I apologise for the quality of these photos. I have a digital camera which is normally point and click, and which produces good photos?if on automatic. Unfortunately, at Manchester University I failed to notice it had gone off auto – so I have had to digitally enhance the overbright photos as best I can using photoshop.
The Elf & Safety Officer came in to Read Us the Riot Act
Fortunately the snow had gone when, a month after the Wythenshawe trip, we were back to Manchester for the next project – repotting neglected plants at Manchester University’s Botanical Experimental Grounds. This time we?welcomed four new members to the team – Ken, Muhammad, Harry and (another) John -?for a job?which looked like a daunting prospect when we were taken to the show greenhouse – which is normally open to the public. Hundreds of plants (see photos 1 & 2) would have to be transported to the potting room (about 20 yards), repotted and then returned.
Photos 1 & 2 (about half the plants needing repotting, though the predominantly cacti on the right will be done next time)
Ken quickly organised us into a human chain to fill the trolley provided for transport, and the first of many (7) lots were on their way. Brian had been making up a compost mix of John Innes no 3 + grit and was depositing shovelfuls of it at points along the bench so that we could all work at the same time. Meanwhile, Peter had found a wheelbarrow to put the spent soil and other debris in and the rest of us investigated the thousands (literally) of pots on shelves around the room and collected a supply of ones of suitable sizes. However there was a shortage of the useful shallow broad pans for the spreading plants.
When the plants arrived and we started knocking them out of the pots, we found they were so dry? (supervisor Yvonne told us later that they’d been instructed to never water them!) that clouds of dust were being created, so rather than us all doing this at once, Peter and John depotted subsequent plants and did any necessary surgery before distributing them along the bench – with their labels – to the potters, and this worked better.
The effects of neglect made some interesting photos (3 & 4).
The pot bound aloe had put roots through the hole in the base. At some stage, someone had put a second pot over the root and the original plant and the roots had continued to grow. John had to break the pot to release it.
The Haworthia cooperii looks to be setting off to look for its own new home.
Photos 3 & 4 -?the rather potbound aloe – and the Haworthia Cooperii (see text above)
We’d hardly got started when Yvonne called us down to have coffee in the centre’s classroom – what a treat?- fresh coffee made with warm milk and lots of biscuits and Mars bars – but there was evidently an ulterior motive. Under University rules, the Elf & Safety Officer came in to read us the riot act – a list of don’ts including
a) don’t climb ladders unless a member of staff is there to assist
b) don’t drown in the pond
c) don’t trip over the uneven paving
d) don’t pick up glass fragments from vandal attacks
e) don’t handle or ingest plants with corrosive sap such as Euphorbias
……. the last one caused some consternation as half the first trolley load were species of Euphorbia. Peter put in that we had all handled Euphorbias before and knew the risks so, after a dire warning about the after effects when a staff member had cut the top off one and was gunged with sap, we were allowed to continue.
One problem we noticed early on was that many plants had the wrong labels or had lost their labels, or the label had faded – so Harry volunteered to go to the show greenhouse to check and relabel the repotted plants after they had been wheeled back by Ken who had taken on responsibility for transport.
Photos 5 – Sylvia, John & Brian await the first barrow load.
Photo 6 – Harry & John start the repotting after Brian has put soil on the work benches
It was back to potting for the rest of us but the job had its humorous moments. Overheard fragments:
“I thought the label said RIP ’94 and wondered why we were repotting dead plants – and then I realised it said R/P and meant repotted in 1994”.
(NB. – In fact we saw no plants that had been repotted since 1994)
“This?plant’s looking puzzled – I think it was potted in concrete originally and now its wondering what this funny brown stuff I’ve just put around its roots is.”
The shortage of shallow pots reached crisis point and Brian ventured into the cellar where he met a hazzard not on the Elf & Safety list? – something small and fast moving with a long tail. It was probably more frightened of someone saying “Stick it in a pot and see how it does” than we were of it, but everyone suddenly had enough pots.
Photo 7 – the Production line in full swing – Brian, John, Muhammad and Sylvia
By 12.30 we were all ready for our sandwiches and another hot drink, and Yvonne kept us entertained with the history of the centre and the sort of work that went on there. Out of the window we could see hives for bee keeping and a good variety of birds and there were photographs of wildlife conservation on the walls.
Then it was back to the potting room for another session.
When Ken announced that the latest trolley held the last of the succulents, Peter took the decision that it would be best to stop there and do the cacti on another visit, as there was no way we could do them all?and?tidy up before the centre closed. John helped Ken back with the final lot of repotted plants and estimated we had done over 400 succulents. The others set to work with brushes sweeping up; the barrow of debris was taken for recomposting; pots were tidied away and Peter gave Yvonne advice on the watering and care of the repotted succulents.
We were finished (and probably looked it) when Yvonne lined us up for a photo to add to their ‘rogues gallery’ of projects – but there was another coffee waiting and the rest of the biscuits…
Photo 8 – the (much happier) plants after repotting
Photo 9 – a very happy Opuntia (and we hadn’t even repotted him yet) [not decorated by us!]
Photo 10 – a?large aloe (6 ft tall)
Photo 11 – a tall Cereus (peruvianus?) ready to push the glass panes out of the top of the conservatory at 15 ft+
Photo 12 – the Dream Team – Ken, Peter, Sylvia, John (kneeling), John,
Harry, John, Brian and Muhammad