Japanese Maples Update 3

Hey sorry for the hiatus! For this post I'm just going to show some pictures and give you guys an update on the Acer palmatum (also known as Japanese Maple) seedlings. So without further ado, here are the pictures. This is the fifth week since I took them home.

Big Bubba

Sadly some of the maples did die, but a majority of them did make it through, and a couple have made giant leaps of growth since then! I think part of the reason why some of them died was overcrowding. I had them in 4" pots, and some plants were 2-3 per pot. I did transplant quite a few into their own pots, but not before some died. The one labeled in the pictures as "Big Bubba" definantly won the award for most growth. most seem to be at about the same growth as before, though several show little new growth buds, so that's good. I have been keeping them pretty well watered, though I try to let them dry out before waterings, which is what most tree like.

   Anyways, today is just a short little update, but I hoped you like it! I know I really love to see plants growth, it's just kinda cool to see things get bigger and change. Please share this post with a friend, anyone who might be interested. Thanks for reading, bye!

How to take cuttings from plants

     Hey Guys! Today I'm going to teach you crazy kids how to propagate from cuttings! Taking a cutting from a plant is super easy, and it's nice because the cutting is going to be exactly the same genetically as the parent. So if you have a plant that say, produces really sweet fruit, a cutting from a sweet fruit tree might just be what you need. Many plants can be started from cuttings, such as (just off the top of my head), Ivy, wisteria, jades, most succulents, tomato plants, african violets, bamboo, and many more!

     Steps

1) Find a plant that you would like to take a cutting from

2) Cut a new growth branch (not woody), at least three nodes long

3) Strip the cuttings leaves, leaving only a few at the top, 

4) Take the end that you are going to root, and slice diagonally, this helps to get as much area as possible for rooting.

5) wet the rooting end

6) Dip the rooting end in a growth hormone of your choice

7) Poke your finger, a pencil, ect, and make a hole in a container of potting soil.

8) Plant cutting in hole

Notes

     If you do not have a rooting hormone, it's ok. Just follow the other steps. Rooting hormones just help to make sure the plant roots, and can be a bit faster than without. I heard you can make a rooting hormone from honey, though I have never tried.

     A good medium to grow cuttings is a mix of peat moss and perlite. Half and half should do the trick, although I do suggest you experiment and find out your preference.

     If you're plant seems to be wilting, cut the leaves in half, this helps the plant to focus more on rooting, and less on leaves.

     Later this weekend I will make some posts about some succulent cuttings that I took, One that I took and while back and how it's doing, and some wisteria cuttings that I took.

     Thanks for reading! Please share this with a friend, and make sure to come back, I make a post at least once a week. Hoped this post helped! Byeeeeee!

   

     

Japanese Maple Seedlings 2

     Hey there! For this post I would like to post updates on the Japanese Maple Seedlings I got. For the most part, they are doing pretty well. On some the leaves are drying up, which can't be a good sign. I was reading and I've come to the conlusion that they are doing this due to stress of being potted and moved. I still have hope that they will make it. Also, some of the leaves are turning red, which they do in the fall when their leaves are about to fall off. I think this is also because of stress.

     Here are some pictures.

Dried-up leaves

 


















As you can probably see, some of the leaves have turned red. I am thinking that maybe they are not getting enough sun. The ones on top of my bonsai stand are doing well. They tolerate moderate shade, but I will give them more sunlight and see what happens.

Thanks for reading! I will make another post sometime this week. Comment what you would like to see me do a post about, anything with plants or mycology. Please share this post with a friend, it means a lot. See ya!

Fictional Fungi

                Believe it or not, there have been multiple uses of Fungi and mushrooms in pop culture. From video games to literature, Fungi has made appearances.  In this blog post, I am going to be talking about some of the ones from various video games, books, and movies.

  Goomba- Goombas are a sentient mushroom animal from the Mario video games. They first appeared in Super Mario Bros. and are modeled after the Shiitake mushroom.











Mutant Cordyceps- This Fungus appears in the Video game The Last of Us as a mutated strain of the real fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis. It turns the human host into a cannibalistic monster. I'm planning on making a post in the future on the fungi this is based on.


Toad- Another character From Mario, Toad is both the name of a character, and the people of the mushroom kingdom. I'm not sure what type of mushroom he is, but personally I think he looks like a reverse fly agaric.










Firewalker Fungus- This fictional fungus appeared on the x files episode Firewalker. In the episode, it is a silicon based Fungus that once inside the host, can affects it's behavior, until when ready to reproduce, which it then sends a fruiting body out through the throat. Pretty gruesome...



Mi-Go- Mi-Go are a race of extra-terrestrial, fungoid, crustacean-like creatures in the novel Cthulhu Mythos. They first appeared in H. P. Lovecraft's novel The Whisperer in Darkness. In my professional opinion, they are pretty rad looking.






Well that's about it. I know that there are other fictional Fungi, but these are some of the most popular ones, or the ones I thought was the most interesting. I hope you enjoyed reading this! I make a post every week,usually on a Saturday,Sometimes on Fridays or Sundays. If you liked this post,be sure to come back next week,and maybe tell a friend if you think they might be interested, or just +1 it! Thanks for reading, see ya!