The University of Manchester is still in lockdown, with all learning online, and every member of staff possible working from home.
So for now, instead of the swanky new greenhouses we were promised many years ago, we are growing our plants in a large and slightly draughty polytunnel – but it’s better than nothing!
Each pot contains 12 individuals, which were planted in a set order following a template. That formal planting scheme will be important when we come to harvest and is already proving useful to distinguish between our desired plants and unwanted weeds.
Chemical weed killer isn’t an option, as it would effect the soil and our plants, so we have to pull each weed out by hand. It’s a simple if time consuming job, but at the moment it is just nice to be out of the house!
Unfortunately, I also discovered this week that a neighbouring experiment has an aphid infestation. Those plants were established enough to be moved outside, and I gave the bench top a really good clean but I will have to keep an eye out over the next few weeks. Again, chemical pesticides are not an option, so the plan of attack is fly paper and more tweezing!
Microbial response to extreme climatic events 