Welcome to Getting Dirty. At least once a week, we publish articles exploring everything from simple explanations of plant and soil science; through design concepts such as composition and colour theory; to profiles of plants and construction materials.
If you’re new to plant and soil science, read this article first.
Let’s Get Dirty!
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Anatomy of a stem
An examination of the tissues present in a typical plant stem, their function, and how they develop and change as the plant grows and matures.
Anatomy of a leaf
A detailed look at the internal structure of a typical plant leaf, examining the types of cells and their function.
Movement in plants
A brief discussion of the three main ways in which water, nutrients and gases move within plants, being mass flow, osmosis and diffusion; and of when and why particular substances move in the way that they do.
More chemistry
An overview of the difference between inorganic and organic chemistry, and how both are relevant to understanding plants and their environment, including a summary of some of the most important types of organic molecules found in plants.
Types of tissue
The first intermediate level article on Getting Dirty, looking into the difference between plant and animal cells, and the four main types of tissue in plants: meristem, dermal, vascular, and ground tissues.