I enjoy looking after plants, but I'd like to learn the principles of things like pH, Nutrients, Soil Biome, etc. What is a good source to get started learning?
depends how deep you want to learn it. If it is just to improve skills in looking after your plants, I suggest to google not for Botany but Gardening with the topic you are interested in (eg "gardening ph basics")
If you really want to learn it thoroughly,look for the printed manual for plant physiology and biochemistry. But that will be boring (if you are not a real science freak).
Same boat. I've spent a lot of time learning about permaculture, soil science, etc. I found "Teaming with Microbes" by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis to be right at the level I needed - not so deeply into the weeds that it;s boring, not so surface that I don;t actually learn anything. This book is the first in a series, and it does an excellent job in addressing the exact topics you mention above:
I think from there you'd have a sense of the topics you'd want to pursue and should have enough knowledge to be able to use the right search terms to find it.
I don’t do botany but aquascapes (underwater gardening) I generally learn from:
- books, just search it on amazon
- youtube tutorials
Then I try to practice it, trial and error while subscribing to various forums like Reddit, plantedtank, barreport, facebook groups for troubleshootings
Many state universities have agricultural extensions. They hold events, will often answer questions…I have a large book that was published by the extension in my state that largely focuses on native plants alongside the more general information like what you listed. Also, I used to live near and visit a great botanic garden that also held learning events (one offs, and I think multiple-week ones), so if you’re fortunate to have one near you it’s a great opportunity.
Plant three of everything. Feed one more nutrients than the rest, and water another one more than the rest, and then adjust base nutrition and watering to the healthiest-looking specimen.
Toss seeds of stuff you eat around your yard. Watch as plants fail to grow. I grew one potato this year, 'cause I buried one randomly backyard. It was small, but delicious.
My forest strawberry died. Wish I had another two, but only planted the one...
Big native plant ecology lover here, so I am stoked to hear when people are excited about plants. It sounds like you're interested in botany but also potentially plant ecology, soil ecology, and maybe agronomy. They're big topics and I feel like I can relate to a sense of not knowing where to begin. For me, the ecology side has always been the most interesting, so I'll add that perspective.
I'd consider approaching the topic by researching the ecology of the plants that you have around you, whether those you cultivate at home or the ones you see on your walks, etc. (Lots of good apps for helping you cheat the learning curve for identifying species or groups of plants). You might start to notice patterns in their distribution (if they're growing relatively naturally). Just learning some interesting facts about their adaptations to their native range can be a great way to start into botany. Those observations are all pieces of the puzzle that you can eventually start to see describe the plant: the preferred or required soil characteristics, symbiotic relationships, light or moisture levels, natural enemies, and the ranges of toleration of a given species (or even individual with a given history and health). I've typically had a harder time holding my attention when coming at those topics from a more theoritical or high-level apporach... I guess meaning I am more engaged with something like, "Why are some of Californian's oak trees evergreen?" than "How do nutrient concentrations affect plants?".
But it depends what excites you. Perhaps purchasing an inexpensive loupe (a.k.a. hand lens, or jeweler's lens; you can also just look through binoculars backwards as an effective way of magnifying specimens close at hand) would be a nice way to get to know plants differently. When I hear "botany" (as opposed to plant ecology, or any other number of related fields). I think pistils and stamens (parts of flowers) and leaf shapes and growth forms. But I also I think variation in modes of photosynthesis (C3, C4, etc.). I think about the difference between thorns, spines, and prickles- all poky, but with different ontogeny. Just learning about the plants around you, looking at them from very close up and from far away, smelling, touching, and tasting them (using reasonable discretion), and trying to learn what they're called and how they're related to each other can be a super effective way to pick up usable knowledge of all of the topics you've mentioned.
It's all cool to someone (me), but I'd just start in from the angle that you find most interesting because in the end you'll find it is all connected in a rather beautiful way. Pick a thread and pull. There are a million books- I'd go with one that will help you get to know the specific organisms around you.
permies.com is a great community. I do a lot of gardening and have mostly learn from trial and error as well as permaculture blogs and books. Every zone is different so you probably wanna focus on your specific climate and the species that grow there unless you wanna learn general botany just for fun.
If you really want to learn it thoroughly,look for the printed manual for plant physiology and biochemistry. But that will be boring (if you are not a real science freak).