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Post by Evainmoire on Oct 21, 2021 4:16:04 GMT -6
A box lay near the planters, where the lepus carefully placed the bundle. Fruit was perhaps the most sensitive to the shift of temperatures, thus to store it held certain logistical challenges. A cellar too dry would see it prune, and one too humid could cause it to mold over. He had heard certain practices in the city where fruit would be frozen and kept in ice boxes, to be thawed once ready to be eaten. It was not something he had attempted, though the prospects were certainly intriguing. The mortuary did not quite an 'ice box' make, despite its cold, but the concept did not appear to be too dissimilar.
Whether through mechanical device or the arcane, there should have been little issue in finding ways to freeze these and observe the result. Perhaps not with all plants, as they may have found the frost too much to recover from. The root-plant, for one, could perhaps survive a dead of winter, but such experiments would have been far too severe for it.
|8| Fall: 8 Jacinthe: 1 (3/5) / 1 (3/5)
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Post by Evainmoire on Oct 21, 2021 4:21:24 GMT -6
With the fruit secured, the lepus' focus returned to the work at hand. Carefully he shifted through the sprouted plants, able to spot quite a number of curious field-dwellers, though most of them quite common. Some, such as a flowering of chamomile, could have found use medically, though not all. For the rest, the types more aligned to what might suffice as feed for barn animals, rather than be seen as aesthetic to a garden or found use outside of it.
And yet surprises could be found. A stalk of a flower had bent so low, as to hide the brilliant colour of it's bloom. The flower itself was quickly identified as an orchid, a great favourite of many florists and even some horticulturists. The bloom of this one did not quite match the brilliant colours often praised of in the books, more yellowed similar to the root-plant's subtle tones, but there was a charm to it just as well.
|9| Fall: 9 Jacinthe: 1 (4/5) / 1 (4/5)
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Post by Evainmoire on Oct 21, 2021 4:25:57 GMT -6
Perhaps in response to the supposed comparison, the root-plant shifted in a small shudder. It remained otherwise rooted, though the stalk shook some times more, until the loose leaf it had been carrying fell away and landed beside it. The seasons were indeed turning, if even so small a creature seemed intent to shed it's leaves, the lepus presumed, and his attention was pulled away from the orchid. There was little indication as to the mood of the root-plant and it would not have been farfetched to assume it might not be governed by them. A simpler creature could only ever need sensory input for light, food and dangers.
Such said, he could only but wonder if the season changes cause any pain for it, or if it may have been more akin to relief. He carefully picked up the leaf from the soil, to inspect it. Certainly the state of it was as yet malleable, but would surely be a matter of time until it dried and became more brittle.
|10| (counted) Fall: 10 Jacinthe: 2 (0/5) / 2 (0/5)
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Post by Nadia on Oct 21, 2021 6:04:11 GMT -6
The wheat bends in the wind.
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Post by Evainmoire on Nov 1, 2021 7:16:20 GMT -6
A herbarium would certainly find use from such a specimen, in particular from a plant that few appeared to have known quite little of. Until further properties could be determined, the lepus proceeded towards the workstation adjacent to the greenhouse, and places the leaves within a box of glass panes, capping the top. For such a device to work proper, it would have to have acted as a vacuum. There was no method available to him for vacating the air already within the box, but he could stem the access by adding wax along the seam of the lid. Perhaps a botanist with much greater skill than he could ascertain what uses and qualities this form of plant might have. If then, for no other use, he could preserve it as part of a herbarium collection, which was fast-growing.
A dishrag cleaned the residue wax from the fingers, before the lepus returned to the planter boxes and resume his work.
|11| Fall: 11 Jacinthe: 2 (1/5) / 2 (1/5)
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Post by Evainmoire on Nov 1, 2021 9:21:06 GMT -6
The root-plant had made little motions since the shedding of its leaves, though whether it had begun a process of hibernation or merely a traditional form of rest was unknown. In either such case, the lepus presumed it best to avoid disturbing it, as it might agitate it's delicate internal balance. Though lacking in what many would consider a degree of emotion, the plant wasn't entirely vacant of the ability to react. Should irritations have befallen it, the plant could have resorted to measures of self-defense. Most prominently by means of a strike from it's rather sharp roots acting as its feet.
Thus, the lepus approached the planter and only sorted the growths closest to it, setting into the dirt a wooden board to act as divider between the area of root and seeds. In that fashion, should the plant have decided to remain there for the winter, it would yet have plenty soil nutrients to itself, untouched by the encroaching wildness.
|12| Fall: 12 Jacinthe: 2 (2/5) / 2 (2/5)
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Post by Evainmoire on Nov 1, 2021 9:33:48 GMT -6
The term did little to approach the meaning of the seeded plants, as it might have with calling the root-plant a vegetable, for both were neatly contained within the planter boxes. However, given the origin of the seeds had been from the general premises of the garden, rather than careful cultivation of a selection, the lepus presumed the meaning to hold relatively true.
Among the wild growth was a curious case of a plant often considered far more tame. As he inspected a stalk of yellow, it appeared to be bundle of wheat, plain and simple. Far from such quantity as to make it possible to ground it to flour and make bread, though the seeds of it might yet be replanted to produce more. As far as the lepus' educational pursuits had stretched, they did not yet cover the art of baking or finer form of cooking. He knew enough to sustain himself with simple, hearty meals, though perhaps.. If the years were kind and he had the time..
|13| Fall: 13 Jacinthe: 2 (3/5) / 2 (3/5)
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Post by Evainmoire on Nov 1, 2021 9:40:03 GMT -6
The lepus approached and reached beneath a series of as-yet empty planters to pull out a crate, inside which a few of the vegetables of the garden had already been laid. It was a dry box, intended to keep such free from moisture and cool, the better to survive the winter without the risk of mold. Come spring, he could have then taken those which yet survived to be planted within the fresh tilled fields of the garden proper. Much due to the nature of the season, there was little cause to plant anything within the garden, even if the soil not been rampaged by the torrent of rain. Certainly winter plants, perhaps, yes. Their seeds placed deep enough as to be isolated from the worst of the cold. Though until he can assess such damage, there was little reason to risk such.
Even the root-plant had been kept within the greenhouse, the better to ensure it survived such harsh conditions.
|14| Fall: 14 Jacinthe: 2 (4/5) / 2 (4/5)
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Post by Evainmoire on Nov 1, 2021 9:45:00 GMT -6
For weathers warmer and kinder, the root-plant could then enjoy the company of the planters just outside. But for now, it had to remain contained within the greenhouse.
The lepus carefully plushed the crate back into place, appropriately ensuring the lid had been placed properly. The greenhouse could have become a humid place, given the weather and the season, so the better spare the plants the mold, the lid had to remain sealed tight. With the task done, he stood and walked towards another set of planters. Though the wild growth had produced interesting results, the intent was yet to grow particular plants of his own. To that end, he had procured a series of seeds, of simpler, planer plants to practice upon first.
A small divot was made in a series of rows within the planter box's soil by the claw. Into each he placed a seed and carefully pressed the soil back over again, marking its presence with a small toothpick coloured to it's style of plant.
|15| Fall: 15 Jacinthe: 3 (0/5) / 3 (0/5)
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Post by Nadia on Nov 1, 2021 11:12:02 GMT -6
Whoops, some more shedding from the root...
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Post by Evainmoire on Nov 22, 2021 6:55:17 GMT -6
There would be some plants which would grow to become flowers. A select few others would be attempts at root vegetables, of a more petite variety. Perhaps if those would successfully come to grow, he could then chance attempting to plant more within the furrows of the garden proper, in greater number. The task, much like many others, would have required precision of timing, gradual care and constant vigilance to ensure a proper crop. As such, to chance everything upon minimal knowledge did not seem a proper course of action.
Lastly, the remaining seeds were a mixture of one thing or another. They were not quite so unknown in origin as the wild seeds planted near the root-plant's residence, thought the exact colours, nature and types of the plants would need to be made clear as they rose. Some were known to hold medicinal properties, some merely for culinary flavour, some serving only an entirely aesthetic purpose.
|16| Fall: 16 Jacinthe: 3 (1/5) / 3 (1/5)
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Post by Evainmoire on Nov 22, 2021 7:28:25 GMT -6
Such mixed cultivations would have likewise required the appropriate care and attention. As not all plants were made to grow in equal conditions, each would have their own set of requirements and needs. As such, the coloured toothpicks were an indication of what would require to be watered in which interval, while other markers indicated the necessity of sunlight or special soil conditions. The root-plant made for quite an extraordinary example of the variety a plants could seek, where it seemed to adjust to the soil based more on the given season than preferring a single time throughout.
As the winter was fast approaching, the plant sought more richer soil, the better to draw nutrients to store through its roots. So, too might some of the seeds that he was planting, if they were to grow to plants more accustomed to particular seasons. The greenhouse, perhaps, was something of a cheat in terms of the latter, for its temperature was far more easier to adjust.
|17| Fall: 17 Jacinthe: 3 (2/5) / 3 (2/5)
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Post by Evainmoire on Nov 22, 2021 7:45:36 GMT -6
Even so, the natures of plants could be fickle, and what was warm to some was cold to others. To place them close to one another was not a recommended method for mixed crops, though the lepus' mind was resolved to attempt a trial. Within the weeks and months to come he could determine what was able to grow and what failed to, the better to tailor the placement of the crop to follow. Such methods could, then, be applied in a broader sense, to the garden as a whole. The plants with awareness - for they were not animals, in spite of the similarities - had found their stations largely on their own accord. While it alleviated his burden of relocation, it did not mean such placements were entirely ideal.
The root-plant, for such an example, seemed to wilt leaves even within the confines of the greenhouse, where it was unseasonably warm. If left outside, perhaps it would have sought a different style of shelter from the weather.
|18| Fall: 18 Jacinthe: 3 (3/5) / 3 (3/5)
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Post by Evainmoire on Nov 22, 2021 7:50:03 GMT -6
Perhaps nothing would have changed at all. There was yet many mysteries to these strange living beings, who strode the line of plant and beast. With a careful hand, the lepus removed the second set of shed leaves, the better to avoid disturbing the root-plant. In such delicate states any disturbance might yet have caused it further discomfort. For the winter, he would have expected it to mostly slumber beneath the soil, removed from the awareness of the world and perhaps thought itself safer beneath a snow-laden blanket.
Such times were not yet upon them, however. While colder, the weather was far from the approach of snow. There was yet still time to tend to the field, to prepare barrows, remove the dried stalks of plants long gone into their hibernal states. Perhaps even prepare assortments of vegetables which favoured the winter, to plant them so that they might begin to sprout that much earlier in spring.
|19| Fall: 19 Jacinthe: 3 (4/5) / 3 (4/5)
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Post by Evainmoire on Nov 22, 2021 8:18:02 GMT -6
Such tasks would require some modicum of haste, even so. The ground would remain pliable for only so long, and it would not require the cover of snow to become much too hard to dig through. Once the weather would become closer to a freeze, any such hopes of planting anything beyond the greenhouse would have become quite impossible. For such a time as then, the soil retained much of the excessive waters from the deluge of before, prompting the lepus to be faced with an unusual conundrum. There would have been no work within the garden proper due to the soil being overly soft. And for much the same, if it would not have dried out in time, there would have been none once it all froze, either.
Thus, the focus remained in the greenhouse, while the world beyond settled its own difference. As he was taking away the small root-plant's leaf, a spot of blue was evident among the grown wild seeds. Ah, perhaps something he had initially missed?
|20| (counted) Fall: 20 Jacinthe: 4 (0/5) / 4 (0/5)
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