Nursery/Landscape Sustainability Network
Sustainability in General
I have been involved with sustainability for about 30 years and I think it is very important to start a discussion on terminology and get a general grasp of what sustainability is all about.
First, although, Organics is a usefull tool in creating and maintaining a sustainalbe landscape, sustainability is no limited to those things generally accepted as organic. In my view sustainability is a combiniation of design and maintenance that reduces the stress normally placed on monocultures thereby reducing the amount of natural resorces and inputs required to keep them alive and well.
This concept encompasses the proper use of water, plant material native to or adaptable to the local environment, inputs that can be used to increase natural fertilitiy and reduce disease and insect damage.
The worst deterant to sustainability is the use of monocultures. This is, however, the way we have to grow food and plant in landscapes to fulfill our primary mission, which is esthetic beauty. There are ways to decrease the impact monoculture has on an environment.
The first is to understand how a true sustainable landscape works. Go out into a uncultivated field and look at what is growing and how. Various grasses, broadleaf, and woody plants will be growing in coexistance. This is biodiversity. The biodiversity acts as a community in supplying growth substances through plant extracts and food sorces through plant littler to stimulate a wide variety of microbial life.
The microbial life exist in various food webs and break down organic matter through multiple stages releasing nutrients. Other microbial life is stimulated to protect host plants from disease. Since all is in balance little stress is incured by plants and plant damageing insects do not get to significant levels.
Once the balance is disturbed and one plant species becomes too dominate in the landscape pathogen supressors decrease which allows them to attach those plants putting them in stress. By doing this insects are able to attack the dominant plants and reduce their numbers, thereby bringing the landscape back into balance.
Simply put, once a monoculture is introduced into the environment, from that point on nature is fighting to get back to biodiversity. All disease, nutrient deficiency, and insect problems are mearly symptoms.
Sustainability should them be addressed by recognizing the true problem, finding ways to mitigate the problem and finding sensable ways to treat the symptoms that do not add to the problem.
I hope this starts some dialogue regarding the subject and I look forward to interaction.
First, although, Organics is a usefull tool in creating and maintaining a sustainalbe landscape, sustainability is no limited to those things generally accepted as organic. In my view sustainability is a combiniation of design and maintenance that reduces the stress normally placed on monocultures thereby reducing the amount of natural resorces and inputs required to keep them alive and well.
This concept encompasses the proper use of water, plant material native to or adaptable to the local environment, inputs that can be used to increase natural fertilitiy and reduce disease and insect damage.
The worst deterant to sustainability is the use of monocultures. This is, however, the way we have to grow food and plant in landscapes to fulfill our primary mission, which is esthetic beauty. There are ways to decrease the impact monoculture has on an environment.
The first is to understand how a true sustainable landscape works. Go out into a uncultivated field and look at what is growing and how. Various grasses, broadleaf, and woody plants will be growing in coexistance. This is biodiversity. The biodiversity acts as a community in supplying growth substances through plant extracts and food sorces through plant littler to stimulate a wide variety of microbial life.
The microbial life exist in various food webs and break down organic matter through multiple stages releasing nutrients. Other microbial life is stimulated to protect host plants from disease. Since all is in balance little stress is incured by plants and plant damageing insects do not get to significant levels.
Once the balance is disturbed and one plant species becomes too dominate in the landscape pathogen supressors decrease which allows them to attach those plants putting them in stress. By doing this insects are able to attack the dominant plants and reduce their numbers, thereby bringing the landscape back into balance.
Simply put, once a monoculture is introduced into the environment, from that point on nature is fighting to get back to biodiversity. All disease, nutrient deficiency, and insect problems are mearly symptoms.
Sustainability should them be addressed by recognizing the true problem, finding ways to mitigate the problem and finding sensable ways to treat the symptoms that do not add to the problem.
I hope this starts some dialogue regarding the subject and I look forward to interaction.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Brad Smtih on -
How long ago did you post this message?
I'm trying to gauge the level of participation here.
Thanks,
Brad
About
© 2009 Created by Texas Nursery & Landscape Assn. on Ning. Create Your Own Social Network
