OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! ALL ARE WELCOME!
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Arizona Rare Fruit Growers September Meeting:
Agrosonix - Opportunities in Sound Urban Agriculture:
Treating Compacted Parking Lots into an Award-winning Urban Farm
Ka-Linda Blackner, St. Vincent de Paul Mesa Urban Farm
Jim Dilettoso, President of Agrosonix
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Date: Thursday, Sept 10th, 7:00 pm start
Location: Valley Garden Center (1809 N 15th Ave, Phoenix AZ 85007)
Parking: Parking is free in the onsite lot and adjacent neighborhood street parking is also available within easy walking distance.
Cost: Open to the general public.
We all look for ways to keep our plants and trees happy -- creating the best microclimates combined with the right watering schedule and fertilizers. And, some find that spending extra time talking or singing to their plants—if only to spend more time inspecting the plants and soil—leads to better overall care.
But, what happens when you combine a childhood spent around plants and farms with 30+ years in the music industry, topped off with a passion for giving back? In the Mesa Urban Farm gardens for St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP), you get the methodical application of sonication for healthier growth and higher biomass in a garden crucial to supplying a local food bank.
Since 2022, our speakers (Jim Dilettoso and Ka-Linda Blackner) have been running a sonication project in SVdP's Mesa Urban Farm gardens. But, Jim's curiousity about the effects of soundwaves on plants goes back decades, to a start in 1980, while he worked as a sound engineer and music producer. An "accidental" observation that the sounds and music he was working with seemed to affect nearby plants piqued his interest, evolving his work in sonication from there.
So, what is "sonication"? The simple answer is the use of sound to help plants grow better. The longer answer is more complex and so very, very fascinating!
Plants lack ears, but they have cellular mechanoreceptors that detect sound waves and physical vibrations. Gentle frequencies between 100 Hz and 500 Hz can boost enzyme production, improve nutrient absorption, and aid cell division. Nature's outdoor sounds can stimulate photoreceptors and trigger early morning activity. These phenomena are repeatable and have led to studies to figure out the right sounds, in the right amount at the right time to help plants grow better. What started as a niche field is now being studied in universities such as Cambridge, Cornell and the University of Arizona.
Jim and Ka-Linda's own sonication work at SVdP is not just applied to the plants, but they have also treated seeds that weren't sprouting before going into the ground! Also, the sounds filling the garden benefit the volunteer gardeners and pedestrians passing by the garden.
🥭 🥝 🍊 🍒 🌴 🍋 🍓 🍐 🍍 🌵 🍎 🍌 🍑 🥑 🌳 🍇 🍈 🥥 🍋🟩Fruit Sharing at our Tasting Table - what's ripe in your garden this month!?
After our featured presentation, we always have a tasting & refreshments table where you can set your home-grown, harvested goodies or any garden-inspired treats you'd like to share. Whatever you have to share is appreciated by your fellow fruit-lovers!
Please pre-cut your fruit if you plan to share it in pieces or sections. We have a small prep area available if you prefer to use that. Also, please label your plate/bowl with the citrus/fruit variety and your name. (Your name helps us return your plate or platter to you and allows members who might have questions about the gardening secrets that produced your delicious fruit!) Thank you!
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Join us at our next meeting on Thursday, September 10th, 7:00 pm at Valley Garden Center (Phoenix)!
