A comprehensive guide to Permaculture Guilds 

The thing about this is that conventional wisdom on this topic has changed so much in the last few decades. People previously thought that capillary action brings all nutrients into the roots, and that plants basically suck nutrients up like straws. That's kind of true but also very much not true. It also completely ignores how those nutrients got there. For example, plants need nitrogen to grow leaves, but is that in the form of NH3, NH4, NO, NO2, NO3, etc? Unfortunately answering your question requires an hour long TED talk type video, or writing chapters in a microbiology book out. I'll try to boil it down as much as possible... Plants can't get nutrients themselves. They can acquire CO2, O2 and H2O and that's really about it. The rest they need to get from soil microbiology. The soil microbiology breaks apart microscopic nutrients in the soil. Bacteria basically use acids to dissolve minerals and make glue out of it. This glue makes things called aggregates. Fungi can then disassemble those and pass nutrients through their networks to themselves and to plants via a mychorrizal association. Bacteria are really good at making alkaline glues and nitrates and nitrites (NO3 and NO). Fungi prefer to make ammonium NH4 (not to be confused with ammonia NH3). So weed-pit bacterial dominated soils tend to be more alkaline and old growth forest fungal dominated soils tend to be more acidic. A big part of that is also compaction based, and how much nasty acids are being produced by anaerobes. So much depth to cover in this aspect alone, because it really determines plant health tremendously, and the blocking of various cation exchanges. For example you can have tons of Calcium in your soil, but if the soil chemistry and biology is wrong, it can get blocked from your plant's ability to access it. Moving on... Protozoa and nematodes then eat both the bacteria and fungi and are the next step (and possibly greatest importance) in nutrient cycling. After digesting all that stuff, and pooping it out, only now can plants actually access that nutrient. The guts of a worm is one of the most complex places on the planet - microbiologically speaking. Various minerals that the plant needs to survive, the plant needs to have them dissolved by bacteria and fungi, then consumed and chelated (bound to an amino acid) by these slightly larger microbiology critters. Only now can the plant actually use the minerals in the soil. And it's at this point where the plant can slurp it up. So the whole "plants slurp up nutrients" is true, technically, but it also ignores the incredible importance of the soil food web of life in making that nutrient bio-available. Short answer is that yes plants can technically slurp up nutrients, but MORE IMPORTANTLY plants absolutely CANNOT feed themselves. I'm not sure how "fun" a video like that would be, but I can take a crack at it if you think people will enjoy it. Even if it gets low views for the amount of work it will take to produce, it will still be a good video to have in my library - that other people can point the real plant geeks towards, and maybe turn those people into permaculturists. I'm going to pin this just so people may get value out of me typing all this out.

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy wow. Yes, Thank you, so valuable. I'd love to geek out on a video like that but only if others would benefit too. I can only imagine how much work it'd be!! ;) A friend keeps telling me to go back to school for this stuff, but I worry they would teach outdated concepts... haha. I will need to read through this a few times to grasp it, science wasn't ever my strong subject. ;) Thanks again!!!

​@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy the other consideration, IF you opt to create such a video, would be to share practical ways to increase said biology on the scale necessary to initiate a new permaculture orchard. (Specifically for dead soils) I am currently in that dilemma myself. Even grasses won't grow in some spots because the soil has previously been stripped! I have looked into the IMO's and KNF and it has helped tremendously. But the addition of soil feeding photosynthesizing plants is one part I had only learned from your channel. Currently stuck in the awkward in between waiting game as it all does it's magic... haha. Anyway, it's all so very fascinating and I just love learning about it, and applying it all!!

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy Wow, that was fascinating! I would definitely watch a video on it :)

@@CanadianPermacultureLegacy Fantastic reply. Love all your work, and my food forest is definitely benefiting from it!

Instead of clover and sea buckthorn, I'd use peas and beans. Turnover time is shorter, if you don't want to harvest fresh just ignore them, they will produce something you can eat over the winter or use as seeds for the next year. Sea buckthorn is something you may want to keep, not kill for the nitrogen in the roots. Deep tap root: comfrey. Mullein is useful for when you have a cough. Comfrey for when you have broken bones. Your choice... I'd use Claytonia for ground cover, nutritious and delicious... (and very pretty) Any suggestions welcome!

Peas and beans are great also. I use clover myself because it's perennial. Plant once and it's done for life. But in areas that I manage more often, peas and beans are a great alternative low growing nitrogen fixer. You just need to sow them each year. I'm trialing and area where I just don't harvest them at all and see if they resow easily. Last uear they didn't, so I went bigger this year. I will see what pops up this spring.

Thanks 😊 for clearly summarizing the 6 points. I’m a consummate note taker 📝😉….And have written copious notes on this talk. I’m definitely NOT SUCCINCT. Thanks 👌🏼👌🏼

Points 1 and 6 are the same: Maximize photosynthesis. Make full use of the space, both horizontal and vertical, so leaves can capture all the energy.

@@doinacampean9132 i noticed they sell peas (like split pea but not split) in harris teeter and i can confirm that these do sprout. Can these do it? Also will comfrey work well in a raised bed?

Thank you this means a lot to me. My father in law (Poppy) has really enjoyed moving to a no till system for the same reason. He's in great shape for his age but he is still getting older. The tiller used to really give him pains that lasted weeks.

Is your point that you maintain your 100 acre farm by primarily growing perennials? Or is that what you do to the 5 acre area only?

@@jerrysamuels8716 All of our growing areas are mulched beds (wood chips or straw) spread around the 5 acres we maintain. All of my newer fruit trees & shrubs are in a food forest setup in multiple sections. I have some old apples that are 40 years old now that we planted in the traditional way. We are also in the process of 'taming' some of the wild apple trees that grow all around the farm; pruning and grafting our favourites. There are currently about 30 acres of tillable land seeded in a perennial hay mix, and the balance is made up of two small woodlots and a full bush. The majority of the trees growing on the farm are those we planted in the '70s or their seedlings. We have a few of the original sugar maples dating back to 1849, along with stands of hickory, ironwood, and beech. These too have produced many young trees on their own filling in the woodlot quite nicely. I can't tell you how much joy it brings me to remember what the back half of the farm looked like when we moved here in 1974. You could see across the back 60 acres that were mostly giant ground level rocks with huge cracks between them. Now there are only a few left to be seen. Soil created by tree leaves, needles, fallen branches, and dead trees covers nearly all of the bush acreage. It only took 100,000 trees and four decades. :) The wildlife species present have grown with the trees.

@@lgrantsimmons Thank you for your thoughtful response.

@@lgrantsimmons it is very inspiring and beautiful, thank you for sharing :) we have moved out of the big city on the acreage property and I am learning all about food forest and planting fruit trees:) planning g to visit Jeff Lawton ‘s Zaytuna permaculture farm in Australia

Exactly ✅️

Indeed. They are a strange plant also. Can be very difficult to get established, but once they are they can be so rampant that they are considered invasive in some places. Pretty typical calling nitrogen fixing healing plants (who grow well on depleted soils) invasive. It's like we don't want to restore our soils.

I have had the best luck scatter sowing Lupine in late summer (as nature does) and they germinate the following spring. But I'm in the PNW where they are native. I absolutely adore them! (I also cannot help but think that after this video discussing nutrient accumulators, the slugs who devoured them knew best and that when topping them, they'd allow the nitrogen nodules to be released back into the newly wood mulched soil.) Hmmm...

Yeah for sure. The slugs were doing natures work. Sure maybe not in a conscious way, but the plant adapted to being eaten and turning that "bad thing" into a good thing. Any now millions of years later due to that adaptation, its still passing on its DNA when billions of other plants faded into history.

Considered invasive where I come from but I have heard there are varieties that aren't?

Yeah! thanks for watching! You may really enjoy the microbiology guide video also.

Awesome! LOL If I'm really good at this, people will stop watching and start planting. I'm totally cool with that!

Well said! Thank you.

Thanks DJ! You are always solid on these bug IDs. Do you have a background in Entomology? It looks like these guys are mostly predators of small insects. And apparently they eat coddling moth larvae! I'm floored! To find those on a Queen Anne's Lace directly next to a pear tree, and have a coddling moth predator on that plant... wow!

Nope. But I do love a challenge to look up wild animals/bugs/plants. I learn something too in the process. The key is learning correct search string parameters on Mr. Googly; then expanding to Googly Images for verification. (yes, it's dumb but I'm retired and have all the time in the world to tell you about it). :)

I couldn't agree more. Having a learning mentality is the secret cheat code to life. Learning something new every day and decades later you are a pretty useful fella.

Hmm... Well, I think I could put the lie to that, but I appreciate your kind words. Cheers!

@@djmoulton1558 typical Canadian...deflecting compliments😂. Well done!💕

Exactly right!

Pretty amazing how every living thing is one, yet astoundingly diverse and ever-changing. Truly beautiful

Absolutely fantastic! Welcome to the army LOL

Hey Neighbour. I'm in North Bay. Working on the same on my very small property.

So kind, thank you

Same here Laurie.

I've watched a dude turn compost before and had the same thought

Thank you kindly 🙏

Awesome, thank you!

Cheers 🍻

Totally!

Thanks Ephraim, I appreciate that as always :)

Thanks Katie 😊

Thanks! I'm glad it's useful 😀

Thanks for checking us out :)

Thanks Travis

thanks 😊

Cheers 🍻

❤️

Glad to hear it! Thanks for commenting and good luck 👍

Thanks 😊

You are so welcome!

Thanks 😊

Thanks as always Sam

Thanks! It's been work to set up, for sure. It's so worth it though, and will pay me back for the rest of my life.

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks 😊

Glad it was helpful! Indeed, although the cast members may change, the plot should be the same :)

Thank you 😊

😀 awesome, glad you found it helpful

Thanks 😊

Welcome to the family 😀

Thanks! I should do an update this season with a bunch of different guilds I've added.

Great!

Thanks for watching :)

Such a good way to create deeper bonding with kids also!

Thanks for checking us out! I will have to check your channel out when I have some free time. I saw lots of videos on canning on your channel.

That's awesome, welcome to the family we have a great crowd here. Lots of great discussion in the comments on all the videos from cold hardy growers! Your climate ajd mine are actually probably extremely similarly.

Thanks for watching:)

Relevant username! Thanks for wasting some time with me today! ha!

Thanks!

Thank you

You're very welcome!

Thanks!

Awesome! Good luck 👍!

Glad it was helpful!

😀

Cheers 😀

Indeed. It sometimes helps to start small and work up. Learn what your soils can take. However as long as you are protecting the soil with mulch, and growing the soil, then your soils will be able to support more and more plants.

Oh for sure! Different plants, different rain, wind, soil, but same natural mechanism at play. Same science. 😀

Thanks! Make sure to spread the word 😀😃

So kind! Thank you 😊

Thanks for watching, good luck 👍

Thanks so much:)

Thank you! Tell all your friends LOL

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks 😊 A lot of people have had luck looking in the grocery stores and farmers markets in fall.

Thanks, that's high praise from a pirate.

Excellent, good luck!

Thanks 😊

I appreciate it. As a scientist/engineer, I go to extraordinary lengths to validate and cite/reference my information. Half of why I'm doing this is to fight misinformation in this space.

That's actually great. Because of that, your native soil will actually be very good soil.

In my video descriptions I have a link to my favorite books to read :) For other videos, I also really enjoy weedy garden and edible acres