Spring Movement
Shipping and purchase activity during January and early February was healthy, as distributors restocked inventory for spring. Frigid cold weather put a chill on the second half of February, but activity picked up again in March. As the weather warms up across the country, we will all look toward consumer consumption to tell us what the rest of spring will bring.
Seed Crops Waking Up
The Willamette Valley seed crops are actively greening up. Fertilizer is being spread and fungicides sprayed. The mice have been active this year, notably in older stands of turf fescue. Inventories of old crop seed are generally good. Exceptions include orchardgrass, purple top turnips, and medium red clover.
The Value of the Unseen
Aren’t you glad that there is more to nearly everything in life than what you see?
While we can’t see what holds up the Golden Gate Bridge, we are sure glad that it has 100 feet of footings. Likewise, we relax a bit when we learn our surgeon has conducted the same procedure 400 times before. It is true too for the advice of a friend who knows what to say, or not to say, from experience. A few words, maybe not even eloquently expressed, are more valuable than an expert’s book.
On February 1st, we planted a little bucket study and pulled up this single plant 37 days later. The top of this plant is not very impressive. Only three little 1” leaves. Yet under the soil, there is 5” of roots, and dozens of root hairs.
In another 60 days, this plant will have developed an unbelievably extensive, deep and wide root network stretching both deep and wide. These roots will be the key to providing the very basics of above ground life to exist, from holding this plant into the soil to creating an underground marketplace where it will exchange its sugars for other nutrients. It will feed the biology, make channels for water drainage, stabilize the soils, and most importantly make this plant live to its full potential. The ability to survive and be resilient, to look healthy and vibrant, and to be able to produce vegetation, biomass, and fruit - all are very much related to roots. That’s why this photo is so fun.
During this one plant’s lifetime, it will likely get stepped on, mowed down, dried out, drowned out, underfed, overfed, overheated, frozen, and who knows what. Some days it will look gorgeous. Other days it might be fighting disease and looking pretty sorry. YIKES! Maybe it should have just stayed as a little undeveloped seed. Nah! It wasn’t designed for that. It was made to LIVE and the best way for it to live is to develop good strong roots. There is much to appreciate about, and learn from these roots.
PS - to see a fun video about this plant click here.
