I'm Going To Chop All This Down

[@dustupstexas]

Thanks to Tecovas for sponsoring this video! Visit tecovas.yt.link/6dJ9xjp to get your new favorite pair of work boots today.

[@spyryal]

Perhaps you can contact an arborist to get you wood chips as mulch. I heard that's free. I just don't know how to go about depositing it in the desert as I doubt they'll dump their material way out there.

[@ShaneSaxson]

Hey Shaun!! Try planting your trees with cactus pads or agave leaves. They do this in Italy where there isn’t any water. The cactus stores water for the tree. Chop them up in the bottom of the tree hole and completely cover the cactus and water once at the time of planting. And sparsely water here and there after.

[@ShaneSaxson]

Great job!! That’s going to be amazing when it rains!!

[@ShaneSaxson]

Merry Christmas to you and your family!!

[@louisegogel7973]

@@dustupstexas You sure do get a lot of advice, Shaun! Nice boots. Awesome to see your efforts through all the setbacks and learning taking root and growing!! Happy December to your family, and may the first rains be gentle and long lasting!

[@HomesteadingWithCotons]

For the last two years, I've been working on creating a homestead. I have done a lot on my property (which started with nothing), but still no house. I'm feeling more and more confident in my abilities in what I've learned over the last two years, to be the one to build my own house. I started from nothing, lived in a city my whole life, I never even used a power drill until 4 years ago. I've progressed a lot since then, but I have one major progression still left. I was just telling my wife, if you can build your desert forest, with all the odds stacked against you, then I can build my own house! I'm looking forward to both of us accomplishing our dreams!

[@danbeard1168]

keep chipping away mate , you will get there

[@dustupstexas]

I love this

[@GGG-b2z8l]

Mulch, Grow, Mulch and Mulch! It takes a long time but you are giving your Land the best starting point from now! That’s what matters! I wonder if you could organise a “Dustups” Compost Heap for Volunteers to drop off Manure/ Cuttings/ Grass etc somewhere on the Highway, on route to your place, where a massive Compost Heap could be held. I think many people would love to contribute. Especially when your Dustups is so inaccessible.

[@pixelschiebr]

in this climate though the compost will be dry all the time and composting needs moisture. BUT I think this idea might work if you digg a deep hole of maybe 3 to 6 foot and let them dump all the organic matter in there.

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

Try cutting sleeves into cardboard so it looks like the cut on a "do not disturb" sign for a hotel door, then put it around the base of the Agave (weigh down with rocks)to block the sun from hitting the ground and evaporating moisture whenever you water them.

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

I'll make it out there when I have a couple days to spare. I just don't have the time rn

[@QQTF1edc]

We will all be excited to hear your on-site commentary for sure! Botany doesn't pay but it is engrossing.

[@yayinternets]

@@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesntWe are all looking forward to it!

[@theheretic65]

I love your videos CPBBD. I'll be glad to see you out there.

[@barricuda]

Careful with rocks. They heat in the sun and radiate that heat, cooking plant roots around them.

[@Roseyforyou]

A lot of comments here about more leafy trees. One thing people should remember is this simple rule of basically any plants: bigger leaves need more water and tiny leaves don't. Thats why rainforest trees have huge leaves and desert trees have tiny. Growing big leaves needs alot of energy and water for photosynthesis. Desert plants are capable of surviving in baking sun with close to no water because among their strategies they also photosynthesis so little it doesn't require much water. Also cactai are capable of closing the pores on their skin when its hot to avoid having water evaporate. Thats why Shaun is not planting big leafy trees, they wouldn't survive.

[@goboyz8016]

God it must be so frustrating. Every week I expect at some point to see rain for crying out loud and finally get a chance to see those plants get some water and the dam actually hold back some water for God sake. But it's the desert and of course week after week, after week, after week, after week dust.................Hence the name I suppose. You have the patience of Job.

[@gebhardt244]

ITS called Dessert for a reason😅

[@dustupstexas]

😂 The rain will come when it comes. Until then, onward!

[@danbeard1168]

the next happy rain dance will be a good one for sure !

[@bobbun9630]

In that area, most of the rain falls during the summer months. You can get some nice climatology data for the area by looking up El Paso on WeatherSpark.

[@jerrielindsey5939]

Desert

[@johnhunt2390]

If you are looking for perennials, look at milkweed plants. There are lots of desert species that put down very deep roots. They also attract lots of native pollinators.

[@pwnyboy12]

Love what you are doing. Just a few quick tips on germination, almost all seeds do not require light to germinate. In a lot of cases excess light will sterilize and kill seeds. You should be trying to cover the seeded areas with a thin layer of mulch to protect it from sun, wind and keep moisture in the soil. The little seedling will wiggle its way around smaller mulch so as long as you dont have a log on top life will find a way!

[@Altheodi]

This!

[@macmcleod1188]

I sure wish you would get some rain. Good luck!

[@JamesCruise-j8l]

Don’t we all rain 🌧️ rain

[@MisterBourgolini]

Pruning and mulching. That's how you make the soil and the plants better. I once mulched a garden bed entirely out of tree sticks. But it was a success.

[@bobbun9630]

Sorghum will take a light frost. There's a decent chance it will regrow at least a little bit. That said... You really should be using a forage sorghum or a sorghum sudangrass hybrid to maximize biomass yield. What you have appears to be a dwarf sorghum for grain production, i.e., one that has been bred to maximize seed yield on a dwarf (low biomass!) plant. Just being the relatively uninformed armchair critic here, I think you should be considering starting some sorghum sudangrass (and perhaps other annuals) shortly before your next summer "rainy" season so you can transplant it as the rains start. Perennials are the long term goal, but when it comes to injecting some life into that gravel you call soil you should use strategically timed annual plantings to maximize productivity whenever you can.

[@jamesnelson5759]

Shaun, you spent a lot of time, effort, and money and you have grown enough green to chop and drop! Congrats! Looking forward to spring in the desert and seeing what sprouts up in your Texas oasis.

[@percival132]

Another great video Shaun! I'm super excited to stick with this channel long-term and see where you are 1 year from now, 5 years from now etc.!

[@blqbrd]

cant wait until dust ups stores enough water to change the weather in your area

[@zarroth]

the land acreage he's working with is no where near big enough to accomplish that. You'd need 10's of square miles of coverage, not just a few hundred acres.

[@blqbrd]

@ its only the beginning

[@mrzoukdotcomzouklambadaboo8212]

Water will make a difference, however it's trees that will actually attract rain....yes that's a fact.. Trees attract rain!!

[@tomb2139]

I think it would be more helpful for the plants to trim the ends of all of the plants rather than select one leader and cut the rest down to the stem. doing this will get you tall but thinner trees and bushes. I think what you want is more bushy plants that spread horizontally. a tall thin tree is more exposed to dry air and hot sun than a short bushy tree which would help to build microclimates that hold water in the air and increase shade. the thicker parts of the stem/trunk/branches will be more robust and hold more water for the plant, and the ends will be less robust, more flexible and better for mulch. I'm not telling you how to suck eggs but I think the more you can get vegetation to spread and help cover the ground and hold water, the better.

[@goochbootch3466]

just cut the dead stuff during an extreme drought is my 2 cents. Great work Dust ups crew.

[@isaiahh6938]

Just a little tid bit that’ll help you out, if you use the hackzall for pruning, get the pruning specific blades. They work sooo much better and faster than regular wood cutting blades.

[@dustupstexas]

Great tip

[@josephpadula2283]

The seedhead pods sell for 50 cents apiece as food for caged birds at the pet stores .

[@josephpadula2283]

Sorghum seed heads that is .

[@patangaha]

I met a seedhead once

[@melissaegbertson9100]

Pruning is hard and often seems counterintuitive and it is a long wait to see results. Patience and faith in the process and in the advice of your experts is what is needed and I can see you are doing your best to make it work! Best wishes and I am there with you, willing things to grow! Cheers!

[@franciscoj7540]

I wish you all, the bestof rainy seasons, patience you already have, and determination, too, only lacking thing is water, and if we dont see again before end of year, happy new year

[@JordanBeagle]

I'm glad Shaun is patient explaining his methods

[@karlratcliffe1830]

shaun , I am from the uk. Love what you are doing hope you can be sucsefull with your ranch. Good luck dude and please keep us all updated with your progress.

[@zacharyrivera566]

I like down to earth videos and I got to say your Desert Dust up is about as down to Earth as you can get .

[@PedroOrtiz-b1h]

So exciting to SEE the growth after so much work

[@MargaretKolosky]

you are right to think that a good boot is the answer to the work you do. this is an awesome idea and you put up a good video, this is my new favorite channel.

[@mariebaxter473]

As others on here , my son got me some workpro portable pruners as a gift , he knew i would think them a bit lame and not use them , he stood there until i cut a branch in my living room . Boy o boy how right he was , 400 cuts per charge , on branches over an inch thick . It means you can put your energy into the job and not sweating for fun ,and the cuts are surgically clean. Never going back to cheap pruners with missing return springs or parts coming loose ever again.

[@pauljones9150]

Love the dam. Catch all the rain you can. In every way you can. When the rain comes, none of it should seep away

[@loggerT123]

I would recommend sowing a couple of native bushes to provide cover and shade from the sun. Also you can use their leaves as mulch to improve soil health

[@Ifyouarehurtnointentwasapplied]

Nothing grows in a freeze

[@OakKnobFarm]

A thought: @12:00 when you're processing those bushes: cut all the vertical stems at maybe head height and process the top bits. then cut the remaining stems starting at the top and cutting off 6" at a time until you hit the ground. Organize at the end. you should be able to work right down a stem snip, snip, snip and not be fondling a loose stem on the ground when you cut it at the base first

[@Remo303-c9i]

The chopped sorghum will add sugar to the soil and aid in microbes, etc

[@ellencox8415]

I have no advice. Just enjoying watching you learn from your successes and failures.

[@OnkyoGrady]

If you are trying to connect different plant communities use hardscape. A large rock that's vertically oriented between the two provides shade for seed germination, erosion protection for mulch etc

[@Manatherindrell]

Man, all this preparation, and we're just waiting months and months and months for rain to see how it performs.

[@GehirnGoldmine]

00:06 Sea Overton konzentriert sich auf das Ökosystemmanagement, indem er Pflanzen für das Wachstum im Jahr 2024 entfernt. 02:57 Pflanzengesundheit und -wachstum im Garten ansprechen. 06:15 Anpassung der Pflanzenpflege-Strategien an extreme Hitze- und Trockenheitsbedingungen. 08:55 Kollaboratives Vegetationsclearing auf sichere und effiziente Weise. 10:45 Beschneiden und Organisieren von Pflanzenmaterial für optimales Wachstum. 14:05 Die Beschneidung von Pflanzen für ein gesundes Ökosystem Gleichgewicht. 16:49 Das Beschneiden von Bäumen zur Gesundheit führt zu temporären visuellen Rückgängen. 18:53 Das Projekt umfasst den Bau eines Damms zur besseren Hochwasserprävention.

[@Patschenkino]

Ja, aber warum auf Deutsch?🤣

[@louisegogel7973]

Schöne Zusammenfassung.

[@kingpaddy9009]

look at these thick healthy stems. Its impressive how they have grown over the year. They will be good soil in trhe furutre

[@angrylittlespider4593]

I don't know Sean, maybe another year or two of sorghum isn't such a bad idea. You certainly need the moisture retaining mulch. Since it's an annual, I don't really believe sorghum is a threat to your long-term goal; rather an ally really. You could certainly discontinue it at any time should need to. Though I do understand you could replant it in the future should you feel the need to. The shade it provides could be thought of as something of an analogue of larger Woody stemmed plants in the future Note: I haven't taken into account sorghum's possible pest-attracting qualities. Pray for rain! Just my naive Layman's 2 cents Edit: oops! I admit I have no freakin idea how long succession of biota would take in a desert forest habitat. Man I'm just throwing this out there bcuz I want to see this succeed. Best always!

[@fabiofonv]

Knowing sorghum, they will ignore the winter and grow right back again.

[@TenorDad]

Merry Christmas, Shaun!

[@13Veiwer]

Looking forward to one day, years from now, you're doing this in the shade.

[@NickCombs]

Yo seeing that dam from the air with the dozer really shows the scale of the project. Congrats on getting that pretty much done in a year with a handful of workers.

[@Patschenkino]

You also can see it on Google Maps and Apple Maps.

[@gardentours]

Merry Christmas 🎄and a lot of rain ☔️ 🌝💧💦🌵🌱🌳🌲

[@edl653]

Make sure your folks check the base of bushes or debris piles for snakes. If someone gets bit by a rattler, do you guys have a plan? Feliz Navidad and Happy New Year.

[@EarthWalkerOne]

For native US venomous snakes the protocol is always get to a hospital ASAP, remain calm, do not apply a tourniquet, try to lance the wound, try to suck out the venom or anything else. Just remain calm to try to keep your heart rate down, and get to a hospital. Unless you're allergic or receive an unlucky bite directly into a major artery, rattlesnake bites are like a bad bee sting to most healthy adults. There's about 7-8000 venomous bites each year in the US with only an average of 5 deaths. Those deaths include people that keep cobras and stuff as pets and people that handle rattlesnakes in church services and refuse medical treatment. For comparison an average of 36 people/year are killed by dogs in the US.

[@aarongallardo4102]

Merry Christmas, push on ! 🫶🏽🔥

[@the1greko]

Amazing work and dedication All my respect

[@robduell3856]

Next year you should grow sorghumsudan hybrid. It grows tall and does not need a lot of water. It would produce a large amount of biomass in a season.

[@squiggyflop]

I love seeing your progress! Keep it up!

[@debratakagawa4764]

Yay first year of biomass cut!

[@loanjd]

hope this helps but when you go to start cutting them off the water source completely don't do it all at once. you will likely loose a lot of them slowly introduce them to dryer and dryer conditions. iv noticed when i take care of moms plants and mine where she makes me water them every day 3 times a day as soon as it gets hot basically all will kneel over and dye. yet all of mine seem to be fine going long periods without water and i find i can help them need less water by simply introducing them to drought stress and it seems to make it where i never really have to water so it might be a good idea to do so with the plants on the Terrice if there used to getting water from irrigation. don't know why it seem to do this but iv noticed it and it might happen to you and i don't want you to lose any of them by accident

[@stephenburrows4250]

Ever thought about growing hemp for biomass? In the right conditions it grows heaps, and good for regrowing quickly? 🤷‍♂️ Not for smoking Shaun…!

[@dustupstexas]

Yes. It requires a $600 permit

[@danniseliger5172]

I want some rain dammit! See what happens

[@blackoak4978]

Maybe look at doing an experiment in two washes? In one, manually prune the plants. In the other use that weed wacker. See what results you get. If the manual pruning doesn't show significant benefits, then you can save a bunch of time by just using the machine

[@dustupstexas]

It's more complicated than that. The brush cutter can't get through the tree branches

[@stefanopiardi6930]

If only Geoff Lawton could see the absolute beauty and poetry in motion of your very own "chop and drop". I would not be so concerned with eliminating the seed pods, as much as we know now that sorghum grass is a powerful and vigorous biomass producer. Way to go Shaun ....you are a major success.

[@ericheise4051]

Great work . Who says you can’t grow things in the rocks 🪨 in the desert 🌵 with no rain 🌧️

[@Mustard_Mann]

You should try planting Buffalo gourd/fox gourd, it would be very good as groundcover/living mulch and it has a deep taproot to help it get enough water

[@RyanBlockb5]

It is going to look great a week after the first rain.

[@WhichDoctor1]

cant wait for some actual rain so we can see those damns fill up a little and add all that water to the ground water

[@russell7489]

Ya did well this year, Who knows a few might survive to sprout again next year,

[@Vosgesisbeautiful]

Bonnes fêtes Shaun ! - pruning your trees & bushes is great and will create natural parasols for your desert forest ! Don’t lose your energy by going slowly but surely as the most important thing is doing it strait for several years until the nature is strong enough for looking for herself! Kisses from very rainy Normandy France

[@1944chevytruck]

LOOKING GOOD!

[@Ifyouarehurtnointentwasapplied]

Its looking great 👏✌️👍 you are on the right track i hope the snow/frost brings the water for you ✌️

[@johnpoole2912]

Shaun, I would like to recommend that you get yourself a cordless electric garden pruner. Much more efficient & less damaging to the branches you are trimming. The saw you are currently using can possibly leave a wound easily accessible to rot, disease & insect damage. That is just my opinion. Keep up the good work. Peace ✌️

[@ElenasMoneyMatters]

If you stick poles into the ground, you can weave these long, finger-like branches through them, creating a basket-like structure perfect for building the smaller dams on your property.

[@supereight9221]

Once the nopales are established with new growth they can be thinned and replanted.

[@evanjones6536]

(For aesthetics 😂) I would clip the very top growth point of Tina so she starts branching

[@angrylittlespider4593]

Have you considered planting lowland flora above the dams?

[@robertlemoine3500]

Yes you are Sir , thank you .

[@thewhowhatwhere7275]

When someone donates nice plants, please take them home baby them for a few weeks.

[@TexasKid747]

Hi Shaun. Why do you not apply a monthly/weekly/? periodic watering to your rows via your water source. It would seem to the uneducated North Texas me, that a temporary sprinkler system would at least help to get the germinations started, and then you might let nature take its course. Your Drip irrigation system may be good for initiating growth, but maybe not for sustaining the desired growth. Just curious my friend. Wish I could help onsite, but I have far too much going on approaching retirement, maybe one day. Love what you are doing, Cheers from the DFW area.

[@Nick-vl7lk]

Do you ever try rock mulch for the plants. They retain the moisture better than cardboard. It can trap a significant amount of condensation over the cooler months. And when laid on organic matter it is better for soil microbiology. Light coloured stones obviously best.

[@5joost]

So the idea behind pruning is to make the plant put energy in growing and its root system rather than seeding, right?

[@dustupstexas]

Correct!

[@5joost]

@@dustupstexas so with more biomass you have more shading and more water retention? Because several of the plants you are growing don't seem to give a lot of shade like broadleaf trees would. Do you describe the overal goals in earlier vidoes?

[@roberts663]

@@dustupstexas You were too late then, the energy already went to the seeds lol. No energy was going to them anymore. It's an annual anyways and you are putting it to good use as a biomass for native plants.

[@michaldurana4227]

Love this content of mulching a native vegetation of its own dead wood and stuff. Thank you for sharing ❤❤

[@mohamedmusa7149]

consider backing the dam up with a gabion wall, just in case you a 1000 year rain event.

[@mr.shannon6137]

I am a bit worried about that dam. It appears to be made of almost all sand, rock and decomposed granite. If it gets water behind it, it will quickly saturate. Once saturated it will loose all stability and quickly fail. Once it fails all that water will cause damage downstream.

[@brisk_gift]

These green plants sure have interesting names

[@angrylittlespider4593]

Lopper > sawzall

[@kiarawhalen1544]

I don't know if you guys have them in America but here in Australia we have back packs called Camel Packs,. They have an insulated section with a removable water bladder and a hose that runs out over your shoulder to a tap/mouth peice. They are great for hiking, working, mountain/motor biking. They come in various sized back packs with different sized bladders. I think it would be a great idea where you are and with what you're doing.

[@kumatmebro315]

Those were invented in texas yes

[@jamesfrankiewicz5768]

They've been around in the U.S. for a couple decades now. I bought my first one in 2002.

[@dustupstexas]

I find it easier to walk to get water than keep it on my back. I only use them for hiking

[@ivorcogdell8483]

Hi everybody. Since you have a water source (3 miles away), why do you need the plants to be on a very low water supply when trying to germinate them? Granted it would increase the numbers of your water trips, but not the benefits outweigh the labour. This would also increase the biomass breakdown. Apologies if this has already been covered in a previous video. Happy festive season to all from soggy Birmingham, UK.

[@dustupstexas]

Because hauling the water is very hard on the equipment

[@rationalthought1927]

Shaun please talk more about your end goal. I've watched a number of your videos. But, I still am not clear about why you're doing this and what you hope to achieve. Do you plan to build a house and live there one day? Is this just an experiment? Are you doing this to grow a KZbin channel? There seems to be easier ways to make money. Have you actually made money with this channel? Or, have you reinvested everything back into the ranch so far? Help me understand what's going on here!

[@dustupstexas]

It's all gone back into the ranch. Next week talks more about the big picture

[@albertstebbins7590]

There is a video where Shaun visits an actual desert forest, complete with deer carcass. I think that transforming Dustups to that kind of landscape is the goal.

[@soyokaze-r2s]

The first beginnings of hardwood🌳 Startup🥾

[@gameplayarchive4752]

Hey, I have an idea 💡 Dig a 3 feet by 5 feet hole with at least 4 feet depth. Then buy some plastic bags and distribute them among your neighborhood and ask them to fill these bags with organic household waste and food scraps. Then on every trip to your ranch collect those bags in the back of your truck and empty them in the ditch. When the ditch is filled with organic matter you will have very fertile plots for vegetation.

[@mariuskoekemoer4646]

Thanks for another great video Following you out of New Zealand

[@stevecorrigan5139]

Another Kiwi here enjoying this project.

[@mariuskoekemoer4646]

@@stevecorrigan5139 Awesome Not an issue we have in NZ

[@KentBunn]

I wish there was some sort of coherent explanation of why them going to seed is an issue.

[@dustupstexas]

Because I don't want them to spend their energy growing seeds. I want them to spend their energy growing

[@AnyoneForToast]

Coming from England, it looks like a place I expect to be VERY hot, I wonder just how cold it gets in the winter. In an environment that appears to be allergic to trees, I bet the wind chill can be fierce.

[@danbeard1168]

they get snow there . one extreme to the other . tough environment.

[@dustupstexas]

-12C is the closest it gets

[@AnyoneForToast]

@@dustupstexas About minus seven is the closest I have felt. The trees help to keep the warm in. Good luck with your's, chap.

[@JohnDoe-vm5rb]

Something I realised is just how eerily quiet it is. You usually hear all sorts of things, distant planes, ect... and it's just silence.

[@dustupstexas]

It's more profound in person

[@Tossdart]

Praying for rain for you. Eat them jackrabbits cookumup.

[@mr.shannon6137]

Jackrabbit guts make good fertilizer.

[@PRINCESSDREAMYLYN]

Shade is as important in the dessert as is mulch id not more so. It makes a micro climate that hold moister closer to the ground. So shading those agave was a good idea. Also leaving the roots in the ground by chopping puts decaying matter under ground with no effort at all :) And Johnson grass if it's growing there will make great mulch even tho it's kind of a nuance when not wanted. Baby Trees like the shade until they can hold there own in the hot sun from what I've experienced and heard from others. Your doing great. ♥

[@pixelschiebr]

A nice rule of thumb I learned is "green cuttings mix with the soil, brown stuff leave on top as mulch"

[@gadiantonx8474]

that american ephedra makes for a tasty drink some say it has medicinal value

[@jennifermeintjes7971]

That cat claw acacia is also called a "Wait a bit bush". Once you're caught it takes a while to untangle yourself.

[@vittoriopacilli9188]

use the sorgham seed around your bathtubs. they will fill in quickly. plant as many seeds so you get "yard waste" .

[@DaDunge]

He cut them before the seeds were ready, they wnt germinate.

[@roberts663]

@@DaDunge They already went to seed, but chopped them too early, the seeds aren't viable, I have no idea why he does that I find it odd. The reasoning doesn't make a whole lot of sense he states. Sometimes the seeds can become viable in cuttings when they are still attached to the plant material, but not sure with that type of plant.

[@FanNy-ku6wt]

@@roberts663 Because he doesn't want annual plants but perennial ones to take the lead. And native indigenous plants, to begin with.

[@louisegogel7973]

@@roberts663He wants the existing plants to grow strong roots where they are and not expend energy going into seeds.

[@andrewnorman6090]

I’m sure the mature sorghum seeds would have been useful somewhere on the ranch. Even if it just working with the local wildlife to convert the seeds into nutrient rich poop.

[@angelofamillionyears4599]

How many dams are you building?

[@wisconsinfarmer4742]

Eager to see your water retention efforts perform.

[@SirHeinzbond]

at Janitor School, ive learned that Bushes and trees grow better and getting in better shape when you cut the old branches which would not grow any further...

[@abrighterday508]

Merry Christmas Dustups

[@SyntropicSchool]

Shaun, I'm so impressed by your ongoing journey. Your humility in your learning process in an inspiration to everyone out there that might be hesitant in getting started. Great work!

[@SyntropicSchool]

Might I suggest and even denser planting out of Sorghum in future sections/seasons.

[@dustupstexas]

Our plan for next year is testing annuals as a nurse crop. We need much better germinations

[@nickfosterxx]

Less than three minutes in, thinking about more efficient ways to do stuff, and all I can say is 'good on you dude, this sort of attention to detail is really what counts'. Honestly, following from the beginning, your dogged determination is kind of breath taking whenever I remember the area you've got. How on earth are you going to transfer all this learning to landscape scale impacts where bigger landowners, municipalities, counties, states can benefit from your work?

[@The-truth-is-valuable.]

Are there no other "more normal" and hardy trees that can survive, which you can plant so that it can start to grow and provide some shade 2 to 3 years from now? Especially closer to the dams you are busy creating? That should speed-up / start your forrest, animals etc? You have water, you have some bushes, and most probable, you can erect some partial shade screens to assist in the early phases of the trees? Maybe also plant them around your camp keeping more permanent, future buildings / developments in mind?

[@jamestboehm6450]

Remember, the root you leave in the soil helps create the biome you want.

[@vivo9220]

Good morning shoun.rain will come..sabar n sabar..patient n patient 👍👍👍

[@liverocks62]

I dont know how you do it Shaun. Driving to the desert every week, being always from your family. Investing money in what looks like a bottomless pit. The desert is doing everything it can to kill everything you plant. It’s frustrating to watch. I am rooting for you though. That’s why I keep watching your videos.

[@danbeard1168]

it's a lesson for all of us , follow your passion regardless of the challenges and make the world a better place little by little . Inspirational really .

[@unums]

Shaun! I’m sure you have already had people tell you, and you may already know by now, regardless I was always told that I “had a Green Thumb” and it’s not that it’s just that I like to take care of all of my Plants. Either with Food (fertilizer, soil, etc.), Water, and Attention! (Pruning, etc.) All of this just to tell you to make sure that you always Prune all your Plants for the best possible Growth-when going for Biomass. There are KZbin Tutorials/Guides, just in case. It’s easy, and intuitive, after you get use to it!

[@TruthCeeker333]

ABC = Always Be Composting 😀 👍