Hi all,
It was very nice to hear from you. Yes Zoe, you are correct. I shouldn't blame everything on Roundup. And after using local manure (horse and alpaca) all my beds had the classic signs of severe herbicide damage for several years. The only organic feeds they sell around here are for goats and chickens. Ms Doe, getting goat and chicken manure is a good suggestion. If I can find someone willing to share I could try this experiment on a small, fresh patch of untouched dirt. And thanks for the tip about the salt!
Yes Calpoly, very limited rainfall is a big part of the issue I'm interested in here. In desert country we have to conserve and use every single drop of water super-wisely. All these videos show that it can be done. Even in places that get just 6-10" of rainfall a year they are greening the desert. .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
I've learned over the years that shade is essential. I've been planting lots of trees and shrubs that provide dappled sunlight which is extremely helpful with no obvious downsides. I've also been using ground covers and mulches which are exceptional too but also problematic.
For example. For years I couldn't grow root vegies like carrots and beets or most vetches because they have to be sown into the top 1/4-1/2" of soil. Even after a good soaking the soil would be bone dry 20 minutes later in my super hot climate and they couldn't germinate. Even watering every couple of hours was a waste of time and water. So I learned to sow the seeds and sprinkle a thin layer of shredded leaves or thin, dry grasses over the top to keep the moisture in longer. I water twice a day and it works quite well. The downside is it brings in all the pill bugs. That's another discussion.
And Ms. Doe, I water all the time but much less in winter, my favorite time to grow. We've been in extreme drought and haven't had a decent monsoon for many years now.
Anyway, I found several things very fascinating about this gentleman's approach. A thick layer of manure (6-8") adds a lot of nutrients, bacteria and fungi. Good stuff. And it holds the moisture in quite well. He seems to get great results but I have a lot of questions....
Doesn't that thick layer create anaerobic conditions? How do the seeds germinate without oxygen? Or are the soils he's building up contain a lot of sand which could hold a lot more air under fairly dry, barely moist conditions. So will it only work on specific soils and would not work on my rock hard concrete dirt? Could it work for seeds sown very close to the soil surface like carrots or would they get burned by the fresh manure. Will it only work on grasses which are larger seeds and can germinate from much deeper levels? And I'm guessing that this wouldn't work on seeds that need light to germinate.
Jump starting the dead soil to grow anything will begin the cycle of fertility. The grasses create organic matter, cool the soil and more fungi and bacteria's grow. Looks like a good first step to green the desert but only under very specific circumstances. Thanks for the interesting discussion.
