Final Assignment

Nazareth College of Rochester Introduction to Horticulture Dr. Beverly Brown

Giuseppe Bovenzi

SPRING 2013

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Table of Contents Week 3: Plant Structures Week 6: Propagating Plants ..Pages 3 - 7 .Pages 8-10

Week 9: Control of Plant Growth ....Pages 11- 12 Week 13: Plant Breeding Landscape Description Landscape Design I Landscape Design II Reflection .Pages 13- 15 .....Page 16 ......Pages 17- 19 ..Pages 20- 23 ..Pages 24- 26

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Apical Bud

Blade

Lateral Buds

Internode

Node Bud

Petiole

Leaf Stem Lateral Stem

Lateral Root

Root

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Stigma Stamen

Anther Filament

Pistil

Style

Petal

Ovule

Ovary

Sepal
Receptacle

Peduncle

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Raceme

Spike

Corymb

Single
Head
Umbel

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Organ Name

Function

Root Stem Leaf Fruit Seed

Absorb Nutrients and water for the plant. Support leaves and reproductive structures Creates an area to absorb sunlight for photosynthesis The ripened ovary, Helps to prepare for reproduction Released in order to reproduce.

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a. The difference between a taproot, a fibrous root, and an adventitious root in structure and in function Taproots and fibrous roots rise from the lower end of the embryo while the adventitious root appear in unusual places. Plants with the fibrous root are able to respond quicker to changes in water supply. Taproots however are difficult to remove and often reproduce if the plant is ripped from the soil such as a dandelion. Adventitious roots are used often with commerciality. This is because they are able to reproduce adjacent areas quickly. b. The defining characteristics of modified stems including offsets, runners, bulbs, corms, stolons, and tubers. Offsets Shortened thick stems with a rosette appearance produced by the crown of some plants Runners- If grown in a hanging basket, runners dangle from the basket they often grow horizontally Bulbs- Bulbs have scales and look like an onion Corms- A solid stem tissue, it may have fleshy scales for food storage Stolons- Often forms a crawling mass of surface hugging stems. Tubers- A belowground stem structure often they are attached to potatoes.

c. The difference between opposite, alternate, whorled, simple, and compound leaves. A simple blade have individual blades that may be indented, a compound leaf has a blade divided into several parts, Opposite leaves have a pair of leaves at each node, whorled leaves have 3 leaves at each node, while alternative leaves have one leaf at each node d. The difference between simple dry fruits, simple fleshy fruits, aggregate fruits and multiple fruits. Simple dry fruits have dry tissue while simple fleshy fruits have fleshy tissue that is composed of living parenchyma cells. Aggregate fruits have clusters of individual fruits that develop from a pistil of a flower. Multiple fruits come from many flowers found on a compact inflorescence.

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Materials
Perlite

Benefits
This material is great because of its moisture keeping and aeration. This material is also pH neutral and sterile. These factors, including economic factors make this material a great cheap and effective material for commercial use.(2) Pumice allows aeration as well; it absorbs moisture to promote root growth. This also has a neutral pH and is great for commercial use.(6) Sand is very cost effective and abundant. However, it is also very heavy and has extreme moisture absorption. This is a positive, but also a negative as the horticulturist would need to use more water to feed the plant, it is also hard if the horticulturist needs to move the plant (if it is in a pot).(5) This is very cheap, but, unfortunately it does not hold moisture like the previous materials do. This problem can be fixed if you create drainage holes in the pot.(3) Another popular material, this is because it is permanent, clean and is not toxic. It can also help exchange nutrients with plants. Like the other materials is helps retain air and unlike Styrofoam it holds moisture.(1) Like mulch, this is a good material for absorption of water. It can smell however and if used for two long will start to become ineffective, it is not permanent like Perlite or Pumice.(7) This is often mixed with sandy soils to reduce the leaching of nutrients. It also helps increase drainage and is tolerant to other mixtures pH. It is also used because of its weed free and contaminant free(4) This material is cheap; however, it can be very acidic depending on the type of wood used. This could be dangerous for the plant if there is a high pH level. It is lighter than normal bark compost and cheaper.(8) Expensive however it has excellent water absorption and retention for nutrients. This substance is also antibacterial protecting the plant from diseases. Finally, it is also great for root growth and is aerate(9)

Pumice

Sand

Styrofoam

Vermiculite

Bark Compost

Peat Moss

Sawdust

Sphagnum

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Works Cited 1. "Applications- Horticulture." Horticultural Applications of Vermiculite. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. 2. "Basic Facts about Perlite." Www.perlite.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. 3. Bond, Chris. "Can I Grow Seeds in Styrofoam?" EHow. Demand Media, 11 Apr. 2011. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. 4. "Characteristics of Horticultural Peat | Peat in Horticulture | Qubec Peat Moss Producers Association." Characteristics of Horticultural Peat. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. 5. "Gardening in Sandy Soil The Benefits and Challenges." Gardening in Sandy Soil The Benefits and Challenges. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. 6. "Glass Mountain." Glass Mountain. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. 7. "Proper Use of Bark Mulch: Gardener's Supply." Gardeners Supply. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. 8. "Sawdust Mulch Could Cause Garden Woes." Sawdust Mulch Could Cause Garden Woes. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. 9. Sphagnum Peat Moss Used in Horticulture." Sphagnum Peat Moss Used in Horticulture. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013.

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Propagation Method Seed (SEXUAL)

Description Seeds are the main form of Sexual propagation. They can be germinated by natural or artificial soil. It is also the most popular in commercial settings because it is the easiest and most cost effective method. (1)

Cuttings (ASEXUAL)

Division (ASEXUAL)

Used with woody and semiwoody plants. This asexual propagation method can be done by using Stem cuttings or leaf cuttings. Just cut a small stem or leaf and damp it in compost. (1) This asexual form of propagation is possible because some plants can be divided to create new plants. An example would be a potato.(1)

Special Care In order to have a successful plant from a seed. The grower must have a careful watch on the plant. It must be in sunlight and have enough water to germinate. However, some seeds may only germinate in the dark or will only germinate in fresh soil. Then, some also require soaking in water. It is important for the grower to research the specific requirements of the plant before beginning the process. (1) Light intensification helps majorly with cuttings. The soil must be neutral pH to grow the plant; media (listed in the first chart) would help dramatically. (2) The best seasons for division growing are autumn and spring. If the plant is a perennial, every few years the grower should continue to divide and replant the plant.(3)

Works Cited 1. "How to Sow and Grow Plants from Seeds." Growing Seeds, How to Sow and Grow Plants from Seed. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. 2. Wallheimer, Brian (January 23, 2012). "Study shines light on ways to cut costs for greenhouse growers" . Lopez and Currey. Purdue University. Retrieved July 31, 2012.

3. Royal Horticultural Society (2006). Propagating plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. pp. 320. ISBN 9781405315258.

Means of Chemical Control (Product)

Type

Auxin -Indole-3-acetic acid -indole-3-butyric acid -IBA

Gibberellic acid Gibberellin - Gib Tabs - Giberelo - Gib-Sole - Pro-Gibb - ProVide - Berelex - Activolo - Grocel

Gibberellins

Daminozide

Growth Retardant

Bonzi + Sumagic

Growth Retardant

Ancymidol, A-Rest, Reducymol

Growth Retardant

Bovenzi 11 Effect of agent and when you would use in a Garden or Greenhouse - Useful for improving the rooting of cuttings, - If used with a fungicide it can be used to reduce the losses to rotting Use to minimize loss during rotting during rooting. - Use on Thompson Seedless and other grapes allow cluster loosening and elongation and increases grape size. - Produces early flowering - Breaks seed dormancy in seed potatoes in low temperatures. - (Pro-Gibb) Can delay harvest and increase color, firmness, and size of sweet cherries. - (Pro-Gibb)With tart cherries it maintains high fruiting activities - (ProVide) reduces russeting of apples and pre-harvest cracking - (Gibberellic acid) Can be used to control fruit maturity, fruit set, yield, rind color, and rind aging. - Increase of seed production with lettuce - Extension of the harvest season for sweet cherries and artichokes Reduces internode elongation to induce heat, drought, and frost resistance to produce darker green foliage and longer stems Reduces internode elongation, producing more compact, uniform, and more marketable plants. Growth retardant on bedding plants, foliage plants, and ornamentals.

Bovenzi 12 Chlormequat, Cycocel, Cycogan Growth retardant on various plants Growth retardant Use on herbaceous crops, tropical and temperate perennials, hibiscus, and few woody crops Use on mainly Turf -Chemical pruner on trees and ornamental shrubs -Dormancy inducer for citrus -Sprout inhibitor for stored onions and potatoes and as a herbicide in some instances Weed growth and turf Use to prevent sprouting of potatoes Use to thin apples, Sevin is also an insecticide. But can hurt beneficial insects like honeybees. Apply to thin apples and pears. Also to prevent pre harvest fruit drop. Thin out Apples, Pears, Pineapples, and olives. It will also avoid pre-harvest fruit drops. Used to thin out apples, based on cytokinin it works best inconjunction with Sevin. Use on apples to increase flowering, thinning of fruit, earlier bearing, and better color. Use on cherries loosens fruit and increases color. Can be used for earlier harvests and faster maturity in most crops. Helps prevent storage scaled of apples. Improves harvest efficiency, fruit can be loosened for easier picking A chemical pruner that works on some ornamental plants, tomatos, and woody plants. Tre-Hold reduces the regrowth of suckers and watersprouts on fruit trees. Increases the length of the apple relative to the diameter, elongated appearance, increases branch angles. Apply to young nonbearing trees in nurseries and sometimes orchards to improve fruit bearing

Retard, Slo-Gro, Maintain-3

Chlorflurenol CIPC, Chloro-IPC, Sprout Nip, or Spud-Nic Carbaryl, Sevin

Growth retardant Growth retardant Thinning Agent

Amid-Thin

Thinning Agent

NAA, Fruit Tone, Fruit Fix

Thinning Agent

Accel

Thinning Agent

Ethephon, Ethrel, Florel, or Cepha

Ethylene Source

Ethoxyquin, Stop Scald, Santoquin, Nix-Scalde (Wax form: Big Dipper, Scaldip) Cycloheximide, Actidione

Scald Preventative

Abscission Agent

Off-Shoot-0, Tre-Hold

Chemical Pruner

Promalin, Typy

Miscellaneous Regulator

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Giuseppe Bovenzi Definitions

Dream Cultivar

Genetic Diversity: A variation of heritable characteristics that is present in a population of the same species. Gene: The basic unit of heredity, this allows the species/individual to have a certain characteristic due to instructions from DNA. Pool: All the genetic information in gametes of the individuals in a population. Phenotype: Appearance of an organism due to the interaction of the genotype and the environment. Genotype: The genetic makeup of an organism with reference to individual traits, set of traits, or an entire complex of traits. Natural Selection: Organisms that have traits that better adapt to the environment and predators will be more able to survive, leading their competition to slowly die out. Artificial Selection: The process where breeding of animals and plants, where the breeder chooses which species/organism to have desirable characteristics. Hybrid: The offspring of two animals or two plants that are different breeds, varieties or species. Hybridization: The process of producing a hybrid plant or animal. Folk Variety: Also known as traditional crops, these are crops that were not modified by genetic resources and have favorable genes since they were Heirloom Variety: Plants (crops) that are high quality and easy to grow, grown in open cultivars. Cultivar: A variety of plant that originated and persisted under cultivation (process of planting, nurturing and protecting the plant until maturity is reached) Line: A series or succession of specific genetic traits. Hybrid Vigor: The increase in growth, size, function, and other characteristics in hybrids over those of the parents. Self-Pollination: The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigma of the same flower/plant Cross-Pollination: Transfer of pollen from the flower of one plant to the flower of a plant that is a different Backcrossing: Crossing a hybrid with at least one of its parents. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2013.

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For my dream cultivar, I am choosing to use a tropical fruit called mangoes. I chose mangoes because I was struggling to think of a fruit that was exotic yet highly cultivated, then, I looked to what I was eating, mango frozen yogurt, to my surprise mango cultivars are present all over the world with at least one hundred different varieties of mangoes currently in existence. Mangoes are considered to be one of the main cultivated fruits of the tropics, and accordingly I will have my cultivar in tropical South Florida, one of the main locations in the United States for mango cultivations (the first is Hawaii). South Florida is also the center for shipment to other states such as New York and Pennsylvania and foreign countries such as the United Kingdom and France for the United States. Mangoes have been cultivated for thousands of years in South Asia until explorers brought the fruit to East Africa and then Brazil, where it spread across the new world nearly one-third of mangoes are cultivated in India alone. The cultivar that I would love to create will be a cross of two Floridian mangoes, Haden and Kent mangoes. Haden mangoes are native to Coconut Grove, Florida; a neighborhood in the city of Miami. Haden mangoes reach maturity from June to July and have a bright red and red color. Kent is a popular mango that is also native to Coconut Grove, Florida. It was popular in its early days due to the lack of fiber and excellent taste. The color of the fruit is green to yellow with minimal red blush when maturity is reached, this usually occurs from July to August. The Kent mango has a rich sweet flavor, similar to the Hadens full and sweet flavor. Unfortunately, Kent mangoes have small shelf life and are susceptible to anthracnose, a general term for a large number of plant diseases that appearances of dead portions of plant tissue. Luckily, the Haden mango is not affected by these traits. The ultimate goal of the cultivar is to make the mango taste like a Kent mango with the Hadens physical features. I would begin the cultivar with Kent mangos, listing the gene pool of that variety and then looking if I could take specific genotypes that I favor to

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form a more perfect phenotype Kent mango by artificial selection. I would then do the same with a Haden mango so that I could try and take all of the recessive genes that decrease taste and appearance out of those two mangoes. It would then be my next goal to replicate these specific mangoes so that I could create a line of mangos using cloning or self-pollination. Once that step has been completed my next step would be hybridization, this would be via cross-pollination. Once the cross pollination has been completed, the process must be redone numerous times to assure that the objective mango, which I will call Kaden is perfected and meet the objectives which were: physical characteristics of Haden mangoes and the Taste of Kent mangoes.

Works Cited Crane, Jonathan H., Carlos F. Balerdi, and Ian McGuire. "Mango Growing in the Florida Home Landscape." University of Florida IFAS Center. N.p., n.d. Web. Morton, Julia F. "Mango." Mango. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2013. Olano, Cecile T., Raymond J. Schnell, Wilber E. Quintantilla, and Richard J. Campbell. "Pedigree Analysis of Florida Mango Cultivars." University of Florida Citrus Research and Education Center. N.p., 2005. Web. Weeks, J. M. "Tropical Fruits." Florida State Horticultural Society. N.p., n.d. Web.

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Landscape Description

The location that has been chosen is in Hilton, New York. The location is a flat area (83 x 84 feet). This area is fenced in with a metal gate (represented with a wooden fence in the BBC Virtual Garden). The area has climatic considerations due to it being in the north. These limitations do not allow for many outdoor activities to occur due to below freezing temperatures causing most of the plant life to recede for a large part of the year. The location is flat allowing for various plants and hardscapes such as a pool. As seen in the picture, the house allows for plants to have shade for the plants that prefer it as well as full sun for plants that prefer those conditions. The goal for the location is to be a place to relax and socialize in warmer months.

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Design I

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1. What is your overarching goal for this site? Who will visit it? What do you hope they will experience? My overarching goal for this site is to have a relaxing social location to study and have friends and family over. I would love to have the visitors experience a place to relax and get rid of their existing stress that often consumes us in our daily hectic lives. 2. What elements have you borrowed from non-western cultures to incorporate into your landscape? Why have you chosen these elements? Discuss each element separately. Symmetrical (Persian) The pond, deck and walkway are meant to be symmetrical, in Persian design the ponds and designs in Persian design are meant to be even such as the Taj Mahal. Ponds and Pools (Egyptian)- For the ancient Egyptians, the rich members of society had a value in their garden. These members of society usually put in ponds or pools as a status symbol. In my garden there is a large pool that I wanted to be the focal point of the garden. Modern Concrete (Japanese)- Modern Japanese gardens are designed by businessmen and students of architecture to recreate a modern sleek and industrial look. While I decided not to cover the whole garden in concrete due to my enjoyment of rolling around in lush green grass, I did decide I wanted a large concrete walkway and have a patio that was concrete and sharply angled as well. 3. How did you determine the layout and hardscape features for your garden? How do these choices support your design goals? This is something I thought about for a very long time. I wanted something modern and easy to maintain, I didnt want multiple ponds, and a complex walkway, rather, I decided to use one large pond, perhaps filled with koi fish for some Japanese flair, and a simple symmetrical walkway. The pond as a focal was intended to be a reminder to let go of the stresses of life and be loose like the waves in the ocean. With the added plants that will be in Design II, this garden will be the perfect location for a warm cup of Black Tea and a good book. 4. How did you consider the environmental conditions when laying out your landscape? i.e. angle of the sun, amount of sun, pH of soil, water availability, etc. The angle of the sun, amount of sun, and the pH of soil were all considered. The house and the tree that will be introduced in Design II will provide shade for plants that enjoy partial shade. The pH of the soil has been tested with previous gardens; there is a vegetable garden and herb garden on the outside of the fence, if I actually would create this garden, I would invest my tax

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dollars in a soil test provided by the government. Finally, water availability is readily available, there is a hose with what seems like unlimited water. 5. What features might be useful to someone who wanted to do horticultural therapy? How might these features be used? When I was searching for useful features of horticultural therapy; I came across this quote by Elvin McDonald After suffering a disappointment or loss, gardening puts the cycle of life and death in its proper perspective. This pretty much sums up what I would like someone who wanted to do horticultural therapy to do, by installing easier passage ways and stools so that gardening is more easily accessible, I would like the person to grow something that entitles color, a color garden with fruits, vegetables, and flowers would be beautiful and great for therapy. The Concrete floors allow the disabled person to move around if they have movement problems. The area was specifically created and landscaped to be relaxing, that was my main objective because I get very stressed and distraught easily. I know that I have an anxiety and stress disorder so I realize the need for a calming space, especially when the outside world is dark and gloomy, especially in Rochester.

Bovenzi 20 Design II

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Arbour Vegetable Garden (Cucumber, Carrot, Celery, Lettuce, Eggplant) Tropaeloum majus Barbeque Fruit garden (Apples, Pears, Peaches, Tomatoes) Large Table Large Chair Sunbed Achillea coronation Fuchsia Shrubs Prunus okame tree Pathway Pond Amelanchier lamarckii Lupinus

QUESTIONS 1. Why did you choose the particular plant material you included in your design? List each species or group species if they are included to meet similar design functions. 1. Prunus 'okame' tree Intended to create beautiful scenery from the patio where the individuals will socialize, this also creates shade for the Fuchsia shrubs located underneath the plant as they prefer shade. 2. Fuchsia shrubs Located under the Prunus tree due to their preference of shade. 3. Tropaeloum majus beautiful flowers that are bushy in appearance, these flowers are located on the border to fill in the separation from the concrete to the grass.

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4.Achillea coronation located at the symmetrical pathway for a beautiful walkway look. 5.Lupinus These flowers are used to help cover the bleakness of the fence, these flowers are tall and purple, leaving a great contrast and appearance to the wood. 6.Gardens The vegetable and fruit gardens are there to provide fresh and organic food to the owner of the garden. 7. Amelanchier lamarckii- Located at the arbour seating fixture to provide additional beauty with its white flowers and shade while looking at the pond. 8. Large Table A location for the individuals to socialize 9. 2 Chairs A location for the individuals to rest and socialize while taking in the beautiful scenery 10. sunbed A great location to catch the suns rays on a sunny day. 11. Barbeque A place to cook food such as steak and grilled eggplant. 12. Arbour Seating fixture that adds a Japanese touch to the garden, great place to read a book. 13. Pond- The pond is the central focus of the garden, the symmetrical Persian shape leads the garden in a relaxing structure. 2. How does the plant material provide for year-round interest? Give specific examples. The plant material would be unavailable in the fall in winter, this is because of the climate, it is technically impossible to grow most plants in the middle of snow and when the temperature is below freezing, for this reason, the garden is at optimum use in the spring and summer, during the winter months, you may be able to grow your own garden indoors if the individual transplants the plant that they want to grow indoors.

3. How does the plant material help meet your overall design goals? Give specific examples As I stated, I wanted a garden that could help with stress and depression, this is why all my plants have some type of colorful foliage, The trees I chose also give off foliage, but it is white rather than color. The main objective of the plants such as the fuchsia, and Lupinus plants also give off beautiful colors of foliage, hopefully making the individual look more on the positive side. Reflection on next page

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The first most interesting and important idea that I came away with this class is the intense complexity of plants. Previous to this class I figured that plants are a uniformly basic organism consisting of roots, the stem, and the foliage. Now that I have taken this course I can now see visible the intense collaboration needed between the plant and its environment to grow, its not just three simple parts of a plant, its also the blade, petiole, internode, bud, stigma, ovary, filament and etcetera. All these parts and more help the plant go through considerable odds to grow, combined with the unrelenting cycle the plants go through that includes stages such as seed dormancy, a remarkable stage that helps the tiny and visually weak seed increased defense against uncooperative weather and constantly monitors the conditions so that when the correct time appears, with the perfect, nutrients, weather, and sunlight the seed can finally germinate and do so successfully. This concept astonishes me because a seed is tiny, petite, and as my former view reveals: almost completely useless. But, the seed has astonishing powers that I believe is more impressive than a humans growth and birth into the world. A humans birth is reliant on anothers body while a plants growth relies on the surrounding features. Now that I realize the complexity of the plant, when I grow my own garden, which I plan to with all the information that I learned from this class, I can better plan the conditions to increase the productivity of my future garden, I can also plan on understanding each of the stages of the plant cycle and be able to understand the locations of plant features so that I can prune the correct part of the plant. And understand the parts of the plant that are often attacked by pests such as scales attack on buds of fichus trees that are indoors. The second most interesting and important idea that I came away with in this class is the power and precision of pruning. Prior to this class I always wondered how a tree could be minimally injured with missing branches and continue to grow versus the tree being severely injured and be considered dead. Both types of injury could look relatively similar, but one is life and the other is death. I was surprised that when you cut a but in a certain fashion such as heading back it could allow different ways and positions for the plant to grow. I also wondered why all the apples on the apple tree werent the same size. Why are some small on one tree while another tree that is exactly the same has gorgeous large apples. I now understand that it is necessary to prune some buds in order for there to be more vigor and energy in few buds. This helps the plant to grow larger and have an overall better appearance. Im impressed by how a slight difference in plant punning could injure and harm a plant versus help and lead the plant to grow in the direction the horticulturist would like. This will be important and positive knowledge for when I grow my own garden in the future, I would grow a therapy garden for my unreeling and seemingly uncontrollable anxiety and stress that is often combined with feelings of depression. Using pruning in a therapy garden will allow me to grow greater more colorful and bushier, an appearance I love in plants. When I grow fruit or vegetables, I will be able to grow beautiful apples and cucumbers that are large and taste deliciously. All grown using sustainable practices that would not harm the environment, such as never using toxic chemicals to remove pests.

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Final Reflection As we began the semester with a discussion of sustainability as it applies to horticultural sciences, it quickly allowed me to be inquisitive on how horticulturists can help prevent global issues such as global warming, deforestation and air contamination. Sustainable Horticulture is the process of growing plants and plant products in an environmentally friendly way. The process of growing plants with sustainable approaches is valid to horticulturalists. In fact, this goal is valid, using material that has been taught throughout the semester, I will attempt to explain why. As humans we have an important role to keep the earth clean and not exploit its contents. Using practices such as soil and water conservation, we can help keep our home clean and healthy. Even using simple proactive methods to grow plants can help decrease run offs of poisonous chemicals that can contaminate lakes, rivers and other bodies of water that can kill plant life, animals, and the habitants of these bodies of water: fish. Some simple proactive steps for farmers and businesses that grow plants could take to reduce chemicals while controlling pests is to cover plants to prevent pathogen or insect attack, track pests using sticky cards allowing for monitoring of pests, and using visual inspections to evaluate what pests are present. Most plants used for commercial use are raised in greenhouses, these greenhouses can be fantastic ways to grow plants in a controlled environment, and however there are possible downfalls to this as greenhouses can consume a lot of energy. This is harmful for the environment, but there are simple ways around this as well, using higher grade insulation could cut energy costs twenty to fifty percent! This is a dramatic and simple way for horticulturists and businesses to reduce energy and to reduce their dependence on dirty energy. Many people may have a wrong opinion that a system of sustainability will not meet the needs of humans. This fact is incredibly wrong, our production of plant products and plants themselves are already too high for humans to consumer, in the United States supermarkets continuously throw out aged plants because no one had bought them already. While productions of these plants are usually grown without sustainability in mind; there would be a minimum difference if they were grown proactively with horticulturists. These horticulturists know how to properly cultivate plants to form better looking, tastier and healthier plants while producing more with actions such as pruning, with pruning horticulturists can manipulate plants to grow smaller fruits or flowers or they could also manipulate them to grow less. If the horticulturist wants to grow less fruits and flowers, it would be to increase appearance and size of the product. Pruning should be used by every municipality in America. The reason for this is not only because it is a natural, environmentally friendly way to grow more beautiful plants, but pruning on large plants such as trees can reduce potential storm damage. This damage can be reduced by maintenance pruning where weak branches are removed; this allows for less damage during heavy storms where these weak branches would have fallen and cause various damages. Horticulturists are fortunate to know these environmentally sustainable tricks, for this reason they must be an active force in Washington, they must fight to pass legislation as well as knowledge to politicians and everyday citizens. Prior to this course, I had absolutely no idea about anything having to do with horticulture, I did not even know what horticulture or what sustainability meant. However, now

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that I do know what these terms mean and what they incorporate, I feel responsible to transform my future and my world to a cleaner, greener world. It would be irresponsible for me to forget about the teachings of this course when I finish it. This course is being taught to students to be more than a natural science credit, but to aid the world to transform the world. Sustainable horticulture and sustainability in general is one of the most important issues in my lifetime. With prior pollution and the disregard to the environment that started with the industrial revolution, it is important for my generation and for future generations to save the earth from ruin. The earth is our only home and we have not taken care of it as well as we should have, there are pressing issues such as hydro-fracking that has been proven to contaminate water and allow for more pollution and less sustainability. Politicians should consider the environmental impact on various generations rather than short-term economic impacts of one generation. Consumers should also be aware with what they are consuming and buying, plants are not created equal. To consume plant products that have been artificially selected and genetically mutated and grown with the aid of poisonous pesticides may be convenient and cheap, but they have unknown negative impacts to the human body. It would be wiser to buy and support farms that grow their products using sustainable practices as it would help the environment and their body. Lobbyists should do their job and fight for sustainable practices in agriculture, their actions will aid the environment and generations to come. Works Cited Bartok, John W., Jr. "UConn IPM:Greenhouse:Greenhouse Energy Conservation Checklist." UConn IPM:Greenhouse:Greenhouse Energy Conservation Checklist. N.p., May 2005. Web. 20 Apr. 2013. Mather, Tina. "Health & Welfare | Spotlight." California Watch. N.p., 30 Mar. 2010. Web. 25 Apr. 2013. Seckel. "HYDRO-FRACKING." Hydro-Fracking. N.p., 10 Apr. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2013.

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Enduring Questions The Nazareth new core curriculum expands students thoughts in various manners. It allows for the student to ask questions that cannot be explained using a simple answer. Enduring questions such as what is happiness? And what is it to know something? Increases the students mental capacity by constructively using what they learned in their course and apply it to the world. If I was on the new curriculum committee, I would propose two enduring questions: What is home? And what is the importance of our home? These personal enduring questions sprouted from learning about sustainable horticulture and its impacts. I chose what is home? As an enduring questions because it requires more than a simple response to answer, at first glance one can say where we live but, is it as simple as that? Home can produce our food and sustain our various needs. It also allows the student to expand their thought process to realize the importance of their home, whether they consider earth to be their home or Rochester to be their home. This should then help trigger another thought, how can I prevent harm to our home? Hopefully after this course, they can realize different ways of having a greener, cleaner home using sustainable practices. The course helped develop this question because it was what I thought as the main idea of the course. The main idea to this course is how sustainability can help solve global environmental problems that plague the earth. The enduring question can help students think about how they can use practices of sustainability to help solve diverse problems on various scales, whether they attempt to use these practices to aid Rochester or the whole world. The second enduring question: what is the importance of our home? because it helps expand thoughts of sustainability. This will evoke opinions and difference responses on the importance of where we inhabit. This course on sustainable horticulture helped evoke this question as it helped me understand why it is important to use sustainable practices to grow plants and control pests. Using proactive methods to control pests and using environmentally friendly methods, will help humans realize the benefits of being environmentally friendly while helping future generations prosper without fears of various environmental tragedies. Many of the enduring questions that the new core imposes are simple questions like the ones that I have created. These questions have a simple premise behind them but in actuality are complex and rigorous. The importance of our home question is created in the same way. It is simple to say that the importance of our home is that it gives us our basic needs of food, water, and shelter. But the answer can expand from there, the importance of our home is that it is the only apparatus that allows us to be alive, without our home (that we can interpret as earth), humans would not exist. Nor would any other organism be alive. The importance of home is more than just food, water and shelter but life itself.