Glossary of Terms
The following is the glossary we provide in the Introduction to Permaculture course. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but just a few of the good-to-know terms pertaining to the field of permaculture.
Biomass – total mass of living or recently-living organic matter in a given space
Blackwater – water containing human waste
“Chop and Drop” – Cutting down plants and laying them on the soil as a green manure (see below)
Fast carbon pathways – plants with fast life cycles producing lots of carbon which seed very quickly such as club root, dandelion, knapweed, chickweed and amaranth. These plants are trying to turn soil that is too high in nitrogen back to a state of balance with more carbon.
Global Bucket – A device made with one bucket inserted inside another with a wicking material set in water for the purpose of keeping soil moist for long periods
Green manure – plants grown specifically as a cover crop which are cut down and placed on the soil for the purposes of fertilization, mulching and for soil improvement
Greywater - Greywater can be defined as any water originating from household plumbing that does not contain human waste
Guild - a group of plants whose needs and yields match up in such as way as to make the entire group of plants stronger than they would otherwise have been on their own.
Macrofauna – Soil life which is visible to the naked eye, such as earthworms, arthropods, and insect larvae
Microfauna – Soil life usually invisible to the naked eye, such as bacteria
Mycoremediation – Making use of certain fungal species for their ability to break down and rid soil of toxic waste and contaminants
Myccorhizae – A symbiotic relationship between fungal organisms and plants that occurs in a healthy soil
Needs - In Permaculture this refers to the elements required by each component in a system.
Pioneer species – The first plants to arrive at a disturbed or damaged site. They help repair and improve the soil for future plant species.
Sectors – The energies flowing through a landscape
Swale – A trench dug on the contour of the land for the purpose of harvesting and storing water
Wicking Bed - A self-watering planting bed, designed to irrigate soil from beneath, allowing soil to "wick" water upward toward plant roots via capillary action.
Yields - In Permaculture, yields are the elements obtained from various components in a living system which fulfill a given need.
Zones – Areas numbered from 0-5 representing the energies already present and available on a landscape
The following is the glossary we provide in the Introduction to Permaculture course. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but just a few of the good-to-know terms pertaining to the field of permaculture.
Biomass – total mass of living or recently-living organic matter in a given space
Blackwater – water containing human waste
“Chop and Drop” – Cutting down plants and laying them on the soil as a green manure (see below)
Fast carbon pathways – plants with fast life cycles producing lots of carbon which seed very quickly such as club root, dandelion, knapweed, chickweed and amaranth. These plants are trying to turn soil that is too high in nitrogen back to a state of balance with more carbon.
Global Bucket – A device made with one bucket inserted inside another with a wicking material set in water for the purpose of keeping soil moist for long periods
Green manure – plants grown specifically as a cover crop which are cut down and placed on the soil for the purposes of fertilization, mulching and for soil improvement
Greywater - Greywater can be defined as any water originating from household plumbing that does not contain human waste
Guild - a group of plants whose needs and yields match up in such as way as to make the entire group of plants stronger than they would otherwise have been on their own.
Macrofauna – Soil life which is visible to the naked eye, such as earthworms, arthropods, and insect larvae
Microfauna – Soil life usually invisible to the naked eye, such as bacteria
Mycoremediation – Making use of certain fungal species for their ability to break down and rid soil of toxic waste and contaminants
Myccorhizae – A symbiotic relationship between fungal organisms and plants that occurs in a healthy soil
Needs - In Permaculture this refers to the elements required by each component in a system.
Pioneer species – The first plants to arrive at a disturbed or damaged site. They help repair and improve the soil for future plant species.
Sectors – The energies flowing through a landscape
Swale – A trench dug on the contour of the land for the purpose of harvesting and storing water
Wicking Bed - A self-watering planting bed, designed to irrigate soil from beneath, allowing soil to "wick" water upward toward plant roots via capillary action.
Yields - In Permaculture, yields are the elements obtained from various components in a living system which fulfill a given need.
Zones – Areas numbered from 0-5 representing the energies already present and available on a landscape
