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Appreciating ngāi tipu (flora)

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 Maramataka Te Rākaunui (Full Moon) Our phase today in Aotearoa is Te Rākaunui, a time of high energy (hopefully). A great time to get on top of those tasks, start planning your monthly goals/short term goals, plan and plant your māra. There is collective energy to achieve collective results and a time of fertility - for the whenua, the moana maybe our wāhine too. Our minds will be busy and expect little sleep, take each step with purpose. We have the rest of our belongings being delivered today so I am thankful for the suggested high energy... I have also recently begun a new job and I am using this time to plan my days, goals and objectives moving forward in this marama, the end of year and visions for 2021. A full day, I've got this. Me whai tikanga! - Be purposeful in your actions Horticulture Education It has been a moment, I finished my Horticulture course at the beginning of November. My final assessment was to create a information poster around a composting system of my cho...
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Systems and Cycles

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 Maramataka Tangāroa-a-kiokio or Tangāroa Whāriki Kiokio According to my maramataka guide we are in the middle of a high energy phase of the moon, honestly I haven't felt this shattered in a very long time. It could be that W has adjusted well to daylight saving and woke before 7.30am both mornings over the weekend... She used to sleep in until 8.30/9am.  On reflection I have looked at my notes from my "Ngā Mata o te Marama" , my maramataka tracker I got from www.tuhi.co.nz and in July when I started following the maramataka I was indeed shattered over this phase of the moon! If you don't follow the effects of the moon phases and how you personally react to them I highly encourage you to look in to it. W is pretty predictable with the energy from te Marama, and I know when to expect late late nights and when to go with the flow on her energy and not fight it. Our phase today in Aotearoa is Tangāroa-a-Kiokio, a time of high production and high energy (for some). A time...
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I guess I am a container gardener?

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Maramataka Oike This moon wants you to rest, tend to yourself, your whānau, your māra and Papatūānuku. Energy is starting to lull after the high energy of Te Rākaunui (the full moon). Take time to plan wānanga, hui, catch ups and try out something new today. Although be gentle on yourself as exhaustion could pop in at any moment. Great to be tending to your garden, however, you don't want to plant anything today. Me mahira! - Be curious Final Module for Plant ID Course Plant Selection: Research for Assessment 3 I have two scenarios to research for this assessment that opens at the end of the week. First scenario is a dry cafe courtyard that is looking for low maintenance multi functional plants. Second scenario is a windy coastal urban marae that is looking to start a māra kai and have native plants that will have traditional benefits such as rongoa and raranga abilities, their first step is to create shelter for these plans from the salt laden, windy coastal conditions - very exci...
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Right Place + Right Plant = Great Success

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Maramataka Ohua A favourable day for planting and being in your māra; come together as whānau, assess what you have been doing and plan for what needs to be done. A time to reflect and connect, take your time before the high energy marama returns. Me matua mōhio! - Be knowing. Selecting Plants The first step for good plant selection is know the area you will be working with, when a plant likes where it is then there is less work involved in keeping it happy. A good foundation is where a good māra should always start; not just get plants because they look good... This will be a challenge for me moving forward, whenever I go to Mitre 10, Bunnings or even the warehouse i will scour the plant sections and choose willy nilly on what is there and what looks appealing to my eye and I guess my mood for the day.... My new plant tip I will have to start living by is " look at the garden or site first and match the plant to the conditions you find". Living by this concept should mean an...
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Flowers and leaves and taking today carefully

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 Maramataka Tamatea-a-aio (or Tamatea Kai-Ariki) A time to be aware of your surroundings, be prepared for the unpredictable. Things may appear calm but under the surface things may be churning and bubbling. Miss W and I were meant to be on an excursion to the beach today with kohanga, Miss W was keen for a day at home relaxing after 3 full days before another excursion to a farm tomorrow. This was before I looked at the maramataka and I am pleased I listened to Miss W and we stayed home. Toddlers and preschoolers are already unpredictable on an outing without the added pull from the moon. Me tūpato! - Be careful. A dozen words to describe a leaf... Module 2: Plant Portfolio i s covering the identifying features and appearance of flowers and leaves. With a leaf we look at the shape, margin (leaf edge), dispostion and venation (speard of veins). With leaf shape there are a heap of descriptive words e.g ovate, oval, obovate, awl-shaped,lineal, elliptic and heaps more. Thankfully I don...
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Where were we...?

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 Maramataka Okoro We are once again in Okoro, a time that is good for planting kai in your māra. This time is also good to review and reflect on the past weeks and also set your intentions and plan new learningsd for the month ahead - set out your to do list for the coming weeks. Be inspired by early morning skies and crashing waves. Me auaha! - Be creative! Course 2: Plant Health (Completed) From mid-August through to early Septmber I was studying Plant Health.  This module was largely focused on pest management particularly weeds and bugs. I learned a lot from this module, the key point I found was if there was a problem you can fix it naturally without pumping our world with chemicals. In the past I have used predators bugs to help control aphid issues and with weeds I am a hand puller. On the subject of weeds I learned that many of the common weeds we have here in Aotearoa actually have some great benefits to them either medicinally or as food! A weed is usually only a wee...
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We have growth!

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 Maramataka Atua Whakahaehae Our moon i tēnei rā is in Atua Whakahaehae; a time to come together as whānau and hapū, assess what has been done this maramataka and plan for what is needed to be done moving forward. A time of reflection before the high productive period that is coming our way. Me matua mōhio - Be knowing. An update on W's plants Sunflowers, swan plants and a mixed surprise of wild flowers are all starting to sprout! W and I were very excited to find these the other morning! We did three different techniques to start these little friends. The swanplant seeds were sown in a modified takeaway container. I poked holes in the bottom of one container used one lid as the tray and the covered with another lid. This created a mini greenhouse and I left these seeds to practically do their own thing. The mixed wildflowers I sprinkled on paper towels and then topped with soil. These seeds (along with the swanplants) are kept quite centrally in the lounge next to a sunny window a...
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