13/03/13

Weather:
Overcast then clearing in the afternoon.

Rain - 0mm

Temperature - high 17°C  low 13 C

Wind - SW 15kph in the morning, swinging to E and rising to 26kph by evening.

The drought continues.....


 New knowledge:
 This morning we had a theory class on Plant Collections.
A plant collection can be described as a particular group of plants that share a common theme.
eg, country specific/native, medicinal, scented, edible(vegetables/fruit), kinetic, carnivorous,  poisonous, psychedelic...and the list goes on. We were then given a tour of the polytechnics Living Campus which is a collection of edible and useful plants(fruit, vegetables, pest deterrents and pollinator attractors).
 We will each be starting our own plant collections. I have chosen to collect and propagate edible(raw) winter plants, as we are now approaching the winter season. Some ideas for my collection are: broad bean, sweet pea, miners lettuce and radish(multiple varieties).


This afternoon we attended the first class for our "amenity turf unit".
We discussed different types of amenity turf(sports fields/greens, private lawns, public lawns/verges et al) and their needs/requirements.
The essential elements required for a healthy turf are:
Light
Air
Water
Nutrient
Soil (and of course, Stock/Seed) 

We surveyed a few local turfs for their characteristics, qualities and health. Most were suffering from the current drought.