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Please discuss all usage with Bill Pinder, Greenhouse Manager, before beginning an experiment or before bringing plants or soil into the greenhouse. He is present from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, Mon-Fri. If your experiment is especially large, confer with other greenhouse users to make sure that their plans will not be affected.
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The Greenhouse Manager will show you where to place your pots, and will attach a "care note" on the greenhouse layout poster on the wall. If your plant care needs change at some point, you must (a) inform the greenhouse manager and (b) alter the details of the care notes. The care notes are used by student greenhouse assistants to provide care on weekends and afternoons, so keeping these detailed and up to date is critical. If you would like to be especially sure that an experiment or collection plant receives particular care, repeat these instructions on a large plastic label as well, and make sure this label is prominently displayed on the bench.
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Label your experiments. Please use a 5” yellow plastic label to provide information such as your name, course number, species name, and planting date. (A single label is sufficient for each experiment.)
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All changes to the light levels, air handling, and other mechanical functions should be done by the Greenhouse Manager. Changes in photoperiod or temperature can have adverse effects on other’s experiments, and he will coordinate these decisions (with the faculty greenhouse users).
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If you come to the greenhouse to measure plants, to water, or just to socialize, record your visit in the Greenhouse Log binder. There is a page dedicated to each day, and you should leave notes in the space provided. You can also check to see when the Greenhouse Manager or student assistant was here, if you are curious when your plants were last watered. There is a greenhouse layout drawing on each page, so you can also "circle" your experiment and add comments in the margin (e.g., "I watered my experiment at 7:45 AM, fyi"). The Greenhouse Manager will read these pages and contact the user if there are actions to be taken.
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Starting an experiment involves the generation of a lot of dust in the headhouse. Please clean up after finishing—sweep off benches, clean and replace tools, and switch off the overhead and undercabinet light banks if you are the last one to leave.
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At the conclusion of the experiment: (a) tell Greenhouse manager so that he can adjust the "bench in use" notations on the greenhouse layout map, (b) dump pot contents into trash bin, (c) clean all pots with warm water, (d) allow pots to dry, and (e) return all pots and flats to their original locations. The Greenhouse Manager is not there to complete (b) through (e). Faculty are usually very interested in whether students complete these steps on their own.
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Soap is toxic to some plant species, so do not use detergents when cleaning pots. If you really, really want to clean something thorougly, use a dilute soaking of bleach.
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If you notice insects on your plants, please leave a note in the Greenhouse Log.
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Please do not bring in plants from outside if they contain insects or appear diseased.
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Never, ever bring in houseplants to be "doctored" or "stored for vacation." Doing so introduces diseases and insects into the greenhouse, and adds extra work for the Greenhouse Manager.
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Do not use the greenhouse for starting seedlings for your garden. The Greenhouse Manager does not have time to care for these plants. Sorry.
