permaculture

[Cory Brennan <cory8570@yahoo.com>]

 Just found this resource for nitro fixing fodder legumes, wonderful! 
http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPC/doc/Publicat/Gutt-shel/x5556e00.htm#Contents

Would love to hear back from people on experience with legumes in any climate 
similar to Florida - sugar sand soils, sometimes extreme wet/dry, 
temperatures hot, humid in summer, often freezing in winter (down to 15 
degrees or below in many areas). I am looking to plant many fast growing 
multi use legume trees and want to make sure I am picking the best varieties. 
Leucaena, gliricidia, sesbania, are considered "invasive" in Florida. I am 
trying to find info on less invasive cultivars (though I agree with Toby 
Hemenway's assessments on "opportunists" I hesitate to be the one to 
personally bring thousands of opportunist trees into this relatively delicate 
ecosystem). Leucaena lan (I believe this is lanceolata) is considered not 
invasive but I have not found any of this cultivar. 

The native sweet acacia has gnarly thorns but is beautiful and works well 
where thorns are not a problem. 

What experience do people have with the non nodulating nitro fixers like 
cassia, etc, as far as actually putting nitrogen into the soils? I have not 
used them enough to really know how they do. 

On a different note, I'm still trying to determine the nitro fixing 
capabilities of gleditsia triacanthos in temperate climates. 
 
Koreen Brennan

www.growpermaculture.com
www.facebook.com/growpermaculturenow
www.meetup.com/sustainable-urban-agriculture-coalition
>From jasongerhardt@gmail.com  Thu Oct 18 14:08:09 2012
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From: Jason Gerhardt <jasongerhardt@gmail.com>
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Subject: [permaculture]  Fast growing nitro fixers, semi tropics
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Cory,
Gleditsia triacanthos (honey locust) has not been shown to nodulate, but
has been proven to have a higher nitrogen content in biomass than other
non-n-fixers. This indicates it might have some actinorrhizal nitrogen
fixing capability. At any rate, they are likely a low n-fixer. I like them
as a useful dappled shade creating canopy tree though, which might be
helpful for you in the subtropics.

Amorpha fruiticosa is also native to Florida and has been used in alley
cropping trials in the subtropics.

Members of the Myricaceae family (wax-myrtles) fix nitrogen too.

Are you set on nitrogen fixation from a tree? If not, you can use winged
bean, cowpea, strophostyles helvola (which does extremely well on sands and
produces an edible dry-bean crop).

Just some thoughts from my limited experience in the subtropics.

--
Jason Gerhardt
Designer and Educator