Plants and Flowers

Scientists have faced the phenomenon of replacement of less nitrogen-dependent plants from the community not for the first time. In 1980s in Holland because of general use of nitrogen-containing fertilizers, in ground got up to 100 kg of nitrogen per hectare in a year. Result was the sharp change of vegetative community: the deserted area became covered with grass, and then gradually began covered with wood. After that the amount of nitrogenous connections brought in ground has been reduced, however it all the same exceeded an average level.

Nitrogenous compounds are emitted in an atmosphere by factories and automobiles and carried by wind. From an atmosphere they get into the ground. Thus, even in forest reserves and national parks nitrogen content in ground raises.

Ecologist Katharine Sading from University of California considers that the specific structure in vegetative communities can be restored by reduction of nitrogen emissions in an atmosphere. Plants which have been replaced can be restored from the seeds brought by wind. However full restoration of species’ communities can take a lot of time.

Scientists from University of Minnesota have proved, what even the low level of pollution by nitrogenous compounds leads to sharp falling of biodiversity in vegetative communities. Work has been published in edition Nature.
Researchers within thirteen years have observed change of specific structure of meadow plants in the central part of Minnesota with a low level of nitrogenous compounds in an atmosphere. They have shown that the amount of plant varieties has decreased by 17%.

In a zone, observed by scientists, they have increased the amount of nitrogenous compounds from 6 to 10 kg per hectare in one year. That is, have lifted a level of nitrogen pollution from very low to low, typical for many industrial regions.

Scientists have also used lower concentration of nitrogenous compounds, and in all cases found out the effect. Scientists consider that nitrogenous compounds even in small concentration influence plants essentially more strong, than it was considered earlier.

The increase in amount of nitrogen stimulates growth of plants which “uneconomically” spend this element. At surplus of nitrogenous compounds in ground, rough growth of such plants leads to replacement of the species, which do not depend on nitrogen content. As a result, the total amount of species falls.

Always there is certain percentage of plants which are just “unlucky”… The mortality percentage among the plants which have been grown not outdoors, but in artificial conditions of a hothouse, is especially high. In such “incubator” their immune system is weakened, and plants can hardly cope with the smallest stresses - whether it is the change of humidity, illumination, transportation or change of habitual position to the source of illumination. However, even healthy and strong plants, in outward appearance, sometimes perish without obvious reasons.

It is necessary to remember that plants also have “character”, “temperament” and different will to live. You may get such pessimistic specimen, which no way wants to adapt to new conditions - let even a difference in temperature makes a few degrees, and instead of the bright sun, it is temporarily put in a shadow…

To distinguish signs of completely various “diseases” of plants, plant-grower should be very attentive, as many of them sometimes are externally similar.

All flower growers are united by the love to the beautiful! Even a banal ficus has its beauty, grace and vigorous energy of life, if it is well-groomed, healthy and vigorous.
But frequently healthy outwardly plant suddenly fades and nothing can help – it dies for some days. What to do then?

First, you should remember, that there are no ready recipes. The alive organism of plants can not be precisely forecasted and consequently none “miracle recipe” will give an absolute guarantee of success. However our simple attentiveness and knowledge of bases, what is good and what is bad for the plant, will help to lower morbidity and percentage of lost plants.

Second, even the most skilled flower growers are not insured from mistakes and simple inadvertence, in addition, it is not simple to diagnose correctly the “patient” - frequently the plant starts “to mope” without obvious reasons.

Jackfruit is widely used in local cookery, both ripe, and unripe. Fruit reminds a fig on its consistence. Unripe fruit is cooked as a vegetable, and ripe is used in the raw state. Its taste is similar to a melon, mango and pawpaw. Its juice is very sweet, has a yellow, brownish or pink shade depending on a maturity of a fruit. Unripe fruits are cooked, fried and stewed. It is cut in pieces, cooked in the salted water up to readiness and served. Seeds are also cooked, fried and eaten as chestnuts.

Ripe fruits are eaten raw, they are used for jams, compotes and liquors.
Jackfruit fruits are very nutritious and contain about 40 % of carbohydrates (starch) - more, than in bread. Therefore (and because of cheapness) jackfruit in India is called as “bread for poor people�. Seeds are also nutritious - they contain 38 % of carbohydrates, 6.6 % of proteins and 0.4 % of fats; they are roasted and eaten as chestnuts.

Jackfruit wood is not affected by termites and fungi and is used for building and manufacture of furniture and musical instruments.

Jackfruit is very large fast-growing tree, demanding great space for roots. Even the big tub will be small for its root system, therefore in room conditions experience of cultivation makes only some years.

Jackfruit prefers well drained soil and protected from frosts, light and warm place. It likes rich, light or average structure of the soil. The faster you will force the tropical plant to grow, the more chances to survive. The tree needs good drainage; it does not bear water stagnation. The tree does not bear drought. Water more often during warm months. During cold snaps reduce watering.

Requirements of a jackfruit for fertilizers are unknown, but often extranutrition with a slight universal fertilizer will speed up plant’s growth not causing a scald. In its natural habitat it successfully grows without special care. The only requirement is plentiful watering.

Small plants need full protection against drafts and additional illumination.

The native land of a jackfruit is India (Eastern Ghats) and Bangladesh; now it is most extended in Southeast Asia and on Philippines. There are also its plantings in the Eastern Africa (Kenya, Uganda). In islands of Oceania and in tropics of the New World, except for northern Brazil and Surinam, jackfruit can be rarely met.

In Southern India jackfruit in respect to natural occurrence is comparable with mango and banana trees. The area of its plantings is estimated in 64 247,40 acres. On Sri Lanka (11 001,13 acres) it is grown mainly for the sake of its wood.

It is also widely cultivated in Thailand. But as a whole, because of an unpleasant smell of “waste products” jackfruit is incomparable with fruits of breadfruit tree.

Fruits (multiple fruits) of a jackfruit are the biggest edible fruits growing on trees: 20-90 centimeters in the length and up to 20 in diameter, they weigh up to 34 kg. Their thick peel is covered with numerous cone-shaped bulges. Young fruits are green, at maturing become green-yellow or brown-yellow and at tip produce hollow sound (unripe fruits - dull sound). Inside each fruit is divided into the big shares which contain sweet yellow pulp from juicy slippery fibers. The peel and seeds of a mature fruit smell strong and unpleasant, reminding a rotten onion, whereas the pulp smells pleasant, like a banana and pineapple.

Since all parts of a plant, including a peel, contain sticky latex, put on rubber gloves before preparing. The overripe fruit becomes brown and quickly gets out of order, but in a refrigerator it may be stored for 1-2 months.

There are two main varieties. One of them has a small fruit; pulp is fibrous, soft, porous, but very sweet. Other variety has more dense pulp, crust, though not so sweet. This variety is more important commercially and on the western taste, is tastier.

Jackfruit or Artocarpus heterophyllus is the close relative of a breadfruit tree.

Jackfruit is the evergreen tree reaching 20 m in height. Leaves are oblong, oval or elliptic, 10-15 centimeters in length, leatherlike, glossy, of dark green color. Young leaves are cleft. A tree is monoecious plant. Male and pistillate flowers are ordinary-looking, collected in unisex inflorescences. Male flowers - on thin branchlets, frequently among foliage. Pistillate flowers are larger, on thick strong pedicels which grow directly on a trunk (cauliflory), at the basis of the bottom branches or from the ground at the foot of a tree.

The matter is that unlike a breadfruit tree with its massive branches, branches of a jackfruit are rather thin and fragile, and fruits are formed where the trunk is strong enough.

The tree of a jackfruit is beautiful and majestic. In tropics it grows till the huge sizes, as a big east oak. Flowers are pollinated with a wind and insects. In culture it is frequently pollinated by hands. Fruits grow ripe for 3-8 months. All parts of a tree contain sticky, white latex.

Superfluous illumination is harmless (unless obvious sunscald) however the plant loses visual appeal.
Symptoms of surplus light: leaves become light (up to whitish), burn out on sun; the plant loses decorative effect. Leaves of deciduous plants grow smaller, that affects appearance.

The help: gradually move a plant away from a light source, or use the filter (a paper or a reflecting barrier on a windowpane, a tulle curtain, gauze). Do not move a plant from the bright sun in a deep shadow at once - it can shed all leaves.
If you have noticed sunscalds on leaves, you won’t be able to restore them any more – wait for new sprouts.