User:Haylen lau/sandbox

"Article Evaluation:" Week 2

Article being evaluated: Natural resource management

Summary: Natural resource management refers to the ways to manage how resources such as land, water, soil, plants, and animals affect the quality of life for both present and future generations and how they interact between each other.

• Evaluation:
  • Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?
    • Yes, this article was relevant to ecology and stayed on topic of Natural Resource Management. Nothing was distracting.
  • Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
    • This article appears to be neutral with positions from every side.
  • Check a few citations. Do the links work? Does the source support the claims in the article?
    • Yes, the 5 links that I tried all work. These sources also support the claims in the article.
  • Check out the Talk page of the article. What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
    • There were no messages on the talk page.
  • How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?
    • This article is on a topic that we had only briefly covered in class so there was a lot more information and content involved in this article.

"Choosing Possible Topics": Week 3

Potential Articles to Update:

• Morus_nigra (Mulberry Tree - I have these in my backyard)
  • What to improve: There isn't much information on this species, so I think I could add a lot to it when pulling from different resources.
• Dracaena reflexa (Pet plant of my best friend)
  • What to improve: Again, there isn't very much information for this plant on the wikipedia page, however, with a quick search there is a lot of information from other sources. I can easily pull from other sources to add and improve to this article.

"Finalize Your Topic/Find Your Resources/Draft": Week 4

I am going to create a sub-article under the Dracaena reflexa for the species Dracaena Margintina. On the main Dracaena (plant) page, whenever Dracaena Marginita is clicked on, it is redirected to this page, so I figured I would actually create a sub-article for this species here. I can't figure out how to take out the re-direct though, so it is just under the sub-article title when you click it. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dracaena_reflexa&wteswitched=1#Dracaena_Marginata

Draft:

Dracaena Marginata

D. marginata Lam. – a name found in horticulture – is a synonym of Dracaena reflexa var. angustifolia.

Introduction:

Dracaena Marginata  is a durable popular tropical house plant from Madagascar. The thin leaves are linear and a deep, glossy green color with red edges; typically 30–90 cm long and 2–7 cm broad, tapering to an acuminate point. It is a popular houseplant that needs little attention, with several cultivars available with the leaves variegated with red or pale yellow. It requires a minimum temperature of 15 °C (59 °F), and is more tolerant than most plants of dry soil and irregular watering, though liable to root decay in permanently wet soil. Because it requires minimal care it is very popular in offices where the constant heat and light suits its growing requirements.

Versatility:

Due to Dracaena Marginata’s versatility, some often confuse this plant as a palm tree; however, it is actually an evergreen. This misconception can be explained by the fact that the plant can be grown in virtually any pattern, with the most popular being bush, straight cane, staggered cane, tree form, and custom character forms. Marginata also has a handful of different cultivars from selective breeding. These include Tarzan, Magenta, Tricolor, and Colorama.

Commonly used names:

There are many commonly used names to describe Marginata that arise due to the various growth patterns and different cultivars. Some of the most popular are Red edge dracaena, Madagascar dragon tree Dracaena, Dragon blood tree, and Tree Dracaena. With the variety of forms and cultivars of Marginata, there are also some hybrid crosses that can arise as well.

Environment:

Marginata has the ability to grow in a mixture of both shade and sun, both inside and outside one’s home. If planted outside, it needs to be located in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 10b and above because of the fact that most tropical plants cannot survive frost or winter. Additionally, Marginata would prefer to have some shelter during the hot afternoon sun if planted outside in direct sunlight.  

As mentioned previously, Marginata is quite versatile and can be planted in almost any kind of soil. Given a preference, they thrive in organic fertile soil that is well drained. Once a mature plant is established, Marginata is quite drought-tolerant, but for peak health will require a moderate amount of water. If planted indoors, try to keep the soil evenly moist (do not soak). Depending on the amount of water and frequency, it is recommended to water Marginata once or twice per week. Fertilizer is not required, but small dosages in the early spring and summer will keep Marginata well-nourished.

Uses

It is one of the plants used in the NASA Clean Air Study and has shown to help remove formaldehyde. It is an effective air cleaner and is said to be among the best plants for removing xylene and trichloroethylene.

Health concerns:

Marginata is a extremely rugged plant, so typically any indoor plant disease rarely affects them. The most common issue Marginata suffers from is a result of improper watering. Improper watering can be either too much or too little, but a majority of the time is due to over-watering. When the soil is over-watered, root rot can occur on the leaves because the soil is unable to properly drain. This can lead to discoloration and droopy leaves.