Honors Post Journal Check up 2

Thesis of the book?

"The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire"

Malcolm Gladwell puts together this book to show an explain the tipping points in society. With this, it is hard to see a thesis statement in his writing. I think that he might be going for a certain stance for improvement in society, like showing people about tipping points and asking them to play their part to have good tipping points and lessen the bad ones.

Honors Reading Post 1

Entry 1: The Author's Credibility and Background.

Malcolm Gladwell wrote 4 books, The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, and What the Dog Saw; And Other Adventures, all 4 being a New York Times Bestseller.

Malcolm was born in England, moved to Canada, and finally resided in the US where he worked for many journalism companies before working for the New York Times. His work on two articles gave him the basis for the book "The Tipping Point". I think that the author thus has the experience to have written such a book. If there is any bias in it (which I have not discovered) Then it might only show up near the end of the book.

Photosynthesis review questions

1) After Thanksgiving break you return to the HTHMA garden to find that your crops have not been watered in over two weeks. Most of your plants are dead and those that are alive are barely hanging on.  In relation to the process of photosynthesis, describe what has happened to your plants.

There was not enough H2O to assist the plant in making Glucose to sustain itself. H2O is the main ingredient in photosynthesis, and it enables the plant cells to break down Carbon dioxide and form the molecules into Glucose. Since H2O works in the light-dependent reactions, the Calvin cycle is shut off from utilizing ATP to work. What water left inside the plants that are still alive must have been stored in the plant prior to the event. Plant cells can retain water, although most cells when dehydrated shrink and die. The Cellulose walls of the plant cells keep the plant's form, but when a plant does not have enough water in its cells, than each of its cells shrink inside itself, creating a wilted look to the plant. If the plant is rehydrated, there could be a chance of reviving its cells back to health.

2) Upon microscopic inspection of the underside of your plant’s leaves, you notice that in an attempt to conserve water the stomata (aka stomates) are closed. Explain in detail how this impacts the light independent reactions of photosynthesis.

Light independent reactions can still go on as long as ATP powers them. A plant might have enough ATP to work its Light independent cycle, and some plants store and retain water. I have heard that this happens with grass at times when it gets dry (usually in the mid-day time when the sun is out). When it gets hot, and water begins to evaporate, the grass world close its stomata. When it senses water the plant allows its stomata to open again. A helpful tip related to grass is to never water plants while the sun is out and it is hot. The Stomata will open up and try to take in the water, but if the water evaporates faster than the Stomata can take in, the plant gains little to no water and might even lose H2O in the process, making it harder to keep its Light independent cycles running.

Collecting and storing seeds

I think that storing seeds is a perfect solution to the problem of plants going extinct. I agree with the operations that are going on in seed shelters, and I believe to that plant diversity helps to sustain the human race and all other animals on this planet.

The man in the TED talk, Cary Fowler, explained his own beliefs with the issue of plant extinction, and provided examples that gave me such an opinion on the matter. When talking about the probability that maize in Africa will decrease by 2030, he said, "South Africa will have a 30% decrease of Maize... in 2030... in the context of increase of population, that's a food crisis, it is global in nature, we will watch children starve to death on TV." The idea that plant diversity hold the ability to sustain the human race cannot be ignored, as the consequences mentioned by Fowler for outweigh ignorance from the people high up in control of agriculture.

I have a question, why do people not care about the longevity of plants and the human race? It is maddening to hear that many seed banks have either been destroyed or close down. I am glad to hear about the Global seed bank located in Norway, and that it can withstand many problems (such as natural disasters or economical pressure that would close the seed bank down).

New seed report

Mizuna Greens:

2. Write a detailed description of those plants’ requirements.

1. Leafy greens.
2. Fall, spring (frost resistant)
3. Takes 7 days to germinate. No special preparation is needed
4. Seed will grow mature in 44 days.
5. It requires 15'' of space between rows and 9'' space between each plant.
6. The plant requires an 6-7 ph soil, and well watered soil.
7. It requires well watered soil. Durable against cold temperatures.
8. Can you find any information about good companion plants that should grow along with it?

3. Came from Japan and Americans have been using it widely ever since from an edible green to a showpiece addition to gardens.

http://myfolia.com/plants/2172-mizuna-brassica-rapa-nipposinica-group

http://www.gardenzone.info/crops/mizuna.php

http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Grow-Mizuna-436594345

2nd plant:

2. Write a detailed description of those plants’ requirements.

1. What sort of plant is it? Vegetable, Fruit, Root crop, tree, bush etc.
2. What is the growing season for this plant…remember San Diego has a unique growing climate and some of the information on the internet might say that something won’t grow in the winter but that might not be true for here. On the other hand, some people think you can grow anything you want in SD year-round and that definitely is not the case.
3. How long does it take to germinate?  Does it require any special preparation? (ex. some seeds need to be frozen before they will germinate)
4. How long does this plant take to go from seed to harvest?  Does it make sense for the time scale of this semester?…does it matter?  Maybe you would still like to think about how it might benefit the garden in the long term.
5. How much space does it require to grow and harvest a reasonable amount?  (ex. To grow enough wheat to make bread to feed all our guests at exhibition would probably require more land than we have!)
1. How far should they be planted from one another?
6. What are the soil requirements for this plant?  Is it a “heavy feeder” i.e. does it require really rich soil or the addition of specific soil additives?
1. Does it like acidic/basic soil?
2. Can you find information about ideal N-P-K ratios?
7. What are the watering requirements?
1. Does it need a lot of water or does it prefer our local arid climate?
2. Is it better to overhead water (by sprinkler) or use drip irrigation or water only at the base to avoid getting the leaves wet?
8. Can you find any information about good companion plants that should grow along with it?

3. Last, but certainly not least, provide at least one other interesting fact about each of these plants…is it medicinal? Is there important cultural significance to this plant? Are parts of the plant edible while others poisonous? Does it require a specific pollinator? I hope you get the idea.

Mizuna Mustard Greens - Brassica rapa (Japonica group)

http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Mustard_Greens_6451.php

http://www.ehow.com/list_7271307_vegetables-grow-winter-san-diego.html

2.

a. Vegitable/herb greens.

b. Growing season fall/winter to spring. cool weather.

c. Germinates in cool wet weather. Can be sewn indoors and transplanted for earlier harvest. Requires seedbed to be evenly moist.

d. Days to gemination 3-10. 40-50 days to maturity

e. Requires 8" space and 1/2-1/4" space deep

f. Needs enriched soil with mature compost.

g. Prefers moderate watering, with soil drying before each watering (plant stays moist though)

h

 

3.

 

Pea Green Arrow - Guisante Flecha Verde

http://parkseed.com/pea-green-arrow/p/5237/

2.

a. Vegitable/bean

b. Growing season fall/spring crop. love cold weather.

c. It takes 7-15 days for the seeds to germinate

d. Takes 70 days to mature

e. Requires 14-28" Grow space, 1/2-3/4" Depth 

f. Likes phosphorus and potassium.

g. Soaking in water prevents disease (water frequently)

h.

3.

 

Mini Purplette Bunching Onion - Allium cepa

http://www.seedsofchange.com/garden_center/product_details.aspx?item_no=PS20618

2.

a. Root/bulb

b. Can be planted for the summer or winter season.

c. Germination takes 7-14 days. Seedbed must be evenly moist through germination.

d. Takes 60-65 days to mature. seems reasonable, 2 months about the rest of the semester.

e.Requires 1" space after thinning, 1/8-1/4" depth.

f. Prefers rich well-drained soil. needs abundant moisture for the bulbs to grow. i. likes slightly acidic to neutral soil.

g. Need consistant moisture for bulbs to grow.

h.