I’ve never seen such a wet January — it’s often the driest winter month here in Andalucía. Here’s a screenshot of the meteorological records for my area for January alone — nearly 400 mm! That’s almost what we usually get in a whole year, since the annual average is around 450–500 mm. If we add the rainfall since Autumn 2025, we’re probably already over 600 mm. It looks like we’re in the middle of a La Niña influence. I’m no meteorologist, but here’s what my gut tells me: - The last two years, aquifers have been able to recharge more than during the previous drought years. - We seem to have perfect conditions for larger-scale plantings, thanks to the rainfall. This is one of the reasons why, after seeing the heavy autumn 2024 rains, and the total rainfall of 2025 we went ahead with a large syntropic planting (~6000 m²). Doing this is especially important when water is limited - mind you, we’re on a hill where wells dry up faster than in the lowlands. So why is this the right time to plant? El Niño and La Niña cycles don’t happen from one year to the next. Each phase usually lasts 2–7 years, because ocean and atmospheric systems take time to shift. This creates clusters of wet or dry years, rather than a perfect alternating pattern. For planting, this is crucial: if we’re at the end of a wet phase, it’s a great opportunity to plant. The soil still has moisture, the aquifers are recharged, and there’s a high chance of more rain during the rest of winter and spring, maybe even into early June if we’re lucky. Let the trees and the soil soak up that rainfall, we'll end up with deeply taprooted trees that will grow more vigorously than in drought years, it's the perfect opportunity - the timing couldn't be better !

Electing your plant species for your syntropic system is a very difficult process for many. It's this typical overwhelming process where you don't know which plants to choose, that's why I aimed at making it much easier for you; condensing it down to 30 plants that grow very fast. Bear with me, it doesn't include later succession species, but don't worry, it's much more important to elect the right species entering into the secondary phase of a forest rather than thinking too much about which species will come later, as you can plant these later anyway. Most important advice here, don't overthink it, use whatever species grows fastest in your context to establish your system ASAP. I've separated the low water needs plants from the moderate water needs from the high water needs plants - symbolized by the water droplets. To be clear this is about water requirements at establishment, many plants in the moderate water needs will become tough as nails over time but if not watered enough at establishment, they will die. As well, the pile of sand (only tagasaste) symbolizes the need of the plant to be in loose or sandy soil. The shovel means these plants require good decompaction to get a good headstart - meaning breaking down the hardpan in a clay compacted soil - ex: using a subsoiler. Also, the snowflake means that these plants are frost sensitive, typically when temperatures go lower than 2 degrees they can exhibit damage. these plants are truly meant for a mild Mediterranean climate - especially mild winters. Lastly, the successional role of these plants is added at the end : - Placenta : Short-lived - Usually about 5 years maximum within a Mediterranean syntropic system. They can reach maturity within 6 months to a year and provide the fastest growth at establishment of your system. - Pioneer - Secondary : Plants that consolidate the transition from scrubland to forest. They are fast-growing too - but not as much as the placenta plants, usually reaching maturity around year 2 or 3. They create these conditions for the secondary forest to take place by providing high amounts of biomass and shade for the secondary seedlings below.