GERMINATORIUM

Restoring native plant populations in and around São Paulo through a nomadic nursery and community educational programmes

Long description

Germinatorium is a nomadic nursery and community programme focussed on propagating native species from survivor plant collections in São Paulo. A gazebo tent with an easily assembled structure, it contains germination benches, irrigation, and lighting systems for high-yield indoor cultivation allowing for simultaneous use by 16 people. Measuring a mere 3m x 3m and requiring a usable area of 6m x 6m, it can hold about 100 trays with 15 seedlings in reusable or biodegradable cultivation containers. Germinatorium can be installed indoors or in sunless areas such as building garages, school rooms, cultural centres, slums, or warehouses—wherever needed. Open to public participation, we teach how to germinate each species, introducing the environmental and historical context of the city’s vegetation in the process. After germination, each participant takes home a collection of plants for gardens or public area planting, enhancing urban biodiversity— with the process repeating with each season.