This past week has been quite a whirlwind, filled with a juggling act between school and work that left me with minimal productivity. Despite the hectic schedule, a notable highlight was the FOI expo on Tuesday, diverting my attention from my ongoing experiment.
Amid my academic and professional commitments, I took the opportunity to reach out to my former instructor, seeking guidance for my project. Fortunately, he offered many innovative ideas to approach the experiment anew, especially considering that my initial attempt had not yielded the desired results. He suggested delving into the world of extracting oil from creosote, exploring its potential allelopathic properties alongside brittlebush, sunflowers, and other shrubs. The plan was to rigorously test each of these plant varieties to determine which possessed the strongest attributes for countering the growth of nutsedge.
Yesterday, I embarked on harvesting an abundance of sunflowers from the garden to revisit the creation of my sunflower tea. Concurrently, I planted some Echinacea seeds as a side experiment, questioning whether the sunflowers were effective. Interestingly, the sunflower tea appeared to have an inhibiting effect, as the Echinacea seeds sprouted in the presence of water alone, while the sunflower seeds remained dormant. This revelation prompts the question: just how potent is this sunflower tea?
In the coming days, I aim to explore other plant options for harvesting. However, this semester has brought about a sense of overwhelming uncertainty regarding the progress I can make. Despite the challenges, I am determined to persevere and continue this fascinating journey of discovery.
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