Ronaldo Montoya

Tereza Okava wrote:You'll find it sprouts back very well when you cut it (here people are always horrified when they cut it back and it comes back twice as vigorous).

Oh yes. I found a little plant ( one meter tall) and i transplanted to My garden. But then the plant started to die slowly. I try it to make it recover with múltiple strategies but theres nothing i could did. The plant started to died slowly until it died. I was sad . But then one month after i was walking and i found a a little plant growing in The same place. I think only died The plant but The roots were ok. Now i have a new healthy plant.

But i was wondering , if everything in Nature has a purpose' , what should be The purpose' of this mechanism in this plant.  What is The ecological function of The behaivor of it's roots?

M Ljin wrote:Have you tried it yet? How is it?

Yes , it was awesome. I think now is My favorite green leave plant.
Flavor is complex .
First i cut a little piece and ate it raw. And nothing happened in My mouth. i didnt feel nothing wrong with me. Then i cooked 2 leaves. Not SO Big, not SO small.  From time to time i use to take one leave from The boiling pot to try of it still hurts but Its urticating and irritating power was reduced as the leaf was cooked.
I ate one very cooked and The other one not SO much.
I liked a Lot The "not SO much cooked " one .

I like a Lot this plant. Here in The jungle is everywhere and it's a really tasty ans nutritious plant. I'm happy Ive discovered this plant.


Thank You




Also The leaves are  wierd , like a small city or Maybe a mozaic space that can be Taken for inspiración for plant distribution?

M Ljin wrote:Plants for a Future calls Urera baccifera, of which one of the common names is “nettle tree”, toxic when ingested so I would not take it if I were you. As an herbalist of sorts I eat all sorts of toxic things but it’s good to know how toxic first. It does not sound like something good to eat for food, though.

Maybe we will figure out that the plant is something different? It would be interesting to see what the flowers look like later in the year!

I think it's urera baccifera. I found this in The book: trees with edible leaves

Urtigão , Cow-Itch (Urera baccifera)  This “nettle tree” produces a very painful sting when touched. The sting is much more powerful than that of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) and lasts for several days. The cooked leaves are a popular vegetable in Brazil, where it is cultivated by some gardeners as a food crop. Family: Urticaceae Names: English: cow-itch, Caesar weed. French: feuilles enragées, mamon guêpes. Portuguese: urtigão, urtiga-roxa, ortiga brava, ortiga grande, ortiga colorado. Spanish: cadillo, chichicaste, pringamoza. Form: Shrubs to 6m tall. Origin: tropical Americas Climate and Soils: Lowland humid tropics, but also growing to 1500m or higher when planted. Sun to part shade. Vegetable and Other Uses. The thoroughly cooked leaves are a delicious vegetable. The small, sweet white fruits are also eaten. Grown as a minor fiber crop as well. This species has many medicinal uses. Nutrition. Information unavailable. Growing Tips. Be careful of the stinging hairs! Sometimes used as a living fence. Coppices very well. Both male and female plants are needed for fruit production. Propagation. Grown from live stakes and seed.

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.

In food forest design it is recommended to observe the land before intervening. Do you think that camping on the land itself makes a significant difference in the quality of observation, or is it enough to stay in a nearby place and visit the site at different times of the day?

Because of some legal problems i'm not gonna be able to camp in The land. But i have The possibility of camping in a nearplace .

What do You think?

I asked chatGpt and he wrote this:


Direct and continuous observation on-site is not just an advantage, but an essential condition for good edible forest design. Sleeping there completely transforms the quality of the information obtained. Many decisive phenomena for design are only revealed at specific hours that are missed if one doesn't stay on-site: the exact direction of the breeze at dawn, the song of birds that mark ecological dynamics, the silent passage of nocturnal animals, the accumulation of dew in certain spots, or the way puddles form after rain. All these details, seemingly small, are actually what determine where to locate crops, paths, water bodies, or rest areas.

Beyond the data, spending full days on-site generates a sensory and emotional connection with the land that is impossible to achieve with quick visits. The designer doesn't just observe; they experience the site firsthand, perceiving the nuances of temperature, humidity, smells, and sounds that build the true identity of the ecosystem. This deep immersion allows designing not from theory, but from direct experience of the place.

Moreover, each land is unique, with microclimates and particularities that differentiate it even from a neighboring space with apparent similarity. A slight variation in slope, vegetation cover, or sun exposure can alter soil moisture, insect activity, or fauna movements. Only by being on-site can one guarantee that observations correspond exactly to the work area, without misleading extrapolations.

Sleeping off-site is equivalent to giving up a vital part of the information. No matter how frequent the visits, there will always be ephemeral details that are missed by not being present 24 hours a day. A successful edible forest is based on capturing those subtleties that only total immersion allows. Therefore, camping on-site is not a luxury or a secondary option; it's an essential methodological tool to achieve a design truly adjusted to the reality of the place.

hi, here in The Amazon jungle in Perú there is this plant growing everywhere. It's a legume that grows using as support other plants and produces small pods with hair and inside there are small beans.

There are a lot of them .  Do You know this plant?

Are these beans edible?


Thanks in advance

Hi , i bought this fruit in a market in Perú.  The flavor is similar than cucumber. I forgot The name of this fruit.

Does anybody have an idea?

Hi, i want to grow new Zeland spinach in pots. Ive read that it's root are shallow and it tends to grow horizontally.
What size pots do You recommend me?


Thanks

R.