Faoin Aer

17/03/2026

12/03/2026

Soil Health is one of the most important topics I discuss with Clients. Fabrics, Synthetic products, compaction and over tilling are all key drivers in poor soil health. Natural & biodegradable remedies are generally the best solution. This diagram illustrates some healthy solution to common issues. Alas it's an AI illustration in this instance, not my first choice but helpful nonetheless 🌱

Your garden centre sells the problem and the solution in the same aisle.

Six products on the shelf damage the soil biology they promise to support. Every one has a swap that costs less and works better.

- Landscape fabric blocks oxygen and moisture from reaching the fungal networks your plants depend on — they die within one season under a sealed barrier. Wood chip mulch does the same w**d suppression while feeding the fungi instead.

- Synthetic granular fertiliser delivers nutrients in salt form that damages soil bacteria on contact. Compost delivers the same nutrients through living biology that stays active in the soil long after application.

- Peat moss is mined from bogs that took thousands of years to form. Coconut coir provides identical water retention from a renewable source at a similar price.

- Tilling destroys the fungal networks that transport nutrients between plants underground. A broad fork loosens compacted soil without severing them.

- Chemical fungicide sprayed on foliage is absorbed through the roots and kills beneficial fungi in the soil below. Compost tea inoculates the same soil with competitive organisms that suppress disease naturally.

- W**d barrier plastic creates an airless zone that suffocates soil life underneath. Cardboard does the same job and decomposes into the soil within one season.

🌱 The pattern behind all six:

- The expensive option sterilizes. The cheap option feeds. Every swap saves money and builds soil at the same time
- Wood chips, compost, and cardboard are often available free from local tree services, municipal composting programs, and recycling bins
- The results aren't instant — living soil biology takes one to two seasons to establish, but once it does the soil improves on its own each year instead of needing more inputs

Stop buying products that work against the soil. Start using ones that build it 🌿

21/01/2026

Sorting through files this morning and remembering this beautiful coastal garden we created a while back. It's also just reminded us to pop in for a planting review in Spring!

10/01/2025

10/05/2024

Oh radiant skies, thank you. Aurora borealis, the sickle moon, Arcturus over the River Garavogue tonight

05/03/2024

As part of National Tree Week, are providing Native Tree Saplings to the general public for planting with community groups. The 'baby trees' will be available in the Parks Depot, Cleveragh, next to the Sports Complex. 🌱🌳

🌳𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰🌳takes place from 3rd-10th March.

Native Tree Saplings will be available in the Parks Depot, Cleveragh (beside the Regional Sports Centre) on
🍃Tuesday 5th March from 13:30 to 15:30
🍃Wednesday 6th March from 13:30 to 15:30

05/03/2024

A Dendrophile’s Paradise 🌲 As a self confessed dendrophile, I have forever loved being in the presence of, and caring for trees. A joyful family holiday at on Salt Springs Island in Canada last summer really was the cherry on top for us as a family ••••• As we arrived by ferry through the archipelago, vibrant flashes of red glistened through the Pine cloaked rocky island before us. I was intrigued to explore and seek out these red giants on the rock ••••• Happily, our beautiful farmhouse was nestled among them and before long I became quite well acquainted with the native Arbutus menziesii and all her salty island companions ••••• We had a magical week within the trees by the sea and I’m happy to say I think we have a few more budding tree huggers within the family line ••••• This is National Tree Week here in Ireland and I urge you and yours to take some time out and spend some time with the tees, smell, hug, sit with. If you’re lucky you could plant a tree or two, in the ground, or even a pot if your space is restricted ••••• Cherish all living things

20/09/2023

05/09/2023

What a wonderful project. A great option for our ever more diverse communities in Sligo. No doubt a lot of work to establish but the rewards would be priceless we've no doubt

07/06/2022

I visited the Søresen allotments in Copenhagen in 2007 and was struck by the wonderful sense of movement on the hilly site as I walked the grassy paths between hedges. It was an evening in winter when I was there and the low setting sun shining through the bare hawthorn hedges was mesmirising, such beautiful patterns and structure. I planted my own elliptical hedge on the mountain by the sea 10years ago, and today it is a lush sheltered spot where we frequently lie under the milky way full darkness. A joy for all

07/06/2022

https://fb.watch/duPHYL5FAE/