Strategies to maximize learning in the school greenhouse

Student Management

SAE (Student Projects) Ideas in the Greenhouse

Ways to let students have projects that they are resonsible for in the greenhouse OR other horticulture ideas.
1. GREENHOUSE MANAGER: Allow a student to be the greenhouse manager.

This can be an advanced student (Hort 2 or 3).

The student can check the greenhouse on weekends to free your time.

Consider paying them an hourly wage such as $6 per hour. One hour minimum for checking on Saturday.

Have a separate lock to the building and the greenhouse and give them a key to the greenhouse.
2. STUDENT GROWING SPACE: Allow students to grow plants on bench space and sell them for profit at plant sale or at Farmers' Market.
3. GROWING NURSERY PLANTS: Consider putting in some nursery stock beds outside in a fenced in area.

Have them read the story from Freeplants.com and see how he earned $3,000 in one day of sales.

After you start nursery plants in the greenhouse, they can grow outside.
4. FORM A COOPERATIVE: Allow students to form a cooperative to grow the poinsettias (Like a pig cooperative).

They can pool resources and effort and split the profit.

Figure what they should return to the school in profits to pay for supplies or give back a percentage.

This will get them excited and want to have better plants, market, etc.
5. SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS: Allow them to set up realistic science experiments

Don't let them do lame experiments such as will colored water make a difference in growth.

Have them do an extensive experiment and develop a poster to display at State Convention.
6. UNUSUAL CROPS: Let them grow plants/projects outside the ordinary.

Try ideas such as hydroponics, aquaculture, aquaponics, carnivorous plants, etc.
7. FACILITIES MANAGER: A student with good mechanical skills can be in charge of the greenhouse structure and equipment.

They can replace belts, repair holes in glazing, make sure squirl fans are working, repair benches, build new benches, etc.

Make sure that they are well aware of safety issues.
8. RENT A PLANT: Allow students to have a rent a plant business to local businesses.

They can switch plants out on a every other week basis.

They would have to water and maintain the plants.
9. DISPLAY GARDENS: Students could plant and maintain display gardens at the school or in a community location.
10. HORTICULTURE THERAPY: Have a student on a volunteer basis or as a Rent a Plant basis take plants to nursing homes to provide some joy.
11. MARKETING PLANS: Have students develop a well detailed marketing plan for the school or a local business to help improve their sales.

Science Experiments & Project Ideas by Clark Harris & Gerry Posler

If students are going to do a research project make it realistic. Not will the plant grow better with water or Coke? Or will colored water be different than clear water?

Sexual Propagation

--Germination of monocots and dicots (corn, bean, pea)
--Examine Seedlings & Root systems
--Can do with root viewing container
--Can do a rag doll activity
--Stratification & scarification
--Planting Depth/Emergence (corn, bean, pea)
--Germination temperature and light

Vegetative propagation

-Layering--Berries, English Ivy, Airplane Plant, etc.
-Air Layering--Rubber Plant, Schefflera, etc.
-Cuttings
--Leaf--African Violet, Peperomia, Begonia, Jade Plant,
--Stem--Wandering Jew, Swedish Ivy, Philodendron, Rubber Plant, Schefflera, Begonia, English Ivy, etc.
-Hardwood Cuttings-Grapes
--Leaf Section--Snake Plant
--Leaf vein--Tuberous Begonia

Other Propagation Methods

-Division--Ferns, Snake Plant, Chrysanthemum, Hostas, etc.
-Tubers --Potato (could look at impact of size of tuber piece)
-Bulbs & Corms--Daffodils, Hyacinths, Tulips, Crocus etc.
-Grafting & Budding--Apples, Pears, Roses, etc.
-Alfalfa stem cuttings
-Hormone levels vs no hormone

Seedling ID

-Crops and weeds

Grow Plants in light vs dark (Photoperiodism)

-Or use light or dark periods at night
--Poinsettias or chrysanthemums

Herbicides

-Spray RR and Normal Soybeans with Roundup
-Spray several crops/weeds with different chemicals to show selectivity

Crop-Nutrient Deficiencies (Corn)

-Fertilize with solutions of –N, -P, -K, -Fe, etc.

Crop Growth Stages

-Plant at 1-2 week Intervals

Crop Regrowth – Cut corn and soybeans at several stages of growth and compare regrowth

-Simulates hail or frost damage

Crop growth with different soil types

-Impact of soil textures

Impact of fertilizing with manure types and levels

Student Management in the Greenhouse

Students are generally much more engaged in lab settings, and the greenhouse gives many opportunities to help engage students.
Ways to keep students on task.
1. Give students assignments of their responsibilities before they go into the greenhouse.
2. Put students in work groups with specific tasks.
3. Give them responsibility. Have them start the day by analyizing any crops they have growing.

Look for insects and disease. Look under and on top of plants.

Look at coloring and height. Do they see any cultural problems (fertilizer, temperature, watering).
4. Make one student the production manager for each crop (poinsettias, mums, etc.).
5. Use a summary page. Have the students write what they accomplished each day.

They should give numbers to quantify their success.
6. Make sure each student has a cleanup responsibility.
7. Allow students to grow some plants on their own growing space (maybe half a bench).

You might give them the profit from the plants sales at your plant sales.

Many years ago a friend allowed this and he had one young man earn $400 off half a bench of African Violets.

PALS - Projects Working with Younger Students

This section is for working with younger children in a mentoring type program (such as PALS in the FFA).

Do the Bonnie's Cabbage activity. Every third grader that is involved in the project receives a free cabbage plant to raise, and the potential to earn $1,000 scholarship, if they raise the biggest cabbage in the state. FFA as a partner with Bonnies.You start planting cabbages early in the spring, so students can see them grow.

Have the high school students give the third graders a tour of your greenhouse

Take mother plants over to the elementary school and have your students help the elementary students take cuttings. Put them in trays and bring them back to your greenhouse and put them under a mister. Take them back to the school when they are rooted and you can then do a potting activity.

Help the elementary teachers plant a school garden. Start small. Consider using square foot gardening methods.