THE GRASS WITHERS, THE FLOWER FADES, BUT THE WORD OF OUR GOD WILL STAND FOREVER.ISAIAH 40:8
PLANT CARE
The info below will help you learn how to rightly care for plants. These principles, practices, solutions, and benefits are proven (tried & true).
You'll know you're on the good path when you comprehend the mutually beneficial interconnected/interdependent essential relationships among people & nature. Implementation is up to you.
PLANT CARE
Healthy, Nutritious, Delicious & Attractive
Proper plant stewardship encourages healthy, thriving and resilient plants, soils, food, people, animals, and nature.
Good Plant Care Initiatives
Observe nature, learn from nature, embrace nature, imitate nature, and properly accelerate nature's process. Uncompromising collaboration with God & nature (for optimum success), rather than working against God & nature (inevitable failure). Intimate, intelligent and honorable participation.
Only use inputs & resources that are all-natural, non-toxic, free of pollution & contaminants. Do not use chemical or synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, GMO's. Utilize beyond-organic, beyond-sustainable, ecologically-friendly, regenerative practices that are safe & healthy for people, animals, plants, environment.
Improve the sunlight, carbon dioxide, oxygen, sugars/carbs, nutrients, minerals, water, biology, new growth, and food production cycles in these plants. Accelerate/energize these cycles.
Tend to the entire plant (variety/cultivar, roots, trunk, stem, branches, leaves, buds, flowers, fruits, nuts), as well as its relationship with other plants, the soil, biology, environment, and climate.
Apply proper pruning methods (intensive/stimulating pruning and artistic/precision pruning). Doing so stimulates the roots of plants, which encourages beneficial interactions among the plant, the soil, the life/biology within the soil, and the ecosystem - to invigorate the collective whole. Pruning also plays a vital role in promoting growth, productivity, and aesthetics.
The soil must be healthy, fertile, nutrient-dense, vast in beneficial biodiverse/microbial diverse life, oxygenated/aerobic, well structured, moist, and rich in highly decomposed organic matter. Learn more about the crucial importance of good soil health.
For uncompromising quality, all plants should be grown in soil that has full/direct contact with the earth. Growing plants hydroponically (without soil, using artificial lighting & chemical nutrients), or in pots/planters/containers is not ideal because these plants will not be nourished by the natural biological activities (complex soil microbiome) of earth bound soil.
Direct sun exposure for many plants is essential. However, managing the amount & intensity of direct sun exposure to help protect/care for plants may be necessary (making use of greenhouses, shade cloths/fabrics, screens, covers, pergolas, structures, other plants). When using a greenhouse to grow plants & food, it's important to understand how plants are affected when sunlight goes through glass/plastic. The glass/plastic blocks various amounts of UV rays from the sun, which inhibits many essential benefits for plants. The glass/plastic also disrupts the photosynthesis process in plants, which negatively impacts the well-being of plants and their food, thus also inhibiting the plants production of phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are important chemical compounds produced by plants. These chemical compounds are essential to obtain healthy plants, healthy food, flavorful food, aromatic food, and increased yields. Consuming foods that are rich in phytochemicals significantly benefit human & animal health. The same goes for artificial lighting, it can not compare to the many essential benefits that only natural direct sunlight provides. For example, a tested sun grown/ripened tomato had 300 phytochemicals. The same tomato grown in a greenhouse (at the same location) had only 50 phytochemicals. If a greenhouse is needed to grow plants & food, a solution to these issues could be using a greenhouse with a removable/retractable roof that also incorporates a separate removable/retractable overhead shade material. This type of greenhouse still allows for adequate direct sun exposure, as well as protection from volatile weather/elements when necessary.
Use fresh hi-quality water. The more natural sources of water the better (rainwater, rainwater harvesting, pond, lake, stream, river, aquifer, spring, well). If necessary use filtered water (water purification methods include reverse osmosis, activated/catalytic-carbon, KDF, distillation, ion-exchange). Keep in mind, healthy soil requires much less water than unhealthy soil.
Utilize safe/healthy hi-quality foliar sprays, compost teas/extracts, vermicompost teas/extracts, mulch, compost, vermicompost, soil amendments/minerals (wood ashes/charcoal/biochar, volcanic rock dust, pumice, pebbles, small rocks). The greater diversity of these resources/inputs, and locally sourced; the better.
Make use of diversified planting & companion planting. Keep proper plants growing on the land as much as possible. The greater diversity of living plants the better (trees, shrubs, ground covers, grasses, forbs, legumes, perennials, biennials, self-seeding annuals). Doing so provides a home and habitat to attract pollinators (bees, butterflies, hummingbirds), beneficial predator insects (ladybugs, praying mantis, spiders) & wildlife (birds), and earthworms. This also helps to maximize use of space, increase food nutrient-density & productivity, plant health, soil health, pest control, biodiversity, and ecological/environmental well-being.
Integrate beekeeping (honey bees, mason bees). Bees provide many benefits including plant pollination, ecological health, food, honey, beeswax, medicine, useful products, etc. Learn more about the importance of bees.
Protect against adverse climate & environmental conditions: cold, heat, drought, flood, soil erosion, rain, sun, wind, fire, pollution/contaminants, etc.
Apply wildlife safeguards.
Perform proper land & soil evaluations, and lab tests. Learn more about this.
Plants that are properly cared for will thrive, while also remaining aesthetically pleasing. When grown in a nourishing habitat, they will be resilient to disease, parasites, harmful insects, and adverse climate & environmental conditions (cold, heat, drought, flood, soil erosion, rain, sun, wind, fire, pollution/contaminants, etc). Vigorous plants will produce abundant nutrient-dense delicious food for people & nature. Food that is rich in enzymes, vitamins, minerals, nutrients, phytonutrients, antioxidants, amino acids, microbes (bacteria, fungi), complex carbohydrates, lean protein, healthy fats, and water. These plants significantly promote fertile living soil, a flourishing biodiverse habitat, and an ecologically sound environment.
Good plant stewardship is an excellent investment for yourself, loved ones, community, and world.
Have any questions? Feel free to reach out.
ADDITIONAL LEARNING RESOURCES
Food, Nutrition, Health
Soil Health
Food Forest
The Goodness That Comes