Spring 2023

New Move and Recovery

Growing For Climate Change

thegardensofease@gmail.com

Last year in September I decided to mimize my foot print in this life so I down sized.    Easier said than done.  If I only counted the fruit trees we're talking 80 trees in 35gal tubs.   

Even down sizing still means I have a lot of plants.  When I mentioned tropical I didn't just mean trees.  I have Cactus growing in water as well.   It gives me a tickle sometime because I ask myself "What the Hell I'm I going to do with all this".  Then I go off and get more stuff.    But the one question is what plant can't you grow.  Simple....You can grow any plant, seed , cutting or transplant.    Orchids, Citrus , vegetable, and really anything with roots.  All grown in the same mix.  No ph issues because it uses bacteria instead of mined nutrients.   The plant sets it's own ph in that one container it sits in.    Yes you can use them but they have to be wrapped in Organic fluid.   Other than that the bacteria grow in a boom and bust cycle with the beginning of Spring  as plant growth begins.  A bust during the Fall as plants go dormant.    As for why the plants don't die over the Winter sitting frozen in a bucket of water is the same as the Boom an Bust cycle  in the Spring but reversed.   The Fauna because there's a lot of different things swimming in there.   They produce an anti-freeze just as in Nature.  

These are some of the Barbados nut cutting I took 5yrs back.  They've been growing in 5lb inserts cause I didn't want they growing too fast.  They've been in that 6moths grown than 6months dormant and dry.   The other tree is a Elberta peach.  It was growing in a 3gal Peat moss wood chip mix.   Now in the same mix as all the others.  One mix to grow them all.   The Elberta peach, Red Haven peach, Honeycrisp apple and a Gala apple trees were bought last week and transferred.    The new trees are about 5' t0 6' tall.  After this season I'll tying their branches down for fruiting.  

These were Mandurian and Tangerine seeds I sprouted last year. They've been sitting by a window waiting for this Spring.   The were started in the mix and their getting potted up now from a 32oz insert to a 5lb insert.    There are 13 of them altogether.   

Part of the title Climate Change.  Right now in April 2023 we're having a warm weather cycle in early Spring.    We have a whole month yet before M ay 15th.  Last Frost date.  Right now all the trees are in fruit.   If we have a cold snap, while killing off the Lantern Fly.  It also kills the fruit.   More and more people are switching to Hydroponics without questioning the ELEPHANT in the room of waste waster.  In Flordia where smart Harvard gov allowed 400 million gallons of fertilizer into the Ocean.  Now they have a gaint Seaweed coming back to haunt them.  How many millions are dumping their 100gal to 5,000gal setups every week.  You can buy them on line.    I should explain that Hydroponics force feeds a plant by by passing it osmosis barrier.  Your force feeding the plant.  Which is why their so little Nutrients in food grown that way.  It's mostly water.   That too is why the water has to be sterile or the bacteria would feast.   Check out Star Trek The Trouble with Tribbles.  So your destroying the Environment and with Aquaponics your wasting water.  Water "All Things" need to drink.    

This is a picture of a Gala Apple 4/11/2023 and again on 4/17/2023.   Six days of growth since I transplanted to the 2gal insert with a 5gal container.  It's had all the dirt/wood chips media removed.   Shaken , washed off.  All the little hair roots gone.   But...there's no sign of shock, lost of tuber pressure or leaf burn.    There's a tag on their trees that says in large Black letters , Likes Well Drained Soil.  What that means is if you keep the soil to wet the plant switches to a water type root but then you dry it out and it tries to convert back to dirt roots.  Then you water it and it tries to convert back to water.  The plant dies from trying.  The anaerobic fauna started eating the dying roots and the new ones trying to grow.    Yes, I have a science word salads to explain it but simply means there are more than just the three types of roots.  Their the Anaerobic ones.  Before you say there are no such things...the proof is in the forty five years I've been doing this.  With pictures.   There are three types of Anaerobic root systems as well.   

Since the weather is warming I think I'll contune to pot up more of the trapolical plants.  I have two coffee plants that will turn to small trees if I repot them.  Several African Milk trees I took from large trees that I have.  Queen Purple that seems to last forever. A Amaryllis bulb.   Yes bulbs do well in the system as well.  Which is why I started this cross section of plants.   There's Orchids, Fiddle leaf fig, Philodendron, Macadamia nut.  Some I can't remember the names but it'll come to me.  But the point being the mix is the same for all them.   Even the Blueberries.  But each plants sets it's own ph level.    

Now here's a point I'd like to make.  Or should I say there's a problem I want to point out.  The question of fertilizing the fruit trees in the Spring.  Because adding a nitrogen  can cause Fire Blight sitting in water.   I find it best not to fertilize until the fruits are set.    Meaning I don't fertilize till the 2nd week in April for pears.  I was thinking how to explain that.  See I haven't fertilized any of the plants.  Sometimes the tropical.  Because with the hardy trees the symbiotic  relation of the plant and the trees keeps going on.  So it builds up an over supply of nitrogen.   My thinking is to let that fruit set and leaf build up to use that high supply for leaves.   

This is a Ponderosa Lemon.  I think it's about 7yrs old.  Which puts it about right to flower this year.  

These pictures are of the root masses of an Avocado, Moon Glow Pear and a Ponytail palm.  Those weren't even close to the roots I pull out some 5gal buckets.   There are more pictures in the history sections.  

This is the African Milk Tree.  I started these last year.  They really just sat dried in the mix.  Didn't really check on them till now.  So their going from a 32oz insert to a 5lb insert with a 2gal container.  There's some interesting shapes to them.    It's another  point about the diversity of the system.  I have another Cactus I'm going to take cuttings from and I believe it's a Night Blooming Ceres.  

These are Belle of Georgia  Peach, Red Chief Nectarine and a Bing Cherry.  I ordered 6 whips but so far only those three have sprouted.   I did ask them to send them early because I was experimenting on freezing conditions for bare root whips. The idea that as long as the "ground" was workable you can plant.  That idea worked with the three seen here I ordered another 6 whips but only three of them sprouted as well.  Here's the problem, because where is the problem?  Like, does it matter that the plant goes by time of year to sprout and not sunlight.   Here's one of those things  only learn by experience.  Meaning you have to kill a lot of plants to learn things.    It's something I'm known for.   But you learn things that way to.  The root stock on the Bing Cherry can't handle being wet t long.  But it can if it's slowly.  For most plants I just dunk them right in.  That's what that little hole is for.  But this time I kept the mix moist and built the water level up to the hole over a month.    Seems to be growing fine.    Might be growing a sprout from the root stock even.

The fruit trees are doing well this year.  Happy to have more than  three buds to prune per branch.   Now I know I'm stretching the chance with the weather putting out tropical but the way above does give me a microclimate.  Or I'm too eager.   

Out of the 13 citrus seedlings only this one was hit by the temp or the breeze.  But the plants on either side are fine.   Or like I was going to try what I thought were dead trees but they started growing from their bases.

Blueberries are a plant that can cause you problems because of it's ph requirements.   But the mix doesn't work by ph.  It works by the interaction of the fauna and the roots.   That symbiotic relationship creates a grace period where the two things together set the ph of the mix.   The plant gives off waste if only a little.  The fauna eats that waste and it's wastes is that "ph".  When that fauna dies it's dead body is consumed by the plant.  (No the plant doesn't eat the bodies until they decompose) That how a plant sets it's own "ph" in Nature.  An the more the roots grow the more "ph" environment it creates..  

The first is a Vernon.  The 2nd is a Big Ass Blueberry and the last is a 2yr old I bought at Wal-Mart.   The Vernon was having a problem getting started but it recovered well.  The kick Ass Blueberry was small so I transplanted that to a 5lb insert rather than a 2gal.  Something some one planted in my head that for bare root plants always start out with a smaller container.   Less problems.  But with the mix there's none of those.    But once planted the thought is hard to lose.   The Wal-Mart is in it's 2nd year and it's filling out nicely.  

Since it's less than 3wks away from the last frost date I'm putting out more tropical cuttings.  I mention them earlier.  The Coral Tree.  I was looking at that tree for Bio-Fuel but it doesn't flower much.  Which is why I went to the Barbados nut.  Of course the other part of the problem is it looks like weed.   I'm going to use a 5lb insert with a 5lb container.   Space saving.  Thinking too that those Citrus seedlings don't need 2gal containers.  That would allow me to put those African Milk Tree  cuttings out there with them.  Of course reality checked in because that means more watering, more forgetting to water.  That was the purpose of creating this system.  Getting older and not liking the idea of jugging water around.  Water problem it has to sit before use because treated water kills bacteria.    Something I want to mention is the Big Ass Blueberry has taken on a nice color hue I take to mean it likes where it is.  

The first picture is of the Coral tree cuttings then the Bing Cherry and the last of a lucky chance growth of a Pine tree.  There were two of them in the Blueberry plant.  I have to say I pulled it out rather than dug it out.   Was in there pretty good.  Right now it's the Bing cherry I'm thinking of.  I had ordered a cherry tree before.  I usually just drop a insert right into the filled container.  That tree died.  So I'm keeping the insert wet rather then the plunge.  I think it's been long enough so I filled it up.  To my way of thinking just as there are three types of roots.  Air, water and dirt.  There are three kinds of Anaerobic types of roots.   Their toxicity level.  So if I'm right it should be alright now to fill it.  

The next set of plants are the Fiddle Leaf Fig, a Mandarin Orange and 8 African Milk tree cutting I took.   But now I'm getting down to the last things to repot or cut from.  I have to start thinking about what I want to grow next.  This year tho I'm getting the feeling I should build a multi-garden, fruits, tobacco and Herbs.    I don't smoke but they would make a good trade item.    

Added the last few plant to new containers.  I reduced the containers they were in to save space.  A 5lb insert with a 5lb container.  Also it's the diversity thing. with the type plants.  So I moved them up to 2gal container.  

There's a Macadamia nut, 2 Orchids and another coffee.  I'm not going to put the Macadamia nut out yet.  I think the temp and breeze  might be too much for it.  It seems that's the problem with the two Hickory nut trees.  There's a darker color of the bark from the  base of the stem.    Makes me think of making a FAQ page.   Problem tho there's very few problems with the system.   The system is made for those who don't know a damn thing about plants..    The inserts and containers are made from everyday recycled plastic containers we use everyday.   They can be upscaled with a soldering iron or hot nail.   Simple Arts an Crafts.  You can make the inserts and container while watching TV.   It's only the mix that's the tricky part.  

Went out and bought some new plants.  Found a small pot filled with China Dolls.  What looks like a Alocasia Odora.   An a Breaded Iris.   You know the first time I came across the Alocasia was in 5th grade.  We had gone to the Museum and I got separated.  I wound up walking into a room where stood a wide tipped green spear.   It stood 8ft tall.  I felt the power of that living thing.  Didn't see in again until state collage.  The care taker there gave me a2ft  stem he cut off in front of me.  I got a picture of it somewhere.   Point being it's time for the new stuff.  We have a Farmers Market here called Green Dragon.  Opens every Friday.   I picked up some vegetable plants cheap.  Now while I live in a "Food Desert" I'm not pressed for food but should I make a Orchard/Garden for others.    What use to be called "Share Cropping".   You know interestingly enough I like making the inserts and containers.   It's simply Arts & Crafts.   Made from everyday containers we everyday.  When we're done with them their recycled.   The only thing to remember tho is the gas they give off is toxic so do outside with a fan.    The reason you use heat is what make the plastic flexable.  There's a gas inside the plastic that if you use a saw that gas leaks out and the plastic turns brittle.   Heat seals that in.   

The set of plants to go out.  Before that tho problem plants.   That first picture..notice the darker shade at the base.  Now I've been doint this for a number of years and this is the frist time seeing that.  Feels like the plant died.  It happened to both nut trees.   The other two was be being my susal I kill plants mode.  But that's the reason I developed this method.  One was too much water and the other completely dry.   That next picture are the shoots from the Alocasia.  So I got 5 off shoots and a main plant.   That next picture is of a collection of China Dolls.  There were 26 seedling in that pot.  The next row picture is 2 Legacy Blueberries.  

!!!WARNING!!!

Saw My First Lantern Fly

Now not to panic.  See I even left it as lower case.  Do you know that Sumac is an attractant for the Fly.  I mean really.  Nature will always show you the way.    Sumac is what they use to turn adult.  

I'm about to start an Urban Myth.   I made a spray that did take them down.   For a short time.  I say that because of an incident.   I was holding, what I thought was a dead one.  What looked like a white stick appeared from it's ass and it started to wave around.  Like would wave a flag.  Now I don't know much about insect insides but thought that was unusual.    The Fly revived. and went about it's way.

I've seen these things that couldn't fly walk across a hot summer asphalt pavement to get to it.  Now this is just me being observant.  But right next to that tree are my fruit trees, grape vines, etc.. I like to grow different things.  So I started letting Sumac spring up around the yard.  It seems to lose it's ability over about 75'-100' feet.  I say that now because of needing to use last years garden as reference for this year.  When I started the front garden last year I had Lantern Fly on it quick.  But when a Sumac bush started growing thru the fence they all left for it.   So if your reading this may give you thought.  Yes I tried sprays and what not.   But they'll spend their whole life cycle on that tree.   I haven't tried freezing them.   You know grow a couple of trees just so you can spray them.  They have small hand held NO2 can for horns.  Just a thought.   Now there's another Tree of Heaven I think it's called.  I did a side by side and the Fly's went to the Sumac.  

Last year I tried growing Big Max Pumpkins with this method.  It worked pretty good.  But had to move so get to grow one.  But have pictures all the same.  It's a 2gal insert with a 5gal container.  Thing about Watermelon and pumpkin vines are they take over any space.   This one vine grew one only grew around the sidewalk but also up into a tree and split into three vines that grew back down to the walk way.  

That last picture, the white 5gal bucket is where the vine is growing from.   

Now I don't want to give the impression that everything just goes right.  There are problems because it's a another way of thinking.  A few years it was a Black Cheery.   It didn't take well to being dropped right into a container filled with water.   This time I raised the water level slowly to see if that made a difference.   It did and the Bing Cherry is showing good growth.  The trees next to them tho are showing a darkening  from the base.  Tells me the tree is dead.   But never seen that before.

I found the different pictures of the upcycled 55gal barrel refit.  So since I found that one I'll add a few others.  The yes I tried growing corn in the system but the inserts took too much space for the few plants I could grow.  The corn picture on the above pages was 16 stalks using a 5gal/5gal combo.   This time I'm trying a 3gal/5gal combo.  I'll use a SWC design.  SWC's have been around for awhile.  Another idea for corn is the Nanny Pod.  An for those of you who want to be creative  I suggest using that.   First the Upcycled 55gal barrels.   

One of the points.. actually the main point is about inputs.   How many inputs does it take to grow your plants.  The picture with the air stone above is why do I need to input air.  This is only the 2nd year I tried this but it worked well even during Winter.      

The mineral or nutrient cycle

The water cycle

The energy cycle

The dynamics of the biological community 

These are the four principal working parts of Agro-Bio-ponics.   

The first, the mineral or nutrient cycle    What it takes to produce the food that we eat.   We as the biggest consumers we give back very little to our food production.   Which means we import large amounts of minerals from else where for that purpose.   With Argo-Bio-ponics the symbiotic relationships formed between plants and soil bacteria (fauna) are produced in a three part hydroponic environment.   The sometimes moist part, the always moist part and the wet part.   Waste produced by bacteria feeds the plant while the waste from the plants feed the bacteria.    This is Natures nutrient cycle.   This is how trees live for years on end in the same spot.   Without ever having a change of dirt from us.   The fauna ( bacteria)  in the dirt is recycling it.       

The first, the mineral or nutrient cycle    What it takes to produce the food that we eat.   We as the biggest consumers we give back very little to our food production.   Which means we import large amounts of minerals from else where for that purpose.   With Argo-Bio-ponics the symbiotic relationships formed between plants and soil bacteria (fauna) are produced in a three part hydroponic environment.   The sometimes moist part, the always moist part and the wet part.   Waste produced by bacteria feeds the plant while the waste from the plants feed the bacteria.    This is Natures nutrient cycle.   This is how trees live for years on end in the same spot.   Without ever having a change of dirt from us.   The fauna ( bacteria)  in the dirt is recycling it.       

The water cycle is about how much water is wasted.   In ground farming wastes about 90% of the water sprayed onto a field.   Hydroponics is a 100% waste and toxic as well.   Argo-Bio-ponics has a near 100% water savings.    Each container is sealed and water only transpires out thru the leaves.         

A lot of energy in the form of oil goes into plant production.   From the machines to the fertilizer.   Not only that but the use of oil based fertilizers destroys the land it’s grown on.   Argo-Bio-ponics uses sunlight to move the only moving part to the system.   Water.     

The biggest worry right now is how modern farming is destroying it’s very base.   The land it’s grown on.   How farming is destroying the fauna large and small to produce mono-crops.   Argo-Bio-ponics creates individual environments with in each container.   There’s very little fertilizer used and next to none in the water.   The system works on the Boom or bust cycle of Nature.         

One of the basic principals of self sufficiency is low external inputs.   Being able to produce your crops on what you provide yourself.   That the nutrients for your crops are produced and recycled back thru the nutrient chain.    Since each container is sealed and works as an independent environment there’s no emissions or water waste.   Argo-Bio-Ponics works with synergies that take the place of intensive knowledge 

Low external inputs - input self-sufficiency 

• Low emissions - closed nutrient cycles 

• Knowledge intensive - biodiversity that captures synergies, biologically controls pests 

• Management intensive - labor intensive but other-resource efficient, to optimize sustainable yield: productivity/acre 

• Local food self-sufficiency and national food sovereignty 

I made another 2 SWC's (Self-Watering-Container) to grow  Sweet Corn.  Their not complicated.  Your just putting holes in a bucket.   The others thoughts are should I do both with the mix or one with dirt.  See there's no reason to grow the corn because it's cheaper to buy it.  Corn requires a lot of water.  A lot of nutrients.   Those small containers ( 3ltr bottles) used a lot of water twice daily.   When the corn started to tassel it was three times.  it comes down to how much input you have to put in.  I have no problem with food sources but I live in a Food Desert.   Food thru markets is shipped here.  Shipped maybe 50, 100,  thousands of miles.    I figured I needed to learn how to grow some of my own.  Now let me step off my soap box.

For the insert of using a 5gal squat bucket with 5gal  lower insert for water transfer.  Set inside a 5gal tall bucket.  A filler smaller hole is made for the 1" PVC pipe.  There are circles of smaller holes spaced 1" apart to fill the rest of the bottom of the top bucket.  

The two SWC's above are a 5gal insert/7gal container.  That's the one I'm growing pumpkins in later this season.  The other is just like the one's I just made.   The next is the "Big" Ass Blueberry.   It's doing well.  The picture of the dead roots are from a 2yr old grape.  Don't know what killed it and the one next to it.  Thinking it might be the airway/ally created a microclimate chill zone.  Then their the Night Blooming series Cactus I cut up for parts.  Got three pieces about the same size and 9 smaller.   I have three Orchids all of which are  starting to bloom.  An the last of those set of six is the Monsteria cutting I transplanted a month ago.  Forgot all about it for that month.  It grew two new leaves while it waited for me to transplant it.  

Something I want to explain about the system.   The insert is cut for a particular  reason.   The blank space from the rim to the first slit is the air space.  That's where the roots are breathing from.    The top of the slits are where the air and water meet.  That gets pushed down to lower roots where the plants waste is joined with Fauna (dead and decaying ) bodies to recombine to produce plant food.  It's that boom and bust life cycle that's created with the Fauna that allows plants hardy to an area to live thru Winter in a frozen bucket of water.  The mix I created allows a blank slate  for the plants to start the type of environment it likes.  It even brings it's own bacteria.  So there's really nothing more to do than get it wet.  Nature takes it from there.  

This is the 2nd set of Alocasia m. that I got.  It's the clumping kind.   The first set is putting out leaves. after 3wks.  I'm looking to grow indoor plants to improve  the indoor air.   The big leaves collect dust and give off O2 at night.  It broke down into 1 large and 4 smaller  plants.  Another thig is it increases the humidity in  a room.  

The Bing Cherry is showing signs of water stress.  Still I tried a larger cherry tree a few years back that didn't even leaf.   Now I get this one and it started out well.  I only filled the container so that only the very bottom reached the water.   After about a month I  thought why not fill it all the way to the hole.  Well here it is about aother month later and leaves are yellowing.   So pulling the insert and yes there was that familiar smell.  So I'm going to leave the insert out for about a week.   

Of course yellowing could be heat stress.  Strong afternoon sun hits these container from about noon till Sunset.   Might be a good idea to put blocker in front.   I could of course just repot the tree.   Might do that anyway.   I decided to repot 

This is another "Old Friend" that I'd forgotten about.  It was just sitting in a corner waiting for me to notice it.   The fonds were yellow and brittle.  The roots like the Barbados nut were paper like when the netting insert was removed it showed that the roots were paper like.  Not only that but this mix is more than 10yrs old because you see the Styrofoam pieces I was adding back then.   I was surprised at how much Styrofoam was in it.   In fact the roots reached out no further than the insert itself.   This after 10yrs.  They just wrapped around the inside the outside of the netting.    

You know you look at that first picture and think "wow"  what a root system.  Problem tho that means the roots aren't getting enough air.  That's why they grow long like that.  I took two year and practiced growing large plants in those small net cups.  Added 4-4" air stones at the top of each raft.    Noticed the change right away.   But it was still a wasteful system.   Yet it gave rise to the thought of growing in ever smaller size containers to get the results.  

Fire Blight

Is all fair in War and Business?

Let me explain a problem here.  I'm a Plant person.  If your one you'll know what I mean.  Yes there's a good chance that a number of trees have been effected.   But...  I had trees effected before.   Before I got into the greenhouse.  When I got all the water I wanted for any project I wanted.  Ahh yes the days when some one pays the bills.  But the things I learned while they did.  What if Anaerobic methods stop the spread of Fire Blight.  Right now I have the opportunity to check that.   Since they were willing to give me a sale price on them I bought 10.  Also have an alterative place to grow them.     Since the only tree that showed signs were dirt mixes.  Didn't pay attention to that on the system because there was no sign.    So the main problem is water and since water and ph fertilizer allows fire Blight to just pass thru the barrier with the water.  Think on that.  The very method you use to grow your trees is the very way the Fire Blight spreads.  Is this a monocultural thing.  The whole Agricultural model is ph driven.   So I'm trying an experiment using 10 DWF Gala  and 2 Ayers pears.   Their 5-6ft tall.  The Ayers are 8ft tall.  The Ayers I'll have to use 5gal inserts for those.  The Gala's fit nicely into the 2gal inserts.  There are three of those box stores around here.   Would be nice to have 40 or 50 trees for a roof top orchard.   But back to the Fire Blight.  I'm hoping that a anaerobic environment is toxic to Fire Blight.  A whole new structure of cells that do only allow certain things to pass.   Remember that it was called Osmosis.   We thought we could do Nature one better.  The very basic requirement for Hydroponic is the solution must be sterile.   We live at the bottom, THE BOTTOM of an ocean of air.  There are kinds of floating things in this air small and large.  Even unseen.  We have bodies that have noses that filter that air.  You getting the picture here.   You cr4eate an environment that everything wants to get into.  Just like Fire Blight that seeks every crack an opening a plant has.  An it works because the ph over comes the osmosis barrier for everything.   That not just the roots but the whole plant.   So I say hmm, hmmm.  That's the reason I bought the the trees.    

The first picture is a bare rooted Hickory nut.  I pulled it thinking it was dead.  It grew a lot of roots and didn't show any sign above ground.  The 2nd is the root system of the DWF Gala trees (5'-6') I got for this trial with Fire Blight.   So  I have 14 Gala and 2(8'-9')  Ayers pears.  

I think I should show how the plants are progressing.   This is the Vernon Blueberry from April 17th to June  8th of 2023.   The Fauna that comes with the plant "infects" the mix and begins the boom and bust cycle.   

The one thing I haven’t talked about was fertilizing.  Because I don’t.  Not that I can’t.  But the idea here is for as few inputs as possible.  I’m going to think about how I think about Fire Blight and how the different way plants are fed spreads the bacteria or restricts it’s spread.  The difference in Ph fed and Osmosis fed systems.  But the whole plant changes how it excepts things from the outside when everything can pass thru anywhere on the plant because of the ph.  But and I know that’s a large but.  If we go back to Natural Osmosis the bacteria might be blocked thru out the plant.  But that’s a time will tell kind of thing.  But right now that’s not the only problem.  The trees are showing stress because of heat.  Heat on the buckets of water by sunlight. I’m going to to make a few blocker’s for those today.     Just saw a youtube video on a Terrarium that was sealed for 63yrs.  A plant living on only the material and water it only got at the start.  The “system” works the same way.  It’s sealed by the plant and mix at the surface of the mix.  The plant brings it’s own Fauna to the mix.  The plant thru it’s waste provides food to the Fauna (bacteria) which when it dies provides food to the plant.  The more active the plant the more food for the bacteria.  The bacteria when it dies breaks down and feeds the plant.  One helps the other. This is the boom and bust cycle of Nature.   

In a week it’ll be the First day of summer.  A time of Solstice.  A time where you start seeing what that Spring energy gave you.  Now tho I lived somewhere the environment was different.  Before during the Summer there was tree cover with only morning sun.   The rest of the day was mottled shade.  Now it’s full sun from mid day to sunset.  I’m seeing clear signs of stress on some of the plants.  Stress due to water temp.  One of the things I use to pitched about this method was that sunlight helped move the water inside the container.  Reason many of the are black.  But now there’s a sharper glare, different feel.  Something I have to take into account.  So since it’s impractical to dig holes I’ll just block the container from sunlight.  Being it’s Summer it’s a good time to test that thought.  Something else I might do is since their on concrete is have a rug under them Of course a number of these trees are part of the Fire Blight test.  So If I get these blocked the first change should be about a month from now.  The discolored leaves should drop and new shoots start to grow.  By that time the Fauna should be thru out the plant. That’s something this move taught me as well.  I lost a number of trees that I down size last year because I transplanted them to late in Fall.  They didn’t get the time to change over.    

 Next Event is  the Summer 2023