Activity 5: Miniature Greenhouse

MAKE A MINIATURE GREENHOUSE

During the year most people drink some kind of soda. When you're done with the soda, don't throw those bottles away! Save a couple and make a miniature greenhouse. This is a handy trick, especially if you like to take cuttings or start seeds, or try to grow different kinds of plants. Fall and winter are a good times to start cuttings and seeds, because by spring, you will have plants that are nicely rooted and ready to transplant. Here's what you do. 1. Cut the bottoms off two bottles 2. Fill one with a moist mix of sand and potting soil, remove the colored-plastic bottom-rest from the other 3.Put in 6-10 cuttings depedending on how large they are, or plant your seeds 4. Fit the two bottoms together Depending upon what you are growing it can take about six to ten weeks for your cuttings to root. It may take less time to germinate seed, again it depends upon what you are growing. When they are ready, you can then transplant them to a pot filled with soil and let them grow on for another month or two. By then you will have a plant ready to go out in your garden.     Materials: Two 2 Liter bottles planting soil sand seeds water This is a great project for virtually anyone. Making a miniture greehouse is great for kids to learn how things grow, and this is great for the elderly to spark converstation on the history of gardening and their past experiences. Elderly persons LOVE to talk.   Adaptations: Pre cut the bottles to avoid injury place seeds in the hands of indiviuals who have difficulty with fine motor skills hold onto the bottom of the bottom while they fill it with soil to avoid it getting dumped. use scissors with extra finger holes to help them cut the bottle