| Abraxan
Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Perth, AU (GMT +8)
Posts: 25,070
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Jasper Hart
Graduated
  x10  x10
|  ½ EagleBrain ♥ Creeperdoodle ♥ Raven Dor ♥ Berry ♥ ½ Team House Elf
SPOILER!!: Sarah Quote:
Originally Posted by Princesspower  Sarah was glad at the response. West seemed to be a doer, not a talker which was great. "Perfect" she said. She really had no problem with someone moving her things, as long as they didn't destroy them or throw it away. Her brother's when in temper would do that - throw away Sarah's things if they landed up in her terroritory.
Sarah had a hard time making decisions.. she knew that without advice from others she would probably change her mind about one hundred and twenty two times. So she decided to first get help, before she wasted her time, She raised her hand. "Um Professor, I have primrose, violets and bluebells, having chosen a Scottish woodlands biome" she hoped she had the right combination. She did know that she got them from the forest - the outskirts though. "and I was wondering what soil to use? I did some research and it said that woodland primroses need a light soil with easy drainage - would loamy soil be it?".
Seren nodded, "Yes, of the main soil types loamy would best suit your needs." SPOILER!!: Alyssa Quote:
Originally Posted by FireboltAvis88 "Loam okay I'll go get that. I also have water lily seeds and lotus seeds. The ecosystem I was aiming for is a pond biome environment. The Water lilies and the Lotus flowers would be in the pond and the Salal plants would be the plants growing around the pond. So would this loam be suitable for the water lilies and lotus flowers too? I know that they need loam soil with 5% more clay than the sand and silt." Alyssa asked. She hoped that she had not already messed up her class assignment already by choosing the wrong seeds. Alyssa started to get worried.
Alyssa was eager to get started but she wanted to make sure that she was doing the right thing.
Blinking a few times, Seren wondered how the girl thought to fit in the aquatic component and the land component into her jar. It was a jar after all. "I think perhaps you need to reconsider doing the two. In a jar there is limited space, even once it is reduced in size... I would suggest then, sticking to the aquatic component instead of trying to cram both inside."
Keeping the water separate could prove to be an issue. That, or the 'land mass' would just be too great and would diminish the pond to a mushy swamp. SPOILER!!: Dylan
[QUOTE=THE Govoni;11315237]
Doing as he was told, Dylan removed the little jar from his bag and eyed it with curiosity. He'd decided to try a non-practical approach and went with Gillyweed. He read up on it...and how it basically fed off other plants to live...He wondered if this would make a substantial ecosystem...Just having it centered around one main bio-organism...
Of course, he had other living stuff to go in with it. Things that the gillyweed could eat, basically...
Actually...That sounded...kinda wrong...
Once he had all his things pulled out, he reached into his back-pocket and pulled his gloves on.
Mr. Bond...READY FOR ACTION!...because he always felt like some super-assassin when he was slipping his gloves on. There was no explanation for it, he knew.
Setting his things that were in individual jars of their own to the side, he looked under the table for a separate to charm. Dylan hadn't thought to bring his own. With everything else going on...it had simply slipped his mind.
Finding a circular one that he thought might work best for what he had in mind, Dylan pulled it up and set it with his stuff. Rolling his sleeves up, the Slytherin removed his wand that was tucked in the right one and leveled it on the jar.
Nice and easy. Point. "Engorgio!" The jar tripled its size moments later, causing the Captain to smirk. Bam. SPOILER!!: Professor Bentley #3 Quote:
Originally Posted by Heartbreaker Things were running smoothly, so smoothly in fact, that she felt as though any intervention on her part would only serve as a distraction. So she wouldn't distract them, nope.
Once she was certain that everyone had their jars and had enlarged them, she returned to her position at the head of the table, ready to carry on.
"Great! So now that our vessels are at size that we can work with, we need to establish its foundation." And this is where things would get tricky. "Soils... vary just biomes vary, so it's important to consider which biome you have selected to create and which soil type will meet its needs."
"There are five primary types of soil. These are ... sandy, silty, clay, peaty and loam," she announced, in a clear and projected voice. "Sandy soils drain rapidly, so this suits drought resistant plants and plants which do not require copious amounts of nutrients..."
"Silty soil retains moisture, drains poorly and is cold and compact... or poorly aerated."
"Clay also retains moisture and is composed of smaller particles. It's sticky when wet, but smooth when dry. It's rich in nutrients and is cold when wet but warm when dry... also becomes hard and compact when dry."
"Peaty soil is high in organic matter which makes it very nutritious. Though it's not very good when heavily saturated, once drained it's a fantastic growing medium... though when dry it can become a fire hazard. Peaty soils have the ability to hold water in dryer months, thus protecting the roots."
"Loam soil... is a herbologists best friend. When unsure, loam is a suitable option as it's a balance of silt, sand and clay. It's dark in colour and is soft, dry and crumbly to the touch. It retains water and plant food but it drains well, and air moves freely between soil particles down to the roots."
It was the King of soils... in her opinion. Great for novice herbologists who had no idea what they were doing.
"Based on those characteristics, your first task is to identify which soil will best suit your biome. Once you have decided, come up here, grab a bucket and collect your soil." She indicated to the back wall just metres behind her where five piles of soil sat, labelled, with a tower of red buckets beside them.
"If you're unsure, raise your hand, and I'll assist you."
A part of her wondered if any of the students did research into their biome of choice, having had to select one to collect seed, bulb or spore material. Quote:
Originally Posted by Heartbreaker Removing some parchment and taking notes on the soils she was talking about, he quickly finished that up and set it to the side. Good for later reading...and studying...Yea.
Listening intently when she began talking further, Dylan raised his hand. Erm...He was thinking that first one, maybe...
So, yea....Did he need assistance? YES!
Hand-raising.... "Ma'am...For these things..." He indicated his gillyweed, and other plants that the Gillyweed was to feed off of. "I'm thinking that first soil...but am not sure."
Ahhh... a fine question. "Sandy's not bad, but I'd recommend silt, it's heavy and so the sediments won't wash away... plus it supports both fresh and salt water biomes." SPOILER!!: Laura Quote:
Originally Posted by Harry174 Laura sighed. "Sorry Professor." Laura suddenly sneezed again. "I don't know why but I keep sneezing." Laura really hated that fact but she would try again, looking at the Jar she smiled. "Engorgio!! Laura was really annoyed when nothing happened. "Engorgio, Engorgio!!" Laura smiled when she saw it was working. "ACH_______OOOO!!!!!" Laura knocked the Jar and it broke. "I'm sorry Professor but I broke my jar." Why was she sneezing so much.
Seren wasn't sure if last term had been a blessing in disguise, Laura not having a wand and all. "If you're having allergy issues, I suggest you see the nurse. It can be easily managed."
She'd been about to continue her route when Laura sneezed, again, and smashed her jar.
Merlin... this girl was a NIGHTMARE. "Laura... are you familiar with repairo? I highly recommend you learn it." With another flick of her wand, the shards of glass reformed, it was as if it were never broken. With another non-verbal command, the jar swelled to a size big enough to work with. "I'll give you a moment to compose yourself... but then you need to take greater care with your actions and perhaps ask a peer if you require further assistance with charms." SPOILER!!: Beezus Quote:
Originally Posted by xXxPandora Beezus took quick notations on the kind of soils as defined by Professor Bentley while she spoke in front. Sandy, silty, clay, peaty and loam. Now which soil would best fit the biome she had in mind? As if on cue, her co-Prefect asked the woman a question mentioning her biome!
"Psst. Spike, I'm also working on a tropical rainforest." She said, tugging on his elbow since he was just beside her. That meant she was going to work on that kind of ecosystem, but if he was also aiming for that one, then maybe they could share the idea. Hmm. Or even better, share the seeds they have among themselves to have diversity in each of their miniature terrariums. They'd both benefit, right?
Also, there was something she wanted clarification on before she could collect soil and start on her task. Hand up. "Excuse me, Professor. From my research, it is said that nutrient poor red soil is the kind usually found in tropical rainforests. Can I consider the silty type for this?" Because rainforests' soil layers were very deprived of nutrients due to the climate associated with it.
The Ravenclaw's hand caught her attention, giving her a brief nod and a smile, Seren listened. "Silty... not quite. I'd actually opt for the loam, but mix in a bit more sand. So..." Seren pursed her lips in thought, "... about two thirds loam and one third sand." SPOILER!!: Kendall Quote:
Originally Posted by SecretAdmirer The pause that had apparently followed Professor Bentley acknowledging her question had started to worry Kendall. Just because she really didn’t want to think that the professor would need an explanation of her biome that she’d chosen to create. The professor had seemed like she knew everything that was plant related, and she thought she remembered something about her having traveled. Therefore, assuming she would at least be familiar with the concept of the Burren shouldn‘t have been wrong. And, soon enough, the pause had been replaced by an answer, although not entirely the one she’d wanted. It still seemed like there was a question in the air, and it wasn’t her question of if it would be possible to have normal sized plants in her terrarium, namely her butterfly orchid. At least it was something, though, so she’d nodded.
There was still a little bit of sand in the loam, after all, so she’d go with that. Either way, there wasn’t any limestone even as an option, so those seeds would just have to figure out how to survive without it. Unless she could find some to add to her terrarium. Daichi and Spike had asked about having animals, after all, so a bit of rock shouldn’t be a big deal except for the matter of locating it. That might still have to wait for her next letter home. Right now, getting g her soil seemed the better option. “I think I’ll pick the loam, then, Professor. It’s kind of in between, anyway, isn’t it?,” she said, standing up and collecting a bucket full of loam before settling it on the table next to her enlarged jar and container of seeds. Odds were the next step would be adding at least some of the soil to her jar, but she was going to wait for the official direction to. Along with possibly more ideas as to how to get her biome copied. "Yep, sounds good to me," she confirmed.
Right. So as those students went to collect their soil, she too collected a bucket of loam and returned to her station at the head of the table. "Now! Depending on the shape of your jar, and how you plan to distribute your vegetation, you'll need to start arranging your soil at the base of the jar. Feel free to take it off the bench, and doing it on the floor..." in case their arms were too short. "Once you have done that, you need to start planting your seeds, bulbs or spores... a quick tip, for bulbs and seeds that are bulky, reduce their size before planting." OOC: This task should take a minimum of 2 posts to complete to be eligible for full participation credit. The lesson will continue in approx 24 hours.
__________________  |