The Work That Plants Do

Whether driven by developments in plant science, bio-philosophy, or broader societal dynamics, plants have to respond to a litany of environmental, social, and economic challenges. This collection explores the `work' that plants do in contemporary capitalism, examining how vegetal life is enrolled in processes of value creation, social reproduction, and capital accumulation. Bringing together insights from geography, anthropology, and the environmental humanities, the contributors contend that attention to the diverse capacities and agencies of plants can both enrich understandings of capitalist economies, and also catalyze new forms of resistance to their logics.

WORKING WITH PLANTS Please note: this EPub is optimized for viewing on Thorium Reader. Thorium Reader is the free EPUB reader of choice for Windows 10 and 11, MacOS and Linux. https://www.edrlab.org/software/thorium-reader In the mid 1990s, Lloyd Godman made the connection that the process of taking photographs with photographic film and growing plants was analogous - both use light and water - plants are in fact an abstract form of photography. In 1996 he began by growing simple images into the leaves of Bromeliad plants as a form of bio-imprinting, which in turn led to sophisticated interactive installations of tillandsia plants ( airplants ) in galleries and other spaces in New Zealand, Australia, and the USA. Rather than stay with passive mediums like photography, drawing and sculpture that he had worked with for decades, his concern for the environment moved him to work with a living medium that was environmentally active, and captured CO2. Working with plants as a living art medium informed him to conceive the planet as a huge photosensitive emulsion. The largest photosensitive emulsion we know of is the planet earth. As vegetation grows, dies back, changes colour with the seasons, the "photographic image" that is our planet alters. Increasingly human intervention plays a larger role in transforming the image of the globe we inhabit. Lloyd Godman ecological artist - 2006 Working with plants traces the development of this work, it is rich in ideas and well documented with images and offers an insight into how he evolved into a leader at integrating plants into architecture in a sustainable manner working with Tillandsias ( air plants ). Lloyd Godman's twin careers of serious and successful organic gardener and practicing artist of great creative energy converge in new and constantly surprising ways to make art about the ecological concerns that underly his gardening. Over almost three decades his art has widened out from relatively traditional landscape photography to include elements of performance, audience participation art and multimedia installation to explore the tensions between electronic consumer society and the ecosystem. Artlink magazine - Ecology: Everyone's Business - Vol 25 no 4 - Dec - Jan 2006

“Makes the science of plant processes accessible to home gardeners.” —The American Gardener Why do container plants wilt even when they’ve been regularly watered? Why did the hydrangea that thrived last year never bloom this year? Plant physiology—the study of how living things function—can solve these and most other problems gardeners regularly encounter. In How Plants Work, horticulture expert Linda Chalker-Scott brings the stranger-than-fiction science of the plant world to vivid life. She uncovers the mysteries of how and why plants do the things they do, and arms you with fascinating knowledge that will change the way you garden.

Choice Outstanding Academic Title Florida Book Awards, Bronze Medal for General Nonfiction Plants play a critical role in how we experience our environment. They create calming green spaces, provide oxygen for us to breathe, and nourish our senses. In The Nature of Plants, ecologist and nursery owner Craig Huegel demystifies the complex lives of plants and provides readers with an extensive tour into their workings. Beginning with the importance of light, water, and soil, Huegel describes the process of photosynthesis and how best to position plants to receive optimal sunlight. He explains why plants suffer from overwatering, what essential elements plants need to flourish, and what important soil organisms reside with them. Readers will understand the difference between friendly and hostile bacteria, fungi, and insects. Sections on plant structure and reproduction focus in detail on major plant organs—roots, stems, and leaves—and cover flowering, pollination, fruit development, and seed germination. Huegel even delves into the mysterious world of plant communication, exploring the messages conveyed to animals or other plants through chemical scents and hormones. With color illustrations, photographs, and real-life examples from his own gardening experiences, Huegel equips budding botanists, ecologists, and even the most novice gardeners with knowledge that will help them understand and foster plants of all types.

Smartee Plants By: Carolyn J. C. Goodin CLP-I Emeritus Smartee Plants is more than just a “how to” manual – it also answers the question “why.” In this in-depth guide, Indoor Landscaping specialist Carolyn J. C. Goodin CLP-I Emeritus explores the details of the maintenance of indoor plants from a professional interiorscaper’s perspective. The information in Smartee Plants is based on plant physiology, concentrating on water consumption and the environmental variables which dictate proper plant care. Presenting both the science and the practical application, Goodin goes beyond the average plant guide to detail irrigation needs in terms of frequency and volume, nutrition, pest control, sanitation and disease prevention. Whether a professional plant technician or an enthusiastic hobbyist, Smartee Plants will help you shed the proverbial “Brown Thumb Syndrome” and care for your indoor plants better than ever before!

This book details how to start and maintain a successful safety program in a municipal or industrial water or wastewater plant with special emphasis on the practical implementation. This new edition provides the latest OSHA regulations and recommendations, and each chapter has been updated with new information, including the latest innovations related to all types of successfully proven health and safety protocols. Coverage includes safety programs, recordkeeping, safety training, safety equipment, and safe work practices for wastewater treatment facilities. In addition, much of the text should be relevant to safety and health professionals in almost any industrial setting.

In some parts of the world, plant medicine is still taught at the kitchen table, by the cooking fire, or in the fields, passed down from parent to child and woven through the fabric of the culture. In many places it has been severely eroded, but it has not been lost. This book helps us reclaim and restore a hugely important part of our heritage: our plant medicine path. Conversations with Plants reminds us of the intimate bond that has always existed between people and plants and encourages us to bring them back into our daily lives. It includes instructions on how to develop these connections by using essential oils, gardening and growing herbs, medicine making and gathering wild food. It is an invitation to step into your own relationship with plants - their stories and meanings - feel into their medicine and understand how to work with them by bringing your own medicine into the conversation. It is for practitioners, students, and anyone wishing to deepen their knowledge of the green world.