Comments on: Squeezing the Most Out of California’s Water Supply https://modernfarmer.com/2023/03/squeezing-the-most-out-of-californias-water-supply/ Farm. Food. Life. Thu, 09 May 2024 13:25:09 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 By: Patrick Byrd https://modernfarmer.com/2023/03/squeezing-the-most-out-of-californias-water-supply/#comment-66120 Thu, 17 Aug 2023 21:29:20 +0000 https://modernfarmer.com/?p=148445#comment-66120 Experiences in Syntropic agriculture have shown that plants can ‘drink’ water directly from the humidity in the atmosphere, even in times of drought. Hydroscopic mycorrhizal fungi have the ability to condense and conduct moisture to the plant’s root zone, on demand, directly from humidity in the air. Even in deserts there is some percent of humidity in the air, especially at night. But only plants in the vigorous part of their growth curve have hydroscopic fungal partners, once the plant begins to mature or show signs of senecence it’ll change its fungal associate to a hydrophobic species, drying the soil out.

The trick is keeping all the plants in a planting (and those around the borders too) in the vigorous part of their growth curve. Everything that is yellowing or starting to brown needs to get pruned or mowed and put down on the soil as mulch. Pruned plants exhibit much higher rates of photosynthesis after resprouting which also generates moisture and cools the microclimate. Of course keeping the soil covered and shaded helps reduce evaporation. Pruned plants also release growth hormones which get shared with all the plants in the system… But the main thing is that we should learn how to keep our landscapes green and vigorously growing, despite however much rainfall we do or don’t have. People are doing it in other parts of the world, we in the US need to take heed and get proactive in changing the way we cultivate our crops.

]]> By: Fred Hoffman https://modernfarmer.com/2023/03/squeezing-the-most-out-of-californias-water-supply/#comment-57229 Sun, 02 Apr 2023 15:16:58 +0000 https://modernfarmer.com/?p=148445#comment-57229 Kind of difficult to write an article like this without using the word, “almonds”.

]]> By: Otis R. Needleman https://modernfarmer.com/2023/03/squeezing-the-most-out-of-californias-water-supply/#comment-57227 Sun, 02 Apr 2023 14:55:44 +0000 https://modernfarmer.com/?p=148445#comment-57227 CA also doesn’t have all the needed reservoirs. Money’s been voted to fund them but “environmentalists” keep throwing obstacles in the way. We lost a LOT of water from this past rainy season, just went into the ocean. Should never have happened.

]]> By: Bob Gordon https://modernfarmer.com/2023/03/squeezing-the-most-out-of-californias-water-supply/#comment-56579 Wed, 29 Mar 2023 15:38:38 +0000 https://modernfarmer.com/?p=148445#comment-56579 In reply to Stef McCabe.

Uh, HI, STEF. I don’t get the connection. Can you spell it out? Thanks, Bob

]]> By: Stef McCabe https://modernfarmer.com/2023/03/squeezing-the-most-out-of-californias-water-supply/#comment-56409 Tue, 28 Mar 2023 22:18:39 +0000 https://modernfarmer.com/?p=148445#comment-56409 Not a mention of plastic!!!

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