For the past while with the help of a couple of friends I've been developing an community based, open source and free website that allows you to plan your syntropic system by compiling data from an open source and free database (the info is taken from different sources but we have also added several plants ourselves and you're welcome to do so as well). The plan is to find a handful of people that already have experience in Syntropic design and give us some feedback/opinions on how such a software should be. The goal is to create a free tool for everyone so that syntropic planning can become easier and accessible to most people. If you want to participate in the alpha testing phase please let me know. Your help is greatly appreciated.

As most of Europe is sizzling I'm wondering about people's opinions on irrigation, In Brittany, the region where I live, there's the reputation that it's always raining, when the last two years we have had drought during summer. This year especially there's only been 3 or 4 millimetres of rain since April. Most of the newest tree rows are completely dead, and the moisture meter readings are 2 to 3 % . It's in an area that's difficult to pump water to with any pressure and the sandy soil looses it quickly, even with the addition of compost and mulch. One interesting thing is that the Scots broom, our strongest Pioneer is almost thriving. So when I replant at the end of the season I'll use Pioneer plants and only add productive trees when I'm sure the soil is improving enough to hold moisture.

Hey guys wanted to share with you an update of the trial line planted a year and a half ago post pruning. After a month and a half, plants are regrowing very well and here's the mix of factors : -I irrigated 3 times that week (a couple times too pre-pruning) - there's plenty of water in wells so it's using unlimited water at that time. -The heat didn't come yet, the bar of 30 degrees wasn't reached yet, plants are still in a strong vegetative state. Hope you got something useful out of this video !

I know that this is an unpopular statement but personally, I prefer basing my decisions and teaching on scientific evidence rather than on "opinions" and anecdotal "findings". Eucalyptus species are increasingly difficult to justify within syntropic farming systems operating under Mediterranean or seasonally dry climates (tropical and temperate climates are really another story), primarily due to their disproportionately high transpiration rates and their capacity to function as facultative phreatophytes. Empirical work published in Tree Physiology demonstrates that eucalyptus stands can maintain significant transpiration by accessing groundwater when it is available at relatively shallow depths (<9 m), effectively coupling canopy water demand directly to aquifer reserves . This behavior becomes particularly problematic in dry periods: rather than downregulating water use in synchrony with ecosystem scarcity—as is desirable in syntropic systems—eucalyptus can continue transpiring at elevated rates by mining groundwater, thereby decoupling plant water use from rainfall inputs. In Mediterranean trials, annual transpiration values on the order of 520–910 mm have been documented, even under constrained irrigation regimes . This level of water flux represents a substantial hydrological drawdown, especially when compared to mixed, stratified agroforestry systems designed to retain moisture and recycle atmospheric humidity locally.From an ecohydrological and successional perspective, this groundwater-dependent strategy directly conflicts with the core principles of syntropic agriculture. Syntropic systems aim to enhance infiltration, build soil organic matter, and stabilize the small water cycle; however, deep-rooted, high-demand species like eucalyptus can act as vertical drains, exporting water from soil profiles and lowering local water tables over time. The literature on eucalyptus plantations using shallow groundwater shows that these species readily exploit subsurface reserves even when saline or marginal , reinforcing their classification as aggressive water extractors rather than cooperative system participants. In practice, this can suppress understory development, reduce microbial and fungal activity in upper soil horizons, and exacerbate drought stress for co-planted species—precisely the opposite of the facilitative interactions sought in syntropic design. Consequently, while eucalyptus may offer rapid biomass accumulation, its hydrological footprint and competitive rooting ecology make it fundamentally misaligned with resilient, water-conserving agroecosystems.

The Fava Bean Trick ! Fava beans are great for smothering weeds, and they sprout easily with the first rains. In this video, I show how I use them - and how much easier they make the work. No need to get on your knees pulling grasses in the first year. You get 2 cuts with them, and each cut took me 20min/100m/1 person. It's really not that much work - about 2 and a half hours for these 3 rows of 240m each. By the time they phase out, it’s already Summer here in the Mediterranean, so there’s basically no need to weed anymore. Then when the rains return, your rows should be established enough that weeding becomes a minimal task. You might need a bit of weeding in year two if your trees haven’t grown enough - but in my experience, one more pass is usually enough - cutting them, not even uprooting them. After that, the trees outcompete the grasses and take over. What other plants do you think could do a similar job? I’m thinking artichokes or cardoons could work really well - but they’d need to be started as seedlings.