Where were we...?

 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 weed because its in the wrong place at the wrong time; even gorse can have a purpose!

Gorse has always perplexed me, driving through Central Otago with this invasive weed spread everywhere I would often wonder why we cant use it for anything. I never actually looked in to the plant once I was out of the car though... Gorse is a great benefit surprisingly to our growing native trees! The gorse will shelter the sapling giving it a chance to grow strong and tall and once that little rākau is taller it outgrows the gorse, towering over it, blocking out the sun and eventually the gorse will die back! I have also discovered that you can eat the flowers and make a tea from them.

The weed mangament module was fascinating and has me interested in learning more about foraging - possibly my next learning course after Horticulture?

Plant Health overall was full of information, I can identify common pests, weeds and plant diseases and put that knowledge to use helping the plant survive whatever ailment or putting the weed to work.

I have one last assessment still to be graded from this course, however quietly between you and me I think I did quite well in these assessments...

Course 3: Plant Identification and Selection

This new course started last week, the first module was Plant naming. 

Plant naming is a whole new board game for me, I do think I like it though.

Here in Aotearoa we have a few names for the one plant, the common māori name, the common english name and the latin name. The latin names are like mathematics, the answer will always be the same no matter where you are in the world and I think that is beautiful and another way of connecting us all and proving that the world is a close little place.

There are some tricks to deciphering latin names and they were written up in these handy tables:

Type of plant	Name
Species	Quercus alba
Variety	Quercus alba var. bella
Cultivar	Quercus alba 'Silver Shadow'
Interspecific hybrid	Quercus x hybrida
Intergeneric hybrid	x Quercus albarosea
Subspecies	Quercus alba subsp. rubra
Common name	white oak

What it tells you	Examples
Where the plant is from	canadensis (Canada)
	chinensis (China)
	japonica (Japan)
Plant colour	alba (white)
	nigra (black)
	purpurea (purple)
Where the plant grows	sylvatica - means growing in the woods
	nivalis - means growing near snow
	littoralis - of the seashore
Plant shape or habit	compacta (dense)
	procumbens (low-growing)
	dendron (tree-like)
	gracilis (slender)
Flower scent	foetida (with an unpleasant smell)
	fragrantissima  (scented)
	odorata  (perfumed)
Who discovered the plant	Plant names may honour people and have been incorporated into the botanical name:   e.g. Pennantia baylisiana honours Professor Geoff Baylis from Otago University, who discovered the sole remaining plant in 1945 on Three Kings Island.

The other trick with Latin names, speak them with confidence, loudly and proudly. 

The assessment for this module I incorrectly answered .5 of a question! My result was only a 99%

I am still incredibly stoked with that result though!

Where to next?

The next two modules in this course are the big ones that I have been looking forward to, they will be teaching me how to plant an appropriate māra, choosing certain plants to provide certain aspects to the landscape. It's safe to say I am excited for this next step!

At the moment I still choose plants and seeds by what looks good and usually what will feed our little bee buddies, I want to be able to plan ahead and actually design self sustaining gardens - that is my dream!

And then after this course there is one final course Sustainable Growing Systems and then my Certificate in Horticulture will be complete! I am already thinking ahead of whether I will continue to find study or dedicate this study time (time miss W is at kohanga) to myself and/or changing the māra here where we are currently situated... I have until mid-November to figure that out though!

In the mean time, we have been getting in to the New World Little Garden promotion and miss W is loving gardening more and more every day - probably helped I upgraded her (poorly designed) dinosaur watering can to the best little arewhana watering can. Here are some snippets of her planting away, oh and our bucket of potatoes are growing amazingly, with a side of chickweed just because I don't want to rip it out of its home ha ha...

Practicing good māra hygiene - scrubbing our tools and old shrub tubs for new planting.

Getting the little garden tubs prepped - so far we have basils, red cabbage and carrot

    

I found this awesome little "my garden" propogation set at The Warehouse for $10. I chose the flower set of sunflowers, swan plants and violas because lets face it we won't be getting the full set of the New World little gardens and this was a nice consolation.

Behold! Our ever growing bucket of potatoes! Miss W is very impressed that she grows every night and "opens her eyes growed"

Kia pai tō Rāhina! Have a good Monday!