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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] Livingontheland Digest, Vol 151, Issue 3

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Bobby G <bobbyg53211@yahoo.com>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Livingontheland Digest, Vol 151, Issue 3
  • Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:25:40 -0700 (PDT)




--- On Wed, 7/16/08, livingontheland-request@lists.ibiblio.org
<livingontheland-request@lists.ibiblio.org> wrote:


> From: Liz <liz@allslash.org>
> Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Organic agriculture is not
> enough; we
> must replace annual with perennial crops.
> To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

Liz wrote:
> I'm really intrigued by this. I thought grains were
> grasses, which
> propagate in the wild by reseeding themselves--annuals, in
> other
> words. That would imply that there is no such thing, by
> definition,
> as a perennial grain. Am I way off base on this?
>
> Liz in SW VA


Liz, i would say that some of our grasses are already perennials in that one
form of propagation--the rhizomes--outproduces the other, seeds.

Case in point would be the invasive Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea)
which plagues these midwestern states like Wisconsin. Once a stand of
Phalaris is established, it spreads by rhizomes. Just in case someone digs
up the rhizomes to get rid of it, then it sends its seeds on the wind to
re-establish that stand.

One of the most well-adapted plants you'll ever meet, that canary grass.
It's already 5 feet tall by early June, shading out and choking out
everything else in its stand.

Too bad the seed doesn't appear to be useful to humans, or there would be an
ideal perennial food crop. I will say though pigs love the stuff, and will
dig up the rootballs and everything, thereby weeding out your canary grass
eventually.

Bobby G
Central Wisc. USA







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