The word "arboretum" from my WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY PLUS THESAURUS, means a "garden shelter." I immediately had a terrible feeling. I do not have a green thumb. Even my chia pets died quickly.
The hours I will be spending at the Arboretum will be from 7:30 to 11:30 on various Thursdays that I would be available. This was perfect because my schhol day started at 1:30, allowing me enough time for a change of clothes and lunch.
My alarm clock was set at 5:00 A.M. for that day. Because I lived in Ewa Beach, extra measures would have to be taken to be sure that I left the house early enough to beat the morning traffic.
I stepped out of the house atv5:45 with my hair wet and a portable coffee mug in my hand. If all went well I thought I could make it to town by 6:30, allowing me enough time for a decent breakfast. No luck. I arrived at the Arboretum with only four minutes to spare.
Traffic started as soon as I left Ewa Beach. Not a morning person to begin with the thought occurred to me to turn back around, get back into bed and forget about service learning. Being already half way there, I decided to stick with it. A note was made in my head to never take morning classes.
The Lyon Arboretum is breathtaking. On the ride up past Paradise Park I expected a rundown garden no larger than the size of my neighborhood block. I was later told that the Arboretum starts from the grassy field that you see and extends up the mountains surrounding it. There are successive valleys, each with levels that wind up the mountains. I was impressed.
Previous to this I had pictured myself raking leaves and watering plants. They had informed me that I would be doing "groundswork". It sounded fairly easy and i was ready to do light gardening.
Mr. Ken Seaman would be my supervisor. He is a large man, he reminded me of a lumberjack. I would find out later that it was one of his many past occupations.
Mr. Seaman looked me up and down. I guess he noticed my fresh jeans, the white sneakers, and the clean flannel shirt."Um," he stalled, not sure how to break it to me. "Um, you can work in the greenhouse just for today. You are not dressed for grounds work."
He informed me that I would need to wear ratty, tattered clothing because groundswork can sometem's be a muddy, messy experience. I needed heavy hiking shoes that could take a beating and go unwashed.He even added that some volunteers didn't even washed their clothes but left them at the Arboretum and wore them whenever they volunteered. He smiled when he saw me cringe.
Mr. Seaman led me to the main greenhouse. He introduced me to a short woman named Dorothy (I think that was her name). He left me with a, "Next time no greenhouse for you. You get the full effect." With that and a wink I was left alone with what seemed like an endless amount of potted plants and Dorothy.
Dorothy informed me about how "the palm people usually come on Thursdays and that's why there's not much work to do" I did not ask who the "palm people" were.
Dorothy took me to a sink full of small, rubber pots. I was told to scrub the dirt out of the plant pots and soak them in bleach and water for a short while. Then they were to be rinsed thoroughly and left out to dry. Easy enough.
The whole process only took me a half an hour. When I was done Dorothy showed me a pile of the same kind of pots. It was waist high and about four feet in diameter. I kid you not. " you don't have to wash them all," she said. "Just as much as you can." I wasn't about to even think I could try to finish the job.
At about 9:30 things began to improve. Dorothy needed me to repot some Rhododendrons. I would have to pot them in larger containers and tag them. I gladly left my soaking pots.
Dorothy went in depth about the process,She showed me fifferent containers mark with varying numbers : 5-10-10 or 4-8-4 for example. The numbers stood for the percentages of Nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium.
There are other elements in the fertilizer, of course. But those elements are thought to be less important in plant growth.
Nitrogen is good for foliage, stems and above ground growth for the plants. It also help to utilize nutrients that the plant receives. Phosphorous aids in the formation of healthy roots flowers and fruits. It can also speed up the maturity of the plant. Potassium improves overall quality of the plant.It enhances color and tast, but I was told it was very sensitive to the presence of other elements. As with all things, an excess amount of any of these elements is not a good thing.
The Rhododendrons were potted in this manner:
I would take a larger, empty pot and fill it with soil and fertilizer about one forth. The I would take the Rhododendrons, squeeze the bottom and gently pull the plant out. The the plant was placed into the larger plant and more soil would fill the areas around it. I emphasize the word GENTLY because I killed two plants in the beginning. Dorothy assured me this was fine but I felt horrible anyway.
At 11:30 they released me. I stayed awhile to ask Dorothy about the other bins. Some were Cabled WOOD CHIPS, LAVA ROCK and the like. Dorothy said they tried to grow the plants in soil that they would grow the best in in nature. These would also affect the pH of the soil. Rhododendrons, for instance, grow in acidic soil.
On the way to school I decided greenhouse work was not for me I could not wait to do groundswork.