Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Wayne" <wa2yne@gmail.com>]

 I wish I had more volunteer trees of the right kind here.

 On most of my place I get a lot of Mesquite, which I don't mind, but need to chop out the ones along the front and side in what grass is there.

 But in one area there are a lot of Chinaberry trees, which I am gradually removing.

 I need to see if I can get a few of the hackberry seeds started and growing where I want a few.

 

 I am digging out a couple of stumps from the Chinaberries that are next to the back of the house. Got one out, but boy, did it have odd roots, which made it harder. Still a couple of good sized roots left, need to figure out how to kill without doing anything toxic.

 

 Back in NY, we used to get a lot of maples and other trees like that sprouting all over the place, being as maples produce tons of seed every year, and it seems that a great amount of those will sprout and grow.

 

 I have to work a bit at a time myself.

 Won't get much done today, weather decided to be nasty. Rain, and evidently some flooding in the region, plus tornado warnings for the region.

 Looks like it has stopped for now, so maybe I can get the dogs out for the needed walk.

 

Wayne WA2YNE
www.desert-rat.com

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Gloria Baikauskas

To: mtncats@myway.com ; Healthy soil and sustainable growing

Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2007 3:11 AM

Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Organic Milk Supply Expected to Surge asFarmers Pursue a Payoff

Re the volunteer trees.....Last year my health was really bad.....so I was only able to maintain one bed.....and that started mid summer.  So....the seedlings grew.  For whatever reason my tree seedlings get tall very quickly.   One hackberry tree just the other side of the house grew as tall as the house in two years.  Now at 4 years old it is taller than the house and rather full <canopy>.    The only exception to that are the ones that grow under the denser canopies of larger trees.  It may even be 5 years old now.  I have lost track.  It's initial growth was startling to say the least. 

 

Fukuoka says that trees grown from seed grow a minimum of 2 feet a year.  Here that is definitely the case.   The ones I dug out were babies I didn't even notice last fall.  I still have 2 larger ones...ones at least my heighth....to dig out.  They don't have much in the way of branching.    I could leave the roots in the ground and just cut off the trunk at ground level....but I am betting I would just get new growth that way. 

 

I have a bad back myself with a degenerating spine.  You are quite correct in saying that stretching is vital in order to maintain the back.  I say you must also do crunches.  Whenever I have been in therapy for my back both the PT and the dr. say the same thing.  They spend lots of time on their feet which often affects their own backs.  They always do crunches to tighten the stomach muscles to support the back.   I do them as often as I remember to do them.  It does make a difference. 

 

Gloria, Texas