The 6-Step process: How to rejuvenate and maintain landscapes using the Syntropic Sylvaflux Technique

During my travels through Maine, I developed a basic 6-step process to follow when restoring properties and turning them into syntropic ecosystems- a technique that I have now come to call Syntropic Sylvaflux- leaving them to surrounding communities for maintenance once finished. After moving to the San Jacinto mountains in Southern California, I tweaked this design for the dry arid climate.

The basic model is as follows:

1. Site and soil remediation, cover cropping, homemade fertilizers, and mulching

The first step with any project, no matter how large or small, is clearance of pollutants and rejuvenation of soils. To do so, trash, chemicals, and hazardous materials are removed, while soil samples are taken from multiple areas and tested for heavy metals and toxins. The results of these tests determines how each project site is healed, rejuvenated, and healed.

Site and Soil Remediatoon

For sites that are contaminated, certain mixes of plants can be effective for a phenomenon known as “bioremediation”- a process in which toxins, heavy metals, and other contaminants are absorbed into parts of a plant’s roots & inner structure. These “remediation plants” are grown and allowed to self-seed, with each previous generation being removed and decomposed at a specific, sanctioned off area. As the plants decompose, the toxins are gradually dispersed by fungal networks, insects, and microorganisms, but anything grown in the area is considered unsafe for human consumption. Although this small site no longer has any use for humans, this technique minimizes the total area effected by these toxins- while encouraging different plants & fungi to break down the materials. Over time, we'll also introduce various types of plants & fungi; documenting and experimenting while collecting knowledge & data that can make future sites easier to rejuvenate and heal. The soil is tested regularly every 6 months where remediation plants are being grown until all known toxins have been removed.

Cover Cropping

For sites that have no contaminants, the soil is aerated (loosened up using long, thin blades that don't break or destroy the soil's microbiology) using a Broadford one single time for water retention and decompaction of the soil; especially if the site has had vehicles or construction there in the past. Each area that's aerated is covered with mulch sourced from local plants, invasive species, cover crops, and deadfall trees & branches. This keeps the soil from drying out and provides a bedding for local soil microbiology & mushroom networks. The more soil microbiology & mushrooms there are in soil, the healthier and more abundant everything growing from there will be.

After aerating the soil, a series of cover crops are quickly spread onto the soil. The plants used on each site is dependent on many factors- including amount of light, soil type & acidity, and even the elevation of the site. I prefer to use a mix of native & non-native species whenever possible, but if the site is starting from scratch or has very little vegetation, I'll start with only fast-growing, non-native cover crops such as Crimson Clover or Sunn Hemp. These cover crops provide protection from sun for the soils they grow in-and are used as sources of mulch after they grow to the desired height. If the soil is uncontaminated, I always start with beans, lentils, peas, allium species (onions, garlic, shallots, etc), & berry shrubs. The beans, lentils, & peas (all part of the legume family) sequester nitrogen into the soil while the alliums usually remain untouched by animals & help deter pests. Berry shrubs not only provide food for humans, but attract birds and small mammals as well. When each of these creatures poop around the plants they eat, they add new native seeds from plants they’ve already munched on.

Non-native cover crops are continuously chopped down and returned to the soil over the course of 3-8 months depending on the soil quality of the project site. Native cover crops on the other hand are only pruned throughout the growing season; and only chopped down after going to seed (there are even some native plants we can't do this with). The root systems of these cover crops are left behind as a form of biomass for the soil- providing sustenance for soil microbiology and fungi. As the season continues and these cover crops are chopped down and returned to the soil, any opportunistic native plants or seeds (ones found or given) are integrated between the chopped plants and given room & sunlight to grow.

Mulching

As progress is made on each site, mulching becomes a very very common spectacle. Any invasive species or prunings/trimmings from surrounding sites and landscapes are chipped into mulch and continuously layered over each site. This proactive approach of mulching is continued for as long as the land itself is stewarded; the more we feed the land, the more the land feeds us and all other creatures. Over the next couple of weeks, the site is regularly watered to hydrate the existing soil as well as the new mulch layers.

Homemade Fertilizers

Additionally, I regularly disperse various fertilizers to any spaces I’m working with. Unwanted plants (“weeds”) and excess plant materials are fermented in large containers covered with a mesh or cloth for 3 weeks to 3 months at a time. If there’s any biochar, charcoal, or ash I will add these to the mixture and let it sit for a full 6 months. This inoculates the biochar and prevents removal of Nitrogen when it’s added to soils. The liquid mixture is filtered through a fine mesh; the remaining liquid diluted with water. The dilution depends on the strength of the fertilizer and its application, but fertilizers left for up to three weeks should be diluted at a ratio of at least 1:10. The diluted liquid is sprayed on or near plants and soil to provide nutrients and beneficial soil microbes. The remaining biochar/charcoal and filtered plant material is thrown into nearby compost stations. By the time the compost has finished, the charcoal will be so jam-packed with nutrients and beneficial microbes that it will act as a host for soil diversity the moment it’s added to the ground. As the mulch and soils are regularly soaked with the compost tea station, it provides vital “food” for the growing microorganisms and fungal networks developing in the soil and between plant root networks.

One long-term goal of mine is to create and employ what I call a “compost tea station”- a large water storage container placed on a basic frame with wheels, and a drill-powered pump & hose mounted to the structure.

2. Terracing, Pathways, Biomass Producers, Transition Plantings

   
   

Terracing

After each site has gone through its initial rejuvenation period (aka using cover crops and mulching to heal the soil) sites that involve human activity or where humans are living are lightly terraced. Terraces have two main roles- erosion control and water retention.

In order to design these terraces, we take multiple factors into consideration- the most important of which is the history of what the land held before. Water channels, hillsides, fields, valleys, steep slopes, wetlands... every single ecosystem, every single microclimate... is completely unique. And the majority of ecosystems have gradually shifted at a slow enough pace that the plants and animals and foods and medicines found within them are completely unique as well. And as such, we do our best to restore each site to as close to as it looked before- while slightly changing what's already there for enhanced water retention and redirection.

There are many ways to terrace and healthily redirect water in an ecosystem; and each is dependent on the environment you're in- some of which will be listed below. But the essential idea remains the same with them all.

Terracing Examples

In the mountains, for example, a technique called "check-log terracing" can be utilized with cedar or pine cuttings. Spiked posts are made and pounded into the ground every determined number of feet, woven together with twine, & have gravel and stones pounded into the base for rigidity. Behind these terraces soil, compost, and biomass are stacked up to act as a host for new syntropic systems.

Pathways

As sites are continuously mulched, any materials that take longer to break down (such as pine or cedar) are used as pathway material. Before creating any pathway, cardboard is used to cover the desired outlines of the trail. Any cardboard we use has all tape, markings, coatings, and ink/information removed so no toxins leach into the soil; as long as this step is followed, the cardboard acts as a barrier between the mulch and soil, leading to no plant growth in the trail. All pathways are shortly-after covered with the mulch. This practice is devoted to one task: decomposition. As time continues, we regularly spray these mulched pathways with the Compost Tea Station and occasionally inoculation it with any available mushroom spores we have or are gifted- all leading to a sped-up decomposition of more hardy materials. After decomposing for about 1-2 years depending on the site, the mulch from these trails is removed and returned to select sites- with new mulch being applied.

Biomass Producers

Going back to how mulching becomes an increasingly common practice as each of these systems expand, that also means that each project needs increasingly more sources of mulch to maintain itself and the pathways between it. Any remnants of food crops and native species are all added back to the soils, but the more mulch you can add the better. That’s where biomass producers come in. By using plants such as sunchoke, Moringa, native reeds & grasses, or even fruit tree cuttings, we can increase the yield of mulch (and along with it soil health and diversity) each year. This concept connects to an essential concept infused into all of these systems, similar to the concept of permaculture: to take as little as possible from any outside resources while increasing the abundance of local resources. This makes it so each project site not only gradually builds on itself; but eventually has enough abundance to add to the resources of surrounding projects, communities, & wildernesses.

Known Biomass Producer Examples:

Hot Climate Examples:

•Sunchokes (Helianthus tuberosus)- a drought tolerant, wild member of the sunflower family that produces edible tubers as a by-product. The plants grow around 2-3 feet taller per month until reach a maximum of 10-12, showing off robust sunflowers and providing an insane amount of mulch. Either use as mulch during fall harvest of tubers, or cut back consistently month by month until plant dies back.

•Moringa (Moringa oleifera)- also known as “The Tree of Life”, this fast-growing tree is planted annually in cold-weather climates & grown as a full-time tree or shrub in warm-weather climates. The trees can grow up to 20’ in a single year and thrive in dry, hot climates and soil. The less water for these trees the better and I’m not exaggerating. The leaves and stems of the tree contain protein and a plethora of minerals and nutrients as well; hence its nickname “The Tree of Life”. The seed oils are highly medicinal and can help with hair loss, and if the seeds are crushed & put into a body of water… they literally pull toxins, metals, oils, and plastics towards them and help detoxify the water!!

Transition Plantings

As each site begins to heal in its soil and biological diversity, a series of plants known as “Transition Plantings” are mixed in with all that begins to grow. Each environment has its own examples of transition plants, but each performs the same basic roles: to bring nutrients back to the soil (especially Nitrogen) or to extract deep-layer nutrients from the soil that aren’t normally available. Some common examples are dandelion, comfrey, or wild lettuce- all of which can be turned into liquid fertilizers. Some common crops used for fixing Nitrogen include beans, lentils, chickpeas, and even peas- all of which can also be used as ground covers that keep the soil protected while they grow.

3. Water Features, Aquascaping, Long-Term Plantings

   
   

Water Features & Aquascaping:

After establishing a solid foundation for soil and ecosystems at each site, the next step is incorporating aquascaping and water catchment & sequestering systems. All ecosystems benefit from establishing water management, but desert and Mediterranean climates especially can witness complete transformation of soils and life. At each site and project, water is

4. Companion Planting, Wild Foods/Medicines, Animal Integration

   
   

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All steps after this are optional for people and communities- and involve integrating with surrounding communities, incorporating housing with discovery of genuine expression, sharing abundance with neighbors… these are for those who want to go beyond ecosystem resilience and branch into resilience of human groups and cultures. I believe these are the steps we will need to take as time passes in order to adapt and thrive within the challenging circumstances and environments that are quickly approaching in our future.

5. Community Involvement, Natural Structures, Seed Saving & Propogation

6. Stewardship, Maintenance, “Settlement” Incorporation