A report by Annika, Sila and Lou from class 150c
Planting
The planting took place on 7.05.2019. But before we set the plants, we prepared the soil and put it in the planned Ikea bags. First, the floor was filled with expanded clay, which we framed with a mat of fibres. Afterwards we put a pack of coconut fibre soil in the bag and covered it with normal soil. The whole thing was well mixed and at the end covered with a thin layer of compost. Then we came to the planting. Each student has put their plants in four different bags. After we finished this, all the bags were distributed over the two greenhouses.
15.05.-17.05.2019
The temperature difference is noticeable when entering the houses and certain plants also feel it. For example, the apple mint is suffering a bit, in the 3.5 degrees warmer it is half-dried, while in the six degrees warmer it is completely dried out. Otherwise, not much can be seen.
Just two days later, small differences can slowly being seen. With cucumbers, for example, you notice a difference. Some in the colder greenhouse look good, but the ones in the warmer have dried up edges and look a bit battered. In contrast to the cucumbers, the strawberries (no matter in which of the two houses) seem to be doing well, both have flowers and in some cases the start of potential fruits.
20.05.2019 – 22.05.2019
We planted birch trees because they are our native deciduous trees and we wanted to see how they react to the warmth. Well, I don’t know if it comes from planting – rather improbable – or if it’s just due to the heat, because both have brown leaves and the one that’s in the warmer house even has a whole branch with dried-up leaves.
Now some plants have already started to bud. The lettuce has started to grow strongly in both greenhouses. The apple balm is also satisfied. They are proficient at sprouting. The birch trees have some problems because they are still “drying out”.
24.05.2019 – 28.05.2019
Now you see results. The cucumbers are already in full bloom. They had already produced many small cucumbers. The strawberries are also partly ripe, so you could eat them. Another plant that already bears fruit is the soybean plant.
Everything is growing and maturing. The tomatoes have now also budded. It doesn’t matter to them in which greenhouse. You can’t see any tomatoes yet, but they’ve started to form flowers.
Plant population 14.06.2019
Our greenhouse is already growing. The plants are green and many even give fruits.
Plants such as cherry tomatoes and pumpkin grow very well in both greenhouses. The warmth doesn’t matter to the cherry tomatoes. In the house, which is 6°C warmer, the cherry tomatoes are more ripe than in the other house, being only 3°C warmer. The many strawberries also seem to be better off in the warmer house. The plant is larger and the fruits are heavier. The cucumbers are less well off in the warmer house than in the cooler one. The harvest with little water and +6° C has not yet come as the only harvest of the cucumbers. At +3° C, the cucumbers are doing very well. They give big cucumbers.
Here you can see the latest photos of the two greenhouses. You can’t see a big difference here by eye. For many plants, the temperature change does not seem to make too much difference. The plants that have a problem with the heat are clearly recognizable. They have died, have not been growing for weeks and are not blooming.
Comment:
In the last few weeks there have been days when it got very warm. On these days it was not possible to warm again by 6° C so we don’t know exactly how the plants would have felt when it got so warm.
