permaculture

[Dieter Brand <diebrand@yahoo.com>]

Linda,
   
  I attach a copy of my original request.  My initial aim, before I 
  can think of growing any cash crop, is simply to improve the soil.
   
  The method you describe may well be the thing I have been 
  looking for all along, since I don’t want to physically remove the 
  grass and am not very keen on applying different products either. 
  And since crowding out with the usual cover crops (clover etc.) 
  won’t work because of lack of water, the solution will most likely 
  by some plant like the acacia dealbata used by Malcolm Rand 
  in NZ, as acacias usually don’t need much water.
   
  Crowding out by this means is bound to work for crabgrass and
  Bermuda grass in the same way it does for Kikuyu grass. I have
  even noticed that it is possible to get rid of crabgrass (or is it
  Bermuda grass) by placing several feet of loose branches over
  the effected area, while shredding the same branches to reduce
  them to a compact mulch layer will allow the grass to come
  through.
   
  Dieter Brand
  Portugal
  
Linda Shewan <linda.shewan@bryn.com.au> wrote:
    Hi Dieter,

I can't remember what this thread started with - ie. what your ultimate
use of the land is but I was just listening to Malcolm Rand the founder
of ecostore in NZ (link to Kiwi radio on www.ecostore.co.nz) 

Kikuyu is a huge problem in NZ and he got rid of 2 acres of it by
planting acacia dealbata at quite close spacings. The dense shade and
large amount of leaf drop produced by these really rapid growing legume
trees resulted in the kikuyu being completely shaded out within 4 years.
He then cut down the acacias when he was ready to plant another tree in
it's place.

Could this work for you - no type of grass grows strongly in shade does
it? 

Linda (Kiwi in Aus)


       
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