Welcome to Horticulture! What the heck is it, anyway?

Unit One: Plant Basics What is horticulture? How does a greenhouse work? Structure and function of basic plant parts (seeds, roots, stems, leaves) How to grow a plant from seed and keep it healthy as it grows Careers in horticulture

What is Horticulture? Horticulture has three major parts: Plant growth and maintenance Crop production Plant breeding The goal of horticulture is to improve plant quality, nutritional value, and resistance to insects, diseases, and environmental stresses.

Specific Types of Horticulture Floriculture: production and marketing of flowers Olericulture: production and marketing of vegetables Pomology: production and marketing of fruits Landscape: production, marketing, and maintenance of landscape plants

Focus of Our Class In this class, we will practice floriculture and landscape horticulture This practice includes: Propagation: production of plants from seeds or cuttings Growth and maintenance: keeping plants healthy as they mature to adults Marketing: setting up a Plant Sale! Designing: turning your floriculture into products that consumers will want

The Almighty Seed

What is a Seed? Seeds are the fertilized eggs of flowering plants and evergreens ‘Nuts’ and ‘Beans’ are actually seeds Each scale of a pine cone is a seed

Parts of a Seed A seed consists of an embryo surrounded by a food supply and protective covering Food supply is called a cotyledon Protective covering is a seed coat Also have beginnings of first stem and root, called apical meristems

What Seeds Need to Grow Seeds will germinate (break out of seed coat and grow roots and stems) when conditions are absolutely right Soil nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, etc.) Water levels Temperature Humidity Because seeds have a food supply, they will stay dormant for weeks, months, or years until the conditions are right!

Monocots vs. Dicots Flowering plants are classified as either monocots or dicots, based on: Seed structure Leaf veins Flower parts Type of roots Stem structure

Monocots vs. Dicots Monocots Dicots Seeds One cotyledon Two cotyledons Leaves Parallel veins Branched veins Flowers Petals in multiples of 3 Petals in multiples of 4 or 5 Stems Vascular bundles scattered throughout stem Vascular bundles arranged in a ring Roots Thin, fibrous roots One big taproot

Monocots Examples: corn, orchids, grasses, tulips Majority of agricultural plants are monocots

Dicots Examples: roses, maple trees, oak tree, daisies Most plants used in landscaping are dicots

Geraniums and Lobelia This week we will plant Lobelia and Geraniums, both dicots. Lobelia and Geraniums are very popular in landscaping.