Dark Matter at Daresbury Laboratory

Black Pothos is a rare indoor plant that has captured the hearts of houseplant enthusiasts these days. Its unique and rich dark foliage sets it apart from the standard greenery, making it a prized addition to any indoor plant collection.

Black Pothos is a captivating indoor plant that has captured the hearts of plant enthusiasts around the world. Its unique and rich dark foliage sets it apart from the standard greenery, making it a prized addition to any indoor plant collection.

An ethnobotany superhero by night, my mild-mannered daytime alter ego is a science writer for the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), one of the UK’s research councils. It’s not often that those two worlds collide, although during the early summer the campus I work on is dotted with the blooms of hardy orchids.

Header image: Plants are growing in complete darkness in an acetate medium that replaces biological photosynthesis. Credit: Marcus Harland-Dunaway/UCR

Header image: Noah Silliman/Unsplash

Tria Giovan

The cast in order of appearance: Cactus Dahlia; Rosa Rugosa; Lenten Rose Helleborus orientalis; Moth Orchid Phalaenopsis; Water Lily Nymphaea alba; etc.

The physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil work together to make it a complex, dynamic, and living substance. The role of organic matter in soil health is vital. Soil organic matter facilitates the interactions between the soil properties.

Mowing height has a significant impact on the overall health of your lawn. Lawn grasses only tolerate mowing; it is an injury that requires recovery.

By now, everyone involved with gardening or growing plants has heard the term “soil health” thrown around. What is soil health, and why is it important?

Don’t let its relatives mislead you. Garlic’s close cousin, the onion (Allium cepa), is more adaptable about its ideal moment to be lifted and cured. You can simply let the tops (leaves) die down right in place, delaying digging a bit to when it’s convenient. Or if you’re in a rush, move things along (assuming the bulbs are well-formed) by knocking over the foliage to urge the plants toward their finale.With garlic, though, waiting until all the leaves go brown will promote overripe bulbs whose cloves are starting to separate from one another, and the resulting un-tight heads won’t store as long. Each leaf that browns is one fewer potential wrapper to protect the bulb. (Counterpoint: Harvesting too soon can also diminish the bulbs’ shelf life in storage, and may limit the bulbs r

But first, that key reminder: For best flavor and texture, harvest both zucchinis (Cucurbita pepo) and cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) before the skin gets hard and dull, when they still look like the beauties up top. Bitterness from an increase in the chemicals called cucurbitacins that these crops (and melons, pumpkins and gourds) contain may increase with overripeness, though it can also result from environmental stressors such as uneven soil moisture, low soil fertility, low soil pH, high heat or wide swings in temperatures. Once you’ve got such tender subjects in hand, head directly to the kitchen.IAM KNOWN FOR MY PICKLES, and more all the time thanks to search engines and other such decidedly non-culinary efforts. The second-most-popular post I’ve ever published (just an inch behind my slideshow of gorgeous vintage “green” WPA posters from 1936-43, like the one below): the easy refrigerat