Plant Parenting

Which of the following is not a reason for rinsing/soaking LECA before use? [select all that apply]

Allow them to expand to their full size Coat them with mineral nutrients

A common feature of Medieval style gardens are...

Botanical gardens

Which of the following are helpful methods for sufficiently saturating the plant root zone with water? [select all that apply]

Bottom-watering Using the water, wait, water method Using chopsticks to create pores in the soil/media

A lot of houseplants can be quickly started from seed (within a week or two).

False

Air plants can grow well with just a regular misting from a spray bottle.

False

All of the tools shown in this video are essential to have for working with plants

False

Bell peppers are 'male' or 'female' depending on how many lobes they have.

False

Crushed eggshells are not generally effective as a pest control application.

False

From my experience, reused cardboard egg cartons are great for seed starting.

False

Grafting is a relatively modern technique for developing new plant varieties.

False

Houseplants purify the air in your home.

False

If you have multiple seeds that germinated in the same plug, you should leave both of them growing so the strongest one can naturally out-compete the weaker one.

False

If you have seedlings growing right next to a south-facing window, you don't need supplemental lighting.

False

Misting with a spray bottle is a great way to increase the moisture/humidity around your plants so they don't dry out (especially during drier months of the year).

False

Plants with fleshy trunks, like the Madagascar palm, need constant moisture because their roots are highly susceptible to drying out.

False

Propagation substrate for starting seeds or rooting cuttings should have high levels of nutrients.

False

Some houseplants can survive in zero light

False

Standard CFL bulbs provide supplemental lighting at levels comparable to most grow bulbs.

False

Sweet potato slips (e.g. when rooted in water) will only form vines and foliage but will not develop new tuberous roots.

False

The GE Advanced Red Light Spectrum heavy duty bulb produced more light than the GE Balanced Spectrum heavy duty bulb

False

The Miracle LED grow bulb provided roughly the amount of light it advertised on the package (in micromoles per m2 per second).

False

Using aluminum foil to help reflect the light back to the plants is a helpful way to supplement low natural-light environments.

False

Using natural products like mayonnaise to clean plant leaves is a good way to keep a plant healthy.

False

When transplanting, it's important to be very careful so you don't break any existing roots.

False

When watering succulents, it's best to only give them a small volume of water.

False

Yellowing leaves are usually a symptom of nutrient deficiency.

False

You can use vinegar and baking soda to determine the pH of your soil.

False

You should put Epsom salts in the hole when you pant vegetables outside.

False

Which of the following is a properly formatted botanical name?

Ficus lyrata

Which of the following rhizomes did I successfully harvest? [select all that apply]

Ginger

Which of the following rhizomes did I plant? [select all that apply]

Ginger Tumeric

_______ is the process of gradually moving seedlings from the protected indoor environment outdoors to be transplanted/grown outside.

Hardening off

_______ seeds are commonly considered plant varieties that were grown prior to WWII and are open-pollinated

Heirloom

Which of the following is true about parsley? [select all that apply]

It has compound leaves It's a biennial

This greenhouse chamber in the OSU Howlett Hall greenhouse uses _______ lights.

LED

_______ is a cool season crop that is affect by frost

Lettuce

Of the plants that i described in this video, which has/have fenestrations?

Monstera

Which of the following is *not* a common reason for modern taxonomic revisions?

Morphological characteristics

If you purchase lady beetles (aka ladybugs) online to use as a biocontrol, you may be sent the invasive ____________ (which you should not release).

Multi-colored Asian lady beetle

Which nutrient is most important for developing leaf area

Nitrogen

Where are buds formed on the rhizomes?

Node

Of the plants that I described in this video, which has/have aerial roots?

Orchids

Of the plants that I described in this video, which produce(s) plantlets?

Snake and ZZ plants

Which of the following is true about orthodox seeds? [select all that apply]

Some can be stored for several years They can tolerate being dried down to 5-10% moisture content They are common for horticulture and agronomic crops

Of the plants that I described in this video, which is/are rhizomatic?

Spider plant

Which of the following is true about succulents? [select all that apply]

Spines are modified leaves They're adapted to minimize water loss through transpiration Some stems can photosynthesize

Which of the following is true about orchids? [select all that apply]

They grow best in chunky, well-draining bark mix They have epiphytic roots that absorb some moisture from the air/environment

A fridge is usually a good environment for seed storage

True

Certain types of variegation (e.g. lighter colors around the margins of leaves) cannot be propagated from leaf cuttings.

True

Cinnamon may help prevent fungal diseases on plants.

True

For all bulbs, the amount of light decreases rapidly as you move away from the bulb or out of the direct beam of light.

True

Insects have a nervous system that operates essentially the same as the human nervous system.

True

It's best to refresh the water regularly for plants growing in LECA

True

LECA pebbles should be rinsed and soaked before using.

True

LED grow bulbs produce less heat compared to standard incandescent or CFL bulbs.

True

Lacewing larvae are predatory and feed on many pest insects.

True

Light levels, even taken just a few inches away from each other, can vary dramatically depending on sun vs. shade spots.

True

Many seeds and cuttings germinate/root better with supplemental bottom heat.

True

North-facing windows tend to get a good amount of natural light, especially in the winter.

True

Pothos cuttings naturally form adventitious roots.

True

Rotating plants so they each get a turn closer to a supplemental light fixture is helpful when there is not enough ambient light available.

True

Short, wide containers tend to retain more water than tall, narrow containers.

True

Some plants, like Haworthia, produce 'pups' that can be separated from the 'mother plant' to grow into new, separate plants.

True

Sometimes dead leaves (and generally sad looking plants) is an indication that the plant was overwatered and not able to drain sufficiently.

True

Sometimes when you purchase plants, the fabric plug liner will be constricting the crown of the plant and hindering development of new roots.

True

Sweet potato slips (shoots) can be propagated in water

True

Unglazed clay pots or other containers made from porous materials tend to dry out faster than pots made from plastic or other non-porous materials.

True

You can re-grow lettuce and green onions from their cut bases.

True

You can use clear plastic pop/water bottles as cloches/humidity domes.

True

Greenhouses/conservatories became popular during the __________ Era of garden design.

Victorian

Which of the following insects are in the order Hemiptera (true bugs)? [select all that apply]

Whiteflies Cicadas Aphids Scale insects Mealybugs

Which of the following are important considerations when applying a pesticide (even an organic pesticide like Azadirachtin)? [select all that apply]

You should wear appropriate protective equipment You may need to spray multiple times, a week or so apart, for full control

Many plants, including tomatoes and squash, can be transplanted deep so the soil comes up to the first set of leaves, because they'll produce ___________ along their stems.

adventitious roots

Herbaceous shoot cuttings must develop _________. [select all that apply]

adventitious roots callus tissue

Lettuce seeds require light to germinate and can be planted using the ____________ method, which means scattering them randomly over the ground/raised bed.

broadcast seeding

When growing plants in LECA you need to use a fertilizer that has NPK as well as ________.

calcium and magnesium

Succulent cuttings should be left to sit for a few days (maybe even a week) to develop a _______ to stimulate root and shoot formation.

callus

Herbaceous leaf cuttings must develop ________. [select all that apply]

callus tissue adventitious shoots adventitious roots

The ________ stage is the best/easiest to control for insects like scale and mealybugs.

crawler

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) primarily affects the insect ____________ system.

digestive

Seed starting potting mixes are generally _______ compared to regular potting mixes used for larger plants.

finer textured

Butterflying or teasing apart the roots when you are transplanting helps prevent the roots from ______.

growing in a spiral and strangling themselves

A lot of media is ___________, so when watering in seeds, it's best to mist them a little and then water gently, to avoid the media from being repelled out of the pot/tray (and carrying the seeds with it).

hydrophobic

The above-ground portions of snake and ZZ plants are the... [select all that apply]

leaves

The regions at the tips of the roots and branches, where active growth occurs, is called the __________.

meristems

The outward appearance of a plant, which is influenced by its genotype and environment, is the _________.

phenotype

The characteristics of citrus seeds to develop into more than one seedling is called ______.

polyembryony

Neem oil primarily affects the insect _________ system.

respiratory

Which of the following is *not* a common identification characteristic?

root structure

Plants that flower when the nights are long, are referred to as _____.

short-day plants

Insects breathe through their _______.

spiracles

Water vapor is released through leaf _______ along with oxygen, during the process of photosynthesis.

stomata

Requirements for seed germination include: [select all that apply]

sufficient moisture and proper temperature fulfillment of any dormancy requirememnts viability

Light level outside in full sun was approximately ______ micromoles per m2 per second.

1,300-1,500

The percent relative humidity + temperature in degrees F should equal no more than ___ for optimal seed storage

100

For raised beds or containers, I recommend having at least ____ inches of depth.

12

The Good Earth light bar provides between ______ micromoles per m2 per second (about a foot below the fixture).

25-55

Most of Ohio is in hardiness zone ___.

6

Removing the shade cloth on the patio increased the light level by about _____ micromoles per m2 per second.

60

Light level on the patio with shade cloth was around ______ micromoles per m2 per second.

75