Seren pulled on her own dragon hide gloves whilst she waited for the students to return with the items they required for the next task. Now that they’d successfully burst their puffapod seeds it was time to get down and dirty.

“Alright everyone, paying attention now please.”
Yes no more being distracted by the prettiness otherwise they would find themselves in a bit of a pickle once it was time to get started.

“Though the action of the puffapod seed blooming is a defensive mechanism, the plant itself will still perish if it is not planted and cared for appropriately. So for this reason, we need to get a wriggle on and get these beauties established in their new home.”

“Start by digging a hole in the soil,” she said taking up her special turquoise blue spade, complete with engraved initials. “You want the hole to be deep enough to sold the roots and a good two inches of the stem... the reason we don’t stop once the roots are covered is because want them to feel comfortable and established within the soil, this way there is not risk of the roots becoming exposed during watering or while it grows.” And they knew that exposed roots were bad right?
Seren inspected her hole and estimated its depth. “About a foot will do... but be sure to double check.”

Turning to the floor beside her, she gently picked up her bright orange flowered puffapod, one hand supporting the stem, the other cradling the plants roots. It really was like a child, ever so beautiful, and ever so fragile. “Shake off the roots a little before placing it into the hole, this will allow it to breathe more freely and will support healthier root growth later down the track.”

“Now because the raised flower beds are designed with an efficient drainage system, we do not need to break up the soil with filters such as pebbles or gravel. Simply fill up the hole with the soil you dug out.” Using her gloved hand, Seren swept the soil back in and around the plant, filling the hole in and smoothing it out. “Pat it down gently, but not too hard, the aim is to tuck it in, not smother and suffocate it.”

Once that was done, Seren dusted off the dirt from her gloves and withdrew her wand. “Of course the first thing we do after planting something is.....” everyone should know this already, “...water it,” she finished. Aiming her wand at the base of her puffapod, she gave it a generous sprinkling of water, but not enough to drown it or cause root rot.... unlike that stupid snow dragon.
“Then the last step, is to sprinkle a handful of hippogriff dung fertilizer around the plant, don’t pack it in too close to the stem, but keep it around the base.” She demonstrated by taking a handful of the fertilizer and breaking it up in her fingers, sprinkling it around the plants base, but not too close to the stem.
“And there you have it.”

Dusting off her gloves one last time, she leant forward and sniffed the fragrant flower. Lovely.

“Right, so time to get cracking, you don’t want to leave your puffapod sitting on the floor for too long. Once you have completed the task and have cleaned up your area you may be dismissed.”

OOC: This task should be performed in 6 posts to be eligible for full credit. Please title each post with the corresponding number. (But remember not to double post!)
[1] Dig a hole, approximately one foot deep.
[2] Pick up your puffapod and shake out the roots gently before placing it into the hole.
[3] Fill the hole back in and pat it down gently.
[4] Water your puffapod.
[5] Fertilize it with Hippogriff dung fertilizer.
[6] Clean up your workspace.

You will have 48 hours to complete the activity.