Week Five

Well tie me to an anthill and fill my ears with jam! It looks like I was right to call my plants the Behemoth, as you can now proudly call me a quindeci-mom. Or wait, I`m not female. In any case, there are now 15 plants with some 2 inches tall! I could no be anymore happy. Finally it appears that my hard work has gave me good results.

On the subject of my research, today I stumbled on a rather interesting topic: the influence of certain hormones on plant growth. However, I will only go into detail on only three hormones specifically: Auxin, Cytokinins and Gibberellins.

Auxin hormones are produced in the embryo of the seed, in the apical buds and the young leaves. It`s role is to stimulate the stem elongation, start root growth, cell differentiation and branching. This hormone also regulates the development of fruits and retards leaf abscission (cut).

The cytokinins hormone is synthesized in roots and transported to other organs. The hormone stimulates cell division and growth, germination. It also affects root growth and differentiation.

Gibberellins is produced in the maristems of apical buds and roots, young leaves and the embryo. Similar to the auxin hormone. It promotes seed and bud germination, stem elongation, leaf growth, the development of the fruit and root growth.

Week Four

At long last, my plant has finally begun to grow, well, I should say plants as there are currently 6 of them. I consulted my teacher to whether or not I should kill off a few of them so they dont have to compete. Personally I thought it was a brilliant idea, but I guess Ms. Alm is more of the diplomatic type. She suggested that I should hold on for now as the soil we used is relatively rich. Oh well, for now I`ll keep a close eye on it like Israel on Pakistan.

As for todays research, I thought it would be suiting to learn more about the actual growth of the plant. Primarily, it turns out that unlike most animals a big difference in plants is that growth ovvurs throughout the the plants life and not limited to an embryonic or juvenile period. This is called intermidiate growth. However some plant organs like animals, undergo determinate growth, meaning that they cease to grow after a certain time frame or size. Plants are capable of intermidiate grow becaue of their tissues called the meristems. The apical maristems are located at the tips of the roots and the buds of the shoots alowing the plant to grow in lenghts (primary growth). This extension of the roots and shoots allow the roots to absorb more water and store more nutrients and for the shoots to increase their exposure to CO2.

There are plenty of other information on lateral growth but most of them pertain to woody plants. Since tomato plants are not woody plants, primary growth in the shoots and the roots produces nearly all of the plants body.

Well, thats it for now...Ill keep you guys up to date if any more growth occurs.

Week Three

Well, two days have passed. The other`s have plants that are growing like nuts (cause most nuts are seeds), and mine has yet to sprout. Even this one person`s flower has a lot of its organs out already.

Until my stupid plant begins to grow, I`ve decided to pass the time with researching different aspects of my plant accross the next few postings. I guess today I`ll start with organs. Firstly, a tissue is a group of cells with a common function or structure. But an organ consists of several different types of tisses that together they can carry out cerain functions.When looking at plants, one of the most important and basic functions is to absorb water and minerals from the soil. To do so, plants have a root system and a shoot system. Like nearly all angiospermsévascular plants, it seems like plant need both for survival. huh. The shoot system consists of the stems aand leaves and relies on the root system for water and minerals whereas the root system and it would starve without the organic nutrients imported from the shoot system.


The root is the organ that anchors the plant in the soil as it also absorbs water, minerals and stores organic nutrients. Its also common that most eudicots and gymnosperms have a taproot system which gives rise to lateral roots. Although the tomato plant is not a gymnosperm it is a eudicot, and taproots can be common amongst angiosperms as well.


The stem is the organ which consists of nodes. These nodes are the points where the leaves are attached and the internodes are the stem segments between nodes. The region between the leaf and the stem may have an axillary bud, which has the potential to form a lateral shoot. The terminal buds, or apical meristems are the region of rapidly dividing cell where the plan may continue to grow.

The leaves are the main photosynthetic organ. Leaves generally consist of a flatened blade and a stalke called the peticole which joins the leafe to a node of the stem. However, considering that monocots and eudicots differ in leaves, eudicots (such as my tomato plant) have a multibranched network of major veins whereas monocots have parrelel major veins.

Week Two

Well, it's been approximately 5 days and those whipper snapper seeds show no sign of life. So, I decided to do some research on these seeds, you know, only to let the time go by. It's not like I'm in to that biology stuff, pfft... what nerds, those biologists, eh? Anyway, this is what I have learned.

Firstly, the embryo (the little jackanapes) are surrounded by food supplies such as the endosperm. And, I also figured out that tomatoes are dicots, so I guess this means that the seed has two cotyledons: these may for the embryonic first leaves of the seed since they absorb food from the endosperm when the seed germinates. Pfffff, yeah. As if these guys are even gonna grow at all by this rate. Anyway. I'm also shown that the embryo is embraced and enclosed by a protective seed coat. It appears that this so called coat is formed from the integuments of the ovule after fertilization. The embryo consists of the cotyledons and where they are attached is called the epicotyl. Right below that, they call it the hypocotyl. And where that  terminates they call it the radical.






Another thing is germination. So, when the seed matures from fertilization it dehydrates and enters the dormancy phase. In this phase, the metabolic rate is extremely low and there is a complete suspension of growth and development. For the seed to break this dormancy, it says here that the conditions have to be favorable for growth. Are you kidding me? I've given these kids 10 tons of water and daily dose of sunlight! Kids these days with their socks and there pocket phones. Nothing is enough for them.

 In any case. The source mentions that this is method increases the chances that the seed will germinate and survive. I guess this makes sense since it allows for a broader time frame for it to develop. Allowing the seed to germinate when the environment is suitable. Pretty cool. In my case, it seems that tomato plants require enough moisture to begin germinating. Maybe I should just throw the pot in the ocean? Ill hold on for now.

So, when the seed germinates when it is hydrated enough, the first organ to emerge appears to be the radicle which grows into the roots of the plant. From there, hopefully the shoots will break through the soil surface, forming a hook in the hypocotyl which will straighten when stimulated by light. The foliaged leaves will then release from the cotyledon.

Cool stuff.

Day one

As I looked furiously around the classroom, I had noticed everyone was adopting plants. Had I been mal-informed? I was under the impression that we were going to germinate our own seeds. Then again, how often do I really listen in class anyway? In any case, luckily my biology teacher (slap my thighs and call me Jeremy, I have forgotten her name) managed to get me some seeds. Like a 6 year old child on Christmas morning, I tear apart the packaging only to be devastatingly disappointed by multiple seeds barely the size of aphid hatch-lings. Of course, after some other individuals realized that Shervin Mc. Einstein was germinating his own seeds, they decided to non chalantly copy me. I waited for them to choose their seeds. When it was my turn, I took a quick look around to make sure the teacher wasnt there, and swept m hands with a dozen or more seeds. I placed them firmly in some soil and covered it with another 2 inches. I wonder when these things will grow, it's been 20 minutes already. We're not getting dressed for a wedding here...