How Can We Preserve Plants?

There are many living organisms on the surface of the earth of various shapes and sizes. Some of them live on land and others in the sea/oceans, and the plant kingdom is the largest of the vital groups in this world. This classification contains more than 400,000 plant species.

The plant kingdom is distinguished by its cells containing the pigment chlorophyll, which carries out the process of photosynthesis. The animal kingdom is classified according to the presence of carrier vessels (wood and bark) into vascular plants and non-vascular plants. Vascular plants contain wood that transports water and salts from the roots to the plant cells, while phloem transports organic matter from green cells to plant tissues. Vascular plants are divided into seed and non-seeded. Seed plants are classified as gymnosperms and angiosperms, or flowering plants are divided into cotyledons and dicotyledons.

Ways to preserve plants

These green plants give a distinctive aesthetic view to the house, and make it glamorous and beautiful.  In addition to the aesthetic view, it gives the person psychological comfort and makes them feel calm. This is because of the positive energy that the green color emits to humans, and to maintain the vitality and activity of the plant on an ongoing basis. Some methods must be taken to protect it and maintain its luster, including;

• Removing the accumulated dust on the leaves of the plant continuously and for short periods with clean water. This is because the accumulation of dust leads to blockage of the respiratory stomata on the upper and lower surface of the leaves, this negatively affects the various activities of the plant, including photosynthesis. Dust also gives an unwanted shape and reduces its beauty, and if the amount of dust is large, it is recommended to use a cloth to remove it and then use water, or using a brush on needle plants.

• Giving a distinctive color to home ornamental plants by polishing the leaves using a cotton pad moistened with milk or olive oil and not over polishing.

• Put the plants in earthenware pots with holes in the bottom, and a dish must be placed under them; this causes the excess water to seep into the bowl.

Types of soil suitable for plants

Plants of all kinds need special attention to their soil. As a result of the great role that soil plays for plants, some of these tips for taking care of soil are as follows;

• Caring for house plants requires an appropriate type of soil for each different type of plant. To live the plant as long as possible; Ferns, violets, begonias, and pyramids all require light, porous soil. As for cacti species, they need sandy soil in addition to silt, and the soil for cacti must be dry during the winter.
• The size of the soil in the pot must be directly proportional to the size of the plant. Placing the houseplant inside large containers may slow its growth. Before transplanting the plant into containers, it is recommended to moisten the soil; to prevent the formation of air gaps that prevent water from reaching the roots.
• In flowering plants, the soil should be kept moist, but not excessively wet; to prevent the roots from rotting.
• Most plants need a period of rest from irrigation during the winter period, and the plants are irrigated in that period after the soil is completely dry.
• Plants’ need for water varies; some of them need a larger amount of water if they are fast-growing, and a smaller amount if they are slow-growing; Climbing plants need more water than terrariums.
• Surface-rooted plants such as onions need constant watering; unlike plants with deep roots. 
• Plants need to be watered 2-3 times a week on summer days; if it is directly exposed to sunlight.

Caring for plants while traveling

The plant breeder may have to stay away from his house plants for some reason such as travel, and this makes the plants vulnerable to drought and death, and the traveller should follow the following tips to protect his plants;

Fabrics and wicks that contain a large amount of capillary channels are used that transfer water by capillary action. One end of the cloth is placed inside a water beaker, and the other end is placed on the soil; to keep it in a constant state of moisture.

The plant bowls are placed in the bathtub, and newspapers, papers or wooden pieces are placed inside the bathtub, then the bathtub is filled to the middle of the plant vessels, then the water gradually and continuously reaches the soil through the capillary property.

A transparent plastic bag is placed on the plant without touching its edges; to keep the plant moist all the time.

Treating water shortage problems

Irrigation is one of the main and important tasks in plant breeding, and it is important for plant growth and maintaining its life, and the reason for the lack of water to the plant – despite continuous irrigation – may be the shrinkage of the soil.

This leads to the occurrence of large voids between the walls of the bowl and the soil and this makes the water descend from the bowl through the drainage holes without remaining in the soil, and this case is treated by placing new dirt in the bowls, and there is another reason that the soil hardness may be great, which makes its surface firmly cohesive. Where water is not allowed to pass through it to reach the roots, and the solution is to turn and plough the soil; to ensure that the water reaches the bottom layers of the bowl.