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Regenerative Agriculture and Direct Drilling
Holistic Farming
Most cost effective way to build soil carbon
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<blockquote data-quote="Old McDonald" data-source="post: 3152988" data-attributes="member: 47276"><p>[USER=6671]@clbarclay[/USER], Further to my previous post using the same quote (#86) I was pruning olives yesterday and remembered something I previously did. </p><p></p><p>There were several areas of unused land when I purchased here, including one depression, ex quarry I think, of over 2000sq m and shoulder depth; plus some smaller areas. The biggest area now forms part of an olive grove, and there are some 55 to 60 trees on the area concerned. It was filled mainly by grading and adding any organic material I could find including prunings. On a smaller area I tipped prunings and ran over the heap a few times with the tractor, then scattered yellow lupin and cereal rye seed over. No fertiliser, just let it take its chance. I had a good take and growth and then graded soil over the top. It was only about 300 sq m but is planted up with maybe a dozen almond trees at 6x4m spacings. Not a lot of extra trees, but better than nothing. Planting the whole 800+ trees was interrupted by the olive harvest and dry weather - too dry to plant trees without watering in, and I am not too keen on that job. Like most of W. Europe today is wet so hopefully planting restarts tomorrow and the olive pruning can wait. As long as it is finished by late winter that is fine.</p><p></p><p>Anyway, I decided to again dump the prunings in a windrow as last year, but there is a lot more than then. In case you do not know, olives are evergreen so the leaves come with the pruned wood. The reclaimed almond area is separated from this windrow by an underground drain topped to the surface with stone and a fence beyond the drain. Where I placed the windrow is lower than the ground surface on the other side of the fence and is wet all winter, so I have decided to try and raise the ground level sufficient so that there is a shallow ditch of sorts over the top of the drain. The area where I am dumping the prunings is about half an acre of solid clay with up to loaf of bread sized stones despite me having scarified and carted off many, many link box loads. It grows very little and has been used as a close run out area for goats. If I can eventually grow some decent grazing I will be well pleased.</p><p></p><p>Whenever convenient through the summer I ran the tractor over last year's windrow in the hope it would break up the twigs, but they did not dry sufficiently. They are pretty well flattened though, with a good mulch of leaves interspersed. I have some lupin left over from sowing the proposed almond grove last year and have decided to scatter this over the now flattened windrow from last year to see what effect it has. Germination will be above the existing soil level and hopefully the roots will work their way amongst and through the now shallow mix of leaves and twigs and begin the breakdown. A summer legume crop of Cowpeas to follow is also a possibility. </p><p></p><p>I would like to chip/shred all the prunings, which will increase in volume over the years, but lack the time unless I build a big pto driven one that prunings can be thrown in. It is on the "to do" list for the future, but might never happen.</p><p></p><p>I might also scatter seed on the new windrows and see what happens. I will keep you informed.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Old McDonald, post: 3152988, member: 47276"] [USER=6671]@clbarclay[/USER], Further to my previous post using the same quote (#86) I was pruning olives yesterday and remembered something I previously did. There were several areas of unused land when I purchased here, including one depression, ex quarry I think, of over 2000sq m and shoulder depth; plus some smaller areas. The biggest area now forms part of an olive grove, and there are some 55 to 60 trees on the area concerned. It was filled mainly by grading and adding any organic material I could find including prunings. On a smaller area I tipped prunings and ran over the heap a few times with the tractor, then scattered yellow lupin and cereal rye seed over. No fertiliser, just let it take its chance. I had a good take and growth and then graded soil over the top. It was only about 300 sq m but is planted up with maybe a dozen almond trees at 6x4m spacings. Not a lot of extra trees, but better than nothing. Planting the whole 800+ trees was interrupted by the olive harvest and dry weather - too dry to plant trees without watering in, and I am not too keen on that job. Like most of W. Europe today is wet so hopefully planting restarts tomorrow and the olive pruning can wait. As long as it is finished by late winter that is fine. Anyway, I decided to again dump the prunings in a windrow as last year, but there is a lot more than then. In case you do not know, olives are evergreen so the leaves come with the pruned wood. The reclaimed almond area is separated from this windrow by an underground drain topped to the surface with stone and a fence beyond the drain. Where I placed the windrow is lower than the ground surface on the other side of the fence and is wet all winter, so I have decided to try and raise the ground level sufficient so that there is a shallow ditch of sorts over the top of the drain. The area where I am dumping the prunings is about half an acre of solid clay with up to loaf of bread sized stones despite me having scarified and carted off many, many link box loads. It grows very little and has been used as a close run out area for goats. If I can eventually grow some decent grazing I will be well pleased. Whenever convenient through the summer I ran the tractor over last year's windrow in the hope it would break up the twigs, but they did not dry sufficiently. They are pretty well flattened though, with a good mulch of leaves interspersed. I have some lupin left over from sowing the proposed almond grove last year and have decided to scatter this over the now flattened windrow from last year to see what effect it has. Germination will be above the existing soil level and hopefully the roots will work their way amongst and through the now shallow mix of leaves and twigs and begin the breakdown. A summer legume crop of Cowpeas to follow is also a possibility. I would like to chip/shred all the prunings, which will increase in volume over the years, but lack the time unless I build a big pto driven one that prunings can be thrown in. It is on the "to do" list for the future, but might never happen. I might also scatter seed on the new windrows and see what happens. I will keep you informed. [/QUOTE]
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Most cost effective way to build soil carbon
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