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  • From: Niels <mudguard@gmail.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] using old carpet
  • Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2006 16:46:21 +0000

HI Margory,

I have no first hand XP but have given the use of carpet and other
light-excluding mulches much thought.
First I would say that within a certain context they will be effective.
My proposed example is as a method for changing land use or "reclaiming"
land from pasture etc. In other words: pioneering using legume cover crops.
"setting-back" the grasses through light-exclusion then seeding into the
remnant sod/weed cover.

Firstly I should say that this approach (method if you like) is only
suitable for those that beleive in cover crops and living mulches. Which
personally I am, very much.
There are many discourses for their use or not. I feel Fukuoka's to be the
most convincing.
Perhaps discussion of the efficacy cover crops could be done in another
thread?
I am certainly up for a bit of critisism, especially by those who have
experimented with these methods.

For the moment, however, my opinions and theories are not based on
experience.
For that reason there is still one major question that I have yet to find
much discuccion on. It is the issue of germination rates of food crops
seeded into living mulch (cover crop).
Transplanting would largely solve these issues but this is a higher input
strategy than direct seeding.
Also one might be able to repeat the temporary carpet mulch method described
below to assist establishment of food crops?

Anyway here is the method.

Establishing a Cover Crop/Living Mulch
Method
Step one Lay Mulch
early as poss. in the autumn/winter lay down the carpet/plastic etc. Still
now is probably fine.
As an additional step here, depending on the nature of the ground, mow (or
scythe) as close as possible before putting down mulch.

Step two: monitor
condition of vegetation under mulch (carpet etc) by rolling it up
periodically.

Step three: Roll-back the carpet and seed
white clover into the remnant sod/weed cover. In other words start to
establish a leguminous living mulch/cover crop. other species to add to a
mix, in small quantities would be: early vetch (eg Lana woolypod) or sweet
clover (meliltus alba).
Hopefully the carpet/mulch has been down a few months before spring.
If not perhaps delay this step for a month or so. Exact timing is not so
important, I feel, obviously the longer the better and even more when it
gets warmer. At this time decomposition will speed dramatically and it is
this time when the grass would be growing-back and regenerating. So if it is
covered with a mulch (carpet etc) into the spring, as well as winter/autumn
it will die-back even more. Again monitoring is what is needed more than
anything.
Then as the days lengthen/warm, the longer the better, without cutting into
the growing season too much, sow your living mulch. Though that said this is
a 1st-season/pioneering phase so with any luck this is a one-off task and as
such perhaps should be given priority.

Step four: Replace Carpet
roll back the carpet/mulch, with the seeds underneath. And having watered if
the ground is very dry.

Step Five: Monitoring
lift the mulch every week, or few days depending on temp and rainfall, to
check on germination. If no rainfall you might wish to water the bed.

Step Six: Remove Mulch
When there seems to be sufficient establishment of the cover crop seeds, ie
when they are ready to start photosynthesizing, remove carpet.
This I guess is a pretty important stage since the seedlings will have been
used to a pretty easy life under the mulch. The lack of light not being a
major inhibition to germination.
To aid the seedlig development at this time it might be worth adding a light
covering of mulch (biomass, compost etc.)
The seedlings shouldn't have difficulty pushing through. This I have tested
and had good results for mustard sown under well-rotted leaf mulch.
NB Be careful at this point that you don't put a mulch that is too "alive".
By that I mean full of bugs, insects, worms etc. Because the birds will come
down and stir it all up to feed off this macrofauna and as a result put pay
to your developing seedlings.
I guess if compost/leaf mulch was your only choice spread it out first some
where else.
In fact neater still would be to spread your loose mulch on top of the
carpet after seeding. Then you can just turn the carpet over when you rmove
it.

Step seven: 1st New Cut (possibly the only) and Over seeding
I am not sure of timing here really but I guess you will be into mid-spring
here at least.
Expect to have some regrowth of grasses and other weeds.
You will need to mow (cut-back) this higher growth at least once in this
phase.
This is where the clover, particularly the wild/Kent variety, comes into its
own. As it is so low-growing you can mow the top-growth ("weeds") very close
and not do it too much damage.
As well as that you can freely walk across a pure-stand of clover with
minimal compaction issues or damage to the clover itself.
After a cut I would overseed some more white clover, just to reinforce
establishment.

Step eight: 2nd New Cut (as step seven) -only if significant regrowth!
This is necesary according the amount of regrowth since your last cut.
If there is little regrowth there is no need for a cut, the clover will go
on to establish itself.

Notes to this method.

1/ It is important to say that clover will establish in a pasture by itself.
The use of the mulch, cutting and over seeding just speed this process,
quite significantly I beleive.
To encourage clover in pasture one would use repeated close mowing or tight
grazing (overstocking).
2/Choice of cover crops
I fancy the following covers according to use:

Wild white clover for veg/cereal growing. Other names: Kent white clover,
small-leaf white clover.
this is quite an expensive white clover so perhaps a standard white will
do but the advantage of this variety is that it is so low growing.
This makes it suitable for two particular reasons, among others:
-Grass exclusion in the pioneering phase since it will be much less affected
by mowing
-will compete less (spatially) with crop interplants.

Ladino clover/large-leaved white for orchards/tree ground cover.

Sweet clover for mulch, wind-breaking and soil conditioning.
1.Could be substituted for white clover for 1st season pioneering if you
didn't want to grow a food crop in the same bed immediately.
With repeated cuttings it will provide alot of mulch as well as fix much N
and improve soil structure.
Will set seed in its second year, from a spring sowing, usually.
Cut it at ground height to kill it.
2. Low density As white clover intercrop. Will provide some of the above
benefits in-bed.
A good introduced weed for the veg patch.

Lana vetch (or other vetches more common in UK)
As above for sweet clover.
Except it is an early, especially Lana. Should set seed April-May.
http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/cgi-bin/CCrop.exe/show_crop_43
So if you don't want it reappearing it should be killed before then.
However I am quite happy to have it as an, unencouraged, in-bed
legume/greenmanure/weed.

Hope this is not too convoluted.
Or apocraful.

Regards,
N*

nocompost.blogspot.com
http://del.icio.us/entrailer


On 05/01/06, Forest Garden <forestgarden@gvtc.com> wrote:
>
> Hello Everyone,
>
> Has anyone got experience using old carpet to supress grass? Does the
> carpet break down into horrific chemicals I wish I didn't ever know about?
>
> I suppose old wool carpets wouldn't do that, but where would there be a
> source for old wool carpets.
>
> Any help is greatly appreciated.
>
> Marjory
>
> _______________________________________________
> permaculture mailing list
> permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
>




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