Uncategorized | Mission Azul

A student started working at a commercial landscaping company. He was surprised that his co workers were not all excited about plants the way we are at school. He mentioned this difference, and I dwelled on it a bit because it is true. So the thoughts convened and words tumbled out the spillway.

The following pictures start at one end of the spectrum, and work their way to the other side. Its not a straight shot, there is a wee twist & wiggle back and forth. Nevertheless, there is a big head and a serpentine tail; it is a rainbow arc going from red outer edge to violet inner.

We begin with a well maintained, crisp and clean, somewhat idealized landscape. As we traipse along, we pause where land is cared for sporadically – its not quite tight and put together, but not altogether a mess either. And finally, we find ourselves meandering in some kinda wild country older than most of our memories.

For me the main distinctions between the zones are density, diversity, and form. I like and appreciate all of them, all the places. I am happiest in magic wonderlands where my head explodes from sheer visual excitement, scat on the trails, and the smell of eucalyptus Yerba Santa and sage brush. I am a fan of structure, machines, order, and labor. Most of the time I inhabit a realm somewhere in between. Okay lets go!

It all started with a student named Brent – an adventurous and savvy indoor grower of basil and other crops. He spoke of pupping cream and sent me a link. I went down the hole. The timing was fortuitous because we had all just read an essay by orchid master Tom Perlite about the various plant hormones and the role they play in development. We were about to make cuttings and use auxins in products like rootone, dip & grow, and clonex. The topic of discussion was the synthetic versions we apply to plants in cultivation. Most folks do not recognize or understand the overall importance of hormones in plants, animals, humans. So here then is a quick primer of pictures for an overview that brings it closer to home.

We talk about the old time sources of hormones and why we sought after them. Perhaps a male eager for that boost to be the alpha, or a female in menopause hoping for the return of coolness, skin and lubrication. We touch upon triiodothyronine, thyroxine, estrogen, adrenaline, cortisol, growth hormone, insulin, testosterone, and erythropoietin. Then we circle back to plants and cytokinins, the ingredient in the pupping cream. More another day about the other plant hormones like gibberellins, ethylene, and abscisic acid.