Will the Lawn Rebate Turn LA into a Gravel Moonscape?

...n background material. Our ancestors could distinguish between hundreds of plants, but that ancestral memory has been hijacked by commercial interests. Now, instead of plant identification skills, we name and distinguish things like cars and mobile devices. If there was a kind of car rebate program that inadvertently replaced BMWs with Pontiac Azteks I would guarantee you that there would be blood in the streets. We need a new cultural narrative a...

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What are trees worth?

...gue green background to their busy lives, and even fewer people understand plants and the value they bring to our lives and the world at large. I’ve been traveling a lot this summer, taking refuge in green places which restore the soul. Returning to LA has been hard, because all of the plant life here is so very stressed. When I’m outside, it’s almost as if I can hear a constant, low-level cry of misery from the land, and that pain resonates in me...

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Permaculture Design Course at the Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano

...OOD OFF-SITE – Guided tour of various farms in Vista, Tour of permaculture plant nursery, build plant lists MAY 10 / WASTE – Composting methods, nutrient cycle overview (nitrogen, carbon cycles), soil science overview, building biomass- focus in permaculture, keeping backyard chickens, composting methods workshop / build a worm bin MAY 11 / ENERGY + SHELTER – Passive solar design, walk through an energy audit, how to read a utility bill, ‘going so...

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Saturday Tweets: Bulbs, Bees and Basil

...o/vl8yudowa9 — Root Simple (@rootsimple) October 8, 2015 Michael Pollan on Plant Neurobiology – Commentary – The New Yorker https://t.co/ngNkCP6U9T via @YouTube — Root Simple (@rootsimple) October 7, 2015 4 new varieties of #basil vs 4 favorites! http://t.co/G8jOO9rvze #gardenchat #mygarden pic.twitter.com/pVu4YUKKMn — Gardenerd (@gardenerd1) October 6, 2015 Sauerkraut crocks are for holding umbrellas: http://t.co/S6KjECPPp4 — Root Simple (@rootsi...

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Self Watering Containers

...n fact inconsistent watering is probably the number one cause of container plant failure. Container gardening also uses a lot of water and can be messy, as the excess water flows out of the bottom of your pots leaving muddy stains on decks and balconies. Thankfully, there is an elegant solution in the form of self watering containers. The principle is simple. Rather than having a hole in the bottom of the pot, there is instead a reservoir of water...

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