* 5/12/15 Say No to Water Bottles

Yes, so Earth Month passed, but that's no reason to give up efforts. I came across this video while doing some research, and it was certainty worth posting here. This relatively short clip is about bottled water, and it's negative effects on the environment. Like many of the environmentally friendly alternatives, using filtered tap water over bottled water saves money, and of course nature. The video covers most everything needed to be known, but I will gloss over the main idea.

The main reason bottled water became so popular is because of manufactured demand. This is when companies draw attention to their product. As the video explains, bottled water companies use methods to get you think their product is better then tap water. One such method is scaring you into thinking that tap water is unclean. This is not true, as a study shows that bottled water is sometimes even less pure then tap water, and doesn't taste as good either.

 Also, companies like Aquifina picture pristine mountains and wildlife on their label--when the reality is that the water comes from the tap. Bottled water is 2,000 times more expensive then tap water, when you really are purchasing something you can get for nearly free in your own kitchen. Can you imagine buying a 10,000 sandwich?

Lastly, bottled water companies mislead their costumers in advertisements in paper or on television. Nestle posted a full-page ad stating that, "Bottled water is the most environmentally friendly consumer product in the world." However, all along the water bottle's life cycle, the environment is being trashed. When the bottles are being manufactured, enough oil is used in one year to fuel 1 million cars. Even more energy is used to ship it around the planet to where you live, and all of that is just to be thrown away two minutes.

In conclusion, water bottles are polluting our planet, while people can simply take a cup of tap water that is 2,000 times cheaper. When traveling, a reusable plastic bottle can carry more water for a far cheaper price. And even if you do buy a water bottle, be sure to recycle it and spare the environment another deadly blow, or else the bottle will end up in a landfill waiting for countless years, before it's precious materials degrade away. It's so simple to take action, so why don't we all come together to ensure our lives are as environmentally friendly as possible and give the future generations a safe, healthy world to live on.

+ 5/10/15 The First of Many

      The first plant of this years garden is planted! At least, for my garden. My dad already has 6 of his 9 tomato plants in the ground, as well his cucumber plants. I planted one tomato plant... But, at the same time, it's not really one. It's more like 2. Two tomato's sharing a root ball, and their stems smushed up together like they are one plant. I'll call them the Twins.

For the second plant I have... Which I have had for seemingly eternity (since January 26th, as I wrote in my plant log), I provided some additional care for it's little leaves. My Nephrolepis exaltata (yes, I memorized it's scientific name for whatever reason I don't know), now has this;

 

I started off with a circular tin tray. I filled it with pebbles, and filled the tin with water.

Then, I placed the Boston Fern on top of the tray, and the tray + pot on top of my dresser counter. In this picture you can see the orchid (far left), Boston Fern (second from left), Palm Tree (Middle, Green pot), and my newest addition, Oxalis triangularis, a.k.a. Purple Shamrock (far right). You can also see me holding my fathers phone in the mirror.

 

+ 5/08/15 Garden

I finally got some work done on my garden--and it's marking the start of a lot of progress. I technically got this done on the 9nth, but I'm posting a day before. (I'm confusing myself). So my dad tilled (roto-tilled) his garden, and I relented and said he could till my garden (I was prejudiced about tillers because they crush worms, but my dad said that tilling also loosens the soil and improves the conditions for the worms).

Then he said that he can do my garden, but I have to take out the fence. So I did, he tilled it, and it took a lot less time then April 2nd, when I did it by hand. Now, my dad said that we can purchase plants for our gardens this week, and hopefully by next week it'll be all done. That will be around the 20-30th, and that's the time my garden was finished last year. So I'm on track. Somewhat. (dials Longwood Gardens) Any clue how much the tomato plant are? Alright, be right over. Till the next post.

* 5/06/15 Killer whales

Alright, I promised an essay, and so here; Killer whales are fascinating creatures, and often misunderstood. They are one of the fastest creatures in the sea, and can travel up to 30 miles per hour. They are also able to control the flow of blood to their hearts and brains to prevent suffering from a lack of oxygen. Also, to provide the energy for all of their actions, Killer whales have to eat around 5% of their of weight every day. That means over 500 pounds per Orca.

Orcas are very social, and interact within their own pod. However, they socialize with other pods too. They are indeed known for being aggressive, but not to humans. The only cases of a killer whale attacking a human are in captivity. Orcas get their name for feeding on other dolphins and even some whales.

+ 5/04/15 Oxalis Triangularis

Last post I mentioned my new plant Purple Shamrock. This is pretty much more about it. I'm going to do an informative post next time, I promise. I got it from my grandmother to take care of, and I'm going to try and see if I can bring it back to full health. I've already logged it in with the rest of my plants in a document I have, and this is it;

Plant #4.

Common Name: Purple Shamrock

Scientific Name: Oxalis triangularis (OX-uh-lihs try-AN-gyoo-lair-ihs)

Date Acquired: May 7^th, 2015

Treatment/Care: —

Sunlight: Little sun.

Range: —

Watering Schedule: Water when top soil is dry.

 

 

(It's weird logging it in for "May 7th" when the supposed date for this post is before that. I come from the fuuuuuture!) I'm going to add a picture here, then a week later (the 17th, not the 12th) I'll post again on how it looks and see if there is a noticeable difference, and if there is, hopefully it looks better rather then not. Now, I'm thinking of Undead. My zombie pepper from last year

, that I hoped could bring back to life. It died. Lets hope I have better luck here. (Then again, Tumbleweed was a bring-back-to-life project too, and became one of my best tomato plants--ever). Till the next post.

* 5/02/15 Gardening Tips

I was originally freaking out that I don't have a planted garden by the start of May, but then I looked at my post from last year and saw that I made my garden the 21st! So I'm no longer in any rush, except to pick out soil amendments (I've been pestering my dad for fertilizer to provide more nutrients to the drained soil of our gardens). So far, I have gotten a plant, whish does not happen to be for my garden (I'm stocking on houseplants). First the snapdragon, now an Oxalis triangularis. Translated into common speak, Purple Shamrock.

But anyway, I did not write this post to provide updates, more so to give you a genuine post. So I provide you with a special for the "first day" (it's the 8th that I'm typing this). A list for gardening tips, that might come in handy someway or other.

 

Gardening Tips:

 

1. Buy plants local.
2. Pay attention to the plants life cycle.
3. Give plants a good growing environment.
4. Chose plants that are well-suited to your climate.
5. Space plants so that they will shade weeds at maturity.

6. Concentrate compost and fertilizer where plants are growing. 

 7. Water seedlings with a fine stream of water that will not damage them.
8. Transplant seedlings late in the day when it is overcast to reduce transplant shock.
9. A week before transplanting a seedling, take it outside to get used to full light and wind. 

10. Buy a gallon of water, place it on it's side, and put germinating seedlings on for warmth.

 

 

        I arranged the tips in a tree-like formation (XD) so it looks cooler... And stranger. For those of you that do plant, I hope these are helpful. Till the next post.

 

 

 

 

 

- 4/30/15 Science (Wattpad)

Even though it's well into May I'm still typing up the last post for April, since back in March I made a promise not to skip a day. I also said I hoped to get my garden finished by May, but that obviously has not happened. This post is not going to be typed here, it's on another website and it's not even a "post". Its just a book that I wrote on a place called Wattpad, that all about science. I tried to explain things simply, and I provided a Words to Know: at the bottom to define some of the larger words in each chapter. I hope you enjoy! The link is here. After clicking on it, click Start Reading. Again, I hope you like it. Till the next post.

+ 4/28/15 Strange Growth 4

An original. Had a sequel. Became a trilogy. Now I provide a fourth to my series of posts for my pitcher plant alone, which had "strange growth" in the center. In fact, if you type in those two words in the search bar of my website, all the past posts on it will come up. The stalk is now 1 ft 4 inches, and the "bud" opened up to reveal I-have-no-idea. But I'm still posting about it while simultaneously searching for a clue as to what it is. It has pollen--I know that much. This is how it looks now:

     Its... Very tall. Very, very tall. But I think it's done growing now. I also got a close-up of the top but I cant get it to post :(

I've decided to go over my posts this year and add a * on the title of posts that are informative articles, and + on the titles of posts like these that are about my plants or garden. That way, you can just search * in the search bar of my website if you want essays. Thanks! Till the next post.

 

 

+ 4/26/15 Snapdragon

The start of the planting season has begun! One plant down--not in my garden, but in my room. I still have my pitcher plant, fern plant, and palm tree, and now I have a snapdragon! Well, not yet. I have the seeds planted, and it is now in it's egg-shaped container next to my pitcher plant.

Yes, this is the egg-shaped pot, and the non-visible seeds buried inside the growing medium. Well, hopefully by the next post I'll have another plant! Till the next post.