|
 Note:
Most of this section was written (and copyrighted) in 1991, no
ecology mistakes, but we've become more sophisticated as we
unravel more of the complexities of California native ecosystems.
This sophistication has led to the attempt at a native plant
search engine at My
Native Plants.
When revegetating a native site or your garden don't forget
the ecology!
We have
probably given more information than you need for most projects,
but we are trying to answer questions that range from how to
revegetate a mountain bog at 10,000 ft. to what to plant on the
side of a coastal bluff overhanging the ocean that can't be
watered. We've found that the majority of our successes and
failures can be traced to understanding the site's ecology. The
largest part of this ecology is the health of the soil mycorrhizal
grid (the symbyotic relationship between plant roots and fungi),
and how we match our planting with the grid. This grid is composed
of different forms of fungi that invade or form mantles around the
plant root and extend their own hyphae (the fungal body is made up
of thread- like parts called hyphae) beyond the plant roots in
search of nutrients and water. Eventually, many of the plants in a
plant community are all interconnected by these fungal hyphae.
This interconnection also provides a network underground that will
allow 'Mother Plants' already on the site to help support your
newly set-out plants. If your planting is compatible with the
site, the fungal network and within the parameters of the plant
community, I believe you can plant anywhere (see next sentence)
with no water after the first watering, with a 90%+ survival rate.
The parameters become very exacting as you work with sites that
are covered with weeds and you have no water on site. You will
make a number of mistakes, but once you get it right you look
brilliant. This results in a beautiful, healthy, vital landscape
that actually improves the overall environment and local habitat.
Landscaping without water
(We have
evolved to no-water, and limited water landscapes over a 25 -year
period. We have been California Landscape Contractors (#345678)
for 16 years, and the last 3 years of landscape installations have
been implemented with little (first month) or no water.
The importance of fungal
partners
These fungi, called mycorrhizae (meaning
fungus-roots) protect the plant roots from diseases, nematodes,
and greatly increase the the plant's ability to extract water and
nutrients out of the soil. California native plants have evolved
to be strongly mycorrhizal. "For all practical purposes,
under natural conditions, mycorrhizal infection is necessary if
trees [and shrubs] are to survive and grow satisfactorily."(Marx)
The significance of our water use and ecology practices are beyond
native plants and should be incorporated in all xeriscape
ordinances. Basically, gardeners of all kinds need to know enough
about gardening to not kill or harm the mycorrhiza.
Watering increases with availability and ease of use
Now that
the 'free' water of the 1950's and 1960's is gone we need to learn
how to work with what we have. We need to abandon the plants that
like lots of water and fertilizer (ecologists call these ruderals)
and go back to good horticulture, (great gardening) using native
plants and other drought tolerant plants (stress tolerants). (See
the easy section.) Most gardeners would be amazed at the amount of
plant material this includes. Orchards were dry farmed on 7”-20"
of rainfall per year with less problems 50 years ago. Why do we
need 50" of water to do the same thing now? Gardeners did
gardening with no automatic sprinklers years ago with wonderful
results. Why do lawns need to be watered daily now?
 Don't
lose the big picture
The "social complex of organisms"
needs to be considered as you design each site. Consider the plant
communities first (and their climate limitations), the
placement of the plants on the site( placement depending upon
plant life strategies, from stress-tolerant to ruderal), their
soil preferences and mycorrhizal associations second, the 'health'
of the soil next (is the "social complex" of the
community of microorganisms being helped or damaged by what you
are doing?), Lastly, does the animal community support your
actions (i.e., not eat your plants)? Our work is designed around
this mutualistic whole community concept.
The irony
is, the closer the project follows the appropriate ecology of the
site, the less input is needed. That is, less watering,
fertilizing, spraying, and maintenance is needed.
Make sure you are pushing
the right dominoes
In any ecosystem there are ecological switches
that exist that spin the ecosystem with a cascading effect into
succession or collapse. Natural plant community succession moves
the plant community towards a fungal-based system (upward).
Catastrophic plant community collapse is a fungal-based system
going to a bacterial-based system quickly
(Drake, Case). Native animals, plants and soil organisms work
to keep the system stable and moving upward. For most plants other
than winter vegetables and 'color' annuals (these plants are
called ruderals,) you need to use upward switches (Wilson
& Agnew, Grime).
DOWNWARD EFFECTS: (no-noes)
Fertilizing-
Improper Grazing Practices -Disturbance (tilling, plowing, etc.)
-Most traditional gardening practices.
Regular
water (above the minimum needed)- Insecticides- Fungicides-
Fumigants- Nematicides- Weeds (large numbers of alien species
added)- Compacted or Waterlogged Soil- Most gardening practices.
Sewage
Sludge- Clear-Cutting- Soil amendments -Green manure.
UPWARD EFFECTS: (good stuff)
Proper
mulch for your plant and ecosystem- Weed control- Planting by
habitat or plant community groupings.
 “Much
of the world now suffers forest decline, mostly in stands that
have been intensively harvested and often "scientifically"
managed for two or more rotations. No one can yet identify cause
and effect of this decline, but it seems increasingly clear that
air pollution is but one factor. Perhaps we biologists need to
play the role of Jeremiah more forcefully, denouncing the sin of
technological pride which leads to neglect of scientific methods
and sound ecological principles. Perhaps researchers who rarely
stray from the laboratory bench need to listen more carefully to
field ecologists. The responsibility is ours. We dare not shirk
it."(Trappe,
1988)
There are different types of gardeners that have completely
different views of gardening.
Dabblers and Decorators
The
dabblers occasionally play at gardening. Dabblers plant some 4"
color, mow the lawn and in general do not give the yard a second
thought for another month. Decorators plant by color, size, shape,
patterns, etc. They think of their garden more often and are
involved in it in a more personal way. Days of planning, little
gardening, clean hands, piles of plans. Dabblers and decorators
get along well and have garden conversations about common garden
flowers and colors, as they avoid the actual work of gardening.
Most
garden clubs are made up of decorators. Many members of the
landscape trade are decorators. Decorators will normally have much
color, ornaments, trellises, weeds, ticky-tacky, etc. in their
garden. Decorators often will make mistakes about dryland plants
next to wetland plants, trees in front of windows, overwatering,
etc., because colors and shapes come first. (The articles in the
gardening magazines showing someone with safety glasses, clean
clothes, clean gloves is an excellent example of a
dabbler/decorator.)
Cultivators and master gardeners
Cultivators
and above have dirty fingers. Cultivators are the ranchers,
farmers and the frustrated farmers. Cultivators are the folks that
spend all weekend in their yard mowing, trimming, spraying,
planting, tilling, etc. They are the 'Rambos' of the gardening
world.
Cultivators
often grow a larger garden than they can ever eat, or plant a 1
acre lawn so they can mow it. Cultivators often will become tired
of the exertion each week, or learn enough to work smarter and
become master gardeners. I'm not talking about the members of
'plant killers anonymous' that take a 40- hour class and become
'maestro' gardeners (40- hour brain surgeons; may they work on
each others heads.) Master gardeners read all the best gardening
books, visit botanic gardens around the world, buy a house for the
garden, and generally live for their garden. Master gardeners
often will be in their garden before breakfast, during lunch hour,
and until dark. (Sometimes even after dark!) Generally,
cultivators and master gardeners have very green thumbs and
frustrate to no end the dabblers and decorators who cannot
understand why they kill a fifth to one-half of their plants.
Master gardeners stick the plant in the ground and it grows!
Cultivators and master gardeners often have much in common and can
spend hours talking about how to improve their skills. Most of the
active restorationists are master gardeners that have found the
ultimate garden. Interestingly, biologists and botanists can be at
any level. I know of many biologists that have killed every plant
they have ever planted. Some are so bad at gardening they can't
even grow weeds. We're trying to pull biologists and gardeners
together!?
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