ecosystems
Ecosystems
Niches
Healthy soil is complicated – a matrix of organic matter, minerals, moisture, living organisms and more in relationships that work together. It's an ecosystem within an ecosystem. Clearly plants are the basic building block of visible life, but soil is the building block of plants (plus energy – sun). There's so much in the soil that doesn't come thru in texture or even soil tests. I've been digging in the dirt to plant almost 2 dozen native plants this week that I ordered. They were categorized under 3 categories: 1. Spring ephemerals – a temporal distinction, had to consider the neighbor plants. Ok if it neighbored with big sunblocking plants as long as they grow or leaf out later than the early Spring. Seemed to be found mostly in woodlands. I don't have woods, so I clustered them in a mini woodland. They aren't dead (good news) but you don't know if a plant really likes where you put it until the next year. Fingers crossed.
- moisture loving – wetland. I do have that. If the description didn't say 'tolerates peat conditions” I added some additional soil, but otherwise I'm thinking they will love it in a corner of my yard. Again, fingers crossed. 3. summer sun – plants that love sun. I've got places for them. Loamy soil seemed right, we'll see. 1 died because I broke it at the base of the stem while planting. It's a bulb type plant though and might survive – again, we'll see. Another 2 have had flowers eaten by rabbits. Ok, we'll see.
Did I find a niche for each of my plants? I checkin with them daily, mostly so far so good. We'll see, fingers crossed.
As for me, I knew what my niche was when I worked. Increasingly, my niche is to live and adopt a lifestyle with some nature balance. I eat mostly plants. I try to grow some of what I eat. I'm trying to put a lifelong history of killing plants behind me (no natural green thumb here). I'd like to share part of my yard with wild life. I am home at sea level oxygen levels, trees, winter, temperate zones.
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