Ground Cherry Project - Hayden Hawes

 Post 6 of 6: Adversity & A Bright Future Ahead    At this point in time, my ground cherry has survived adversity. Between the dates of July 23rd and August 6th, 2023, my ground cherry faced two significant challenges: 1. It survived a lack of water for five days - Due to a personal travel commitment and lack of available family members to care for my plant while away, my ground cherry survived five days without water. Perhaps we can call this event an interior drought!  2. This plant survived... hand sanitizer? That's right! Due to a comically misplaced and inconspicuously labeled liquid hand sanitizer bottle, a passing-by family member decided to be helpful and thought my plant could use a little water, which was undoubtedly a kind gesture. Unfortunately, what they thought was water and a spray bottle was actually hand sanitizer. My plant was then spritzed before the mistake was realized. Upon realization, affected areas were gently rinsed with water.  ...

 Post 5 of 6: New Growing Environment   With the arrival of a new 6-week semester came a new growing environment. This time, my ground cherry was oriented in an interior windowsill facing the S/SE direction from home. Undoubtedly, the location had more shade as well. Although this was not the same type of light exposure that the plant initially had, it seemed to be growing well and had made more positive progress in a short amount of time. This photo was taken on July 23rd, 2023. -Hayden Hawes

 Post 4 of 6: Road Trip!      After making the decision to complete coursework online for the Summer B semester after my in-person Summer A classes ended, it was time to pack and travel home to Ft. Lauderdale on July 6th. One thing is for certain; I couldn't forget my ground cherry! In fact, this was the most secure piece of luggage I packed for the trip!

Post 3 of 6: Continued Growth    Enthusiasm abounded as I witnessed my ground cherry nearly growing before my very eyes every single day! These photos were taken on July 5th, 2023, and highlight just how quickly my plant grew in the span of thirteen days. After completing a few quarter-turns of my pot, I also realized that this ground cherry is quick to grow and even quicker to follow the sun! In the span of a day, I could visibly witness the change in growing direction. -Hayden Hawes

 Post 2 of 6: First Sprout      On June 21st (14 days after I initially planted my seeds), I witnessed my first ground cherry sprout! This momentous occasion was first recognized by my roommate, who alerted me of said sprout. I was excited to watch my plant's continued growth, while I also noticed how fascinating it was that the ground cherry grew in the direction of the sun (as Dr. Merchant previously explained). -Hayden Hawes

 Post 1 of 6: Ground Cherry Planting      In order to plant my ground cherry, I met Dr. Merchant on June 7th, 2023, at the teaching gardens across from Fifield Hall on Hull Road. When we met, she graciously offered her expertise pertaining to soil compaction, fertilizer use, germination rates, and more valuable information. She ensured that I not only planted my seed properly, but also had the skills necessary to continue caring for it. This was a gratifying experience, considering I have not gardened much in my lifetime. I was unaware that soil should be moistened before planting, which is one of many pieces of knowledge I will carry with me into the future.    I took my new pot containing the ground cherry seeds back to Hume Hall and placed it on an interior windowsill in the oriented E/SE direction. This location primarily receives morning light. My dorm is often set to a cold temperature at night (<70 degrees Fahrenheit) due to my roommate's preferen...