Growing up, I watched my parents avidly pursue knowledge about plants and trees through formal education. Google didn't exist back then, so neither did immediate answers. They had do do extensive research to learn what they needed. There was no Home Depot either, so they even mixed their own fertilizers. I watched them tend to their many fruit trees, regular trees, bushes, flowers, and other plants around our property. I remember my father installing irrigation systems all over the yard that my uncle had designed. His brilliant use of water and the manipulation of water drops to cut down on misting and evaporation were cutting edge in the 1960s and 1970s and remain very relevant today.