, more Crimson Clover...
  
• Purchase a half-circle sprinkler
  
• Paint the step infront of the lath house
• Build benches/tables for lath house
• Clean, organize shed

Plant Progress (Nov. 21)

The plants are looking nice and healthy. The Braco Mustard plot is practically overflowing so believe it's time to turn it into green manure! The others, however need a couple more weeks before this can be done. So far, so good!

Aquadulce Favabeans

Braco Mustard

Cereal Rye

Crimson Clover

Week 11 - Botany 2: Diversity (part b) CANCELED

Time in: 12noon
Time out: 1pm

Because of a (very thorough) earthquake drill, all staff and volunteers were gathered in the front lawn of the Huntington. As a result, class for the morning was canceled. A make-up class will be held Wednesday, December 2nd.

On another note, I was able to have a meeting with Scott Kleinrock, the project coordinator of The Ranch, which is a new part of the Huntington's botanical gardens' collections that will include a number of projects pertaining to agriculture with sound, ecological practices in mind.

Scott took me on a tour of the property, a 15 acre lot in its beginning stages of development. We walked through an original orange grove (some of these orange trees are about 100 years old!), an impressive collection of avocado trees (grown and propagated by the California Avocado Society) and he informed me of many other projects to come.

We have a lot in common, as far as how we see food-growing and organic gardening in general as a potential means of community building goes. Since he is not taking too many volunteers at this time, I feel privileged to have his acceptance as part of his team.

I feel that this will be an extremely beneficial learning experience for me, especially because The Ranch is still in its beginning stages, I will have the opportunity to see how a piece of land can turn into an important learning tool for its community and I will have the honor to be apart of its beginning steps to get there.

Plant Progress (Nov 7)

All four plots are looking really good and it's almost time to turn the Braco Mustard over, before it flowers (as directed on the backside of the packet).

Should I do the same to the Crimson Clover crop? Part of me wants to leave it alone so that I can appreciate it's beautiful red flowers and the bees it attracts. I'll have to find out more information on when exactly to turn the clover crop and the fava beans over.

Aquadulce Fava Bean

Braco Mustard

Cereal Rye

Crimson Clover

Week 10 - Botany 2: Diversity (part a)

Time in: 9am
Time out: 12pm

In the second section of Huntington Academy Botany classes, we are touching on 3 factors of botanical diversity which include sex, mutation and selection. Since I will be tested on some of this material next class, I'll just type down my notes here on my blog, for practice and study. Again, since these are very short classes, explanations are very basic in form, just to give one a taste of the subject matter.

DNA is contained in chromosomes. Plants have 2 sets of chromosomes. Genetic information is held in the DNA

Gene - the area (functional units) of a chromosome that code for a trait.

Allele - A different form of a gene

Genotype - Genetic make-up of an individual, its combination of alleles/genes

Phenotype - How the genetic make-up is expressed or the way the individual looks and works physiologically

Mutation - A change in the genotype which leads to differing alleles. Come from accidental or incidental or accidental spontaneous changes, copying errors, duplications, additions, transpositions, etc. in DNA. Mutations can also be induced environmentally by UV light, chemicals, radiation, etc.


Types of selection:

Artificial - Basically done by humans for their own ends. This practice tends to reduce diversity agriculturally yet increase it horticulturally

Natural - Can be caused by physical or biological practices. Physical practices mainly have to do with environmental conditions which include light, water, space. etc. Biological practices have to do with pressure from other organisms to survive.

Wallace & Darwin - Proposed a theory of natural selection and recognized intermediate forms between one type of organism and another. One species can actually lead to another with time and selection (evolution)


Classifications:

Old systems included elemental (animal, vegetable, mineral), functional (food, ornamental, medicinal, poisonous, etc) and formal (based on form such as trees, shrubs, bulbs, etc).

Carl Linnaeus classified living thinfs based on reproductive traits. He also created rules for classification and naming that still hold today.

Binomial Nomenclature - A shorthand was to identify plants by using the genus and species for that whole system of classification. Click for more about biological classification.


How does a plant get its name?

1) Find the plant.
2) Describe it.
3) Search literature to see if it is already named and decribed.
4) Examine Herbarium specimens to see if it has been named.
5) Deposit a "type specimen" in an Herbarium.
6) Publish findings.


Next class will consist of a little more information on diversity and then a section test. After that, it's back to the gardens!

Week 9 - Botany 1: Intro to Botany Class (part c)

Time in: 9am
Time out: 12pm

This week, we learned about sexual and asexual reproduction of plants. We also learned about flower parts. We also learned about the difference between a seed and a spore.

A seed generally comes from a flower-producing plant. It is a complete capsule, equipped with food that can wait for the right moment to germinate. A date palm seed, for example, was discovered in Israel sometime in 2008 and has been carbon-dated to be 2000 year old! Check out this article entitled "Jesus-era seed seed is the oldest to germinate" from the New Scientist magazine.

A spore is what a non-flowering plant would use to germinate. Spores are usually single cells that are not capable of holding its own food, has no embryo and is dependent on water for germination. Examples of a spore are those dots on the back of a fern. Moss, algae and mushrooms also come from spores.

We then took a test that will move us to the second section of Botany Classes.

I must admit, as much as I enjoy and appreciate learning all of this information, I'm itching to get back to the Herb garden!

Week 9 - Plant Progress (Nov 2)

( A 'Christmas Lima' bean in my backyard that has been

growing since late last summer)

Time in: 3pm

Time out: 4pm

The plants are looking youthful and healthy yet a little bit thirsty since the tempuratures were in the high 80's last weekend. The sprinkler is set pretty early in the morning (6:45 am), for 15 minutes, so it probably wasn't enough to sustain the late afternoon warmth. I gave them a good soak, and that quickly restored them back to full vigor.

Aquadulce Fava Beans

Braco Mustard

Cereal Rye

Crimson Clover

Week 8 - Botany 1: Intro to Botany Class (part b)

Time in: 9am
Time out: 12am

Plant Processes



Seeds swell when dampened which breaks its dormant state. Roots come out and create root hairs which is the primary source for the uptake of water.

2 basic hormones a plant has are auxins and gibberellins.

Auxins are produced in the apical meristem. It controls lengthening of the stem and also inhibits lateral bud growth. Apical dominance can be controlled by removing the tip

Giberellins control internode elongation, dormancy, flowering and other processes.

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants capture the energy of the sun and convert it to chemical energy. This process generally happens in leaves.

6CO2 + 6H2O + energy = C6H12O6 + 6O2

(Carbon Dioxide + water + sun = sucrose + oxygen )

Respiration is the process by which cells release stored energy for uses.

C6H12O6 + 6O2 = 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy

(stored food + oxygen = water vapor + stored energy)

Transpiration is the process of movement of water through the roots, stems and leaves.

Plant Progress - Oct. 25th

These green-manure plants are growing so fast that I'm considering a second allotment of them. Especially the cereal rye since the directions suggest that I wait no longer than 12 inches in height before I till them into the soil. It's fun to see the almost immediate changes every week.

Aquadulce Fava Bean

Braco Mustard

Cereal Rye

Crimson Clover

Week 7 Arroyo Seco Park

Alnus rhombifolia
(A tall White Alder growing under the historic
Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena)

Time in: 9am
Time out: 12pm

This was my first visit to the Arroyo Seco Park, the largest park in the South Pasadena area, and I was thoroughly impressed. The CNPS native plant walk was led by two very knowledgeable and organized women. One of them focused on the scientific and European practices of each plant while the other chimed in with her knowledge of Native American uses. They did a wonderfully thorough job and it was clear they enjoyed sharing their knowledge with us.

Here are just some highlights of what must have been around 40+ species of plants we were introduced to:

Rosa canina
(Rose hips)




Datura stramonium
(Jimson weed)



Cucurbita palmata
(Coyote Gourd)



Stellaria spp.
(Chickweed)



Claytonia perfoliata
(Miner's Lettuce)



Ribes aureum
(Golden currant)



Rubus ursinus
(California blackberry)



Acacia baileyana
(Bailey's acacia)