Cultivation

It was likely not long before we were conscious of our abilities to manipulate the environment around us that we set our sights on streamlining food production via controlled cultivation. Over the course of humanity people have developed different ways for achieving cultivation goals. Early humans identified beneficial and edible plants and likely altered the surrounding environment or vegetation to facilitate ease with production or harvesting. 

Plants: Advanced Machines

 

The reality is that plants are able to utilize solar energy in order to build themselves, and that plant products and byproducts have facilitated a reality where many other living organisms have been able to evolve and persist. The air we breathe contains within it, a certain vital percentage of oxygen that we would not be able to survive without. The current climate, the current oxygen levels now, are dictated by the historical and current floral component on the planet. 

Plants have the ability to use this solar energy and turn it into complex organic molecules which we can utilize. Plants also are efficient at utilizing their own oxidation for energy production. They can moderate climate, enrich soils, anchor soils, distribute nutrients, and are extremely variable. I encourage you to look for the value in plants every day even though it may not be seen on a price tag. 

 

 

General Cultivation Notes:

Plants tend to fall under distinct categories such as sun vs. shade, wet vs. dry, ect. The truth is that the plants themselves are highly adapted machinery to certain landscapes. By taking the time to understand your desired climates, it will become easy for the beginner cultivator to understand the specific growing requirements for each plant species necessary. 

Water is necessary for plants. The ability for plants to maintain the integrity of their cell walls is called turgor pressure. Read about turgor pressure here. Water pressure is a driving force for plant growth and its how plants maintain rigidity within their skeletal systems. Certain plants which are adapted to wetter sites may not have the adaptations necessary to survive long periods of drought. Certain species that persist in dry areas may rot away in a wet site.

Tropical Greenhouse Guides:

Generally growers utilize modern controlled cultivation spaces to increase yield and to decrease any chances for stock loss. The natural climate of your local area will strongly dictate inside greenhouse conditions. There are many ways that growers can achieve desired temperature and humidity. This guide will act as a baseline for growers detailing how changes in temperature can have cascading effects inside your greenhouse:

Tropical Greenhouse Guide:: Tropical Greenhouse Guide    

*Exercise caution when altering the native landscape.

Cultivation Guides for Plant Genera:

Temperate Plants:

Flora that inhabit areas with freezing/near freezing winters and distinct changes in day-length throughout the year. Plant species conserve energy to survive anticipated seasonal changes. 

 

Tropical Plants:

Flora that inhabit areas with no distinct changes in day-length near the equator. Conditions are generally stable throughout the year. These environments may still have distinct rainy / dry seasons with slight shifts in temperature seasonally. 

Nepenthes: :Cultivation of Nepenthes

 

*Please note: Specific climates and geographical regions can greatly influence indoor and outdoor cultivation capabilities. Many growers have unique goals when it comes to production. These guides serve as a baseline for understanding basic plant cultivation and how to alter procedures based on specific native habitat range.