Top 5 Myths About Girls, Math and Science

This article is based on information from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Research on Gender in Science and Engineering (GSE) program. It helps explain why I am donating the Greenscaper Inside Plants Science Lab. The plan is for it to go to ten different public and private educational institutions to help teach science to young girls and boys.

I'm by no means a science head, but more of a do-it-yourselfer. Even I understand capillary action. The houseplant community, which is dominated by women, seems to have little or no understanding of this basic principal of physics.

Use of the term self-watering, clay pots with saucers along with finger poking to measure soil moisture are significant indicators of a lack of science education in the houseplant and container gardening community.

Evidently, the problem starts along about the 8th grade when girls drop out of science. Sadly, the older women in the houseplant community are testimony to this educational failure. Unfortunately they are the authors of most of the books about houseplants.

Myth 1: From the time they start school, most girls are less interested in science than boys are.

Reality: In elementary school about as many girls as boys have positive attitudes toward science. A recent study of fourth graders showed that 66 percent of girls and 68 percent of boys reported liking science. But something else starts happening in elementary school. By second grade, when students (both boys and girls) are asked to draw a scientist, most portray a white male in a lab coat. Any woman scientist they draw looks severe and not very happy.

The persistence of the stereotypes start to turn girls off, and by eighth grade, boys are twice as interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) careers as girls are. The female attrition continues throughout high school, college and even the work force. Women with STEM higher education degrees are twice as likely to leave a scientific or engineering job as men with comparable STEM degrees.

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A Treasure from the Past

I never know what treasure from the past Google is going to uncover. This was one of them from back in the ‘70’s, a golden age of indoor plants.

While I don't share the opinions expressed, the blog Texas Triffid Ranch, does a credible job of explaining how the book Soilfree Growing & Decorating Ideas came to be.

With a little help from Google, I found a copy on the web and read it last evening while riding the LifeCycle. Even though it’s almost 30 years old, it’s as good a houseplant book as I’ve read.

Ralston Purina called them ‘Living Stones’ but you will recognize them as expanded clay pebbles. The book is about hydroculture. There’s nothing about drench and drain soil culture other than to explain accurately why hydroculture is a far better method of indoor plant care.

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Thinking Outside the Pot

Third-grade girls hone their science skills at Victor school. Cool!

Excerpts

"They learn how to work as a team, to think outside the box," said Schmidt, who has run the program for the past six years.

The desire to do things a bit differently helps explain why he has had students experiment with hydroponics — growing plants in liquid with nutrients rather than in soil.

Schmidt likes to use the term "troubleshooting," in describing how the students learn the art of problem-solving in his class.

"It's what scientists do. They set out an idea and how to prove it," Schmidt said.

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More Gardeners Watering Advice

This Google for Gardeners search displays information provided by university and other gardening sites about so-called "self-watering". It's really sub-irrigation but houseplant gardeners erroneously refer to it as self-watering. As previously posted, there is no such thing. Incorrect terminology aside, there are only 30 plus hits from this search with most of them demonstrating a poor knowledge of the subject.

Note that MrBrownThumb has added InsidePlantsLive.org to the Google for Gardeners search engine. Thanks MrBrownThumb. I’m sure your readers will thank you as well.

Here are prior posts that reference Google for Gardeners.

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Life, Mood, and Meaning

Clas Bergvall, an ethnologist in Sweden wrote what sounds like an interesting dissertation about indoor plants and their relationship to human life.

Although I have not read his dissertation, the PR portends a well thought out discussion of the meaning of plants in our indoor environments. It’s well worth reading the press release. I’d love to be there when Bergvall defends his dissertation on Friday, April 20, 2007.

Note the reference to “potted plants.” In Europe, plants in containers are most often referred to as potted plants or pot plants. I regularly search the term pot plants here in the U.S. As you might guess, most of the hits are about the other kind of pot rather than indoor or potted plants.

Also note that he did not attempt to justify houseplants based on supposed “air cleaning” powers.” Those looking for a sound bite and simplistic buzz publish this junk science widely. Unfortunately, there are those who really need air purification for medical reasons who may fall prey to these unsubstantiated claims.

The dissertation is in Swedish. I hope that one day there will be an English translation. I will query the publisher.

To most of us, it’s hard to imagine a home that has no plants at all. Why are plants so important? A new dissertation from Umeå University in Sweden provides insight into our relationship with potted plants in the home.

The dissertation Life, Mood, and Meaning deals with the relationship between humans and things, addressing the feelings of humans in relation to plants in the home. It shows how potted plants affect people’s way of viewing their lives, their identity, and their space.

Gardeners Watering Advice

The following Google for Gardeners searches display information provided by university and other gardening sites about how to water plants in buildings.

The first search reveals over 240 hits on the subject of watering. Virtually all of them are instructions to top water using the drench and drain method.

The results demonstrate how out of touch these sites are with the modern world of technology and environmentally green products and practices. Drench and drain watering is fine for outdoor plants but not for plants in buildings. It is bad for interior plants, interior environments and is a wasteful practice.

The second search is on the subject of sub-irrigation.

There are only 27 hits and many of them relate to greenhouse production and propagation rather than interior plant watering. The authors on these sites display how little they know about modern methods of interior plant care.

Following are the infrequent excerpts that even bother to mention sub-irrigation. None of them displays a working knowledge of the subject. The primary recommendation of all of them is to drench and drain. There must be a text somewhere that they all read and copy.

University of Minnesota Extension Program - Plants that don't need to dry a lot may thrive in "self-watering" containers that make use of reservoirs for sub-irrigation. These containers save time and labor, and can result in excellent growth due to the even supply of moisture they provide.

Colorado State U. Extension Program - Generally speaking, it's better to water plants from the top than it is to subirrigate. Subirrigation is the process of watering plants by placing pots in a shallow amount of water in a tray or saucer, and allowing the soil to draw water up from the bottom via wicking action. It's acceptable to periodically water subirrigated plants to leach soluble salts from the potting soil.

North Dakota State U. Extension Program - Sub-irrigation (watering from the bottom) is a very popular and acceptable watering method, especially for African Violets. Do not allow the pot to stand in water once the soil surface is wet. To prevent excessive accumulation of fertilizer salts flush the soil from above several times a year.

U of Illinois Extension Program - Another method is sub-irrigation. You can place the pot in a few inches of water in a sink or in a saucer. Remove the pot when the moisture has wicked upward through the soil, and it is evident at the top.

U of Arizona - Plastic pots are also easier to clean, more durable, lighter in weight, and generally less expensive than clay containers. Subirrigation (self-watering) containers usually consist of a double-walled pot with a water reservoir that is filled infrequently. When properly managed, they minimize moisture stress in interior plantings, and may reduce maintenance time and cost.

U of Minnesota Extension - If you'd like to minimize time spent watering your houseplants in the future, switch to "self-watering" or "sub-irrigation" containers when you repot. These containers feature large water reservoirs that allow moisture to wick gradually up into the soil as it's needed. It takes a little practice to figure out when to refill the reservoirs, but once you get the hang of it, you'll like the ease of using these pots. Don't put cacti or succulents in them, though – only plants that need more moist growing conditions.

Back Yard Gardener - Some plants are best irrigated by sub-irrigation, i.e. watering from the bottom up. This avoids splashing water on the leaves of sensitive plants. Simply place the pot in a shallow pan filled with tepid water and let the plant sit for 15 minutes to allow the root ball to be thoroughly wet. Take out and allow sufficient drainage.

What is an Indoor Plant?

The term houseplant is obviously a misnomer. In gardeners' terms an indoor plant probably isn’t what you think it is either.

in•door ( n dôr , -d r ) adj.
1. Of, situated in, or intended for use in the interior of a building: an indoor pool; indoor paint.
2. Carried on within doors: an indoor party; indoor gardening.

Here are the results of a Google for Gardeners search on indoor plants. These too have the gardeners’ elastic or dual definitions of the words indoor and outdoor.

Titles like Bringing Indoor Plants Outdoors and Indoor Plants - Moving Plants Indoors and Outdoors are rather amusing if you're interested in linguistics. If they are in fact indoor plants, why in the world would you put them outdoors?

I’ve also observed the plants that Flickerites tag as “indoor plants.” The majority of them are most likely not interior plants unless you mean a greenhouse. The preponderance of outdoor flowering plants is the biggest clue that they are not year round indoor plants.

There’s more to say about why it’s not a good idea to move high quality interior plants outdoors to other then a sheltered porch or patio that has sun protection. That will remain a topic for another day.

What is a Houseplant?

Did you know that Google has a Custom Search Engine service? MrBrownThumb, a garden blogger used it to create a custom search engine for gardeners.

Search engine details

Search engine for Gardeners where dot coms are weeded out and sites, blogs and forums that share information we need are featured. Whether you garden on a windowsill or you have acreage Google For Gardeners is for you.

Google for Gardeners. searches 169 sites , including : www.calhortsociety.org, www.mediterraneangardensociety.org, www.huntington.org, www.cyclamen.org, www.fritillaria.org.uk

I used Google for Gardeners to help answer a number of questions about so-called houseplants, starting with “What is a houseplant?” Most of us would likely agree with these web definitions.

• any of a variety of plants grown indoors for decorative purposes
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

• A houseplant is a plant that is grown indoors in places such as a house or office. Houseplants are usually herbs and are mainly decorative.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houseplant

The Google for Gardeners search, however, revealed a very different meaning.

Encouraged by horticultural academics and gardeners, most so-called houseplants are moved outdoors in the spring and brought back inside to overwinter in the fall. They are as much outdoor plants as indoor plants.

"Around-the-house plants" would be a more real world name for them.

How can we define their care when we can’t even define what they are?

Search string Results
1 - 259 for outside OR outdoors houseplant OR houseplants OR "house plant" OR "house plants" OR "indoor plant" OR "indoor plants" OR "interior plant" OR "interior plants" OR "pot plant" OR "pot plants".

More answers from Google for Gardeners coming later this week. Come on back.

Sally Ride Science

Dr. Sally Ride, best known as America’s first woman in space, founded Sally Ride Science in 2001.

This is an excerpt from her website.

DID YOU KNOW?

In elementary school, roughly the same number of girls and boys are interested in science and math. But beginning in about sixth grade, more girls than boys begin to drift away from these subjects. One consequence of this leaking pipeline is that women remain underrepresented in most technical professions—while our nation's need for scientists and engineers remains unmet.

Read the rest of the page. It’s worth reading, particularly if you have a young daughter, granddaughter, or niece. The National Science Foundation statistics are encouraging but we still have a long way to go in equalizing the educational priorities for young girls.

It’s never too early to start teaching kids about logic and the scientific method. They don’t have to be taught about playing in the dirt. They'll do that on their own.

More Women in Science and Engineering

An article from the Sun News caught my attention. I believe a significant increase of women educated in science and engineering will eventually have a positive impact on the field of plants-in-buildings. It will take some time, but it will happen...and that's a good thing.

Beginning in 2000, women earned more S&E bachelor's degrees than men.

* The number of S&E bachelor's degrees awarded to women has increased every year since 1966 (excluding 1988), reaching 227,813 in 2004.
* The number of bachelor's degrees in S&E awarded to men has fluctuated around 200,000 from 1976 to about 2001 and increased since then, reaching 224,525 in 2004.
* Women earn substantially more bachelor's degrees in non-S&E fields than men.

Bachelor's degrees awarded in S&E and non-S&E fields, by sex: 1966–2004

SOURCE: National Science Foundation Division of Science Resources Statistics, special tabulations of U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Completions Survey, 1966–2004.

Note: Scroll down to For Additional Information and you can download the Excel file with all the details including bachelor's degrees, by field and sex: 1995–2004

Back to School Advice

Good advice here, but whatever you do don’t listen to your mother about how to water them. She’s probably still trying to get them to drink compost tea and eat granola.

Be sure to use digital age plant care methods and help end Black Thumb Syndrome (BTS) forever.

So— what have you done today to help end BTS?

Along with the iPod, laundry bag and laptop, take a plant to college.

Why? It might humor your parents. They're nostalgic. They remember the 1970s, the heyday of dorm houseplants.

But this is really about you. Having a plant gives you good vibes. It's a feng shui thing.

Plus, studies by NASA researchers indicate houseplants help clean indoor air. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to appreciate how important that is in a dorm room.

So go green, even if you're really going purple-and-gold, or whatever school you're heading to.

The World Foliage Plant Industry

This is a most interesting article (PDF format) about the foliage plant industry worldwide. The authors are Jianjun Chen, Dennis B. McConnell and Richard J. Henny all of the University of Florida. I'm in the process of converting it to a MS Word document. If you are interested in a copy, post an email request to me at bobhyland[at] insideplantslive.org.

First section excerpt: During the last century and a half, the foliage plant industry has become truly global. The current situation can be simplified as four centers of foliage plant origins (Africa, Asia, Australia, and Central and South America), four regions producing propagules (Asia, Central and South America, Europe, and North America), and three regions of finished plant production (Asia, Europe, and North America). Today someone living in Poland may be watering a Dieffenbachia cultivar in his home that was initially propagated in a tissue culture laboratory in China, finished in the United States, and then sold at the Aalsmeer auction in the Netherlands. That scenario omits the fact that the Dieffenbachia species used to develop the cultivar were collected in Brazil and Colombia and then hybridized in England!

Foliage plants, defined literally, would include plants grown for their beautiful leaves rather than for flowers or fruits. In general horticultural terms, foliage plants are those with attractive foliage and/or flowers that are able to survive and grow indoors (Fig. 1). Thus, foliage plants are used as living specimens for interior decoration or interior plantscaping (Fig. 2). In common terminology, foliage plants are referred to as houseplants. However, in the tropics they may also be grown under shade as landscape plants (Fig. 3).

Starting from cuttings, tissue cultured liners, or seeds, foliage plants are generally produced in soilless media confined by containers in shaded greenhouses or shadehouses. Some foliage plants used as interiorscape trees are grown in full sun for the first part of their production cycle, and then grown under shade. Regardless of their specific production protocols, all plants have to be managed properly including light, temperature, water, fertilization, and pest control until they approach marketable sizes called finished plants (Chen et al., 2005). The plants are then acclimatized, graded, and shipped to destinations for interiorscaping. Acclimatization is a seriate procedure in which light intensity, nutrient supply, and irrigation frequency are reduced to anatomically and physiologically alter the plant so that it will survive and even thrive after shipping and placement in an interior environment. Small pot plants may require several weeks to acclimatize, while large interior trees may require a minimum of six months.

Therefore, the complete foliage plant cycle comprises: (1) plant propagation via tissue culture, rooting of cuttings, or seed germination; (2) production of marketable plants from tissue cultured liners, rooted cuttings, or seed- lings; and (3) postproduction plant care, including shipment, interiorscape installation, and maintenance. Because of their varied growth habits, multitude of foliar charms, brilliant patterns of leaf variegation and texture, elegant flower shapes and colors, as well as tolerance to low light levels, foliage plants have become an integral part of contemporary design for building interiors and play an important role in our daily lives. Plants bring beauty and comfort to our surroundings, contribute to the psychological well-being of people, and remind us of nature (Manaker, 1997).

In addition, plants in building interiors reduce dust, act as natural humidifiers Lohr and Pearson-Mims, 1996), and purify indoor air. A NASA-funded project concluded that foliage plants can remove nearly 87% of air pollutants from sealed chambers within 24 hours. For example, each Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum ‘Mauna Loa’) plant removed 16, 27, and 41 mg formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and benzene, respectively, from sealed chambers after a 24-hr exposure to the respective chemical (Wolverton et al., 1989). Later, researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Cornejo et al., 1999), from Germany (Giese et al., 1994), Australia (Wood et al., 2002), and Japan (Oyabu et al., 2003) also demonstrated that foliage plants are able to abate toxic levels of air-borne pollutants in building interiors.

The esthetic and psychological enhancement of interior environments and purification of indoor air have become catalysts in promoting foliage plant production and increasing their wholesale value. For instance, the wholesale value of foliage plants in the United States (U.S.) increased from $13 million in 1949 to $663 million in 2002, which was a 51-fold increase in 53 years. With increasing worldwide urbanization and an innate desire for naturalistic environments within our building interiors, foliage plant production and utilization have become a truly globalized industry. Propagation, production, and interior use of foliage plants as well as plant related transportation, retail sales, and services contribute significantly to the world economy and our sense of well-being.

Read the rest of the article here in PDF format.

Flowers & Plants Association

Click on the photo to visit the Flowers & Plants Association. It is the most professionally produced and informative website I’ve found promoting the use of cut flowers and indoor plants. I’ve surfed through many websites of this type and this one tops them all. The information, product presentation and photography is superb.

You could spend a lot of time here and it would be time well spent.

Role Models

Do you recognize Julia and Chris? If you do, you're part of the more than 2.9 million viewers who watch America’s Test Kitchen. It's the most watched cooking show on public television and now a role model for this blog.

My dream is that someday there will be resources and professional educators to present a program like this for plants in buildings. Note the key words test, tester and most significant the word science in this website description.

America’s Test Kitchen, currently in its fifth season and the most-watched cooking show on public television, is filmed in the test kitchen of Cook’s Illustrated magazine, located just outside Boston. More than 2.9 million viewers watch each episode, and each episode features the editors, test cooks, equipment testers, science experts, and food tasters from the magazine’s staff.

If you’re a cook, you will likely enjoy this program. I really enjoy the rap and rapport between Julia and Chris along with the other chefs. I just discovered it and have already learned a lot. In the first program, I learned from their consumer testing lab that Glad freezer bags tested as the best for saving food. So, it’s goodbye to the more expensive slide lock bags I’ve been using.

If you’re a cook who would also like to have some plants in your kitchen, office, or family room, you will probably also enjoy this blog and get a lot out of it.

If you’re an outdoor gardener, who likes to play in the dirt you’ll probably not enjoy some of the things I have to say about outdoor gardener houseplant care practices. As I’ve said many times before, drench and drain watering of indoor plants is archaic and rather barbaric. It belongs outdoors in your backyard not inside your house.

If we had PBS programs like these that demonstrate modern scientific methods, the houseplant market would explode. I’ve seen houseplant programs on HGTV that were simply terrible. Amateur outdoor gardeners who have no professional experience with plants in buildings maintenance typically produce them. They’re part of what I call the uninformed and misinformed.

Simply Ming follows America’s Test Kitchen locally. Chef Ming Tsai is a talented and gracious presenter. He had Emeril Lagasse on as a guest today. What a culinary duo. I was taken aback at how gracious a host Ming was. He paid homage to Emeril without being obsequious and his sincerity was obvious. That is not easy to do.

There’s much to learn from Ming about presentation. He is truly an artist in the kitchen. I have no doubt that his talents would transfer to indoor plant presentation. One day we’ll find someone with his type of talent for the indoor plant market. Check him out if you haven’t already. He’s a neat guy.

Teach the Children

Dr. Behe's Science Department is a part of the Flower Activity Center sponsored by the Flower Promotion Organization. Dr. Behe answers kid's questions about cut flowers and suggests fun experiments. Kudos to the cut flower folks.

Cut flowers are great. However, where is there a Dr. Behe to teach small children about living plants in buildings, capillary action, foot-candles, expanded clay pebbles and hydroculture as well? By the way, look at the photos on the main page. Where are the boy kids?

There are promotional dollars spent for plants at work. Where are those who advocate plants at home and plants for people in buildings wherever they are? Isn't that more important to our society overall?

A Blogosphere Pioneer

 
 

Meg Hourihan is one of the founders of Pyra Labs creator of Blogger.com, now owned by Google. Meg is a well-recognized blogging pioneer. I enjoyed reading this Tufts University profile and in particular, what she had to say about women and science.

"My career path in technology is not at all an aberration," she explains. "Many women in technology come to technology later and don't come through traditional academic, undergraduate degrees."

She is a strong advocate of creating an educational environment where women are encouraged to enter the math, science and technology fields.

"For me, when I was growing up, I felt there was a stigma of computers and being a nerd," she recalls. "I went to computer camp in sixth grade. I told people when I got back to school that I went to computer camp and I was just mocked. That definitely had an impact on me."

While she feels there is still a ways to go, Hourihan notes that some progress is being made.

"More proactive encouragement of women in technology needs to happen," she asserts. "At least now it seems like girls have more exposure to it at younger ages and the opportunity to be familiar with it from the beginning."

IBM Promotes More Science for Young Girls

IBM EXITE Camps Inspire Today's Girls to Become Scientists, Mathematicians and Engineers of Tomorrow.

Who knows, maybe we would have more young women who are comfortable with science and technology rather than a 'green thumb' when it involves plants in buildings?

"Studies show that young girls enjoy math as much as boys but, by the eighth grade, twice as many boys as girls show interest in pursuing careers in science, engineering and math," said Janet Perna, general manager, Information Management Solutions, IBM Software Group.

"We've got to make young girls understand that a career in technology does not have to be dull or boring. It's just the opposite. Technology and science-related careers offer opportunities to be creative, to become a leader, to give back to your community and to establish financial independence."

-- In Manila, Philippines, EXITE campers will learn how to farm without soil using the latest computer-controlled technology during a visit at a hydroponics farm.

A 21st Century Botanical Garden

The University of British Columbia (UBC) Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research has a blog. It also has an Indoor and Greenhouse Plants forum among others.

How progressive! How cool! Have a look!

A Straw Built School

There are opportunities like this all over the country for businesses in the “plants in buildings” industry (interior plantscapers, garden centers, and florists) to make a significant contribution to youth education and gain recognition for doing so. Where is the leadership to make this happen?

It would not be a big investment to donate some plants installed in sub-irrigation and teach these kids about interior greenscaping. I know of no one doing this.

I’m looking forward to donating my plant lab to a worthy organization. This will free up time to volunteer to teach young people about the value of interior greenscaping in an urban environment.

A Greener Future

Even though changing the minds of techno-averse U.S. horticulturists is an uphill climb, there are high hopes that young people are on the right track.

Read about high school students who get it.

Excerpt: The students picked Manila largely because it is located in a highly volcanic region, allowing them to harness geothermal power, according to Mr. Malloy. Steam generated by this process would turn turbines that generate electricity for the whole city.

Biodome farms would grow high-yield, low-pest crops with hydroponics, Mr. Malloy said. Vegetables and fruit would play a large part of futuristic Manila's economy, as would gemstones manufactured with geothermal power. The gems, students reasoned, could be used for high-tech optics.

When not working in the farms or gemstone facility, residents could relax in high-rise housing or more spacious surroundings near the coast.

Oldest Living Plant in a Building

 
 

 
What is the oldest living plant in a building? I don't know. Just kidding, but if you want to read (and see) some amazing botanical information check out this website. Avi Solomon in Isreal sent the link. Thanks Avi.

Links Galore

Spend some time exploring the Vocational Information Center if you are considering a career in horticulture or even if you're not. Kathryn Hake has created a rather amazing assemblage of links.

We noted that in the Horticulture and Floriculture Career Descriptions the only entry is Irrigation Specialist. There is no Interior Plantscaper (Landscaper) or Indoor Horticulturist. There is nothing related to inside plants.

We don't fault Kathryn. She has done scholarly work of the highest quality. We can understand how she overlooked the field of inside plants. We search every day and find little or no publicity about the field.

So Cal Plant Tour Days Reminder

Southern California Plant Tour Days are next month - February 23-25. We applaud the growers for continuing this fine marketing program.

We wouldn't miss it. Online registration.
 

Certification Seminar In Canada

The Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association is sponsoring a three-day workshop to prepare candidates in becoming a Certified Horticultural Technician (CHT) (Interior).

Plants For People

Plants For People is a European website that does a fine job of promoting the use of interior plants and providing information about them. There is a wealth of knowledge here we found well worth exploring.

Excerpt: Plants for People

Plants for People is an international initiative, spreading knowledge of the benefits of plants in a working environment. Plants for People initiates and supports international research projects, collects and publicises relevant study results and communicates these results at symposiums and workshops.

Inquiring Young Minds Want To Know

This is a story about Toledo, Ohio high school students experimenting and learning about hydroponics. No they’re not growing ornamental plants, they’re growing things like lettuce just like the students in the Bronx. In the process they’re learning about basic plant science and the technology of growing plants without soil.

We believe the houseplant and interior plantscaping businesses have a vital need for young people like these students. They’re learning things alien to most of today’s “indoor gardeners” still practicing outdated methods from decades past.

There is a need for young open minds willing to explore new ways of growing, marketing and maintaining plants. There are enough forefingers and watering cans in the business.

Excerpt: "Hydroponics is a huge business right now," said floriculture teacher Ellen Saffran.

It's not as simple as filling up a bucket and dropping seeds, she said. Students regularly check the water's acidity and alkalinity and measure whether nutrients are needed.

Toledo Public Schools operates the center and accepts students from other districts. It attracts 150 students a year interested in floriculture, small-animal management, natural resources, and landscaping.

"I also teach the students how to run a business and price items," Ms. Saffran said. "Theoretically, 80 percent of our kids should go into a career in this field."

Tis The Season

This is the time when interior plantscapers see red. Charles Dickens perhaps said it best..."It was the best of times, the worst of times". They will count the money, but utter oaths while striving to keep their clients 'points' in good health. For a variety of reasons that doesn't always happen easily.

Here's an interesting back-story about Euphorbia pulcherrima. So, you thought Poinsettia was a botanical name did you. Incidentally, you can usually tell what coast a person is from. East coasters, New Yorkers in particular, omit the 'i' and west coasters pronounce it correctly including the 'i'. Whatever! All, except perhaps your local interiorscapers, will gaze upon them and enjoy this iconic symbol of the season.

Characteristics Of Water

It's great that they're learning about the boiling point of water and hydroponics. We suspect they're learning about capillary action too.

That's a good thing. They will be better equipped to know how to water their houseplants.

Starting Up

Visit Startups if you're thinking about starting your own business. They have a guide for starting a florist business that would be just as applicable to starting an interior plantscaping business. Also, read the guide for starting a landscape gardening business.

Excerpt: A certain amount of business nous is a vital ingredient of a flourishing business. “You also need some idea of how to run a small business. Many people start a floristry business having great floristry skills but little business sense – the successful ones have the business skills - or hire someone with those attributes - as well,” says Caldecourt.

This is characteristic of the U.S. interior plantscaping business. The business is permeated with 'can and a van' plant tenders with very little business savvy. Some are happy with an income that's only above pumping coffee at Starbucks.

eFIG In The SiteLight

In the course of our research, we find many interesting websites. We've decided to share them with you via an IPL SiteLight a new continuing feature.

The European Federation of Interior Landscaping Groups Limited (eFIG) is first in the SiteLight.

We are impressed with eFigs outreach efforts. It is far more than a self-serving trade association website.

Whether you are an interior designer, architect, facilities manager, business manager, educator, grower or homeowner you can learn much about indoor plants by exploring this website and its many links. Plants-In-Buildings and Plants For People are two outstanding websites linked from the home page.

eFIG is offering an Interior Landscaping Exhibition on October 14 and 15, 2004 at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, UK. The Royal Agricultural Society of England owns Stoneleigh Park.

Kenneth Freeman, co-author of Plants-In-Buildings, is one of the speakers. We wish we could be there. We have no doubt we would learn much from Kenneth and the other presenters.

Up On The Roof

Hydroponics on the roof? Why not? Way to go guys!

They're growing veggies but it could be houseplants too. They have a shaded roof structure.

Excerpt: It takes about 30 days for a plant to mature with hydroponics, compared with twice that time in soil. Planting at the PAL rooftop farm is done on a rotating basis so that about a quarter of the total crop is ready for harvest each week.

The students take their harvest to nearby Hunts Point produce market, the largest food distribution facility in the country, where it is purchased by the Gristedes grocery chain. Look for the PAL logo on lettuce and tomatoes in their stores' produce department.

In addition to practical training in making, using and maintaining the "Nutrient Drip Flow" system that feeds the fast-growing plants, learning about hydroponic farming also involves chemistry, biology and math.

Hydroponics A Little Further North

This is about a new Middle-High school (grades 7-12) in Morrisville, upstate New York. Did you go to a school like this, or know anyone who did?

Excerpts: "All of our math and science classes have smart boards," Bauersfeld said. Smart boards are white boards attached to the wall where teachers can write notes and save them on computers. The notes can be transferred to web pages later, so that absent students can access the notes from the Internet.

The science rooms were moved to the previous site of the language rooms and doubled in size to add lab stations, and a greenhouse was added to the Biology room on the south side of the building.

"This is going to be really nice for Biology classes," Bauersfeld said. "These are what we consider to be state-of-the-art science rooms."

The art room offers a new, improved darkroom for photography students. The technology shop has all new machinery, including a dust vacuum to help students keep the room clean. Separate rooms were also added for painting and welding, as well as a hydroponics area to grow plants without soil.

Interior Landscaping Class In Florida

We found this announcement about an interior landscaping class posted on the SebastianSun.com website (scroll down). It is very unusual to find a public course on the subject of interiorscaping. We will attempt to get more information.

Announcement: What kinds of plants will work best in an office building?

"ZZ plants and new aglaonemas," says Dennis McConnell, a professor who will teach a new course, Interior Landscape Practices, for the University of Florida at the Indian River Research and Education Center in Fort Pierce. "The ZZ plants, or zamioculcas plants, can survive without water for months and they are abundant in nurseries all over Florida. Aglaonemas are excellent plants for shopping malls because of their beauty-big deep green, herbaceous leaves accented with silver markings —and they tolerate low light levels."

The course will be from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. starting Aug. 26, and will continue each week on Thursday until mid-December. Course material will include the principles and practices of using plants indoors in large interior settings such as office complexes, banks, shopping malls and civic centers.
McConnell, who is based at the University of Florida in Gainesville, will teach the course using a state-of-the-art interactive Polycom videoconference platform so that students will have opportunities to interact with others in different markets.

The course will be transmitted to the Fort Pierce location, in addition to UF sites in Fort Lauderdale, Homestead, Apopka, Plant City and Milton.

To enroll in the class or for more information about University of Florida course offerings at the Indian River Research and Education Center, contact Kim Wilson at (772) 468-3922, Ext. 126.

Can You Spell Sansevieria?

Cool! Way cool! Good work kids. Let us know how we can help.

Teach The Children...Hopefully About Sub-irrigation Too

Here’s a neat story posted by Ali Cybulski on the Interior Business website. Three cheers for Decorative Plant Service, San Francisco. They hosted 180 local fourth and fifth graders at their facility to learn about interior plantscaping, horticulture and plant science.

The "career day" included a tour with an interactive demonstration in which children received a small grow pot filled with soil and seeds to plant, as well as growing instructions. Students also took home creative project ideas, like charting their plants growth, making a storyboard on plants and flowers and writing a song about plants.

We know that Decorative Plant Service features sub-irrigation using their “Wicking Well ™” technique. We wonder if the children were given “Wicking Wells” to teach them about sub-irrigation or common grow pots to top water.

Small Scaper, Big Voice

He often refers to himself as small scaper but he's one of the most knowledgeable inside plants people on the web. He is Rutgers Ornamental Horticulture graduate Clem Cirelli, Jr. of Summit Plants and Flowers, Inc., Springfield, NJ. Clem contributes regularly to the Interiorscape magazine forum. Find him there with a “Cirelli” search. You’ll be looking at a long list of posts that make a small book on inside plants. Start a blog Clem!

Plants in Buildings

One of the best corporate web sites we’ve found on the subject of inside plants is Plants-in-Buildings by Rentokil Initial. It is well worth the time to explore this site whether you’re an interior plantscaper, facilities manager, architect, interior designer, educator, grower or houseplant keeper. Check out the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training course.

Site co-author Kenneth Freeman is International Technical Manager for Rentokil Initial PLC. You can get to know him better by doing a “Freeman” search on the Interiorscape forum. He is obviously a knowledgeable inside plants professional.