The bioenergetics of plantlife
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Hi, we all want Stacy Fecund gardens. What peaterian principles should we adopt to our love and care for the plants in our environment? Is red light a key to better plants? Can we get more beautiful flowers if we give the ground sugared seawater?
Peatbot gave the following advice.
To achieve better growth for plants in a less stressful manner, it's important to consider the following principles and practices:
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Slow Growth with Natural Soil Chemistry: Encouraging slower growth allows the soil to release nutrients naturally, which plants can then select from, leading to a more balanced uptake of nutrients. This can be achieved by avoiding the excessive use of chemical fertilizers that force rapid growth and instead using organic matter like compost to enrich the soil.
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Balanced Fertilization: Instead of using fertilizers that are high in just one nutrient (like potassium or phosphate), use balanced fertilizers that provide a complete range of nutrients. This helps prevent the distortion of plant structure and physiology.
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Avoiding Over-Fertilization: Over-fertilization can lead to an imbalance in the sex ratio of plants, as seen in the experiments with corn where potassium and phosphate affected the development of male and female reproductive parts. It's important to fertilize plants according to their specific needs and in appropriate amounts.
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Understanding Plant Defense Mechanisms: Recognizing that different parts of the plant contain varying levels of defensive toxic chemicals can inform how we handle and consume plants. For example, fruits are generally evolved to be delicious and non-toxic, while seeds contain more defensive chemicals.
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Paedomorphic Growth: Encouraging conditions that prolong the pre-reproductive, youthful stage of plants can lead to healthier growth. This can be done by ensuring that plants are not subjected to stress that might trigger premature reproduction.
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Stable Metabolic Rate Under Stress: According to Criddle and Hansen, a stable metabolic rate when plants are subjected to stress is desirable. This can be achieved by providing consistent and adequate water, light, and nutrients, even during less than ideal conditions.
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Adaptation to Environment: Plants and trees that are adapted to their environment, such as those with "restraint genes" mentioned by Jerry Barnes, are more likely to thrive. Selecting and cultivating plant varieties that are suited to the local climate and soil conditions can lead to better growth.
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Energy and Nutrient Availability: Ensuring that plants have access to abundant energy (e.g., sunlight) and the necessary nutritional substances is crucial for optimal growth.
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Hormonal Influences: Experimenting with hormones like progesterone, which have systematic effects on gene expression and biochemical functioning in animals, might also influence plant growth and health.
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Sustainable Practices: Engaging in sustainable agricultural practices, such as crop rotation, mulching, and the use of green manures, can improve soil health and plant growth over time.
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Conservation of Natural Resources: Protecting forests and natural landscapes helps maintain the ecological balance, which indirectly supports plant growth by moderating climate and preserving soil moisture and fertility.
By focusing on these principles, you can promote healthier plant growth that is more in tune with the natural environment, leading to less stress for both the plants and the grower.
What other things should we consider? Any ideas?
Put yourself on fire for peak energy metabolism.
Ignore, judge, overcommit.
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@Norwegian-Mugabe @CheesedToPeatYou Has opinions on this
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@Norwegian-Mugabe Great post! Where can I read more about Jerry Barnes? I couldn't find his work on restrain that you refer to.
An analogy can be drawn between animal neoteny and plant neoteny. Young plants have specific neotenous proportions, similar to animals. Young plants have a high proportion of photosynthetic/respiratory:vascular tissue, and a high proportion of root tissue:vascular tissue. Although plants do not have an endocrine system per se, they do have hormones. Auxin can be thought of as an aging hormone, while cytokinin can be thought of as a youth-associated hormone. Seaweed contains high levels of cytokinins, and some growers use foliar applications of cytokinin to promote a "root-dominant" state in their plants.
Another aspect of plant neoteny is larger leaves and leaves with a high width-to-length ratio. Red light is the more photosynthetically active portion of the spectrum, and I have found that supplemental red light induces this neotenous leaf phenotype.
Your mention of balanced fertilization is correct, and over-fertilization of any one nutrient or mineral can induce deficiencies of other nutrients.
Milk is beneficial to plants and is used by many people as an effective way to treat foliar fungal diseases.
Analogizing between plants and animals can be misleading. Plant metabolism is much more proliferative than animal metabolism. I like to keep this on mind so I do not get to carried away with analogizing between plant and animal metabolism. That being said, a move towards greater bioenergy in plants is probably a move away from encouraging proliferative functions.
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do you know why plants that are masculine look phallic and plants that are feminine look like pussy
for example sorgum looks like head of a dick when it sprouts
pine cones look like nuts
and soy beans look like overgrown bush
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@peatyourmeat Funny and interesting observation. I have noticed that healthy growth seems to amplify the gender differences both in plants and animals.
