permaculture

["Mike Skinner (Easy Hay)" <EasyHay@arn.net>]

Arina said….
I heard of a BD approach, that sounded this way:
3 consecutive years of pumpkins will smother the bindweed. Well, here we also have the ferocious squash bug that will destroy all the pumpkins.         But once we move in our new house, that is choked by the bindweed from 3 sides, even some is growing up the drain inside  the house, I will try a lot of biomass and pumpkins.

Mike said:

In exasperaton, I ve tried to figure what niche bindweed was filling. To me it seems,

that being deep-rooted, it is breaking the hard pan, bringing up nutrients, as well

as keeping the ground from blowing as a result of clean farming or heavy grazing.

So, by my thinking, if we stopped making hard pan, possibly deep ripped, return

tilth, (like green manure Austrian Winter Peas), and leave cover on the ground, we

might help Mother Nature, the same way bindweed does.

Arina said:
I think this approach may also help with the thistle - to plant deep rooted plants that will break the soil. The bindweed, though has a different kind of root, not the tap, but more runner type. It seems to be intimidated by a good stand of red clover - still grows, but more modest looking, and less brutal.

 

Mike’s new thought:

     Arina, But, then, red clover might be pernicious.  I wonder if another viney crop, indigenous, Buffalo Gourd, would work, like pumpkins, but it’s perennial, too.

     Also, I’ve used bi-annual stubble turnips, successfully, to break up hard pan. Cost is around $4 per pound,

but the tiny seeds cover a lot of area. Austrian Winter peas are also viney and strangle bindweed.

A smattering of kenaf or red top cane, (early sumac) or sterile hybrids, would add height to a mix, and allow trellising, and further keep light off the ground-hugging bindweed.

 

mike 

 a

--- You are currently subscribed to permaculture as: easyhay@arn.net To unsubscribe send a blank email to $subst('Email.Unsub') To subscribe send email to lyris@franklin.oit.unc.edu with message text containing: subscribe permaculture