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Entries in gardening (2)

Thursday
Oct012009

Dandelion: Word Origin & Fun Facts

Photo by flo and medandelion (dan-dl-ahy-uhn) - noun

The dandelion is "a weedy composite plant, Taraxacum officinale, having edible, deeply toothed or notched leaves, golden-yellow flowers, and rounded clusters of white, hairy seeds."

Dandelion meaning "lion's tooth" - referring to the plant's indented leaf - was the old English name for this flower, but the French renamed it dent de lion in the 16th century. Since the French dent de was pronounced dan de, the word soon became dandelion.

Another theory is that the dandelion's name derives not from its indented leaves, but from its huge, white, tooth like root. In modern French the dandelion is called pissenlit, or "wet-the-bed," from the belief that eating dandelion greens at dinner results in nocturnal bedwetting.

Certain species of dandelion plants produce seeds asexually by a process called apomixis, where seeds of the plant are produced without the process of pollination. This also results in younger plants that have similar genetic pattern as the parent plant. Dandelion seeds are often transported away by a gust of wind and they travel like tiny parachutes. On a breezy day, a really strong wind can transport these tiny parachutes miles away from the parent dandelion plant.

Dandelion flowers are photosensitive; they bloom under the morning sun and close in the evening or in dull, gloomy conditions.

"If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em" is a phrase that has been applied over the years to the gardener's perennial battle against weeds, most recently by Dr. James Duke, a botanist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dr. Duke, quoted in Anne Raver's gardening column in the New York Times, made the remark specifically in reference to dandelions, which made a dandy salad and wine, among other comestibles.

Photo by aussiegall

Monday
May182009

Time Lapse Video of Germination: From Seed to Sprout

Two weeks ago, while on a Target excursion, my son Aidan and I spied these cute little seed pots at the front of the store in the $1 section. They included a tiny 2" plastic pot, a handful of seeds and one of those sponge-like soil discs that expand when you soak them in water. He picked out a pine tree variety and I grabbed the sunflowers. When we got home, we excitedly opened the package and started soaking our soil pods, which became an adequate little scoop of soil to put into our respective pots. Next, we opened the seed packs and lightly sprinkled them atop the soil, then watered it as directed and put it in the kitchen windowsill.

I felt as though I was in kindergarten again. Like when we stuck toothpicks through an avocado seed, submerge it in water and wait for the roots to grow. It was so exciting! For nearly a week, we waited... and THEN both little pots started sprouting. I knew that this would happen. I mean, it's a seed in soil, that's what it does, right? But Aidan and I were so stoked about each little baby step that our baby plants were making. Today is our two week mark and this is how far we have come. Aren't they awesome? In another week or so, we might need to transplant them into larger pots. As long as we keep them alive and thriving, I think I shall update with progress photos. In the meantime, here is a little information about how seeds become what they become; and a rad time lapse video of radish seeds germinating and sprouting.

*Time lapse sequence shot using Pentax K110D and Harbortronics DigiSnap 2100 set to take a frame each 14 minutes 24 seconds. The time lapse spans 9 days. Two 90 watt compact floresecent lights where used for both the camera shooting light and the grow lights. The lights were set on a timer for 18 hours on and 6 off (for the health of the plants). The jump in the video is the 6 hour gap in the darkness. Amazing how fast the radishes grew. Music by Roland White - Gaieté Acadienne [CD-Trying to Get to You].