posted 8 years ago
Hi Tiffany;
Welcome to Permies, and to Permaculture!
My understanding is that permaculture mimics the natural processes, such as succession, but speeds it up. In nature, a piece of land with poor soil will go through succession. First smaller plans will come in, each adding what the soil needs, and these plants act as nurse crops to nurture the small trees that start to grow. Then, as the soil ecology changes, other plants come in and take over, and new trees come in. Here, we have alders, hemlock, fir and cedar. The alders are much more short lived than the others, but act as 'nurse trees' for them, as well as being nitrogen fixers. Once the tree canopy starts to close in, different plants that prefer shade take over from the original plants. And the process goes on.
With permaculture we can speed things up by planting the trees we want along with a variety of nurse crops that will add their goodness to the soil, shelter the young trees, attract beneficial insects, and be used for chop-and-drop. As the trees grow, the plants that we have around and under them will change to work better with more shade. Some of the trees we plant are nurse trees, nitrogen fixers, and chop-and-drop species, and we'll eventually cut man of them down to make room for the productive trees. We want to plant species that will have a good affect on the soil, as well as help the young trees along. We can also use animals to clear an area, scuff up the surface soil, and add their manure. Chickens are the common choice.
So, we have used the natural process, but we have sped it up to get the succession heading in the direct we want at a much faster pace.
I hope this helps!
Cheers
Tracy