Growth Update!

Look at how beautiful Spud is getting! You can see he has two very big leaves, and a couple tiny ones on each of his sprouts. I know I will have to explain how all this growing is occurring, but I am waiting to do that till Spud gets bigger, and Bud actually sprouts. That is when ill explain the tissues and everything I have too. For now though I am just nurturing them and hoping they survive! Ill update back soon with a growth update!

The Weather Confusion

I told Bud and Spud that it was the first day of Spring, but I don't think they believe me with the weather conditions that are outside currently. They need sun and warmth to grow the best, but its snowy and cold. Poor Bud and Spud

They Grow Up So Fast!

Spud is growing so fast! Yet I think I may have killed Bud because he never grew. I swear I was a good mom but I guess not good enough. Happily though Spud has two little leaves that emerged from the terminal bud! Well it either emerged from the terminal bud or just a normal bud. The terminal bud is the primary one and it increases the length of the plant. I cant really see the terminal bud at the moment, so it may still be forming. A bud is what blossoms into the leaf or flower of the plant. It is what makes a plant be able to grow. The two little leaves are what perform transpiration and absorb the sun for photosynthesis!  So I am a very proud mother as Spud grows!

Roots Roots Roots!

Well Spud(tomato) is still the only one growing with two cotyledons. I have no clue what happened to the third seed I planted though:( These plants are getting quite tall  and that is due to their strong root system which is a fibrous root system Fibrous roots(Lateral roots) develop  from adventitious roots(primary roots that form on organs other then other roots) arising from the plants stem and usually do not  penetrate the soil very deeply. Most monocots have a fibrous root system. These roots absorb nutrients and water for the plant. 

Buds(Corn) root system is slightly different though. Bud is a dicot and has a tap root system. A tap root system is a strongly developed primary root which grows downwards and grows lateral roots much smaller than itself. The tap root comes from the radicle and goes very deep to get sources of water deep in the ground. Both roots systems store a lot of minerals for the plant also. Tap roots go deeper then fibrous roots.

The Germination Explanation

You many be wondering how Spud (and hopefully Bud) are going from a seed to a little green cotyledon(sprout) . Well the key is that the speed was getting the elements right. In order for a seed to germinate, the temperature must be right and there must be water to soak the seed. Some seeds also need light. If all the seed's needs are present, it will start to grow like Spud has done. The food reserves are turned into a form the plant embryo can use for energy to grow. First, the root (radicle) emerges from the seed coat, followed by the shoot (plumule). The root always grows downwards into the soil, while the shoot always grows upwards towards the light.Obviously Spud had the conditions he needed, but many Bud is just a late bloomer (literally).

IM A MOM!

Do you know what is the best feeling in the entire world? When you come home from school to find out you have two babies! SPUD IS ALIVE! He has two little sprouts emerging from him. Sadly for Bud he is still hiding out in the soil. I never had to drain there water because they sucked it all up. I didn't think I would be so excited that my plants sprouted, but after a week I was starting to get worried. You have to look closely at the picture to see the sprouts.

Whoops

I may have over watered Bud and Spud by accident, hopefully it will absorb better by tomorrow. I hope they are drowning. I'm going to poke holes in the bottom of the cups and put them on a plate tomorrow so hopefully they drain. I will post a picture tomorrow! Sleep we'll Bud an Spud

Bud and Spuds second day home!

Today was a very sunny day for Bud and Spud and they like that. I wish I could see some progress in growth but it isn't visible yet. I bet they are trying very hard to grow though and I am giving them lots of water to use! As you examine the pictures you can see they are getting a lot of sun and have moist soil.

Bud and Spud's Seed Structure.

A corn seed is a monocot which is an angiosperm plant having a single cotyledon in the seed. Monocotyledons have leaves with parallel veins, flower parts in multiples of three, and fibrous root systems. This is what Bud looks like on the inside now as he is a baby seed.

A tomato seed is a dicot which is characterized by having two photosynthetic cotyledons in the seed that may emerge from the ground when the seed germinates. Also dicot vascular bundles are in concentric circles and they have a taproot system. This is what Spud looks like as a baby seed.

Things to note:
1. An endosperm is the part of a seed that acts as a food store for the developing plant embryo.
2. The cotyledon are the small little leafs that first emerge from the seed ( what we are looking for first!)
3. The embryo is the undeveloped leaves and stem at the pant that is protected by the covering. 

Welcome Home Bud and Spud!

I tried to find the perfect place for Bud and Spud to be able to grow big and strong. They need a lot of sunlight in order to grow so I placed them by my window. The problem is I have three dogs running around and I don't want Bud and Spud to go diving into the carpet to their doom because of a wacky tail attack. This is why they are in the dining room were the dogs don't tend to go. I watered them a little more when they got home because they seemed a little dry. I think they are happy to be home:)

Conception of Bud and Spud

 Okay so these are the seeds I was given that I need to keep alive until April 24. They are now my babies. The corn is named Bud and the tomato is named Spud. I am going to document their whole lives in this blog and show how they grow and develop.

Bud and Spud have been implanted! Since Bud is bigger he went two inches into the soil, and Spud only went .25 inches down. I watered them until the soil was moist, but not soaked because I don't want to drowned by children! I think Spud is going to grow quicker then Bud, so we will see if that works.