Some time ago I mentioned to my partner that I've always wanted a microscope as a hobby ๐ฌ they saved some money and got a cheap one for me recently, and I'm having so much fun!
Pictured is the thin peel that's intimate with the garlic clove, stained with eosin (I think) and magnified x1200. It's great because it's already 1 cell thick ๐ค
What are some tips you guys have for a beginner? I'm looking into buying methylene blue for staining too.
for sure! and just so you don't get frustrated trying to find a culprit, abiotic disorders (nutrient deficiencies, pesticide drift, etc) are notoriously difficult to diagnose under the scope unless you have a great context/history for the plant and location.
this probably isn't going to come up for you, but I remember being super frustrated looking for something for an hour that wasn't there and then the professor was like "lol it's pesticide drift, remember this moment".
also, the thing somebody said about puddle water is a great one. I had a class where they rigged up a camera feed to a sample of basically gut water from a ruminant (microbial digestion) and the entire slide was like a city of little zoomers and big behemoths all maneuvering around and collectively breaking down plant cells & interacting with each other. it was like TV. I could have watched that for hours. I am sure puddle water and other biologically active water is similar.