erica

week 4. https://youtu.be/P76eFEwilEU 

Gather Your Materials.  Like with any project, the  first step should be to gather all your materials in one place and make  sure you have everything you need to complete the project. Go ahead and  do that and take a picture of all your materials in a counter or work  table. You will need this picture as part of your Journal Entry for this  week.

Test your Soil. Before you start your terrarium set  up, we want to determine the pH (a measure of Acidity or Alkalinity) of  your soil. If you are a gardener or a farmer you are familiar with this  concept. If that is the case you might have pH test kits or strips that  you have used for your garden soil, and you can test the pH of the soil  you plan to use for your terrarium using these more accurate methods.  HOWEVER, most of us do not have these kinds of pH testing ability. In  that case you can use this simple method  Links to an external site.  to determine if your soil is acid, alkaline or neutral. All you will  need are a few plastic cups or containers, vinegar and baking soda.  Regardless of what method you use, take pictures while you are doing it  and report your results and post the pictures as part of your Journal  Entry this week.

Set Up Your Terrariums You might want to see how a terrarium is set  up before you do your own following the instructions bellow. Here is a  video that will be very helpful, even if the way it describes might vary  a little form the instructions I give you. 

Prep

 

1. Spread some newspaper or plastic sheet over your workspace.

2. Mix the activated charcoal and gravel and pour into the bottom of  the container. You will need a layer about .5 to 1 inch  deep,  depending on the size of the container or Jar.

3. Add a layer of soil to the container. This layer will need to be about 2 to 3 inches deep over the gravel.

4. Spray the soil down with water, depending on how dry is the soil. It should be enough to moisten, but not saturate the soil.

Insert the Plants

5. Prepare 3 or 4 young plants. If you bought potted plants, start  by removing them from their plastic pots, and gently shaking some of the  soil from their roots. Remove only enough soil to allow each plant to  fit through the mouth of the bottle. If you collected the plants make  sure you followed the instructions.

6. Decide how you would like to arrange your plants. The smallest  should go towards the outside, and the largest (or those that will  eventually grow to become the tallest) should be planted in the center.

7. Insert the smallest plants first. Make a hole in the soil down to  the level of the gravel, and wide enough to accommodate the roots of  the plant. Drop the plant into the jar, and nudge the plant into the  hole, roots first. Push a little soil up around the plant stem to cover  the roots. Gently pack the soil around the roots and stem of the plant.

8. Insert the remaining plants, as above. Leave space between them. If you have mosses, plant them last.

Add Water and Decorations

9. At this point, the soil should be moist, but not wet. Use the  spray bottle to gently mist the plants. If any soil clings to the side  of the container, adjust the spray to the “squirt” setting, and wash the  clinging soil down.

10. Scatter the woody materials - bark and twigs around on the soil  between the plants. A decorative stone or two can add some interesting  visual detail. 

Seal the Bottle

11. Seal the bottle using a cap. Be sure you can easily open it again to add more water if necessary.

12. Monitor the condition of the plants over the next few days. If  they appear to wilt slightly, add more water with the plant sprayer. Use  a little water  at a time. It is important not to overwater: if the  soil becomes saturated, the plants’ roots will rot, and undesirable  bacteria and fungi will take over and kill the plants.

week 5

https://youtu.be/koDeGamrxV4

 

If everything has been done carefully, very little care and  maintenance is required to keep your plants growing and the terrarium  healthy.

1. Keep the container away from direct sunlight.  Sunlight may heat the air inside the bottle to a temperature that will  kill the plants.
2. Place the bottle near a window where it can get indirect light.
3. Keep the bottle sealed. Do not water or fertilize. The  plants inside will adjust to the amount of water and nutrients, and  will not be helped by adding more water,or more fertilizer. It is  important to not over-water the terrariums. The excess water fills the  spaces between the soil particles creating conditions that favor  undesirable fungi and bacteria, which ultimately kill all the plants. It  is best to water the bottles sparingly.
4. Watch the plants over  the next day or two for signs of wilting. If the plants appear to be  wilting, use a plant sprayer to add water.

Note: Not  all terrariums work out the first time. It is possible that soil fungus  could develop in your bottle, or that other problems could occur which  kill your plants. If this happens, discuss your options with the  professor.

Testing and documenting your Closed Terrarium.

1. Using  a sharpie, make a grid of I inch squares on a piece of plastic. A clear  plastic cover for a report folder or a plastic document sleeve works  fine. 
2. Once  your Terrarium is stable and ready (within a week of starting), place  the plastic grid on top of the terrarium and take an aerial photo using  your phone or a camera. You will do this for every week until your  terrarium project is complete. You can also take side views, but make  sure you always do it from the same angle. You might want to make a  small mark in the jar in order to remember the side you took the picture  from.
3. Use the picture to count the number squares in the grid where you can see plant growth. Count  the total number of squares that cover the area of the Jar. If your Jar  is round, count each partial squares on your border as one. This will  be your Total Squares number. Then count every square where you can see  any part of the plant, probably you mostly see leaves. You can use this  number to determine the percentage of plant cover = (number of squares  showing plants/total squares) x 100.
4. You should also monitor  room temperature on your terrarium. You can use the temperature reading  from your heater/AC thermostat. NOTE - You should try and pick a room  where the temperature is more or less steady. If you turn of the heat or  AC when you go to work/study, make a note of the temperature  fluctuations.
5. Record your observation of other physical  components, such as condensation on the jar,height of plants, or any  other thing that could give you a tangible measurement of the health of  the ecosystem you have built in your terrarium.

To help you organize your data you can use a table like this - 

Week #

Room Temp

% Plant Cover

Plant Height

Condensation

Did I do something to the terrarium?

Week 5

73 F

47%

Fern 1- 12 cm.

Fern 2- 7 cm

None observed

No

Week 6

75 F

50%

Fern 1- 13 cm.

Fern 2- 9 cm

heavy condensation

Opened the jar for 2 hrs to reduced condensation and closed it back.

If you need help creating your table, Here is a tutorial.

  Watch the videos corresponding to 4 and 5 month updates on the  aquarium. Continue applying what you learned what you have learned as  you observe the progress of the tank. Has the changes in the aquarium  made you rethink any of the answers you gave for Lab 3? What is the  effect of the food supply and food availability over the plants in the  aquarium? What is the effect over the animals? How do they interconnect?