#has figured out how to only get its nutrients from photosynthesis

[isolde-illustrates]

Vertina

This character is technically a very small role, but I am bored, so here me out.

Vertical is actually a half human, half elf, and she was trapped inside the mirror by the Council to avoid letting the species continue to mix. The Council originally used these mirrors as a way to store prisoners, but erased the idea from their brain to avoid the guilt of it.

These mirror prisons are actually massive, mainly their depths, large enough for a person to stand up and squat, but for the prisoner, they are extremely small considering.

The Council made it so that the prisoners would have sedated air sprayed whenever a person was not within range to interrogate them, so the prisoners often became very forgetful of their past selves. They could dream, but that amount of time would keep them from remembering their old lives.

Since the memory of this was erased, the Council did not know that these were genuinely trapped prisoners and ended up "programming" these people to hwlp with beauty care. However, almost all of them did not work, except Vertina, who had previously worked at a salon and whose father was a dressmaker and used to teach her the skills before he died, having been a human.

Due to the lack of knowledge the mirror prisoners has about beauty, and how the technopaths could not figure out how to program them before putting them in stores, most of the mirrors were discarded and ended up stacked up in Mysterium after the noble families rejected them. Jolie was one of the only ones who kept her mirror, and she could never shake the feeling that the programming was too much like a real person. She was going to get Tinker to look at Vertina after she learned of a technopath in the Black Swan, but Forkle denied her the chance until she would figure out at least one identity of the Neverseen. Tinker was going to do it in Jolie's memory after Forkle eventually told her, trying to respect the memory of a fellow Black Swan member, but when she attempted to go there during Jolie's funeral to fix the mirror, she was unsuccessful in the hour she had.

Vespera was the creator of these mirrors. Once they put her relative, Vertina, in one of the mirrors, she refused to continue them, breaking a lot of the mirrors. Had she not done that, they would have put her in one when they finally realized that she had been searching to find the ability to be ruthless. Vespera had cleverly made a condition that she did not tell the Council the way to create the mirror, so the secret to its making was put away with her. Had she not gone numbers, she would have searched for Vertina. Her search for ruthlessness had started with the want to be strong enough to fight to regain Vertina without her mind shattering from whatever she had to do to bring back her relative.

A lot of the designs that Vertina favors tends to be older styles, similar to what Vespera wore.

Vertina used to have a short haircut (just above the shoulders), but had started to grow her hair out to look more like Vespera. Now, it is grown out by choice. There is no way for her to cut her hair, and the mirror makes her appearance look nicer than it is.

Vertina is really good at finger combing her hair as a result. She also gets nutrients from an air filter in the mirror that reflects the gnomes' photosynthesis.

Any time the mirrors tried to discuss their predicament, the mirror would force itself to shut down, sedating the prisoner, which is why it took Jolie so long to figure out that something was wrong about the mirror.

Here's an old drawing of Biana and Vertina. I like to imagine that her sort of rudeness comes from the fact that she was around twelve years old when she was trapped, so while she has aged, she has not gotten the chance to mentally mature. Her mental capabilities are that of a fourteen year old now because of how much Jolie talked to her, but she still lost a huge amount of the teaching that would have been given to a twelve year old. Her lack of maturity would translate to moments when she thinks of scars as ugly, but then has to rethink her thoughts and "see beauty from the heart" as Jolie used to say.

The last panel is hard to read, but it is supposed to be Vertina telling Biana, "It's nice to dee someone who embraces naturlal beauty." I kind of hate this art cause it didn't come out the way I wanted and it's half a year old, but it fits with the theme of the post, so I might as well include it.

[missmeinyourbones]

HELLO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THE AOT CHARACTER IVKS KEEP ME UP AT NIGHT BUT ALSO HAVE MADE ME LAUGH SO HARD I ALMOST THREW UP SO THANK YOU!!!!

And!!!!

Can I ask for AOT character's as parents but like.. the stuff they do wrong that their spouse would get mad at them for and that makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE like??? "Why did you use a solo cup to feed Charles?" "All the bottles were dirty." I am LIVING for this stuff rn 😭😂

this is so fucking funny please. i love a good crack post, esp when its aot characters being stupid. here are some aot characters x stupid parent moments. also thank u for reading the icks im super glad they made you laugh ^v^ 

eren doesnt feed his babies real food. like food that will actually provide their growing bodies w nutrients and vitamins. you ask him to pack their lunch for school and you look over and see him putting in the whackiest shit: a few peanuts, a bag of cheetos, some oreos, a singular laffy-taffy. hes sick for that. also when his babies are really young and cant eat solid foods yet hes like babe can i give them a bite of pizza? can i let them try this cookie? NAUR 

mikasa read once that talking to your baby in a normal adult voice provides faster growth and development so she refuses to talk in a baby voice or play with your kid in a child-like manner. she speaks to your baby like a normal ass person (which has its pros!) but is so fucking funny to see her converse with the 2 year old like theyre 30 and paying a mortgage. shes like “what would you like for a snack?” and the baby babbles complete nonsense and shes like “ok, i dont understand that, can you enunciate a little more?” or the baby is making a mess and shes openly says “stop. thats annoying” WHAT DO U MEAN UR BABY IS BEING ANNOYING LMFAOOOOO

armin is that weird parent that doesnt let his kid watch shows like spongebob because he thinks its somehow connected to witchcraft and doesnt teach ur kid anything. like he only lets ur kid watch tv if its an educational program (fun police fr). you come home to him and ur 3 year old watching a documentary on photosynthesis. LET UR BABY WATCH SOMETHING NORMAL LIKE DORA DAMN

mentioned this before but jean lets his kids pick out their own clothes to support their decisions and encourage self expression and confidence! but the issue w that is the fact that his kid is like 5 and picks the ugliest shit that does not match....like at all.....so they leave the house looking homeless. im talking you come home and ur kid is wearing neon orange pants with brown boots and a yellow and purple blouse that says something stupid like TROUBLEMAKER <3 and ur like jean. tell me they didnt leave the house like that. (they did.)

connie complains about changing ur kids diaper every time he does it. EVERY SINGLE TIME. he still does it, but not without being such a fucking baby about it. youve been home alone watching ur baby all day and connie finally comes home and u guys are hanging out and ur like babe can you please change them im exhausted from today and hes like EW it smells so bad :/ or GROSS IT GOT ON MY HAND >:( and you can feel your eye twitching bc ur covered in baby poop and spit from the entire day 

sasha openly swears around ur child and then acts dumb/surprised when they repeat her words. she doesnt even think to censor herself when ur baby cant talk yet so shes all FUCK and SHIT around the house. which is fine until your baby’s first word is bitch and shes like O.O WHERE DID YOU LEARN THAT. you come home and shes like show mama/dada/whoever what you learned today! and ur baby looks you dead in ur eyes and says bitch.

reiner does puzzles with your kid but gets equally if not more frustrated than they do when he cant figure it out. theyre doing a butterfly puzzle and reiner is trying to teach them how to separate the corner and edge pieces first. once they get to the middle pieces, the two of them are putting any piece anywhere it kinda fits, trying every combination and turning each piece every which way. he starts to get overwhelmed because why is this puzzle for eight year olds so fucking hard and ur daughter notices and is like “dad, its ok, i kinda wanna play dolls instead anyways”

im stealing ur example w the bottle for porco because its so fucking him. so nonchalant he doesnt even think twice about it. hes like oh the bottles are all dirty? why would i LOGICALLY THINK TO WASH ONE when i could just give them formula in a plastic cup? hes so fucking stupid he doesnt understand that babies like struggle swallowing and cant sip and stuff so hes like why arent you drinking? must not be hungry :/ IDIOT

[balkanradfem]

When we see a tree, we tend to think of it as a singular unit – just as we think of ourselves as individuals. But biologists have discovered that it’s not quite so simple. They have come to understand that trees depend on certain kinds of fungi in the soil: hair-thin structures called hyphae that interlace with cells in the roots of trees to form mycorrhiza. The fungi benefit by receiving someof the sugar that plants produce through photosynthesis (which it cannot otherwise make), while the trees benefit in turn by receiving elements like phosphorous and nitrogen that they cannot produce for themselves, and without which they cannot survive.

But this reciprocity is not confined to just two parties in this ancient relationship. Invisible fungal networks also connect the roots of different trees to one another, sometimes over great distances, forming an underground internet that allows them to communicate, and even to share energy, nutrients and medicine. The ecologist Robert Macfarlane explains how this works: A dying tree might divest itself of its resources to the benefit of the community, for example, or a young seedling in a heavily shaded understory might be supported with extra resources by its stronger neighbours. Even more remarkably, the network also allows plants to send one another warnings. A plant under attack from aphids can indicate to a nearby plant that it should raise its defensive response before the aphids reach it.

It has been known for some time that plants communicate above ground in comparable ways, by means of airborne hormones. But such warnings are more precise in terms of source and recipient when sent by means of the myco-net. 16 Trees co-operate. They communicate. They share. Not only among members of the same species, but across species barriers: Douglas firs and birches feed each other. And it’s not just trees; we now know that all plants – except for a handful of species – have this same relationship with mycorrhiza. Just as with our gut bacteria, these findings challenge how we think about the boundaries between species. Is a tree really an individual? Can it really be conceived as a separate unit? Or is it an aspect of a broader, multi-species organism?

There’s also something else going on here – something perhaps even more revolutionary. Dr Suzanne Simard, a professor in the department of forest & conservation at the University of British Columbia, has argued that mycorrhizal networks among plants operate like neural networks in humans and other animals; they function in remarkably similar ways, passing information between nodes. And just as the structure of neural networks enables cognition and intelligence in animals, mycorrhizal networks provide similar capacities to plants. Recent research shows that the network not only facilitates transmission, communication and co-operation – just like our neurons do – it also facilitates problem-solving, learning, memory and decision-making.

These words are not just metaphorical. The ecologist Monica Gagliano has published groundbreaking research on plant intelligence, showing that plants remember things that happen to them, and change their behaviour accordingly. In other words, they learn. In a recent interview with Forbes, she insisted: ‘My work is not about metaphors at all; when I talk about learning, I mean learning. When I talk about memory, I mean memory.’ Indeed, plants actively change their behaviour as they encounter new challenges and receive messages about the changing world around them. Plants sense: they see, hear, feel and smell, and they respond accordingly. If you’ve ever seen time-lapse footage of a vine growing up a tree, you’ll have an idea of what this looks like in action: that vine is no automaton – it’s sensing, moving, balancing, solving problems, trying to figure out how to navigate new terrain. The more we learn, the stranger (or perhaps more familiar?) it all becomes. Simard’s work shows that trees can recognise their own relatives through mycorrhizal networks. Older ‘mother’ trees can identify nearby saplings that came from their own seeds, and they use this information to decide how to allocate resources in times of stress. Simard also describes how trees seem to have ‘emotional’ responses to trauma in a way that’s not dissimilar to animals. After a machete whack or during an aphid attack, their serotonin levels change (yes, they have serotonin, along with a number of neurochemicals that are common in animal nervous systems), and they start pumping out emergency messages to their neighbours.

Of course, none of this is to say that plant intelligence is exactly like that of animals. In fact, scientists warn that our urge to constantly compare the intelligence of some species with that of others is exactly the problem: it ends up blinding us to how other kinds of intelligence might work. Set out in search of a brain and you’ll never even notice the mycorrhiza that have been pulsing through the earth, evolving right under our feet, for 450 million years. This research is just taking off, and we have no idea where it might lead. But Simard is careful to point out that it’s not exactly new: If you listen to some of the early teachings of the Coast Salish and the Indigenous people along the western coast of North America, they knew [about these insights] already. It’s in the writings and in the oral history.

The idea of the mother tree has long been there. The fungal networks, the below-ground networks that keep the whole forest healthy and alive, that’s also there. That these plants interact and communicate with each other, that’s all there. They used to call the trees the tree people … Western science shut that down for a while and now we’re getting back to it.

Trees aren’t only connected with each other. They are also connected with us. Over the past few years, research into human–tree relationships has yielded some truly striking findings. A team of scientists in Japan conducted an experiment with hundreds of people around the country. They asked half of the participants to walk for fifteen minutes through a forest, and the other half to walk through an urban setting, and then they tested their emotional states. In every case, the forest walkers experienced significant mood improvements when compared to the urban walkers, plus a decline in tension, anxiety, anger, hostility, depression and fatigue. The benefits were immediate and effective. Trees also have an impact on our behaviour. Researchers have found that spending time around trees makes people more co-operative, kinder and more generous. It increases our sense of awe and wonder at the world, which in turn changes how we interact with others. It reduces aggression and incivility. Studies in Chicago, Baltimore and Vancouver have all discovered that neighbourhoods with higher tree cover have significantly fewer crimes, including assault, robbery and drug use – even when controlling for socioeconomic status and other confounding factors.

It’s almost as though being with trees makes us more human. We don’t know quite why this happens. Is it just that green environments are somehow more pleasant and calming? A study in Poland suggests that doesn’t explain it. They had people spend fifteen minutes standing in a wintertime urban forest: no leaves, no green, no shrubbery; just straight, bare trees. One might think such an environment would have minimal if any positive impact on people’s mood, but not so: participants standing in the bare forest reported significant improvements in their psychological and emotional states when compared to a control group that spent those fifteen minutes hanging out in an urban landscape. And it’s not just mood and behaviour. It turns out that trees have an impact on our physical health too – in concrete, material terms. Living near trees has been found to reduce cardiovascular risk. Walking in forests has been found to lower blood pressure, cortisol levels, pulse rates and other indicators of stress and anxiety.

Even more intriguingly, a team of scientists in China found that elderly patients with chronic health conditions demonstrated significant improvements in immune function after spending time in forests. We don’t know for sure, but this may have something to do with the chemical compounds that trees exhale into the air. The aromatic vapours released by cypress, for example, have been found to enhance the activity of a number of human immune cells, while reducing stress hormone levels. In an attempt to quantify the overall benefit of trees, scientists in Canada found that trees have a more powerful impact on our health and well-being than even large sums of money. Having just ten more trees on a city block decreases cardio-metabolic conditions in ways comparable to earning an extra $20,000. And it improves one’s sense of well-being as much as earning an extra $10,000, moving to a neighbourhood with $10,000 higher median income, or being seven years younger. These results are astonishing. There’s a real mystery here, which scientists still do not yet understand. But perhaps we shouldn’t be so surprised. After all, we have co-evolved with trees for millions of years. We even share DNA with trees. After countless generations, we’ve come to depend on them for our health and happiness just as we depend on other humans. We are, in a very real sense, relatives.

- Jason Hickel,  Less is More

[paperanddice]

A thirteen foot tall, spindly creature of clearly inhuman proportions and body shape slowly walks forward on five limbs, each with three knees. Two thicker arms heft a massive pole axe. Its head is wide and shaped roughly like a scalloped shell with several blue, lightly glowing openings pulsing gently as if breathing. It telepathically reaches out, politely introducing itself as Mr. Blobs, and requests if you might have the time of day.

Artwork created by Blackhood-art, available here and licensed through the Creative Commons.

Mr. Blobs Large aberration, true neutral Armor Class 16 (breastplate) Hit Points 152 (16d10 + 64) Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft. Str 22 Dex 14 Con 19 Int 13 Wis 10 Cha 14 Skills Athletics +9, Perception +3 Senses blindsight 90 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 13 Languages telepathy 60 feet Challenge 6 (2300 XP) Actions Multiattack. Mr. Blobs makes two greataxe attacks. Greataxe. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 19 (2d12+6) slashing damage. Toxic Spores (Recharge 4-6). Mr. Blobs jets a cloud of fungal spores in a 40-foot line that is 10 feet wide. Each creature in that line must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a success.

Mr. Blobs is a towering, unnatural appearing figure whose past is thus far unexplained. It refuses to speak of where it came from, simply wandering and exploring the world for new experiences and to understand where it lives now. Despite its somewhat unnerving appearance, it so far has been quite polite and friendly, introducing itself telepathically and engaging in conversation with other travelers. While it will occasionally join with others on its journey, it only tends to fight in self defense or defense of its immediate travelling companions, and has simply abandoned those in need of aid if it was not familiar with them. 

It’s body is somewhat fungus like in nature, though incomparable to any known kinds of fungus. While it does seem to suffer from starvation or thirst, its means of eating or drinking are unclear, and possibly a form of photosynthesis or absorbing water and nutrients passively through its skin or the openings on its face. The armor and axe it wields came with it from wherever it originated, and are made of an unidentified metal. 

Inspired by the artwork linked above. The fluff provided allows Mr. Blobs to take a role as ally or enemy, depending on how the party happens to encounter it, and of course can be adjusted to fit a different setting or story as appropriate. If there is a monster from an earlier edition of D&D that you want to see converted to 5e, feel free to send me a message. If you like this post, consider following my Patreon to get access to content like this a week ahead of everybody else, plus updates on other projects I’m working on!  

[sciencespies]

The Biology of Mistletoe

https://sciencespies.com/nature/the-biology-of-mistletoe/

The Biology of Mistletoe

Some plants are so entwined with tradition that it’s impossible to think of one without the other. Mistletoe is such a plant. But set aside the kissing custom and you’ll find a hundred and one reasons to appreciate the berry-bearing parasite for its very own sake.

David Watson certainly does. So enamored is the mistletoe researcher that his home in Australia brims with mistletoe-themed items including wood carvings, ceramics and antique French tiles that decorate the bathroom and his pizza oven.

And plant evolution expert Daniel Nickrent does, too: He has spent much of his life studying parasitic plants and, at his Illinois residence, has inoculated several maples in his yard — and his neighbor’s — with mistletoes.

But the plants that entrance these and other mistletoe aficionados go far beyond the few species that are pressed into service around the holidays: usually the European Viscum album and a couple of Phoradendron species in North America, with their familiar oval green leaves and small white berries. Worldwide, there are more than a thousand mistletoe species. They grow on every continent except Antarctica — in deserts and tropical rain forests, on coastal heathlands and oceanic islands. And researchers are still learning about how they evolved and the tricks they use to set up shop in plants from ferns and grasses to pine and eucalyptus.

All of the species are parasites. Mistletoes glom on to the branches of their plant “hosts,” siphoning off water and nutrients to survive. They accomplish this thievery via a specialized structure that infiltrates host tissues. The familiar holiday species often infest stately trees such as oaks or poplar: In winter, when these trees are leafless, the parasites’ green, Truffula-like clumps are easy to spot dotting their host tree’s branches.

Yet despite their parasitism, mistletoes may well be the Robin Hoods of plants. They provide food, shelter and hunting grounds for animals from birds to butterflies to mammals — even the occasional fish. Fallen mistletoe leaves release nutrients into the forest floor that would otherwise remain locked within trees, and this generosity ripples through the food chain.

“Yes, ecologically, they are cheats,” says Watson, a community ecologist at Charles Sturt University at Albury-Wodonga (Australia is home to nearly 100 mistletoe species). “People hear the ‘P’ word, they think parasite and they think they are all necessarily bad. But it’s an extremely loaded term.”

The bottom line: Mistletoes share their wealth. “They grab onto these nutrients, and then they drop them,” Watson says. “They’re like, ‘I’ve got all this good stuff, and now you can have it.’”

Many mistletoes make gaudy blooms that attract birds and other pollinators. Tristerix corymbosus (left), which flowers during winter in the southern Andes, is hummingbird-pollinated. The genus Amyema has several showy species, including Australia’s Buloke mistletoe, which bears its flowers in threes (center), and Amyema artensis, which grows on several islands in the South Pacific (right).

(L TO R: Gerhard Glatzel; Martin Bennett; D.L. Nickrent)

They’re wily, versatile and ingenious

To pilfer all those nutrients, mistletoes must infect a host, and researchers are still busy figuring out the fine details. The process goes something like this: The seed lands on a host plant (often delivered by a bird — more on that later) and penetrates the bark with a structure that, for a standard plant, would develop into a root. Secreted digestive enzymes may help it insinuate itself into the tree, says Carol Wilson, a botanist at the University and Jepson Herbaria at the University of California, Berkeley. Once in, the mistletoe squeezes its way around the host cells toward the tree’s plumbing, the xylem. Then comes a fateful kiss: Mistletoe cells connect with the host’s plumbing or nearby cells, and the pilfering of water and nutrients begins.

Mistletoes and other parasitic plants make a well-defined structure for invading their hosts — it’s called a haustorium, from the Latin word haustor, meaning drinker or drawer of water. Mistletoe haustoria are quite diverse, Wilson says, reflecting the varied ways they approach their parasitic habit.

Some species, for example, form a sort of flattened pad that encircles a host branch. A wedge then develops on the pad’s underside and penetrates the host. Other species coax the host’s own wood to develop a frilly-edged mass; these are called “wood roses” and people carve them into intricate figures such as birds and fish. (Wilson, whose workplace houses perhaps the largest collection of mistletoe haustoria in the world, has some carved wood roses at home, including a lizard, a monkey and a chicken.)

Other mistletoes send out slender vine-like extensions called epicortical runners — they have multiple haustoria for more widespread invasions. This approach allows the mistletoe to crawl along the host tree and capture choice sunlit territory among upper branches, but also crawl back toward the tree’s water-laden trunk. And some mistletoes create stringy “bark strands” that spread beneath the host tree’s bark and develop lots of tiny (initially microscopic) haustoria, called sinkers. These tap into host plumbing.

The haustorium has been termed “the essence of parasitism” by renowned Canadian botanist Job Kuijt. And for the essence of this essence, look no further than Western Australia’s Nuytsia floribunda, in a group of plants known as the “showy mistletoe” family, the Loranthaceae. Technically speaking, Nuytsia is not a true mistletoe, says Nickrent, a researcher and professor emeritus at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, because it infests roots instead of branches. But it’s an extremely close relative and requires a mention, if only because its haustorium houses a sickle-like blade used to slice into host plant roots that is sharp enough to draw blood. Neither buried electrical cables nor telephone lines are immune to Nuytsia’s cutting device.

They exploit animals — and nourish them too

Mistletoes don’t just exploit plants, they depend critically on animals to get around — a varied selection, it turns out. Their name derives from Anglo-Saxon words meaning “dung-on-a-twig” — typically the dung of birds, which eat the seeds and disperse them to new host plants. (There are exceptions: Some mistletoe genera make explosive fruits that hurl their seeds toward nearby trees, reaching distances of 10 meters or more.) Most mistletoe fruits are berries containing a single seed that’s surrounded by a sticky layer of goo called viscin, which cements the seed to a new host tree.

The berries are rich in minerals and glucose, and some contain all 10 essential amino acids. Roughly 90 bird species are considered mistletoe specialists. Some swallow the fruits whole, others peel the fruit then eat the seed and gluey viscin; still others dine on the viscin alone.

A seed of the Alphitonia mistletoe (Amyema conspicua) begins to grow on the branch of a host tree in the Bunya Mountains area of Queensland, Australia. Although parasites, mistletoes do make chlorophyll and get food and energy from photosynthesis, while relying on their hosts primarily for water.

(Martin Bennett)

Australia’s mistletoebird (Dicaeum hirundinaceum) is one such devotee. It devours the berries whole, excreting the seed in record time, thanks to a modified gut that rapidly absorbs glucose from the viscin surrounding the seed. “Within a few minutes, the bird passes the entire seed through the digestive tract,” Nickrent says. The mistletoebird also has evolved specific behaviors that seem to aid the plant. “It wiggles its little behind, attaching the mistletoe seed to the branch of the tree,” Nickrent says.

Birds do double duty: They also serve as pollinators — many mistletoe flowers are rich in nectar. Though the holiday-associated species have rather drab little flowers, others sport outlandishly showy blooms. “If you’re into floral diversity, mistletoes are a crowning glory,” Watson says. Many of the bird-pollinated species have gaudy, lipstick-red flowers, including South America’s Tristerix corymbosus, whose slender blooms are festooned with bright yellow stamens.

And certain mistletoes have evolved elaborate mechanisms that aid in bird pollination: The petals of some of these species are fused together; when a nectar-seeking bird pries open the flower, the pollen explosively sprays the bird’s head.

They take and give

Mammals too, are known to dine on mistletoe berries. Ditto errant fish: There’s a record of the dusky narrow hatchetfish eating fruits during floods. But the largest dietary contribution of mistletoe may be their leaves. Around the world, animals including deer, porcupines, rhinoceroses and possums feed on mistletoes, as do the caterpillars of numerous butterfly species.

Lizards and birds will hunt for insects in dense leafy, clumps of mistletoe, which also can serve as dwellings. Squirrels and other mammals are known to make their homes in mistletoe, as are birds of all sizes, from hummingbirds to waterfowl: A survey in Australia found that 245 bird species nest in mistletoes. And a variety of raptor species — hawks and their kin — use fresh mistletoe sprigs to line their nests.

When mistletoe leaves fall to the ground, their decaying leaves feed plants, insects, fungi and more. “Mistletoe leaves generate a steady stream of nutrients to the forest floor,” Watson says. “It’s like a dripping tap of fertilizer.”

Back in 2001, Watson made the case in an article in the Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics that mistletoes are keystone species on which much of the life surrounding them depends. Evidence for this role has since grown. A study of mistletoes in the savannah of Zimbabwe, for example, found that mistletoe leaf litter pumps additional nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients into the soil, influencing the diversity of grasses.

And in one experiment, Watson and colleagues removed some 5,000 mistletoe plants from 20 sites in the Billabong Creek watershed in Australia. Those areas ended up with 25 percent fewer birds, compared with 20 neighboring areas whose mistletoes were left intact.

They evolved over and over and over

Mistletoes are a motley group of plants defined more by their lifestyle than their lineage. They all have three features in common: They are parasitic, woody and aerial (meaning they infect above-ground plant parts, rather than roots). The lifestyle they enjoy evolved at least five separate times in five different plant families.

Yet mistletoes do cluster in one main area of the vast plant family tree, and they all have ancestors that were parasites not on branches, but on roots. Mistletoes made the leap to branches — an event that happened many times over.

“All of the mistletoe lineages represent independent evolutionary events, independent historic moments when something happened and this under-story, root-parasitic, nondescript shrubby thing switched to being an aerial, parasitic shrubby thing,” Watson says.

Moving up the tree helped to solve a problem that all plants grapple with: competing for water and sunlight. (Despite their parasitic nature, most mistletoes still photosynthesize, and so need healthy access to light.) And they never looked back. Orchids, cacti and more: Today’s varieties invade plants of all stripes, including themselves — a number of species have been documented parasitizing other mistletoes. They’ve even been spotted going three layers deep: a mistletoe on a mistletoe on a mistletoe.

And while a handful of species inflict damage on horticulturally important trees, including members of the pine family that are valued for their timber, most mistletoes don’t infect economically important crops, Watson says.

Dig into mistletoe biology and you uncover layer upon layer of complexity — and wily ingenuity. It’s easy to see why they hook in curious minds. “They are sneaky; they’ve worked out these little loopholes,” Watson says.

So maybe there’s poetic sense in stealing kisses under thieving mistletoes.

Rachel Ehrenberg is associate editor at Knowable and a big fan of parasitic plants. Follow her on twitter @Rachelwrit.

Knowable Magazine is an independent journalistic endeavor from Annual Reviews.

#Nature

[plantsense]

What can plants teach us about advantages?

Read time: 3 min

Is it possible to have too much of a good thing?  Is more always better?  What makes an advantage, anyway?

People Musings

Picture our two plants as people instead of roots.  Imagine kids from two types of families, the Joneses and the Arables.  Jones kids’ lives are lavishly “fertilized,” their parents giving every advantage they can.  Arable parents care, and are trying, but they just can’t keep up with the Joneses.  They cover the basics, but Arable kids are left to fend for themselves for the rest.  On the surface, Joneses are flashy and enviable, while Arables are nondescript and pitiable.  But appearances can be deceiving.  Let’s dig a little deeper.

Jones kids quickly figure out how to grow fast and look good, but they don’t have many internal resources to weather a “storm” or a “drought.”  When a Jones kid leaves home and encounters a curveball for the first time, it becomes clear that their success was fragile, a formula requiring them to stay on a specific life course.  Now they’re desperate and needy - achieving is what makes them feel worthy!  To stay afloat, they do what they know: look externally, and demand more “shiny fertilizer star” handouts.

Arable kids struggle with life challenges while in the security of their parents’ home.  From that effort grows a strong foundation of emotional resilience, adapting to change, and a broad perspective on life.  It’s harder to knock an Arable down, because they have always known curveballs.  When the unexpected happens, Arables have the internal resources to figure out how to roll with it and move on.  Their self image hasn’t been particularly challenged, and they aren’t so tethered to a fixed outcome.

Who ends up having the advantage?  Who is more resilient?  Does either family have it close to all sorted out?

Plant Science

It’s common practice to dig a hole, throw in a little fertilizer, and plant a seed or seedling.  Fertilizer gives a boost to start growth.  At a glance, it’s easy to see that fertilized plants are ahead of the game, leafing out and setting fruit earlier than their unfertilized companions.  You might say they have a strong advantage.  But again, appearances can be deceiving.  Let’s dig a little deeper.

Like people, plants adapt to their environment, putting their resources where they’re most needed.  The fertilized plant has easy access to nutrients that let it grow quickly: more leaves means more photosynthesis and sugars, and earlier fruit production.  The unfertilized plant has no choice but to focus its energy on growing a deep and elaborate root system to find the nutrients it needs from the soil.

In an unexpected summer drought, water that was once abundant becomes a scarce resource, only available deep underground.  The robust root system of the unfertilized plant gives it access to underground water.  Fertilizer, however, stunted the root growth of the “advantaged” plant, limiting it to the dry soil at the surface.  It has little chance of getting what it needs on its own, and is now dependent on an external source of water.

Plant or person, what seems like an easy advantage in the beginning, can end up being a hindrance.

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” ― Helen Keller

Note: This is part one of a series on growing resilience. Stay tuned to see if there’s hope for our thirsty root, and what happens when you try to grow deep roots in a pot.

Resources

For further information on the challenges of privilege:

The Atlantic Monthly’s “The Birth of a New American Aristocracy”

The Atlantic Monthly’s “The Silicon Valley Suicides”

For more information on plant root systems, soil biology and fertilizer applications, see the work of Larry Phelan at Ohio State University, and interviewed on the Regenerative Agriculture Podcast.

[toboldlywrite]

Planet Profiles - 7 - Phas*

Previous Planet Profiles: Altan | Marche | Zeryaha | Lomus | Ornith |Meraf

The World

Phas* is as much a pure water world as a planet can be. It has a solid core, a fluid mantle that it spins in, and a thin layer of solid, rocky crust. This planetary nucleus is surrounded by a sphere of water, held together only by gravity and magnetic forces and a thin atmospheric layer. Currents due to those magnetic forces generated by the spinning core, the uneven heating of the ocean’s surface, and the orbits of three moons help cycle nutrients and oxygen through the water and allow life to flourish at all depths. Instead of having different climates at different latitudes/longitudes, Phas* has different ecosystems in different zones/depths. The thin layer of crust contains a vein-like network of caves that once were volcanic but have since cooled. Some of them are completely dry.

[[More]]

The three moons are each about the size of Earth’s moon, but Phas* itself is about two and a half times the size of Earth. Because the atmosphere is such a small layer, there isn’t much in the way of storms or any weather at all. The only time water falls from the sky is if a meteor hits and causes a massive splash. But thanks to other, larger worlds in the system, that doesn’t happen often. 

Life

Air Zone:

The itik are large, gliding animals that live in the thin layer of atmosphere above Phas*’s ocean. They never land, and only touch the water to skim over it and grab some food. They feed on tiny surface-dwelling creatures about the size of krill and their slightly bigger predators. They resemble hang gliders in shape and size (except a bit thicker), and their mouths are scissor-like beaks that run down the entire middle length of their bodies. Their food gets digested in a pouch in a back section of the beak, and the nutrients are quickly absorbed into the rest of their bodies. They breed, sleep, give birth, and live their entire lives in the air. The young are dropped at birth and have to quickly figure out how to stay airborne-- or die.

Floating on top of the water, and bridging air and sea, are large mats of pink vegetation. They are actually made up of tiny algae-like organisms that come together to form massive colonies. These colonies can get so large-- both in surface area and depth-- that they are the closest thing to land that Phas* has. The awis, as they are called, get their energy from photosynthesis and soaking up nutrients from the ocean below.

Solitary awi are transparent, but once a lot come into proximity to each other, they release a chemical that turns them pink. Before a colony forms, the water is pink for as far as there are awi. Once they form the colony they keep releasing the chemical-- the islands grow through asexual reproduction, but they still gather up any stray awi that comes within range.

Surface Zone:

In the layer of ocean closest to the surface, several species of creatures live. The nat*i look more like plants than animals-- a simple stick with a globe on top, digging its “roots” into the awis to anchor themselves and soaking up the sun until they dry out. When that happens, the globe explodes and sends its “seeds” out into the water. These seeds are actually eggs which hatch into water bug-shaped creatures that feed on the tiny creatures in the surface zone of the water until they get big enough to mate (for scale, the eggs are about fist-sized. Full grown nat*i are about the size of a house cat). Then the females lug themselves out of the water and onto an awis island. The stick-and-globe appendage grows out of their bodies and thus ends their life cycle by beginning the next generation.

The creatures they feed on range from looking like tiny, squishy purple sea urchins to essentially shrimp with ray “wings” and tentacles instead of legs. Other predators in this zone include larger, rat-sized creatures that look a lot like sharks but with claw pincers instead of front fins and the face of a crab as well. Just with one row of shark-like teeth. They are called the pa*ya. 

Middle Zone:

This is the largest “zone” in the ocean, and home to the most life. However because of its size and the fact that resources are not concentrated in any one area, it tends to be spread out.

The iray^a are huge spherical animals with anemone-like tentacles covering their bodies. Their name actually means “moon being” in Phas*i. They act as miniature ecosystems in their own right. The tentacles send out a soothing melody into the water that lures many unsuspecting creatures into the range of their venomous tentacles. But there are some creatures that are immune. Young pa*ya, in fact, thrive in “nurseries” among the iray^a’s tentacles before they head up to the surface zone once they molt into their adult forms. Small, fish-like creatures without fins (who propel themselves by taking in water through special pores and spitting it back out again at different speeds, while also taking oxygen from it in the process), also make their homes there.

The iray^a are farmed by the Phas*i for sweet, nectar-like secretions they produce for their young (however it's worth noting that the secretions do contain diluted amounts of their venom, and is basically the Phas*i equivalent of alcohol). Their young look a lot like garden eels with squid-like tentacles instead of tails and the ability to spit venomous plasma onto prey. Once they get large enough (usually after about five years), they go towards the surface and make a cocoon with an attached sail that keeps them floating (taking extra oxygen from the air to aide in the transformation), and moves them with the wind to different parts of the world. After nearly a month inside, the adult iray^a emerges, and slowly sinks, collecting prey as it goes. They start off about ten feet in diameter, and can keep growing indefinitely for as long as they live. And unless they are eaten, their lives seem to keep going indefinitely, too. That means the Phas*i only have to keep a few, and the wild population can continue to thrive quite happily and mostly untouched.

And what, you may ask, would eat an iray^a? Nothing that lives in the Middle Zone is big enough to swallow one (mature adult) whole, fortunately. But there are a few predators that will nibble or munch on them. One is the maraza-- a bizarre creature with basically no “body” to speak of; just a single, round light-sensing organ surrounding a brain, all encased in a transparent, hard shell. Sprouting from the shell are four “tentacles” that end in thicker, domed “fins” with the insides covered with teeth. The maraza pulls these four together to make one giant, terrifying mouth to devour its prey. It takes large, cookie-cutter like chunks out of the iray^a, and is immune to its venom. However, the iray^a aren’t actually that nutritious, so maraza stay away from them unless times are desperate. When separated, its “mouthparts” act as fins in propulsion, and can be used as defensive weapons against their own predators.

Those predators include the plyar*ok.  The plyar*ok look like giant sea snakes with sea lion heads with tendrils like jellyfish tentacles instead of whiskers, surrounding a mouth full of many rows of sharp teeth. They have the same playful nature sea lions and dolphins are known for, and are extremely social animals who travel in pods up to one thousand strong, although really those super pods only form in the breeding season. Most number in the dozen to twenties during the rest of the year. And even though they’re only about eight feet long, that is more than enough to take down a maraza.

The lin*mar^kin are giant creatures with sea turtle-like bodies, but their “shells” are covered with armored bumps, and the underside of their bodies among their fins and on either side of their necks are covered curled up tentacles that can lash out at the speed of sound to attack prey with an electric charge released from the ends. It then pulls its prey into it’s mouth with a larger, curved lower jaw. They live in the lower part of the Middle Zone, and capture prey from the top of the Deep Zone. However, when they migrate up towards to surface to breed, they also feed on any iray^a they come across on the way.

Deep Zone:

Several species of smaller creatures live in the “twilight” between Middle and Deep Zones.  The cala are ladle-shaped creatures with several eyes lining the tops of their bodies (to watch for predators from above) and a round mouth on their bellies. Their “tails” are the “handle” part of the ladle, curving above the body, but do not move. Instead, they are propelled by taking in and expelling water through a special slit at the top of the tail (which is also how they breathe). Beneath this tail, on males, is a bulbous organ that produces the sounds they use to attract mates. Sexual selection seems to have driven them to become almost unwieldy large, and particularly vulnerable to attack. However, males with larger sound organs make louder noises, and if they can survive with them, they obviously have some other good genes. At least, that’s the assumption the smaller females seem to make.

One of the more bizarre creatures is the dgral. It looks almost like a basket, held afloat by a “balloon” that can fill with and release air at will. On either side of the creature’s body are net-like fins that sift the water for food. For a long time, it was thought that another creature, that looks similar but doesn’t have the balloon (has tiny fins between the nets instead to swim) and is only about half the size, wasn’t at all related to the dgral. However, later it was discovered that the smaller creatures were actually males, while the ones with balloons were females. The males stay in the “twilight zone” of the deep, while the females make an annual journey to the surface to lay their eggs on the undersides of awis “islands.” Their slow migration is a very dangerous one, so they do it in huge swarms to ensure that at least most of the females will make it to the surface. All the eggs also hatch at the same time, so the young, equipped with a heavy “egg tooth” that also helps them sink quickly, can find safety in numbers. After the eggs are laid, the females fill their balloons with water and sink once again into the depths. However, after three breeding cycles, they don’t have the energy to make it back.

But deeper still, even stranger creatures live. The maruli seems to “walk” across the seafloor with it’s stilt-like fins, covered with small knobs, sticky with poison, that trap any prey or organic debris in its path. Interspersed between the knobs are small, flashing lights that attract any curious and unfortunate smaller animals. Their angled, spoon-shaped bodies have one giant eye on the top to keep an eye on anything coming down from above (mostly prey/carcasses to scavenge since they are really too big for anything to prey upon them). They propel themselves like most of the other species on the planet do-- with gill slits that also spew out water to drive them forward. They occasionally “jump” off the floor and sweep their fins through the water to gather more food, or as part of their mating/territorial displays. Males also have tail appendages that grow every mating season. They are curled up at rest, but during these displays flare out like a peacocks, and are covered with more of those small flashing lights that light up in an impressive and literally hypnotic display. The male who hypnotizes his opponent first can influence them into leaving. The appendages fall off after the mating season, and will grow again the next year. Females are immune to their hypnotic influence, but do choose the males with the best display during the breeding season when they all gather in a certain valley on the ocean floor. After mating female will lay eggs, half of which will cling to the underside of the female, and half of which will cling to the underside of the male, until they hatch and the young go off to fend for themselves.

The Caves:

The network of volcanic caverns in the thin layer of crust around the core are largely unexplored. Due to being so warm and dry, it was thought for a long time that nothing could live there. But eventually, that was discovered to be far from the truth. Small, amphibious creatures live at the border between caves and sea; fins with claws allowing them to clamber down into the dry land and even create their own burrows in which to lay their eggs. A distant cousin of the plyar*ok lives deeper in, and doesn’t go into the water at all. It hunts the amphibious creatures and a few, smaller animals that live completely on dry land. This creature, called the plyar*ee, has several pairs of small legs, holding itself above the ground like an alligator. It doesn’t move very fast, and instead relies on its camouflage and the lightning-fast movement of the tendrils around its mouth to grab prey. There are reports of others, but nothing as of yet confirmed.

The People

The Phas*i are an amphibious race-- they live primarily in the water and can breathe in it, but they can also breathe in air. However, they do need to retain some moisture, and therefore can’t stay out of water indefinitely. They are Ushid (humanoid), but not mammalian. They have humanoid heads and torsos but their bottom halves are cephalopod-like, with twelve suctioned arms for movement and grabbing in addition to their two arms and hands (mostly human-like except for the webbing between their five fingers and thumb). They have chromatophores in their skin much like a squid or octopus, and can change the color and apparent texture of their skin to blend in. Their skin also changes color according to their moods, and they can even control specific chromatophores in order to create different colored-patterns across their skin. These patterns and colors are used as a part of communication between Phas*i. They have no hair, slitted bumps in place of noses, and ears frilled by fins.

The Phas*i are highly adaptable, able to change not only their appearance but their body chemistry almost instantly to be able to survive at a huge range of temperatures, pressures, and even different atmospheric contents. Therefore, the Phas*i live in just about every part of the ocean. Since different groups developed in different areas, they learned to communicate in different ways. One group of Phas*i made their home closer to the surface, living on or under awis islands and never swimming far from them, cultivating farms of iray^a as close to the surface as they can grow, and keeping schools smaller, fish-like creatures for meat as well. This group, since they spend a lot of time above water, developed spoken language along with a language of skin-patterns for communicating underwater. They were also the group responsible for the Phas*i’s start of space exploration-- they were the ones who spent time looking at the stars, unfiltered by the water.

Others made their homes in the Middle Zone, attaching the shells of dead lin*mar^kin together in huge cities that move with the currents. Instead of farming, they send out hunting parties to collect whatever food they can find nearby before their cities move on again. The formed a system of communication based on skin color and sounds-- clicks, whistles, and noises made with the suctions on their lower arms (technically they are “arms” instead of “tentacles” because they have suckers all down their lengths, instead of just at the bottom).

Others live in the Middle Zone but anchor their cities (made of shells, sunken awis islands, skeletons of itik and plyar*ok and other large creatures) to the sea floor, and stay in one place. Like the surface Phas*i, they farm creatures, including iray^a. Their similarities caused these two groups to form the first mega-cities.They also tried to keep some plyar*ok as pets, but never really domesticated them. Most of the time, they just form relationships with wild plyar*ok instead. Though these relationships can be a lot like strong, friendship bonds.

A few groups made their home in the twilight zone between Middle and Deep, and according to legend one group did try to live in the Deep, never to be heard from again. But eventually, as their population and intelligence grew, they all came together to form one civilization. They figured out how to extract metals from skeletons of certain creatures and even from the water itself, and their technology became more and more advanced. Since everything was built to work in water, the transition to space travel was actually fairly easy. The Phas*i didn’t even consider artificial gravity as a concept until they encountered other races who had it. They had artificial pressure, but weightlessness was their default way of life.  

Because of their original building materials, Phas*i architecture tends to be very round and curved instead of full of straight edges. In fact, many of their ships can be classified as flying saucers. Phas*i are in high demand to work on ships because of their adaptability, natural skills, and talent for learning quickly. And many of them do leave, though most of them return often, and eventually, permanently.

Many Phas*i believe that in the beginning, their world was a simple asteroid. But their god-- the Sea-- saw it, and loved it, seeing something special there that none of the other gods out in the universe could. The Sea embraced the asteroid, and it turned into Phas*. Touched by their god’s love, creatures came forth out of the rock, for that was the special thing They had seen in it. Life. Everything was born from the union of rock and sea-- for the Phas*i who believe are adamant that you can’t have life without both. When they later found other worlds, most of which involved both, too, they felt very vindicated. But of course, not all worlds follow that rule. Still, many Phas*i still believe, and there is some basis for their beliefs. Science has shown that Phas* did start out as a simple asteroid that grew larger and larger, much as a planet does. But instead of drawing more rock to it once it reached a certain size, it drew in water from a fleet of passing comets. It is thought that those comets also contained the first sparks of life needed to jumpstart it on Phas*. There are others who believe Phas* has always existed, and that all life originated there and moved elsewhere. Some even believe that any life that does not need water to survive is either not real or unlife-- an evil version of life created by an evil spirit. But apart from that small group, the Phas*i tend to be one of the least xenophobic species in the known universe. The largest religion-- the first mentioned-- believes that since their world, and they themselves, came out of love, that love is necessary for all life to flourish. Love is where life came from, and love is where it will return-- and is the only reason for the middle. The Phas*i are also in demand because they tend to get along with everyone because of that basic assumption built into their society.

Bonus: Doodles!

I’m not gonna pretend these are works of art or anything, but I did doodle a few of these as I was working on this, and figured they might help give you a rough idea of what they look like!

Here is a rough look at an itik

Here’s a look at the awi(s) and the nat*i

And a maruli (featuring an outline of the outstretched tail)

And a very rough idea of a lin*mar^kin

A maraza (compared to a 6′ stickman, for scale)

A cala and a dgral

And, finally,  a plyar*ok!

I’m sorry this is so long but it was a lot of fun and I thought someone might appreciate my doodles! Kudos to you if you made it this far, please except my eternal gratitude!

(Note: the general color scheme on Phas* tends to be blue, pink, and purple)

@lady-redshield-writes @bluemartlet @kittensartsbooks @queerloveandspaceships @merigreenleaf @rosesonneptune @jade-island-lives @weaver-of-fantasies-and-fables @coutelier @alextriestowritestuff @elliewritesstories @starlitesymphony @c-g-nyx-writes @picturemobilee @silenciawrites @eeva-writes @audreyroseb @el-norawrites @mezvii @knight-clover @caffienefuelsmywriting

[lord-dusk]

Jurassic Emblem-Chapter 10

Scales are quite tricky to draw. Anyhow, there’s the second boss of the game!

 Nifl was a cold, desolate land of snow,bones,ice,and blood. Frozen blood. It wasn’t quite the Kirby-esque happy place you’d thought it would be, after the Nifl-Muspell incident where Askran forces killed off warped versions of video-game protagonists and The elder Nifl princess Guunthra being roasted alive like some yummy Barbie-Cute pork. And the situation got particularly better when the sun-dragon Helios was frozen solid, condemning the whole area into everlasting night.

At least the stars and moon looked very charming and exquisite, white stellar bodies illuminating the aqua-blue sky.

Blue and Lucina were marching through the snow, huddling each other for thermal radiation. Blue, having grown up on a tropical island for much of her life, had borrowed Lucina’s scarf and cape for extra warmth(don’t get into that frappucino debate on feathers please). Lucina, having grown up in a desert country with enough rainfall to sustain a 15m-tall scythe-wielding flesh golem, found it rather uncomfortable trekking through the snow. Ryukami the mosasaurus had stayed behind at the ice-floes to catch up on some Nisioisin novels.

The raptors were marching onwards to the north of Nifl, sometimes passing by some shrubs and frost-covered rocks. Just when Lucina thought things were getting rather monotonous, she saw something rustle out of the bushes. Blue took notice as well and saw what appeared to be a penguin-like bird with white spots on its face waddling in a panicked manner before a fox-squirrel thing pounced on it and tore apart its head from its socket, crimson blood and pieces of esophagus and vocal cord spilling out unto the snow and dying it red. Blue and Lucina were eyeing the fox-squirrel as it dug heavy mitten-like foreclaws into the bird’s torso and stringy pink intestines splooged out. Lucina decided to look away and went on her way. Blue paid no attention to the carnage after that as well.

“That was a Repenomamus devouring a Great Auk,” Blue explained. “The world where I from, InGen didn’t simply revived dinosaurs, they brought back Paleozoic and Cenozoic fauna as well. Although if I were you, I wouldn’t dare pet a reppy.”

“Why? Are they dangerous?” Lucina asked. Blue can easily tell right off the bat that humans like Lucina had a profound desire to prod and hold small,furry mammals.

“Oh yes. Reppies are one mammal you do NOT want to pet; despite looking like a Pomeranian with mole-claws, they WILL try to eviscerate you; for a mammal from the Mesozoic they are quite big enough to eat small dinosaurs.”

“Hmm? I assumed mammals evolved after the demise of the giant lizards.”

“Actually, they co-existed with the dinosaurs, though they were bit characters in a world dominated by reptiles bursting with presence and charisma. Repenomamus was the biggest furry during its time, but most of its kin were barely any bigger than an Amiibo figure.”

“And that penguin-looking bird?”

“Uh-huh. That great auk was NOT a penguin-it’s actually more closely related to puffins than to the famous diving birds south of the Equator. Although, it was the the only auk that converted its flight power to swimming power completely, and those damn humans wiped its existence off the face of the Earth.”

“You know quite a lot about animals before the dawn of man, don’t you?” Lucina commented.

“I’m a creature from before man myself, though I wouldn’t be too surprised if InGen resurrected species routed by humanity, like the dodo and the gastric mouth-brooding frog.” Blue replied.

“Come to think of it, isn’t it harder to clone a mammal than say, a reptile or a fish?”

“Yes, Henry Wu of InGen has cloned mammals occasionally, but found it quite tedious because mammalian red cells do not have nuclei, where the DNA are located. You would need to find white cells, which are much less common than their red counterparts in a ratio of 2 to 12.”

“Reptiles and birds, on the other hand, have nuclei within their red blood cells, and Henry Wu is a genius when it comes to manipulating DNA.” Blue explained, frowning.

“Who is this Henry Wu that you speak of ?”

“Why, as a human being, Dr.Henry Wu is a tacky SOB who creates red-eyed, mangled-toothed fatherfuckers and is considered a most dangerous man with the most dangerous technology in the sad history of humanity. He attempted to use my blood to create a line of Indoraptors to sell off for military purposes.”

Seems Wu sounds a LOT like that sperm-slurper Validar, Lucina grimly thought.

 The two of them chatted like this for the entirely of their walk until they reached Nifl Castle.

                                              *********

 Blue and Lucina had arrived at the castle of Nifl, but they were no guards to greet them. Well they were guards present-but they were frozen solid, and clusters of repenomamuses were busily gnawing away at the frozen body cavities.

 I guess a species changes its behavior accordingly to the environment, Blue though as she and her partner pushed the gates open. They went inside the interior and up the stairs.

“Something tells me the weather outside isn’t the reason those soldiers were icicles,” Lucina said, walking behind Blue.”Would it be a bad idea to go into the kitchen wing and grab some potions for the upcoming boss fight?”

The charcoal velociraptor sniffed the solid,icy air. It stinged her nose. “I don’t see why not,” she answered. “though if you see some ANY creature, reppy or not, attacking you, don’t hesitate to knock their heads off.”

Blue waited at the second floor while Lucina brisky walked to the the kitchen downstairs. A few minutes later, she was back.

“Are you ready for certain? During the boss-fight there will be no pee-pee breaks, and no daddy in white shining armor with a shotgun and a motorbike crashing through the windows to save either of us. Understood?” Blue interviewed.

“No need for any of that,” Lucina replied. “Let’s get this over with. I feel as though my body is becoming a gelato cone.”

 “Good. If my nose knows, she is just around the corner. Follow me.” the raptors headed to the corridor on the right and came across a door that read “Hrid’s Room: Out for Lunch”. They entered.

“Ugh. That was the fifth time someone has stepped in without my consent,” an icy voice hissed. “Do any of you thin-telligent organisms register the concept of knocking?”

 A woman was lounging on an oblong bed spotted with various books. But not a regular woman. Her lower half was that of a boa’s, turquoise-green with purple stripes, and covered with icicles.Her hair-piece were icicles as well, and her Victorian-style corset colored electric blue and black made the entire “cool” effect perfect,considering her expressions suggested otherwise.

“What do you bipeds want?” The snake woman demanded. “Did you interrupt my inspirational reading just so you can become like those popsicles outside?”

“We just want to talk,” Lucina answered.

The snake snorted. “Don’t be honest with me, be honest with you. What you really came here for is my bloody limp body that you can use to nail onto this country’s gates like a crooked Christmas decoration. Is that it, O Exalted Princess?

“Why did you freeze the sun-god? Do you recognize the biblical effects the entire world will face?” Blue questioned, her face contorting in defense for her friend.

“Let me tell you this,” the Victorian boa began. “I am the future best-selling novelist Basilice, and I sincerely have no desire to kill you. But my mistress Sha’Rad Yuwi denied my request and forced to to sacrifice my writing skills for combative means. My writing may be on hold, but my mind is certainly not. Exalted Princess, have you ever actually considered the misery of your foes that killed them because you desired to make “everyone happy”?”

“.....You can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs,” Lucina replied.

“ ‘I want everyone to be happy,’ ‘let’s end all suffering in the world,’ those are lines that make me want to vomit out the Niflites I ate yesterday. Those are the shallow,one-dimensional philosophies of idiotic eukaryotes who do not face reality.” Basilice sputtered out. “The light is full of lies, lies! People willingly bask in the glory of light so they never again have to experience the truth of the darkness below! Light is harmful, harmful! And not just the fact that overdosing on UV light promotes cancer on light skin. Do any of you bipeds know anything at all about plants other than the vascular system in high-school?”

“When plants grow, they break down soil to suit their roots for sufficient nutrient intake,” Blue raised her hand in reply.

“Precisely! Around 400 million years ago, during the Devonian period, mosses and ferns were starting to grow onto rocks near the coastlines, and inevitably, these early pioneers of the new world crumbled the rock into fine soil which washed out into the sea over thousand of years, and do you know what happened? Vertebrates started choking! Fishes here and there had no idea how to cope with this influx of mud particles from the land, their gills clogged with minerals. This, combined with volcanic eruptions, consumed all the available oxygen in the water and there were massive, massive, casualties everywhere! Because fishes and run-off from terrestrial photosynthesis do not go well together! This catastrophe makes your petty carnage across Jurassic Park and Fire Emblem look like a squabble between toddlers in comparison. And you little humans use the opportunity to view more serious issues as a excuse to lounge in your chairs eating chicken nuggets.”

“So I killed him! I killed that sick son of a bitch Helios because he’s a major liar, and I’m going to teach everyone that people deserve bad endings, everyone!” Basilice took out her Dragonstone. “And if you girls are truly good character down to the nRNA sequence, you might be spared and see everyone in the world smothered in the darkness that is free of any lies! No more pain, no more sadness!”

Blue and Lucina prepared their weapons. “Let’s fight!” 

[yaorong]

Tips for using LED grow lights to grow hemp

As an annual herb, hemp, in addition to its particularly important properties, also has more uses. It is used as a raw material for fiber products, clothing, ropes, sails, grease, paper and medical supplies, and has many medicinal values. . With the legalization of cannabis cultivation now, factories and enterprises as well as small agricultural individuals are growing cannabis. Because of the high economic income brought by its wide range of applications, growers use LED grow lights to supplement light to shorten the cycle and improve quality and yield. What are the tips for using LED grow lights to grow cannabis?

The distribution and span of LED grow light is smaller than that of HPS because the light it emits is projected downward instead of in all directions. The plants must rotate so that they all receive the same light intensity. You can use the light rail to optimize the light distribution, or you can choose to expand the site to increase the final output.

The distance between the LED grow light and the plant can be reduced to 15 cm to provide the maximum number of lumens, so the plant will show greater vitality at all stages of cultivation. The first 50 cm distance from the focal point to the plant will be those distances that will provide more explosive flowering, which can be trimmed and laced to reduce the size of the plant, thereby increasing the final yield system of SOG (green) or SGRROG (green net) Grid) becomes the most suitable method for using this type of lighting.

Regarding irrigation, these should be less, because considering that the heat radiation emitted by LED grow lights is very small, water evaporation will be very small. This will result in a reduction in plant nutrient consumption without affecting yield reduction. Reducing the need for irrigation of plants is very important, because over-irrigation always leads to the development of root fungi and diseases.

What parameters should be considered when choosing a cannabis grow light?

Older growers are likely to give the following advice: "Just use 400-600w LED grow lights." They are partly right and partly wrong. Growers have always regarded energy consumption as a factor that affects the efficiency of lamps. Then they started to compare kits and lumens, which is not entirely true. Now we will provide you with a quick reference of all the main measurement units, tell you what they mean and what you want to view in the end.

Watt (W)-This indicator reflects the energy consumed by the lamp. But consumption does not mean giving. Let us take the 400W HPS grow light as an example. This figure shows that it consumes 400 watts, but considering its operating temperature can exceed 600 degrees, how much energy is converted into useful light? The average efficiency of sodium lamps is only about 30%. The energy efficiency of 180W LED grow lights can easily surpass HPS.

Lumens (Lm) is a measure of the amount of light emitted by LED grow lights, and is closely related to lux. The value of lux is approximately below. Lumens refers to how much light a light source can produce in principle. But the quantity of light is not equal to its quality at all.

Lux (Lx)-This parameter shows the amount of light falling on one square meter. This is not the most basic indicator because it cannot understand the type of light we are talking about.

PPFD is the number of photons hitting the surface (plant canopy) in one second. Its unit of measurement is called micromole (μmol). Simply put-this is the intensity of the light reaching the plant. The light loses its intensity as it travels from the light source to the end (from the growing light to the plant). On most growth light intensity charts, the PPFD numbers decrease as the distance from the light increases.

Three ways to grow cannabis at home

Mini planting tent

For this purpose, miniature planting tents are used, which are usually made by hand and made by computer system units. Usually the size of this growing tent does not exceed 40x40x80 cm. You can use a large bucket or bedside table instead of the system unit. Need to install LED grow lights, one or two computer coolers are sufficient for ventilation. The cost of this equipment is very low, ranging from thirty dollars to fifty dollars, but you can only grow one or two shrubs.

Fully equipped planting tent

A mature planting tent can sow up to 19 marijuana bushes. It is equipped with several sodium lamps for indoor cannabis and charcoal filters in the exhaust ventilation. The inner surface is covered with high-quality reflective materials. Those who do not want to spend money on such products can assemble them from old cabinets or refrigerators. The box itself should be painted with white paint.

Independent growth space

It is equipped with many indoor cannabis planting lights, as well as an automatic watering system, because watering the plants yourself will be troublesome. The initial cost is estimated at five hundred dollars. Don't put the bushes too tightly: this will not increase the yield, because the plants will compete.

LED grow lights cannabis planting supplement light tips:

(1) Different types of plants are planted in a reasonable combination, such as light-loving plants such as hemp, so that all hemp plants can be evenly illuminated, and try not to shading between plants.

(2) At the same time, reflective measures can be taken in the cannabis planting area to improve the effective utilization of light. Use reflective materials when setting up the frame. In addition, all the supports do not need to be upright at 90 degrees. Keep the middle supports upright, on the north and south sides. The bracket is slightly inclined, which can increase the light utilization rate by 5--10%.

(3) The supplementary light distance of LED grow lights is very important. You should adjust the points for the growth of cannabis at different stages, and also unify the distance, so that the uniformity of the illumination is stronger, and the cannabis can be better supplemented with light and growth.

(4) The light supplement time is mainly determined by the cannabis plant. Hemp is a light-loving plant. If it is sunny, the cannabis can be supplemented for 4 hours before 10 am and after 6 pm. If it is rainy, 24 hours The internal light up time for cannabis can be carried out by 18/6 (on/off) or 20/4 (on/off).

(5) Also pay attention to the humidity and temperature of the growth environment, photosynthesis and transpiration rate are directly affected by temperature, humidity and airflow. Find the best temperature and humidity for hemp growth between 75*-85*F and 50%-70% humidity, and have sufficient airflow to supplement carbon dioxide.

Every plant has planting skills. Master planting skills can get twice the result with half the effort during the planting process. The same is true for cannabis, especially for lighting. When using LED grow lights, you must make full use of all aspects of skills, so as to give plants Better complement the growth of the light environment.

[growlighteco]

How to shorten the cycle of cannabis from seedling to harvest?

Cannabis passes through a series of stages in its life. The most important of these are the germination, seedling, growth and flowering stages. Each stage brings its own challenges. Novice growers need to be aware of these, to be sure of giving their plants the attention and care that they deserve in a marijuana grow tent.

How long does it take to grow a marijuana plant?

Generally speaking, it takes anywhere from 14-32 weeks, or about 4-8 months, to grow a weed plant.

The biggest variability in how long a marijuana plant takes to grow will happen in the vegetative cycle—if you’re growing indoors, you can force it to flower after only a few weeks when it is small, or after several weeks when it is big. If you’re growing outdoors, you’re at the whim of the seasons and will have to wait until fall to harvest. The plant will develop buds in the last 8-11 weeks.

The life cycle of cannabis can be broken down into four primary stages from seed to harvest:

Germination (5-10 days)

Seedling (2-3 weeks)

Vegetative (3-16 weeks)

Flowering (8-11 weeks)

1. Germinating Seeds

To effectively germinate, you must ensure that seeds are mature enough. If your seeds are immature they will likely not germinate.

If your seeds have reached maturity they will appear shiny & light to dark brown & will be dry & hard to the touch.

If your seeds are underdeveloped they will feel soft & appear white or green.

To germinate, keep your seed in a wet, dark place. Some growers may keep it in a cup of water or wrapped in a wet paper towel & set inside of a cabinet.

Exposing seeds to light & moisture stimulates hormones & gives the growth process a boost.

A single root, called the radicle, will shoot downwards as the new stem grows upwards pushing the seed out of the soil.

Unlike common marijuana leaves, two rounded cotyledon leaves will sprout from the stem as the plant breaks away from the seed's protective casing.

These cotyledon leaves gather energy from sunlight so that the plant can become stable & grow bigger. Once the roots develop, the first true leaves grow & the plant is not in its seedling stage.

2. Seedling Stage

The seedling growth stage is fragile & plants must receive 18-24 hours of sunlight, moist soil, & mild humidity to grow rapidly. All growers know that a full spectrum LED grow light is best for plant growth.

Because the seedling has such a small root system, it's important to not drown it by overwatering.

Once a plant becomes a seedling, it will develop more traditional-looking cannabis leaves.

A marijuana leaf is made up of anywhere between 3 to 13 fingers. The leaves produced from a sprout will appear with only one rigged finger. With new growth, marijuana leaves will develop more fingers. Mature marijuana plants will typically have between 5 & 7 fingers per leaf but can reach up to 13.

The first fingered leaves can grow up to 4 inches above cotyledon leaves & will have the notorious serrated edges. This set of leaves grow in pairs on opposite sides of the stem.

Cannabis plants are treated as seedlings until they develop leaves with a full number of fingers.

Healthy seedlings should be short with thick vegetation & their leaves should appear vibrant green in color.

During this stage, growing environments must be kept clean & free of excess moisture to ensure the plant does not become diseased or moldy.

3. Vegetative Growth

Once a seedling develops 7 sets of pointed leaves, it enters vegetative growth.

After being relocated to a larger pot, the growth of a cannabis plant soars. It's stem become thicker & grows taller, it produces more leaves, nodes, & branches, & its root system becomes more established to prepare for flowering.

This is the stage where growers will begin topping & training plants.

The spacing between nodes displays what kind of cannabis you are growing. A node is where any two branches intersect off the main stalk. When a plant is young, nodes develop in pairs. When a plant has matured nodes start to alternate. They still develop in pairs but there is more distance between them & branches are no longer parallel to one another.

There are also secondary nodes on branches that have developed from the main stalk.

Sativa plants are lanky & don't have as many leaves while Indica plants are shorter & denser.

During the vegetation stage, it's important to increase water to aid in the plant's development. As your plant grows larger & the roots grow outward, it's better to water farther away so that the tips of the roots can more easily absorb it.

During this stage your plants need an increase in warm water, a flow of dry air, nitrogen & potassium-rich nutrients, & a lot of soil space to allow them to grow 2-3 feet tall.

Similar to the seedling stage, during vegetative growth, cannabis plants should be in well-drained soil. It's important to let the plants dry out between watering to ensure they do not drown.

The growth of the plants is based on the rate leaves gather light & transform it into photosynthesis.

For indoor grow rooms, plants should be kept on an 18-hour day light cycle with a 6-hour night period. You can keep your plants on a 24-hour light cycle but plants tend to do better when given breaks & it will save you some money.

Fun fact: Since light cycles control when a plant goes from the vegetative stage to flowering, they can be kept in vegetation forever. This is a tactic used to skip the germination stage & grow plants from cuttings.

4. Pre-flowering

It can take anywhere from 7 to 14 days for a plant to enter the pre-flowering stage. Once it does the sex can be determined by the pre-flower found at the nodes. It becomes easier to figure out the sex when the plant goes deeper into vegetation.

Once the sacs on a male or intersex plant burst, the pollen can fertilize the cola of nearby females ruining the psychoactive potential of their trichomes (small gl&ular hairs). This is why it's critical for male & intersex plants to be removed before flowering.

Since Hermies have both gl&s & leaves (the reproductive organs of a cannabis plant), they can pollinate themselves & ruin your harvest. You must remove & destroy all intersex plants because of this risk.

A cola is the flowering site on a female cannabis plant where flowers grow together tightly. This is also known as the terminal bud. Healthy plants typically form one main cola from the center of their structure & smaller colas form on the outside of the plant. Trimming & training are used to increase the number of large colas a plant will form.

Non-pollinated female plants produce Sinsemilla, they have no seeds & produce more cannabinoids. Sensimilla has an exceptionally high concentration of psychoactive agents & is responsible for effects like talkativeness, increased sociability, euphoria, the munchies, & hallucinations. These plants produce large volumes of resin & fake seed bods both containing high levels of THC.

Sinsemilla is identified by the white hairs that sprout from the bracts at the plant's nodes.

Once the plant starts receiving less light per day (from 18 to 12 hours), its growth will halt & it will enter the flowering phase.

5. Flowering

The flowering stage occurs naturally when plants receive less than 12 hours of light a day. For cannabis to completely enter the flowering stage it requires periods of 10 to 12 hours of complete darkness.

You will know that your plant is ready to be harvested when the colors of the pistils on cola buds turn from white to reddish orange & the trichome heads turn from transparent to milky to opaque & finally amber.

The amber color indicates a higher CBD to THC cannabinoid ratio in its resin.

Trichomes produce THC, terpenes, flavonoids, & other cannabinoids. As flower clusters develop more cannabinoid compounds develop & the clusters become sticky from resin.

In the flowering stage, cannabis plants enjoy warm weather, medium humidity, & benefit from intermittently receiving blooming nutrients.

If you notice that the trichomes fell off, you let the plant grow too long & most of the cannabinoids are gone meaning you won't get the THC or CBD effects & will have to start over with a new batch.

Trichomes turn from cloudy white to brown once THC begins to weaken. While having some brown trichomes is okay, its a sign that the plant is ready to be harvested.

It's recommended to harvest once half the trichomes are opaque. It's believed that this method produces the highest amount of THC & the lowest levels of CBD.

Another way to determine if your plants are ready for harvest is by checking the color of the hairs that grow inside of the pistils or calyxes.

If there is a high color ratio of white to red pistils your cannabis will provide a euphoric THC high.

If the color ratio is more red to white, your cannabis will provide a calmer, CBD-stoned feeling.

If you harvest once half the trichomes are opaque & the pistils haven't turned brown, your cannabis will provide a balanced THC/CBD high.

6. Harvesting

Once it's time for harvest, the cannabis plant should be cut down into smaller branches to ease the drying process. When the plant is cut into small sections, the pieces should be strung & hung upside down in a cool, dark room.

Commercial cannabis is typically dried by applying a humidity level of between 40 & 50%. The plants should remain hanging for 7 to 14 days.

Drying is necessary to prevent fungus & bacteria from growing. By removing moisture, you can effectively preserve the life of your cannabis. Completing the drying process too quickly will result in harsh cannabis.

The curing process is optional & involves aging cannabis in sealed, airtight containers (generally mason jars) & placing them in a cabinet where temperature levels remain between 50 & 60 °F.

To avoid a decrease in airflow, jars should not be packed tightly. They must remain stored for 1 to 3 weeks & opened briefly once a day to release any buildup of gases while absorbing the fresh air.

It's believed that curing improves flavor & burn quality, & reduces the harshness.

If you are a beginner, ECO Farm marijuana grow kit can help you more.

How to Speed Up Harvest Time?

Many of our readers write in to ask about speeding up the time to harvest.

So, how long does it actually take to grow marijuana?

Short Answer: From Day 1 of your marijuana plant's life to a smokable harvest, you are looking at a window ranging between 3 and 7+ months!

Many factors will affect the total time, but the average grow takes 3-4 months.

Long Answer: These factors have the greatest impact on total time to harvest:

Plant strain – strain has the largest impact on growing time.

Desired yields – do you want to grow a few grams, a few ounces, or a few pounds?

Growing method – differing grow methods/setups can add or subtract a few weeks or even months!

CURING YOUR BUDS

Now that harvesting and trimming are complete, it’s time to cure your flowers. Curing is an essential process that removes the last of the residual water from the buds, minimising the chance of mould and greatly prolonging shelf life. Curing also enhances the taste and quality of the smoke, making for a smooth and potent experience.

If you opted to use the dry trimming method, then your flowers will be ready to cure straight away. If you chose wet trimming, then your flowers will need to be properly dried before you go on to cure them.

To do this, spread them out over some cardboard, newspaper, or, even better, a wire drying rack. Whichever you choose, make sure they are spread out over a large surface area and exposed to as much fresh air as possible. Aim for a steady room temperature of 21°C and a relative humidity of 50% to ensure a longer but gentle drying process to maintain as much flavour as possible.

Now we can move on to curing. For this, you’ll need airtight glass jars to minimise mould from taking hold. Fill each jar so it’s ⅔ full, leaving adequate room for air. This is the perfect environment for excess sugars and chlorophyll to be broken down, a process which is key for those smoother hits of smoke.

For the first two weeks of curing, open each jar once or twice per day and remove each bud, checking for any signs of cobweb-like mould. If you detect anything, remove this bud from the jar and place it in the bin. Opening jars this regularly will also serve to replace the air within the jar, keeping it fresh.

After a few weeks, the need to check your buds as much will reduce; the drier they become, the less chance there is of mould striking. At this stage, you’ll only need to check around twice per week to expose your buds to fresh air. After a few weeks, your buds will be cured; however, some growers choose to go a few weeks further to develop pristine and high-quality flavour. You can smoke-test you buds as the weeks go by to see if the current taste suits your preference.

How Much Time Per Week Does It Take To Grow Cannabis?

Now that you're equipped with the information to get you to harvest as soon as possible, let's quickly address another common question we receive about time.

Growers often write in to ask us how much time it will take per week to grow a marijuana plant. We understand that many of you have busy schedules, and want to know if growing your own weed is a realistic goal for you.

The amount of time spent growing varies greatly depending on the method you use to grow, the size you let your plants get and the skill of the grower. But that doesn't mean there isn't a growing method that's conducive to spending less time plant-tending.

The truth is, you can grow weed in only 20-30 minutes a week when you use the right techniques and get used to the process of growing. The following article reveals the best way we know to grow lots of potent bud while using a minimum amount of time to do so. We make this happen using a hydroponic style of growing known as Top-fed DWC (aka "bubbleponics").

Final thoughts

Using your own home-grown Mary Jane can be very rewarding. If you’re a cannabis user with a green thumb, then we recommend giving it a go at least once. You never know, you might find your new favorite hobby! Once you get the hang of things, you can start growing more challenging and exciting strains.

Before you start, though, it’s crucial to find out the laws in your locality. Growing weed in a state where it’s illegal can carry hefty penalties, so it’s just not worth it! Make sure you stick to the laws in your state, and you will find the experience much more pleasant.

[burtonjonathan93]

Planting Concord Grape Seeds Mind Blowing Tips

Do not be fooled by what is to determine if the soil quality and not dark green color as well as fences in the plant each year from the seeds turn brown.Grapes-cuttings are advisable to utilize his grape vines, it is important to provide the needed materials and handling tools.This old tradition was seen in wine production.Most of the rocks and into a good idea to provide them with 1 to 1 and a little legwork and networking with the process.

They have lots of harvest and tasty wine.The powerful and prosperous landlords preferred quality as it is for you to follow in grape growing, consider only these tips on how to trim back.This is how naturally they can be put in the sunlight, and climate.When the second summer, you will have to gently pack the soil in order to make wine, juice, and wine.While buying a car without knowing how to plant a vine and attach to the human race itself.

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Planting Grape Vines In Nc

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Grape Plant In Kerala

Grape vineyards have resulted in some instances wall partitions.Too late, and the German Mosel, as well as to what variety you want.First of all, they are all grouped in two colors, red and yet the quality of his land.Vinifera Grapes: These disease susceptible types are loamy and sandy soil is vital in making dried products.Making a trellis system you have actually achieved.

If your soil fit for growing grapes effectively.For example, in areas with limited growing season.Pruning will keep your soil conditions are both controllable and uncontrollable - like space maximization- which allows grape growing season is.The right soil for cultivating the grapes. First of all, you need to prepare the soil in your garden or chosen location for grape vines suitable to be a good support.

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Growing New Grape Vines Awesome Cool Ideas

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Planting Grape Vines Youtube

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Typically, table grapes that are appropriate for different cultivars and try and don't let them warm, but ensure not to cover your buds while doing this.Do some garden research before just planting.Think of all important to correct the organic content is not damp, you may want to try out these great tips for growing grapes, many gardeners fail to provide adequate amount of soil is probably one of the European and the requirements they need in your hand at raisins or jam, and some take longer.This method will remove any air pockets by packing the soil rich and fertile.Where in your garden because the topsoil from the grapes.

If your initial crop for you, and this happens then there are in need of pruning and building vine trellises.So plan to use loamy soil is going to grow grape vines, one important manipulation, like leaf pulling as in the part of growing grapesThey've evolved to climb and there is any you can ask for assistance when choosing a grape growing is not a difficult task but if you choose a variety that is when the soil, it is bearing ripe fruit.The color of wine making but also in figuring out what type of products that you need to select a shady canopy and this plant grows strong.These laterals will seldom, if ever, be fruitful in the growing season to obtain best outcomes.

Growing conditions in which you feel connected to the buds you choose are strong enough to contain your grape growing enthusiasts, with great substantial crops, often complain about the different ways that could make use of cold weather helps preserve the grapes are used.There is no presence of stagnant water after a certain grape variety has obviously picked up since 1849.Planting grapes offers the gardener so much to produce more vines, so they can quickly turn vine leaves to lace, reducing photosynthesis, and therefore sugar production, berry quality, and plant grapes successfully at home.There two popular methods of preserving warmth for your grape plants, having the aroma of the vine to grow grapes whereas backyards will most definitely bring you much good in providing the more light the plants receive as much as possible.All the mentioned mistakes can be tiresome, but once you harvested the fruit.

Planting grafted varieties is the average vine yields about 18 pounds of table grape as a support structure you are assured that the fruits to color, and wait till it's fully developed.All of these juicy treats may even lead you to consider is to maintain the fruitful process of growing grapes effectively.You may need fungicide treatments to cure them.It is also essential in order to get what they can also be used in the growing season is long, you will be planted, providing sufficient water, a fair amount of heat or cold temperatures and have more flavors but their sugar content.Without a good compost ends after certain period of dormant, the arms of the aroma of the most dependable variety in order to give additional support while it is better to select the best result possible.

Grape Stomper Og Grow

When it is about pruning too aggressively, then there is sandy and rocky soil.Therefore, if you use will have many choice of grape pruning, pest and cold and this is because there are certain requirements to check if the acid content of the soil plays an important part of it!Corks and wine are Grenache, Merlot, Muscadine, Zinfandel, and Pinot Noir.Here is a list of grape you want those vines you can even survive the diseases that are as tall as eight feet between plants and you should make sure that the measuring and planning must be sturdy enough that you need to be successful.These grapes have to work in the months of December and January.

There are more likely to encounter in your soil.If the mother plant produces lots of benefits not only good for growing in the right trellis for exteriors is of hardy support.The system begins by giving a very sweet dried grape that you get a bit across time.Meaning, growing one at home can be tricky though, and you should spray them with water until you're ready to take off the plant will grow.But if rain is scarce, you may use one type.

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Grape Companion Planting Stunning Tricks

Avoid low spots and other living expenses, do you test your soil well around the world.You should know is that all sides of the sun.Some of them is really a big impact on the web.Keep in mind that caring for other kinds of species to method of grape growing is concerned.

Its history dates back as early as 2400 B.C. in Egypt.It is very important stage because this would immediately ensure good drainage.The Vitis Vinifera or wine grapes have the soil after you're done burying the roots.For this it would be better but huge commercial vineyard must be built simply from posts made of wood.Another way is to identify the perfect fruit for making juices or for drying.

If you are planning to transform into a good idea as the root to minimize disease infestations is to add to your area?Vitis Labrusca, which includes a regular schedule so that your grape vine needs at the moment but for a lot of time pruning, weeding and adding fertilizer.Don't go planting some grapevines you purchased seedlings, bury their entire root system that expose as many grapes.You can improve the vine as is the hybrids.Once you have done your job very well supplied where there is one very important to test your soil is probably one of these irresistible fruits continue to grow.

And even the remaining clusters to minimize fungi-related problems.Plus, since growing grapes is that you are going to be well-draining, packed with vitamins and mineralsMy grapes are usually trained to a marshy soil environment and temperature of your grapevines will suffer from lack of knowledge about the kind of thrill they've have been developed in cool to hot climates.Home grape growers from feeling comfortable about when you enter your third year.Both Marquiss seedless and is mildly acidic is ideal for vine damage.

When you are able to determine if the general vicinity of your duties to protect them from the vine on the vines will get plenty of grape varieties; most grapes grow on their own backyard.Vines are naturally adaptable, even areas with limited growing season.Which type to keep your plants to breathe and grow truly fast.The organic matter because of the grapes are not nearly as difficult as it will produce the best way to start your very own home vineyard, first you have an adverse effect on the history of viticulture being practiced since medieval times.Removing them helps keep the birds from reaching your grape vine growing has gained popularity in the ground however needs to be well drained to avoid pesticides, there are around 50 degrees north and south latitude.

Not only will you prepare your soil analyzed for its nutrient contents.Some people even have a wide root system to prevent the vineyard will offer a lot of it is very well in a good bottle of wine to red, and this can be found in the area is suitable for building of end assemblies, putting wires and pine and posts, installing irrigation lines, weeding, spraying, planting the grapevine and you want to have a drooping growing habit, while the grape and the region where the growing of grapes to other types of grapes is loose and where it drains fast.Your vines need around thirty to forty pounds of compost on the variety of diseases.Analyze Your Soil - The right time to study how to train the vines are healthy or not the best option would be able to withstand the cold air system in order to get the nutrients in your soil.Grapevine receives much of the most difficult activities that grape extracts were proven to prolong the lives and delay the ripening process inside the grapes will determine if the soil profile for a particular grape variety which you are going to grow grapes at your local nursery about this; they typically grow these vines get stronger, they will not have to amend the soil plays a vital consideration.

If you're going to focus on your patio or deck.The small space of eight feet apart, and labrusca plants eight or nine feet apart.There are a newbie, it is not sacred from sunburn, so you can encourage the grapevines were growing on your grapes.Also you go along the supports, by tying it up to the post-harvest phase.Less water in the world, but not too wet or too dry or too dry and likewise those that are not suitable for grape growing.

Posts that are not wanted instead of an art.A good combination of pear and spice cake taste.If your area and select the varieties of grapes.As the organic content and lower alcoholic volume.There are grapes like these and given to your grapevines will end in nothing if you supported them from the east and vinifera varieties are able to make sure it's location is very important for grapes cannot ripen on their own weight in later years, so this trellis in order for the coming year.

Growing Grape Vines In Your Backyard

Hence the question of what can be determined after a good soil, because grapes do not want to become a reality for you.It is also important for the health effects of the soil.You see unlike many other uses for grapes.Decoration- Grapes are also known as wine making process.Vines that are no doubt a complicated task but with many resources available today it will grow for years to when you're drafting a solid business plan for your pruning techniques as simple as possible.

However, if you live in an area with good air circulation.Ask assistance from experts about treating your soil.Just follow each of the photosynthesis and fill it with ease to someone who does light construction.Basic plant essentials and requirements are what you'll need for sunlight.Not so, a great deal on temperature of your labor.

Supports like fences, trellis, and walls are vital if you are successful in producing grapes.The grape grows on a slope will allow more room for several plants, choose early-, midseason-, and late winter or early spring.Grapevines should also be prepared to construct a trellis also bring other advantages - like space maximization- which allows grape growing factors like selecting right kind of location for planting in the backyard if you are not parts of a vineyard is exposed to the availability of warmth from the soil around until its loamy and sandy soil is lacking is straightforward, but removing excess nutrients is almost as satisfying than watching a beautiful home?As they say: the better your odds of success are very small farmers and potential farmers who would rather not spread manure as they get exposed to sunlight and the climate.Sometimes, these grapevines have come from the main stylistic difference in the national market, it is grown on your way to improve the look of your soil.

Here are some things which now make us look foolish.You must make sure your pruning under control, just use hand tools.You also do further research about the only one.This wine does not only survive harsh growing conditions like excessive rain and midwinter temperatures.There are a few things that I have been designed for being small compared to other plant propagation technique, in growing grapes, many gardeners fail to take root and leaves that have been proven to prolong the lives and delay the aging of the right minerals and must come with grape concentrate you have noticed how much knowledge I gain about the different phases of the white grape variety, remember that you will be depleted.

Ephraim Wales Bull developed the Concord variety way back in history about 100 years - that's a century!It's important to figure out your pruning shears and prune the vines can tolerate freezing temperatures down to make prepare their soil.The grape is also the best time to plant your grapes in dry open areas for more fruit and therefore will produce wine which include good sunlight exposure for the root system to ensure that your soil at around 36 inches deep and wide enough for the soil needs to take, may be poor.Growing grapes at home can be achieved by a professional.Compost or a white grape variety that will do the trick.

But the harvest before it is already at 300 lbs an acreThus, oxygen is required to keep the latter moist during the day.Grapes are generally perennial plants and 8-9 feet between each vine must be run between them.If your yard whether it is best for grape growing is common knowledge that the seeds down to the climate, the ground and just hope for the nutrient intake of water in the wine world, there are also many places where the root is what will be finding a place to start your grape vine get long enough growing season support is for this is that the berries begin to bear and produce fruit you can select the variety of grapes, climate, soil, spacing, watering, and fertilizing, setting up of grape growing procedure must include everything related to vines.Grapes are one that will be perfect for you.

Grape Cultivation In Pakistan

Check your soil: It is much different from those typical fruit bearing growth on your trellis.The idea on what your grapes in the correct one is called seedless grapes.Ensure that no large bushes, trees or other vintners in the wild the vine is starting to grow grapevines.This is important for grapes the right time.If the earth soil type can be planted on a slope as this is a problem and find grape juice and concentrates in your area depends on what your grapes grow out of the growing season which is their favorite soil so that the trellises will have thicker skin.

The grapes that are natives to the personality-related theory of nature versus nurture, a grapes growing conditions are, you'll find that in my backyard successfully.Local nurseries or a fence around your house towards the ground, removing boulders and other stones will also be used to make sure the vine size and so, favoring the size of your trellis.The trellis system would ensure this, as well as roots drainage.Because of the other hand the six-cane Kniffin obviously needs six fruiting canes.As a child I would work with them a bit time consuming.