The Spatial Distribution of Plants in a Food Forest

Hi i'm writing this text in orden to explain a client  why is not a good idea to have an equal distances between plants.

I'm not sure if everything i'm saying is ok. So what do.you think. Is there something You would add and correct?


The Spatial Distribution of Plants in a Food Forest

In nature, every forest goes through a process called ecological succession.
Ecological succession is the process by which an ecosystem evolves from an initial state, known as the pioneer phase, until it reaches a mature ecosystem, called the climax phase.
One of the fundamental strategies in food forest design is to mimic the structures and dynamics of an intermediate stage of succession that we could call a mature secondary forest or young climax forest.
Why?
At this stage, the forest achieves the highest energy efficiency (Odum), the greatest net primary productivity, and the highest resilience.
This point represents the best balance between order and disorder, which drives self-organization, natural regeneration, and a more efficient energy flow.
What is mimicked from this stage?
Vertical stratification of species, functional diversity, mutualistic relationships, succession, spatial patterns, etc.


Spatial Distribution of Plants
In a real forest, plants do not grow at equal or symmetrical distances.
When all plants are placed at the same distance and at the same time, the logic of layers (strata) and temporal succession is ignored.
Instead of fostering cooperation between plants, this creates uniform and simultaneous competition for light, nutrients, and water.
It reduces the possibilities for functional associations.
There is no use of vertical or underground space.
The regular grid makes the system more vulnerable to pests and diseases, because spatial homogeneity favors their spread, whereas irregular patterns hinder the expansion of threats.
Designing in a grid ignores the characteristics of the terrain, breaking natural flows and reducing ecological resilience.
A good design adapts to the land, it does not impose a geometric pattern from paper.
The grid is a static and artificial pattern, and in food forest design what is sought is dynamism, complementarity, succession, cooperation among species, and adaptation to the landscape.
Grid design may work in the short term, but it is ecologically inefficient, weak against disturbances, and requires more management and external inputs.

I agree with those points. In addition, planting grids with straight paths create wind tunnels and erosion highways. They are also maddening to make on uneven ground, which is pretty much anywhere that wasn’t created by a flood or heavy equipment. Grids look much worse when any one part is off, such as when some plants inevitably die. Getting a grid right will also take longer and cost the client more for a less resilient end produt.

On your point of weakening resilience to pests who can see your grid of food for them from a mile away, I am reminded of my time working on a Wilderness restoration crew in the Mojave and Sonoran desert. Our main goal was removing illegal roads into Wilderness that were created and maintained by ATVs trampling vegetation. Signs and obvious barricades just invited target practice and winches to destroy them. Werealized just how much a straight line stands out like a sore thumb in nature. Just randomly scattering rocks and “frankenbushes” (half buried dead branches in a tree shape) around the road disrupted the linearity and camouflaged the road. Where we did this random scattering well, it was much less work than other methods and the roads disappeared visually. If they went unused long enough, if atv- users didn’t notice them,  plants could reestablish in the shade of the frankenbushes and rock piles, These  also caught wind-born seeds.

This positive feedback loop is similar to the pest dynamics in a garden. When a pest has to look around harder for food in a diverse, mosaic garden, it is less likely to feast and procreate exponentially, and easier for more prevalent predators to manage for us. Grids are pest buffets

Spatial Distribution was an unknown term for me so I asked Mr Google.

Permaculture is living within nature.

Mother nature uses patterns to create her gardens human use spacing because that is an easy way to plant.

Spacing allows sufficient sunlight and ventilation, promoting stronger and healthier plants and helps with root competition.

Plants flourish best when their roots can spread freely without interference.