In Russian kindergartens and other educational organizations, the use of plant passports is common. What are they? What can they look like?
What is the essence of the passport of a home plant?
Under the passport of a houseplant, it is customary to understand a certain document in which the most significant biological features of the corresponding plant are given. This document is not official in nature, in any Russian sources of law the maintenance of such sources is not regulated. However, unofficially, passports of indoor plants are widely used. So, their use is widespread in preschool educational organizations - both in order to regulate the provision of these organizations with a sufficient number of plants in the desired biological diversity, and in order to teach children basic knowledge in the field of plant biology and classification.
It can be noted that in one passport information can be given not by one, but by a group of plants. And not necessarily similar in biological characteristics. The passport of indoor plants can be represented by a catalog in which a variety of types of flowers will be reflected.
It can also be noted that in the laws of other states the concept of a plant passport can be fixed. So, in one of the laws of Estonia there is a similar legal category, but we will familiarize ourselves with its specifics a little later. In the meantime, we study, therefore, an unofficial interpretation of the term in question, as well as how a passport of indoor plants can be created.
Creating a plant passport
So, the plant passport is a document that contains its main biological characteristics. These may be represented by:
- the name of the plant - in Russian and, for example, Latin, which corresponds to the biological species, variety;
- the name of the plant family;
- the territory of origin of the corresponding biological species - in a wording convenient for the flower owner;
- information about the conditions of detention, as well as about caring for the plant;
- other comments - for example, information about the store where the plant was purchased or other information about how the owner got it.
The passport of indoor plants, compiled according to the scheme discussed above, can be issued on a small card made of paper or cardboard. You can create a form of the corresponding document on the computer, as well as fill it out, print it, and then stick it, for example, on a flower pot or place passports of plants in the file cabinet, if it is maintained, for example, by a preschool institution. If not, then you can initiate its creation.
Information about the passports of plants of a preschool or other educational institution can be kept completely in electronic form. To do this, let’s say, having developed a separate passport of indoor plants, photograph the flower and place it in one document with the corresponding form. You can use both options for storing plant information - both paper and electronic. A separate specialist of an educational institution may be responsible for issuing and storing passports in accordance with the order of the head or other local legal act.
Application of plant passports in Estonian law
We noted above that the passport of indoor plants can be a document, the application of which is regulated in regulatory enactments. An example of a state in which a similar law applies is Estonia. The legislation of this state has adopted norms in accordance with which passports, as well as phytosanitary certificates, can be compiled for various plants.
The passport of indoor plants under Estonian law is an interstate document that confirms the fact that the plant is characterized by proper quarantine. In addition, the corresponding document can be issued for products of plant origin, as well as other objects, if required.
The phytosanitary certificate is similar to the first document: it also confirms the fact that the quarantine state of the plant or plant product is in order, however, this source is used when importing and exporting plants. In this sense, the passport of indoor plants in kindergarten in the Russian sense (despite the fact that it is unofficial), of course, will have little in common with the relevant permits. However, the head of a pre-school or other educational institution, in principle, can learn a lot from the provisions of Estonian legislation regarding the regulation of the treatment of plants. For example, you can pay attention to those features that characterize the design of the corresponding passport.
Example: issuing a plant passport at the legislative level
Estonian laws require that a plant passport be issued only to a person whose information is in the quarantine registry. In this case, the analogy may be the following: a passport of indoor plants in a kindergarten or other educational institution can be issued only to that specialist who has the necessary permissions to care for flowers.
Of course, in most cases, you can do without the appropriate formalities, but very expensive tropical plants that require special care can be purchased for the kindergarten. Accordingly, the implementation of their accounting, as well as caring for them, may require special skills for the employee of the institution: the management should be convinced of this, and only then allow it to deal with plants. The issuance of a passport under Estonian law must be carried out by an authorized inspector.
In turn, the passport of indoor plants in the kindergarten group may be issued by the responsible educator. Of course, when considering the wordings provided in Estonian legislation, it is rather difficult to adapt them to the practice of using plant passports in institutions that are not related to activity, albeit not Estonian, but, in principle, of any supervisory authorities that are supposed to draw up and issue appropriate passports. Nevertheless, with the organization of systematic care for expensive tropical flowers, increased control over this process by the leadership of the institution may not be superfluous.
In this sense, of course, the language given in the official legal act (even of a foreign state) may well be reflected in the daily practice of organizing the work of a preschool or other educational institution. So, it is useful to pay attention to a number of other formulations of Estonian legislation regarding ensuring the circulation of plant passports - related to determining the validity period of the relevant documents.
Validity of the plant passport
The wording in question is quite simple: it is assumed that the plant's passport will be stored for a certain period, after which its replacement may be required. In Estonia - within 1 year. In practice - in relation to how the passport will be used in a kindergarten or other educational institution in Russia - this rule may be useful from the point of view of establishing by the head of the institution a rule on the periodic revision of relevant passports. It may be required if, for example, it is planned to place plants in other conditions.
If, for example, according to the plan of classes in kindergarten - the study of tropical flowers, then the specialist responsible for their organization will have to check whether the plants located in the premises of the institution correspond to those that are supposed to be told to the children. For these purposes, in preparation for classes, the educator can verify the data provided in the training manual and the information that is reflected in the plant's passport. It may well turn out that the passport of indoor plants of the older group of the kindergarten will not contain completely correct information, and it will need to be promptly replaced so that the children receive reliable knowledge about a particular plant.
In turn, it is useful to revise the information in the relevant document in order to determine whether certain flowers are correctly placed in the kindergarten in principle. It is possible that specific species of the same tropical plants will not be desirable to place in those rooms in which classes for children of the middle group are taught, since, for example, flowers can cause them allergies. Thus, the educator may again need to audit a document such as a houseplant passport. Middle group or senior - in all cases, the reflection of relevant information about the plant in the passport can be significant.
One way or another, the practical importance of using the documents in question in a kindergarten or other educational institution can be traced in many aspects. Let's consider them in more detail.
The importance of compiling plant passports in kindergartens
Firstly, the use of the correct passport of indoor plants in the older group is necessary from the point of view that children who can read the contents of the relevant document should receive the correct knowledge of the plant, even if not in the classroom. In turn, if the pupils are supposed to familiarize themselves with the flowers in the lesson, then the information reflected in the plant’s passport must be relevant so that the teacher himself is sure that he is giving the children the correct information about the flower.
Secondly, if any plants require special conditions of placement, then it is simply necessary for them to draw up passports of indoor plants. The younger group or senior will be engaged in the appropriate room - it does not matter. It is necessary to ensure proper conditions for the flower to grow, and if necessary, isolate it from children, for example, during the flowering period. But in order to know when to do this, information about the periods of flowering of a houseplant is useful to reflect in his passport.
Thirdly, the document under consideration can be useful in the organization of plant care. Regardless of the region of origin, it may require special conditions of detention, irrigation regime, fertilizer. Some plants are very unpretentious, others, on the contrary, are sensitive to any deviations from the optimal conditions of detention. Information about unpretentiousness or, conversely, high sensitivity of colors should be reflected in the passport. They can be useful not only for kindergarten employees.
It may well turn out that flower care (as part of the educational process) will be entrusted to older children. It is possible that they will be able to read the passport of houseplants - the preparatory group may include such activities, since children age-appropriate usually know how to read them. Thus, the correct reflection of information about colors will come in handy in this case too - so that children can independently familiarize themselves with the peculiarities of caring for specific colors.
Drawing up a plant passport: nuances
It is advisable to issue passports of indoor plants in the senior group or preparatory group in a uniform form, in a single copy for each plant. This will avoid possible questions from the children about what sources of information about caring for flowers to focus on. It should not be so that the passport of a houseplant (it may be violet, for example), compiled for one flower, differs in content from the form pasted on a pot with another same plant. It should not be so that several passports of the plant are pasted on one pot.
The compiler should carefully check the issued passport of a houseplant. Orchid or, for example, a cactus, are characterized by special conditions of maintenance and care, and therefore it is highly undesirable that their passports mistakenly reflect data on how to care, for example, begonias.
The compiler of the document in question needs to be careful when reflecting information about a particular plant variety in the passport. It happens that flowers belong to the same biological species, but to different varieties requiring maintenance in very dissimilar conditions. In addition, different varieties of the same plant can vary significantly in appearance. Thus, it is advisable, when filling out the passport, to verify the appearance of the plant with pictures corresponding to its intended name. If they seem clearly not like a flower, you should clarify its biological species or variety from a specialist.
Let us now consider several examples of the structure of plant passports, which are often bred in kindergartens and other educational institutions of Russia - begonias, ficus, cactus in common varieties.
Example passport houseplant: begonia
Let the following information about the colors be reflected in our passport: name, family according to biological classification, storage temperature, lighting, watering mode, desired air humidity, transplant order, fertilizer, reproduction.
If the flower for which the passport of a houseplant is compiled is begonia, then the information about it in the corresponding document will be as follows:
- name: begonia;
- species: royal begonia ;
- family: begonium;
- storage temperature: up to 20 degrees;
- Lighting: bright, not in direct sunlight;
- watering mode: in the warm season, plentiful, use soft water;
- Desired air humidity: the higher the better, but do not need to spray;
- transplantation order: in the spring in the fresh earth;
- fertilizer: immediately after the appearance of the buds, once every two weeks;
- Reproduction: using cuttings and seeds.
Now - a ficus passport.
Example of a house plant passport: ficus
If the type of flora for which we compile the passport of a houseplant is ficus, according to the technology discussed above, the relevant document may reflect the following information:
- name: rubber ficus;
- biological species: ficus elastic;
- family: mulberry;
- storage temperature: at least 18 degrees, place in a pot on a warm surface;
- Lighting: bright, but protected from direct sunlight;
- irrigation regime: without waterlogging of the soil with settled water at room temperature;
- Desired air humidity: the higher the better, additionally - wipe the leaves with a damp sponge;
- transplantation order: in spring, after root sprouting;
- fertilizer: in spring and summer once every two weeks;
- reproduction: using apical cuttings.
Of course, other information may be present in the structure of the passport. For example, the place of origin of the plant, especially if it is exotic, is similar to the Schlumberger cactus.
Example passport houseplant: cactus
If the species of flora for which the passport of a houseplant is compiled is Schlumberger cactus, then it can be indicated that this plant was brought from Brazil, where it grows in humid tropics. Otherwise, the information will be as follows:
- name: Schlumberger, or Decembrist;
- species: Schlumbergera Buckley;
- family: cactus ;
- storage temperature: optimally 17-20 degrees, in winter - preferably not higher than 18 degrees;
- Lighting: bright light;
- watering mode: regular during the flowering period;
- Desired air humidity: moderate;
- transplant procedure: 1 time in 1-2 years from mid-March to the end of April;
- fertilizer: moderate with a mixture for flowering plants;
- reproduction: using stem cuttings.
Thus, the document in question can look quite unified. If the type of flora for which the passport of a houseplant is compiled is violet, then you just need to enter the necessary information about the flower using special literature or contact a specialist for advice.
You can supplement the passport with any required information. For example, if the flower for which the passport of a houseplant is compiled is an orchid, then you can indicate its specific variety in relation to the region, since these flowers are present in nature in a wide variety of varieties, depending on the place in which they grow. — , , .