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Be a Plant Doctor

Did you know that plants can get sick, just like people? Find out how you can help plants stay healthy!

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Plan

  • What resources will you use to find out what plant you’re looking at?
  • Where can you find out more about what might be wrong with your plant?
  • How will you know what you can do to help your plant?

Do

  • As a small group, find a plant to be your “patient,” whether it’s a plant someone has brought from home, or one that is growing near your meeting place.
  • Find out what kind of plant it is and look for any problems it might have.
  • Look at its colour, size and leaf shape. Does anything look wrong, like bites out of its leaves, miscolouring or dead areas?
  • What could you do to help the plant?
  • Remember to submit your activities on our Scouts for Sustainability Take Action Map

Review

  • What (if anything) was wrong with your plant?
  • How did you treat your plant? How did you know what to do?
  • What can you apply of what you learned to plants that you might have at home?
  • Why are plants so important? What role do they play in our world?

Keep it Simple

  • Sometimes, all a plant needs to grow is a bit more space! Help your friends or family to re-pot plants, whether that means moving them into a bigger plot, or into a garden outside. Measure your plant before you move it and then a few weeks later to see how much it’s grown!

Take it Further

  • Go for a walk in your community or along a local hiking trail. Pay attention to the health of the trees and plants nearby. Can you spot any health problems? What can you do to help them thrive? Partner with a local conservation authority or trail group and help them to keep their trees healthy throughout a season!