HAP Articles Outline
By Patrick Miller
Newsletter Issue #45 2010
I have had several people tell me they do not want to write an article about a plant because it is just a plant so how do you write about it. Since I didn’t feel like doing water changes this evening I have decided to try and make it easier for people to write about their plants and have provided a simple outline below and an example of how you can use it to submit and article for the HAP Program.
The main point of submitting an article on plant for the HAP program is to help others get to know plants, what their requirements are and how to propagate it. Articles don’t have to be exciting or groundbreaking but just needs to provide information on the plant and your experience with it.
So here is the outline;
The plant
Give the scientific, common name and any synonyms for the plant.
What type of plant is it? Bunch, stem, floating
How big does the plant get?
Background
Where did you get the plant?
How big was the plant when you received it? Was it a bulb, a bunch of cuttings and so fourth.
Where did you put this plant and what was its environment
What is the size of tank did you put it in? Is it in a tank or pond?
What type of substrate did you use?
What is the water temperature?
What type of lighting did you use?
What type of filtration is in the tank?
What other plants are in the tank?
Did you use any type of fertilizer or CO2 in the tank?
What type of fish are in the tank and how many?
Propagation,
What did the plant do for you? Vegetative propagation, flower or sexual propagation?
How long did it take for the plant to propagate?
Other information
Any other information about the plant that you would like to mention.
Include a picture of your plant or the tank with the plant in it. The newsletter editor can always include it with the article so that the text wraps around it for you.
I hope this outline helps gives people an outline that will allow them to contribute more to the newsletter and fulfill their article requirements to receive their awards.