Vetiver as Mulch

[@lis819]

Love your videos - Spain desperately needs people like yourself to hold back the growing desertification.

[@redcossack245]

Very happy you are using Vetiver grass.

[@mateuspado]

Great to see some plans coming along !

[@jannavozar2634]

Everything you are doing and learning is very interesting. Love the updates. I come up with so many ideas myself and can't wait to see what you do yourself.

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Thanks. Feel free to share your ideas. It's always interesting. I also put ideas from the comments onto our planning board.

[@XDEEPTHOUGHT]

Good update Stephan. Nice to see some green coming after a little rain. Its going to be a long slow process. It seems there are greener shoots ahead. Good work and Thank you.

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Yes, it's not a fast fix. So much damage done over decades or even longer cannot be undone in just 2 years.

[@Gustav4]

Thanks for the update, keep it up

[@adammac4381]

Vetiver tip. When your ready to divide and transplant vetiver for spring, take it out of the ground one day, let the root balls sit in water a day or two, or over the weekend, when you come back to them they are much easier to divide and seperate.

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

We have been doing a version of that. Your suggestion is an improvement. Thanks.

[@adammz08]

Thanks for the videos, with a few small "tweaks" and adjustments the property Looks set to accelerate in regeneration now, i see you mention tagasaste, in your region its a must do tree, great fodder and great nursery tree for the swales,,,, please dont look past the lucerne tree in your area, it does the same job as tagasaste and the cows love it. Lucerne tree was growing as a street tree on My last trip to spain, grows well in your area

[@jankrijnen7374]

Goodmorning. Ever thought about tagasaste? It grows easy and also in dry places. Very good nitrogen fixer, animal food and mulcher once established. Great for the berms of the swales. Only thing you have to watch out for is that cattle ( just as with new, young grass) not over eat themselves. From memory you should let them graze on tagasate for 4 days and let them eat hay ( or other low nutritious food) or something for about 2-3 days. This prevent intestine problems. I think that these can also be bought infertile like vertiver these days.

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

After a 2 months wait we have recently received 100 Tagasaste seeds and now it will be time to learn how to grow it.

[@jankrijnen7374]

@@ProjectGranjaCaimito There are good youtubers to show how. If i can help with research or something, just let me know. I have time left and what you are doing i really like a lot.

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

@@jankrijnen7374 Please share away. It's always appreciated. You might even be able to create a community post - not sure though if KZbin allows that but then it might. [e-mail] is another way

[@tottycrypt9006]

I love the little experiments. It's shows the world that application results can differ from country/region/soil. Request(time consuming, sorry) It would be nice to see your erosion spots. On the map and a walk through vid. And do you plant vertiver on level? And I'm hoping some greening is taking place on your swale mounds. Till the next vid.

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Erosion spots? Well... Wherever there is a slope, there is erosion. We either fix it by moving the dirt to make a swale or terrace or - if not too severe - by planting something like Vetiver. Vetiver on contour (that's what you mean I think) is what will be done in Spring (plus drip irrigation to help it establish over summer). On the swales we need to seed. I will order a lot of broad bean seeds soon and then they will be covered with spent straw and the half-way compost the pigs and cows have been making. That should then provide a lot of green manure until Spring.

[@tottycrypt9006]

@@ProjectGranjaCaimito that would make sense, sorry I'm on the flattest part of flat land. For the in between stages, because swales/terraces are a big operation and vertiver sometimes too little, are there much erosion places? And with the September rains did the swale mounds got a bit greener from the previous seed dropping?

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

@@tottycrypt9006 No. The swales have not really changed yet. The problem is that all that is basically exposed subsoil and there are hardly any seeds. We need to bring them in. As the big plan is to create some sort of productive parkland with pathways, clearings and such there will be enough edges and other places to plant a lot of things over time.

[@TheEmbrio]

Orchard/ wannabe food forests: I find eleagnus very prolific in a similar climate to yours. It is sold in plant nurseries as a hedge shrub, you can make plenty of cuttings from 1 bought plant.

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Thanks. Current plan is to put a lot more vetiver in there (the wannabe food forest) when May comes around. That should then give us enough material for mulching and building soil. Basically we take the plants we have and split them to fill up the swales left and right. Then we can cut the leaves as they grow and mulch the berms with a ever increasing layer of material. No need to carry it around. As you mention a nursery. There is one and only one in a nearby town (Villanueva de Cordoba). They have most aromatics and a narrow selection of fruit trees. Their customers buy for the patio. This area is famous for potted plants hanging from the wall in these patios. People in the villages don't have a garden next to their homes. The houses are build wall on wall and when they do gardening it is for growing a narrow selection of vegetables. So we need - I've mentioned that before - set up our own BIG nursery to start the shrubs and trees we need. The alternative would be to buy them elsewhere in Europe.

[@gkiferonhs]

Does the straw you refer to have seed heads and other species of plant or is it the byproduct of grain farming? Love what you're doing. Stay the course.

[@tomrobertson3236]

Straw by definition, is the stalk left over after harvesting the seeds from the head . May have weeds that grow between the plants but that's rare for straw

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

It is straw from grain farming. There are a few seeds in there and they do germinate here and there but it's nothing big.

[@imagf8753]

Hi there!Love your work, congrats! A couple suggestions on your fruit trees...first, you should try to prune all suckers from the rootstock so that the productive aerial part gets to grow and give fruit and shade Second, have you thought about planting rootstocks directly( they are super strong and cheap, like 1,5€ each) and graft them a year later when they are established using scions(aerial part) from local trees that you know that do good in your climate. Ten times cheaper and you will get much stronger trees. But it'll take a bit longer of course

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Yes. I see what you mean. At this stage we need to turn dirt into soil first. The experiment of the wannabe food forest isn’t a priority at this time. More systems like that will follow and then they for sure are going to be a priority. Thanks for your suggestions.

[@WayneTX254]

Have you thought about vetiver as a cash crop? Here in USA it's $3 to $4 a slip and easy to ship. That's $100 per plant after dividing it. You mentioned income from the ranch. This could be huge for no additional upfront cost. Some comments. The vetiver nursery. The way 2 rows wrap around a tree might be a concern. When you think about water flowing on the ground, the same is happening underground as seepage. The deep roots and the tight spacing could dam or slow that seepage, keeping it from the tree. I'm curious when things dry out, if the grass stays greener on the uphill side of the vetiver for this reason. Just some thoughts. I've been growing and spreading vetiver, planting it on contour. I'm excited about next year when they reach height.

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

We got the Vetiver from vetiverspain.com but the prices are much lower than $3 - $4. For the time being we definitely do not have time to get into that market. When it comes to the commercial part, let's please keep in mind that one thing is that a farmer and his family have some income and work for "free" and another thing is a company with salaried employees. The the farmer every dime that comes in might be good for a company the income might actually turn out as negative. The guys from Vetiver Spain have shown me several examples of Vetiver planted around a tree has helped the tree. It seems to pump up and hold moisture. As you are thinking ahead: when summer comes the vetiver will also dry out with no irrigation in our situation. That will continue until its roots have reached the water table. Because of that we will plant a LOT of vetiver now only where there is either irrigation available or the moisture from the Spring rains is accessible like along the seasonal creek in the middle of our land.

[@Muktiism]

Would love to come to spain to help you direct.

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

You might :-) Thanks.

[@gkiferonhs]

Do they allow keyline plowing in Spain?

[@ThePmloc]

I also was wondering would it help the water retenion.

[@rwfoxtrot]

Whilst I agree that Keyline or some other form of deep ripping with minimal surface disturbance would help with soil compaction, I would be cautious about using it in and around the Oak trees. The deep cultivation effect would most certainly damage the feeder roots of the trees and quite possibly harm them, especially if they are in poor condition already from that disease you mentioned in earlier videos. PA Yeomans (the developer of Keyline) had trees planted or retained in specific areas along contours (and not just the Keyline) but the actual plowing occurred in pasture or cultivation land in between the tree belts. He actually made mention of the effect of plowing to limit the impact trees had on the adjoining pasture.

[@brianevolved2849]

there is a lot of sand ....one must be cautious

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Why would a place not allow it? No restrictions here. BUT: Where we have a slope the "soil" is mostly sand and when it dries out it becomes like concrete. When it's wet it becomes almost quicksand. Need to turn sand into soil first.

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

The plan in the area where the two big swales are (one does show up on Google Maps already) is to stop making more swales and instead use Vetiver on contour (with the help of drip irrigation for summer) to catch silt and have material for mulching the trees. The animals will then help with the rest of building soil.

[@monicamccarthy8510]

if you keep the seeds of te food you eat ,you can plant them in water bottles untill they are big enough to plant in your garden,grapes,apples,plums,strawberries, lemons,orages ,acorns.... it really works, that way you do not have to buy trees.

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

We have "set up a nursery" on our plan. We'll be nursing and planting a few thousand of trees and shrubs.

[@raphaelheimgartner904]

I go to the City and to the forrest to collect a wide range of treeseeds. Support trees dont have to be leguminose. Its nice if they are but if you Just want a lot of trees search for a birch, because they are full of seeds this month and its a fast growing and slow burning tree.

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Nice idea but you would be disappointed here. Not many trees around anymore :-( Those that exist are oak trees of one species only (Quercus ilex).

[@raphaelheimgartner904]

@@ProjectGranjaCaimito they have no trees in the City in spain? Here in castello branco we have trees along the roads. For nut trees you can buy some nice nuts and plant it before it gets cold. Edelkastanien- und Baumnussbäume können jedoch problematisch mit anderen Fruchtbäumen werden.

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

@@raphaelheimgartner904 Well in the proper city there are a few but it's nothing of interest. They are for shade. It's a bit a shame. Spain is not Spain. Northern Spain is way different from Andalucia.

[@Muktiism]

A more dense food forest at the fruit spot i can see in the future.

[@Muktiism]

Do you try the Bermudagrass aka Cynodon dactylon, too? Ah, dried herb-leafes around new plants give them perfect huminacid to grow much greener.

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

What do you mean by "Do you try the Bermudagrass aka Cynodon dactylon, too?" ? The grass is showing up in many places on its own. The vetiver is supposed to become a thick mulch around these trees and many others. Over time I want to have half-circles below the trees on a slope and do the mulching with the material that grows right there.

[@yohjokromwood2327]

love the channel maby u can build smal solar dome destiler with aluminum cheaply that would solve the water problem i gues there build 1 that can make 30000 liter a hour in neom but no smal scale models on youtube

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Will that still work at less than 20% humidity during summer?

[@monicamccarthy8510]

pomegranite is a good hedgerow, plant it has orange flowers and fruit.

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Good to know. There will be hedgerows in the near future between the paddocks. Will try to remember

[@TheEmbrio]

Was your watermelon irrigated ? If not I would buy seeds from you, I am in France, and adaptable watermelon would be great !

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Yes. It was irrigated. There isn’t enough soil to hold water just yet. It’s improving though

[@andresamplonius315]

Me pregunto si el clima es lo bastante cálido para árboles como la Moringa y el Neem. El primero es muy nutritivo como forraje, incluso para consumo humano (hojas frescas o deshidratadas), el segundo es más bien medicinal, control de plagas y mejora del suelo. Árboles multipropósito, aptos para climas cálidos y secos, áridos incluso El Vetiver es excelente como biomasa para mulch, pero por lo que he oído como forraje no es palatable para el ganado ya que el sílice que contiene les lastima la boca

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Todavia no tenemos Moringa aunque no han dado algunas semillas en el mismo lugar en Malage de donde tenemos el Vetiver. Cuando tenemos un vivero lo probaremos. Si, el vetiver no es tan suave y tambien se que puede lastimar a la lengua. Se lo comen y tal vez depende de la variedad. De todo modo el Vetiver NO es para foraje. Es para alimentar el suelo y para mantillo. Pero en caso especial si sirve para alimentar un rumiante.

[@TheEmbrio]

The unloading was quite funny ! And why not, it's not rocket science !

[@loicville6446]

What's the breed of your cattle? It's look like french charolais

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

They are a mix of many including charolais and limusin

[@loicville6446]

Merci!

[@nachiangmai1]

Slingshot can teach the adventurous cow.

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

…And I would probably face another problem. The fence is repaired and they are keeping away now.

[@safeenaslivingworld1904]

👍

[@carolleenkelmann3829]

Straw or hay? Hay is used for fodder. Straw is not nutrient rich like hay. So, Vetiver. Anwendung & Behandlung für Gesundheit. A new one for me. You could plant this for the bees seeing it's roots grow up to 3 meters deep. Used for perfumes. How about Lavender?

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Here hay - as in from grass - is not available. There is "hay" made from oats. A truck load is 1800 EUR. So most people use straw (truck load 800 EUR) and augment with alfalfa pellets. Only for horses they buy the much more expensive oat hay. And all that gets trucked in from afar. Keep in mind that this whole area has been depleted and is on high alert for desertification. This vetiver does not produce flowers, is infertile and gets propagated by dividing a plant into little slips that will then grow wide. It's a bunch grass. There are variants which are then used for other things. This one is for erosion control, mulching and forage. Yes, lavender. We have a small patch and want to have a lot more along the 2km driveway so that we can sell oil as another product in the future. There is a video about our plans.

[@MrTopcat3333]

WATERMELON WILL NOT COME BACK FROM ROOT . THEY NEED TO BE PLANTED EVERY YEAR . SUPPORT TREES CAN BE PLANTED FROM SEED , A NURSERY CAN BE EASILY BE ESTABLISHED UNDER SOME OAKS . THEIR ARE MANY TYPES OF SUPPORT TREES THAT FIX NITROGEN . THEIR ARE MANY BUSH TYPE ALSO .

[@ProjectGranjaCaimito]

Yes, under an oak trees would be nice except during summer it needs a water supply. Keep in mind that there is no rain for at least 4 month and it's around or above 35C. That's why a nursery needs some infrastructure (water line, pump, sprayers) as we can have in the compound.