7 down 1 to go

Maramataka

Rākaunui - we have our full moon again. Was totally on point as the preschooler was more keen to run up and down the hall last night when it was well past moe time but hei aha.

According to my maramataka key (from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa studies) Rākaunui is a good time for fishing and planting, also clearly a high energy period - yesterday, today and tomorrow. It is a time to be industrious, schedule occasions around this time - note for next month...

W eager to help with notes again

Nutrients, Weathering and Cycles

This module has really made me think about the vitamins and nutrients I am consuming personally and via fruit and vegetables. I try to eat a balanced diet and since I became a breastfeeder I take specific multivitamins also, reading about the vital nutrients our plant life need has really opened my eyes that I could be doing better for myself. We are so connected and similar with what our bodies need to function and grow properly with just like our plants do.

If there is a deficiency in the soil there are dozens of visual guides to help identify what your green friend is lacking, these can be yellow leaves, spots; a huge range of calls for help. I'm sure there are visual guides also to see what us as humans may be deficient in but are they as obvious as the signs that leaves and fruit show us? 

The amazing thing is that plants are a huge indicator for what is going on under our feet, in the soil. Essentially the soil, I guess, is like our gut (just like that all important phrase 'good gut health') if all the micro and macro nutrients are in a harmonious balance then the plant will be thriving, vibrant and growing; if one nutrient is low then everything is out of balance and your plant will not perform to its full potential. Just like us.

Looking at the easiest and most organic way, as a budding home gardener, to build these good nutrients in our soil and plants is to use a liquid fertiliser and feed our plants/soil from above. These would be the seaweed 'soup' you can mix up or 'worm juice' if you have a worm farm. A lot of the options that seem to be readily available are synthetic and chemical based and I for one don't want our kai fed with fake nonsense! other options is to feed the soil with compost and manure - I am lucky to have access to farms (manure) and our council backs a compost initiative so these organic options are more readily available to me and our backyard versus me going out to hunt for the synthetic alternatives.

pH for plants

Another important aspect within soil is the pH level and how the more acidic or alkaline the soil is how that affects our plants and their growth.

The ideal pH of a soil is between 6.2 and 7.3, fairly neutral, this provides most nutrients and most plants are happy in this soil.

There are some plants that prefer a more acidic soil and some that prefer a more alkaline soil.

My task today is to identify some of the plants we have in our yard and see research what pH they prefer.

A handful of backyard plant life:

Camelia (pink) - prefers Acidic 

Rhododendron (red) - prefers Acidic 

Rosemary - prefers Semi-Acidic 

Bottlebrush - prefers Alkaline 

Clematis - prefers Alkaline 

Mint - prefers Alkaline 

These plants are all in different areas of the property and show to me that we have a range of soils with different pH levels. Knowing what pH these plants prefer will help me if I was planning to add to the garden e.g. an apple tree, the apple tree prefers an acidic soil so I could plant it in the same patch as the camelia as it is thriving and I can assume the pH is acidic.

Treasures W found while we researched the backyard

I have one final module for Plant and Soil Science to be completed this week before my final two assessments, for this first paper, open later this week and next week.

This Horticulture course is full of information and this first segment has shown me that it takes a lot more focus and dedication than I initially anticipated.

I am getting through it and try and tackle a section a day; I love that the activities are hands on and W is keen to learn alongside me; I love that it is at my own pace so I am responsible for my own learning and how much I personally want to get out of it.

It is most definitely self-directed learning and it is only on you to motivate and complete the tasks and modules.

There is a schedule that suggests when you should be starting each module, however, reading the forums from other course participants (387 of us!) some are well behind where others are on the same page and section that I am up to.

Each to their own I guess, it will either sing to you and push that internal drive for you to learn or it may come as a chore to others as it wasn't what they were expecting.

I for one am excited by everything I have learned in the past 7 modules, the world around me is starting to make sense. I'm excited to see what module 8 holds (that I will start āpopo) and then I am super excited to find out what the next paper holds!