The IMG’s Newest Members
For the Fall 2022 semester, we added five new members to the Interactive Measurement Group! However, don’t expect them to help you with your command line in “R.” They might not be able to solve your programming problems, but they have a lot of teach you.
Pink Variegated Rubber Tree “Ficus Elastica Ruby”
When lacerated or cut, the Pink Variegated Rubber tree oozes a milky latex sap. 
The flexible and strong aerial roots can be used to build strong structures such as a natural bridges over rivers.
Light requirements: This plant requires around 6 to 8 hours of light a day. Bright and indirect light is best for this plant, but it can adapt to lower lighting situations.
Watering: During the growing season, this plant requires weekly watering, but during the dormant season, watering every 2 to 3 weeks is fine.
Soil: A well-draining and well-aerated potting soil is needed as this plant does not like to sit in water. Excessive water may cause root rot to kill it slowly.
Gold Dust Croton “Codiaeum Variegatum gold dust”
The Gold Dust Croton is native to Indonesia, southern Asia, and Eastern Pacific Islands. This is an evergreen shrub that flowers under the right conditions. It typically grows 24 inches tall.
Light Requirements: Typically, plants that are variegated require more sunlight than their non-variegated cousins. This variegated plant will need 4 to 6 hours of direct sunlight daily.
Watering: During the growing season (Spring and Summer) this plant should be kept moist to avoid being dried out, but during the non-growing months less watering is required and drying out between watering is acceptable.
Soil: This plant thrives in light and well-draining soil. To ensure that soil drains well, perlite or gravel should be added.
Variegation is the white pattern you see framing the leaves of the rubber tree and the “dust” on the leaves of the croton. Checking the variegation is a critical part of determining a plants health. If the plant’s new leaves have less variegation, this could mean your plant isn’t getting enough sunlight. If the variegation looks discolored this may be fertilizer/lighting issue. With this plant, the you must learn how to pay attention to the slightest changes to avoid permanent loss of variegation. You must learn how to slow down, notice its new leaves, and track changes in color. This is a lot of information, but with practice, slowing down to notice the small changes might become second nature.
Golden Pothos (Devils Ivy) “Epipremnum aureum”
Cameron’s favorite species of plant, the golden pothos has been the go-to house plant since its discovery in the 1800s. This plant’s variety of colors and sizes has made it an extremely popular plant. Pothos varieties include the marble queen, noeon, jade, and snow queen.
Light Requirements: This plant is great at adapting to variety of lighting situations.
Watering: This plant is very forgiving and can even handle a little bit of a drought. In fact, this plant likes to dry out between watering. If it’s not dried out between waters, the plant will become over watered and will die.
Soil: A 50/50 mixture of soil and perlite with worm casting creates the perfect light and well-drained soil that this plant requires.
This type of pothos is a very forgiving plant, if you forget to water it, or you forget to open the blinds for light, it will bounce back. Not only will it bounce back but it will keep growing. Those new leaves my not be perfectly shaped or large in size, but they kept growing. This new, imperfect growth serves as feedback. With this feedback, we are reminded that we must be consistent to see healthy growth. Even if we weren’t initially consistent, pothos allows us to improve the skill with every imperfect leave.
Polka Dot Plant “Hypoestes Phyllostachya”
Native to Madagascar and parts of South Africa, the Polka Dot Plant comes in a variety of colors, including red, white, pink, purple, and white. This plant is considered to be an herbaceous perennial, meaning that the growth will die down in the colder months of autumn and winter. Don’t be alarmed if you walk into the lab one day and the plant has dropped a lot of leaves. It should regrow again in the spring!
Light Requirements: This plant requires medium to bright indirect light. The leaves on the polka dot plant are thin and much more susceptible to sunburn and other types of damage.
Water Requirements: This little plant loves to stay moist, but not soaked. If you see that the leaves are starting to dry out at the ends, it’s time to water!
Soil Requirements: Because this plant likes to stay moist, it’s important to have a rich soil.
Not all plants are easy to take care of! This is especially true when a plant is put into an environment that is completely different than its natural one. The polka dot plant is accustomed to a humid and wet environment. That is the exact opposite of the Mojave Desert that we live in, so naturally this plant is going to be a lot harder to take care of. Mistakes happen and sometimes, no matter how hard you try, the plant dies. However, when the polka dot plant dies, you can save a stem and propagate it in some water for it to regrow. This plant teaches us that failures are not permanent. Just because you fail once, that doesn’t mean you won’t succeed the next time.
Aloe “Aloe barbadensis miller”
Aloe plants are native to regions of South Africa, Madagascar, and the Arabian Peninsula. In our lab, we have the aloe barbaensis miller. This variation of the aloe plant is said to have many healing properties, making it one of the most popular.
Light Requirements: Aloes are members of the succulent family, and like any succulent, they love bright and indirect sunlight.
Watering: Aloe plants store a lot of water in their leaves, so they do not need to be watered frequently. This plants should be watered once every two weeks or when the top three inches of soil are dry.
Soil: Aloe will do best in a loose and quick-draining soil. A 50/50 mixture of soil and perlite will create the best growing environment for aloes.
Beyond healing others, the aloe plant can heal itself. After cutting a leaf at the stem, a new leaf can grow in its place. In fact, if you want aloes to grow stronger and thicker it’s a good idea to cut back the weaker parts. Just like the aloe, in order for us to grow stronger, we must cut away parts of ourselves that do not serve us anymore.
Next time you interact with our new lab members, we hope that you keep in mind that variegation teaches you to read the words that are unsaid, feedback allows you to continue growing, failures give you an opportunity to regrow, and that you are in control of who you are.
Now that you’ve met the new lab members, we challenge you to apply these skills to help them flourish.
References
Iannotti, M. (2022, June 2). How to grow and care for Aloe vera. The Spruce. https://www.thespruce.com/grow-aloe-vera-1403153
Iannotti, M. (2022, October 31). How to grow and care for pothos. The Spruce. https://www.thespruce.com/grow-hypoestes-phyllostachya-indoors-1902650
Vanzile, J. (2022, August 30). Croton plant care: Everything you need to know. The Spruce. https://www.thespruce.com/grow-codiaeum-variegatum-1902750
Vanzile, J. (2022, June 5). Ficus elastica (rubber tree): Beginner indoor grow tips. The Spruce. https://www.thespruce.com/grow-rubber-plant-ficus-indoors-1902755
Vanzile, J. (2022, June 24). How to grow and care for polka dot plant. The Spruce. https://www.thespruce.com/grow-hypoestes-phyllostachya-indoors-1902650
Gemma joined the Interactive Measurement Group in the Spring of 2021. During her time in the lab, she has learned how to analyze data in R, SPSS, and Jamovi, has learned advanced statistical techniques such as confirmatory factor analysis, and has led two poster teams who ultimately presented their research at conferences. She has also been involved in substantial leadership and mentoring. She has given multiple workshops, mentored other lab members formally and informally, and is currently our Lab Manager. Gemma graduated in the Spring of 2022 from UNLV with a B.A. in psychology and minors in neuroscience and addictions treatment. In the future, she hopes to pursue a masters degree in social work.
Cameron has been a member of the Interactive Measurement Group since the Fall of 2022. During their time in the lab, Cameron has become the computer coordinator and plant-caretaker. Cameron is graduating in the Fall of 2022 with a BA in psychology. They are passionate about advocacy and plan to pursue a master’s program in applied child development.