On 2/28/2026, Aylus volunteers went to a greenhouse in Nissequogue State Park to help prepare pots for planting Chrysanthemums from 9:30am to 12:00am (2.5 hours).
After gathering, we started our work to prepare pots for planting Chrysanthemums, which the park staff called “mums”. Since there’s snow that covered the pots outside the greenhouse, we needed to shovel the snow to make a path to reach the pots. After making a path, some volunteers went inside with the park staff to clean the pots, while others kept shoveling more snow to clear out more paths.
What we did inside was cleaning the pots with water. There are two big bins(that are actually trash bins I think) filled with water and soap. We were provided brushes and gloves. Why wash the pots if we’ll fill them with soil anyway? Well, that’s because there are a lot of fungus and bacterias that hide in the soil, which can harm and cause disease to the Chrysanthemums planted. After cleaning the inside of the pots, they were placed on shelves under the sun. The heat from the sun also helps to sanitize the pots.
Most of the Chrysanthemums planted are going to be sent to Jones Beach, which benefits the environment.
Members who participated include:
Yuya Liu (2.5h),
Felicia Liu (2.5h),
Yingxiang Liu (2.5h),
Sumeng Liu (2.5h),
Annabella Kang (2.5h),
Brian Lin (2.5h)
Reporter: Felicia Liu
