Beverly Brown How do you get your plants onto the bristol board sheets? I go to college in Ontario and i have this due as a project for the upcoming fall semester. My teacher didn't do a very good job of explaining how to display your plant sheets. He simply said to glue the plants to it, but i feel like that would eventually lead to damage of the plant. Will i end up with ripped leaves, or will it crumble of the sheet? I feel like the specimens should be laminated or at the least put inside of a plastic sleeve. Maybe i am wrong, i'm just worried about the quality of my specimens.
TheUnluckyFisherman There is a special archival glue that we use. You can water it down so that it flows easily onto your specimen. The best way to do this is to water down the glue and then spread a thin film on a piece of glass big enough to lay your entire specimen flat. When you place it on the glass where you have spread the glue, the plant will pick up a thin film of the glue and you move it carefully to the mounting paper. This can be a very tricky process if your specimen is very delicate. If you don't want to keep specimens forever, using Elmer's glue and watering it down a bit should work fine. It just won't stand up as well over time (or cost as much, either. :) ). Does that help? Let me know if you have more questions.
It depends on how long you want to keep the specimen. If you want to keep it a long time, then a good archival quality herbarium glue is a good idea. Take a look at the adhesives at the Herbarium Supply Co. herbariumsupply.com under the Mounting tab. If you just want to glue plants for the short term, then any kind of clear, relatively quick drying glue will work.
The easiest thing is to put them in a freezer for two days at -18 C/0 F. That should take care of the problem. Assuming you have a freezer that can hold all your specimens for that long.
Ideally you would use a plant press, or heavy books throughout the drying period. If you use a plant press, check it periodically and tighten it. The plants will shrink as they dry out and won't press properly without tightening.
It all depends on the humidity level where you are, the air circulation around the plant press, how wet the plants were when they went into the press, and the general temperature of the area. We have a pretty low humidity in the science building with no special air circulation. The temperature is around 70 degrees F. It takes at least two weeks for plants to dry well under those circumstances.
We use archival quality paper such as those available from The Herbarium Supply Company herbariumsupply.com/collections/mounting-papers The quality of paper to use depends on how long you want the specimen to be available. Archival quality paper allows for several hundred years of use. If you don't want to preserve the specimens for that long, then a heavy gauge paper that can absorb glue without warping would be fine.
Normal paper will not keep the plants in stable form for many years. It will warp when you glue the plant to the paper. So, the short answer is no. However, it depends on your goal. If you want to have plants to display for a short period of time or for a school assignment, then a heavy weight paper or cardstock could work. If you want specimens that will be around for years, then go with archival quality paper. It is worth the extra expense; all the hard work of selecting, pressing, and identifying your specimen will be preserved.
To mount pressed plants, use the highest quality paper you can find. High cotton content paper would be a good substitute. Whatever paper you choose, it should be sturdy enough to avoid folding over and damaging the specimen, and thick enough that the glue doesn't bleed through. Archival paper (made from cotton) or conservation-grade (made from wood pulp, but buffered and acid-free). Neither of these should turn yellow over time or become brittle. Using this paper assumes that you want to keep the specimens for as long a period of time as possible. If you are pressing plants for short-term use, then any heavy duty paper will be fine.
What is blotter paper made from and how is it different from just like..thick watercolor paper or something? And is there anywhere you can get just a few large sheets instead of in a pack of 100? Thanks
Blotter paper is much thicker than watercolor paper. It has high cotton content. Depending on the size you want, you can get a few sheets on Amazon of from Carolina Biological Supply.
I want the biggest size as the hobbyist and gardener types aren't big enough for some of my flowers. I thought it looked super thick, but then Wikipedia said its basically like watercolor paper. (Which we all know is deeply biased, but is sometimes useful). Anyway, I'm trying to press a little orchid flower ASAP and I've got lots of different art papers and I thought maybe watercolor paper might work in a pinch and I've also got a few sheets of this is SUPER absorbent rice paper for sumi painting, but it's almost tracing paper thin, so I've got, from the middle : newspaper, rice paper, watercolor paper, cardboard, or should I layer these in a different order? Thanks so much
That order should work. You probably don't need the rice paper. The idea is to wick the water away from the flower and let it evaporate to the atmosphere through the blotter/watercolor paper and cardboard. Good luck with your project!
Yeah I get the concept, but what I'm getting hung up on is, if the blotter is more absorbent, why not use that or something more absorbent than newspaper against the plant to get the water out quicker? It seems like it goes from least absorbent to most absorbent (paper, blotter, cardboard). My flower isn't going to last on the plant very long. I had no intentions of saving it until it bloomed and turned out the be a mutation or probably a hybrid. I'm going to preserve one in alcohol, too if I can figure out how to do that. Anyway, thank you sooooo much for your help! You are so kind and wonderful to answer my questions.
I need to press a specimen of calotropis which has a thick stem.... and i dont have a plant press.... so what do i do? Also its phyllotaxy is decussate ... so do i remove the leaves to press the plant?
Thanks for the feedback. I made this for a class and had no idea it would get any other views.
Beverly Brown How do you get your plants onto the bristol board sheets? I go to college in Ontario and i have this due as a project for the upcoming fall semester. My teacher didn't do a very good job of explaining how to display your plant sheets. He simply said to glue the plants to it, but i feel like that would eventually lead to damage of the plant. Will i end up with ripped leaves, or will it crumble of the sheet?
I feel like the specimens should be laminated or at the least put inside of a plastic sleeve. Maybe i am wrong, i'm just worried about the quality of my specimens.
TheUnluckyFisherman There is a special archival glue that we use. You can water it down so that it flows easily onto your specimen. The best way to do this is to water down the glue and then spread a thin film on a piece of glass big enough to lay your entire specimen flat. When you place it on the glass where you have spread the glue, the plant will pick up a thin film of the glue and you move it carefully to the mounting paper. This can be a very tricky process if your specimen is very delicate. If you don't want to keep specimens forever, using Elmer's glue and watering it down a bit should work fine. It just won't stand up as well over time (or cost as much, either. :) ). Does that help? Let me know if you have more questions.
Beverly Brown Thank you very much, i will certainly let you know if i do!
Thank-you mam, it's really helpfull..... 🤗🤗🙏
kya plant ko kt kr k lga skte h
root ,stem, leaf ,flower or sheed sabhi ka hona jruri h kya
Great video
Thanks it is really help full⏩🙏
Thank you for the kind words.
what kind of blotter paper do you use and where can i purchase some? could i use watercolour paper? great video! thank you for sharing!
Which glue is used to paste the stem on the paper
It depends on how long you want to keep the specimen. If you want to keep it a long time, then a good archival quality herbarium glue is a good idea. Take a look at the adhesives at the Herbarium Supply Co. herbariumsupply.com under the Mounting tab. If you just want to glue plants for the short term, then any kind of clear, relatively quick drying glue will work.
Can I ask if there are substitute for herbarium sheets? I can't find any herbarium sheets around
thanks that was really helpful :)
What can i do my plants specimen are getting white and there are some small insects 🥺?
The easiest thing is to put them in a freezer for two days at -18 C/0 F. That should take care of the problem. Assuming you have a freezer that can hold all your specimens for that long.
should you put the weight on for two to three days
Ideally you would use a plant press, or heavy books throughout the drying period. If you use a plant press, check it periodically and tighten it. The plants will shrink as they dry out and won't press properly without tightening.
Is it necessary to dry the leaves under sunlight?
No, you just need to dry them where there is relatively dry air and good air circulation.
How many days does the specimen will be appropriate to remove from pressing? thankyou
It all depends on the humidity level where you are, the air circulation around the plant press, how wet the plants were when they went into the press, and the general temperature of the area. We have a pretty low humidity in the science building with no special air circulation. The temperature is around 70 degrees F. It takes at least two weeks for plants to dry well under those circumstances.
hello miss... can you tell me what kind of paper that we can use / cannot use to put the plants?
We use archival quality paper such as those available from The Herbarium Supply Company herbariumsupply.com/collections/mounting-papers The quality of paper to use depends on how long you want the specimen to be available. Archival quality paper allows for several hundred years of use. If you don't want to preserve the specimens for that long, then a heavy gauge paper that can absorb glue without warping would be fine.
Very nice
Can i use normal paper for the press?
Normal paper will not keep the plants in stable form for many years. It will warp when you glue the plant to the paper. So, the short answer is no. However, it depends on your goal. If you want to have plants to display for a short period of time or for a school assignment, then a heavy weight paper or cardstock could work. If you want specimens that will be around for years, then go with archival quality paper. It is worth the extra expense; all the hard work of selecting, pressing, and identifying your specimen will be preserved.
where is this sheet available in Lahore I could not find it
To mount pressed plants, use the highest quality paper you can find. High cotton content paper would be a good substitute. Whatever paper you choose, it should be sturdy enough to avoid folding over and damaging the specimen, and thick enough that the glue doesn't bleed through. Archival paper (made from cotton) or conservation-grade (made from wood pulp, but buffered and acid-free). Neither of these should turn yellow over time or become brittle. Using this paper assumes that you want to keep the specimens for as long a period of time as possible.
If you are pressing plants for short-term use, then any heavy duty paper will be fine.
What is blotter paper made from and how is it different from just like..thick watercolor paper or something? And is there anywhere you can get just a few large sheets instead of in a pack of 100? Thanks
Blotter paper is much thicker than watercolor paper. It has high cotton content. Depending on the size you want, you can get a few sheets on Amazon of from Carolina Biological Supply.
I want the biggest size as the hobbyist and gardener types aren't big enough for some of my flowers. I thought it looked super thick, but then Wikipedia said its basically like watercolor paper. (Which we all know is deeply biased, but is sometimes useful). Anyway, I'm trying to press a little orchid flower ASAP and I've got lots of different art papers and I thought maybe watercolor paper might work in a pinch and I've also got a few sheets of this is SUPER absorbent rice paper for sumi painting, but it's almost tracing paper thin, so I've got, from the middle : newspaper, rice paper, watercolor paper, cardboard, or should I layer these in a different order? Thanks so much
That order should work. You probably don't need the rice paper. The idea is to wick the water away from the flower and let it evaporate to the atmosphere through the blotter/watercolor paper and cardboard. Good luck with your project!
Yeah I get the concept, but what I'm getting hung up on is, if the blotter is more absorbent, why not use that or something more absorbent than newspaper against the plant to get the water out quicker? It seems like it goes from least absorbent to most absorbent (paper, blotter, cardboard). My flower isn't going to last on the plant very long. I had no intentions of saving it until it bloomed and turned out the be a mutation or probably a hybrid. I'm going to preserve one in alcohol, too if I can figure out how to do that. Anyway, thank you sooooo much for your help! You are so kind and wonderful to answer my questions.
I need to press a specimen of calotropis which has a thick stem.... and i dont have a plant press.... so what do i do? Also its phyllotaxy is decussate ... so do i remove the leaves to press the plant?
Wow
nice thing
Can I ask if there are substitute for herbarium sheets? I can't find any herbarium sheets around
67lb white paper should work