Oh I’m so happy for you!! Wonderful news for you and I hope your trees are powering along now! It must be such a relief. Yes this tends to be the toughest time of year for us when it really starts to dry out so I hope we get a few showers and then some decent summer rains! Alex 💚🌿
Ah, you answered my question about more support species here already. 😁 More support species is always a good idea I think, so you can supply your target trees with more moisture retaining mulch, nutrients, immunity and build soil. And the difference between your lush property and the dry surroundings are mind blowing already! Bravo! Keep on planting.
Awesome, we are dryer than u I would say. 8 hrs North of u and in a micro climate of dryer than most within 20kms of us. So I set up an irrigation system. It covers all 3 acres we r developing. But only a light spray irrigation system. But of course helps no end. Pigeon peas and QLD arrowroot and now Bananas have been our plants to create shade. A lot of work but things starting to really grow now. Need that good rain though to get some deep moisture back. We have only had a third of our normal rainfall.( about 200mm this year) One of our food forests is 22 months old. One is 15 months old, and our vineyard is just on 1 year old. Grew from cuttings I got off anyone who let me prune their vines for nothing. We have small grape bunches forming already. Seems the easiest thing of everything to grow. Love your videos and good to get ideas off someone in similar climate. Thanks as always.
Love this! Thanks so much for sharing what you’re doing, such an inspiration. And as you said, always really interesting to learn what others are doing in a similar climate. I think I’ll be planting some grape vines - great suggestion! I’ve got some bananas and arrowroot to plant up near the house too where they’ll get a bit more water. All the best with your property and keep me posted on your progress! Alex 💚🌿
I'd be getting a shovel to dig the dam out a bit. We still have water. But we have good clay soil. We also have lilly pads. Not native but they do an amazing job stopping evaporation.
Yes, lilies! The evaporation has been crazy. I had some native lilies in there but I definitely need more cover. Great suggestion and thank you. Alex 💚🪷
Many years ago, in Europe, the “Men of the Trees” had a “walking stick” with a metal point and fold out spur (to step on to press it into soil) so they could gouge out a hole, drop a seed or nut or acorn into the hole and then just press the soil,closed with their foot. Many of them were shepherds who sowed as they minded their flocks, some were weekend 9:54 ramblers and others did it as a service. Rather like Johnny Appleseed was reputed to do in the US.
Great idea! I've never heard of it (I'm in Germany). Now I need to bring my nordic Walking sticks (or maybe one of my electric fence posts 😂) AND Seeds on the dog walking tours! 😊
Martina, where in Germany, I walked the Camino in Spain with some wonderful Germans. Give me your email and I will put you on a mailing list with Alexandra. The “walking stick” was used by the men who wanted to replant the French forests cut down or blasted down in World War 1. More cut down I think, over time it was documented how streams and rivers started to run, wild life returned and villages repopulated, it’s an encouraging story. It can be trees, bushes, food plants or flowers. I do what I call “Guerrilla Planting” by doing the same thing in public parks, roadsides, even National Forests. However, I’m an iconoclast in that I will plant any plant I think fits, not restrict myself to native/indigenous plants. I have an affection for both Pecan and Macadamia trees particularly and on occasion Cork Oaks.@@MartinaSchoppe
@@dreamsofgreen I have to collect more tree seeds first. I intendet to EAT my first "self"grown walnuts and hasels. But I often carry seeds of flowers with me to do exactly that :D
WOW amazing!! Thanks so much and I’ve just subscribed. Wishing you all the very best with your project in Namibia! I see you have some challenging conditions to work through, really looking forward to seeing your progress and the solutions you come up with. Best wishes, Alex 💚🌿
We have a bore and the previous owners who established our property put drip irrigation to all the shelter belt tree rows as well as the planting mounds around the house - we even have pop up sprinklers in the lawn! Apart from testing them out to see if they all worked I have never used them in the 2.5 yrs we've been here. I just don't see the point in babying those things and wasting water. If something isn't hardy enough to survive in our environment then it has no business being here, if it dies I will plant something better and we sure as hell don't need to waste water on lawn. So far everything has survived , even the grass 😁 This el nino summer season might be interesting though 🤔
Really enjoyed reading your comment. My thought process is exactly the same. I planted during the rains and didn’t irrigate on purpose - if my trees can’t survive above average rainfall without irrigation, what chance do they have during a drought?! And if they don’t make it, I’ve learnt what not to plant and can try something else. I think that’s the beauty of propagating your own plants. There’s no attachment as they didn’t cost anything. So I don’t fear losses, I just observe what’s happy here and what works. All the best to you and thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences. And thank you for not wasting precious water on your lawn!! Love it! Alex 💚🌿
Lets hope for some rain. We are in for a few dry years sadly. I'm not sure how they go in drought, but maybe have a look at kaffir plums, as Mine are coping pretty well with the dryer weather on the darling downs.
What a wonderful suggestion - I had never heard of kaffir plums. Thank you so much! I just looked them up and they are frost hardy as well. A great candidate for my food forest. Any idea where to source seeds from? Thanks again, Alex 💚🌿
You were absolutely right about the Pomegranate Trees. I have a Wonderful and an Azadi planted in my yard, in Tucson, AZ (super dry and hot like you get...Sonoran Desert) and they are not in any way protected from the sun (except for their roots, which are very well insulated and watered by my woodchips).
@@dreamsofgreen I started a yardwork company (Diamond Yardmasters) that my wife now owns and operates. I spend years learning how to pull weeds, and try to get them up from the roots. Bermuda Grass is most common here in Tucson, AZ, and it propagates mostly by sending runners out underground. When you grab them to pull them out, they mostly break at the surface. I determined that monthly maintenance would eventually get all the roots out, finally eliminating them from our customer's yards, and it took upward of 2 years to, "master," their yards. Mastered means we got ahead of the weeds, basically. We bumped up our maintenance to two visits a month (no extra charge) to get ahead of the life cycles of the weeds and saw a dramatic improvement in the time it took to master a yard. The idea was that by removing the sugar factories, the plants would have to dip into their, "strategic energy reserves," to regrow new sugar factories (solar cells). It took a really long time. Well, I said all that to say this. When I pull on a Bermuda Grass weed in my yard now, upward of 2 feet of root comes out so easily, it is just dazzling. The soil really improves in a dramatic way. After years of experience pulling weeds, I can testify that the shade and water retention seriously activates the microbial life in the soil to build amazing structure...fast! I am glad to hear you are seeing great results, too. If there are tree trimming service companies in your area that would dump them all over your property for free, I would bury the whole place a foot or two deep in them.
Sadly they don’t deliver for free.. it’s hundreds of dollars per load - I’ve called them! I think it would be worth it for the home paddock though where we have no top soil, but this year will be the first big chop n drop of the acacias and I can’t wait for wet season!! Got to grow my own mulch! 😁🌿
@@dreamsofgreen Well, I can see the economic basis for it not being free in a lot of situations. I am so sorry to hear that, But, you can definitely grow your own mulch, as you well know. Woodchips are the best, but anything organic works well. They all "cover" the ground, providing shade from the sun, a barrier to the compacting effect of rain hitting the ground at thirty-to feet per second squared, and holding in moisture from escaping from the water table. The only downfall is longevity. The woodchips last a lot longer, and have greater water handling capabilities. My advantage, before finding a tree service to provide them, was the yardwork company my wife and I started years ago. They save dump fees by dropping off material here. I compost pile it, but before it turns into good compost, it is somewhere between mulch and compost. Also, when you mow your rows, that is effectively a chop and drop. Grass fed is a big thing with some of the people I watch. I'll try to find a video of a guy who actually uses a sithe to cut his acres. It is facinating.
WOW! I remember those 35c+ temperatures from my Bonalbo days. For those not in the know, Bonalbo is on the western side of the Richmond Range so would possibly be a little warmer then Kyogle. I am reading an interesting book by Masanabu Fukuoka called The One Straw Revolution on how he was the first Japanese farmer to grow rice under straw and not in paddy fields. Fukuoka-san from 1978 until his death in 2008 never once ploughed his fields! Do any old farts remember reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance? Well this book should be called Zen and the Art of Farming. BTW I bough Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to teach myself a bit more about fixing old motorbikes I had but instead it became my initiation into Eastern mysticism! I still have that book somewhere as we are packed up and ready to move on again. Sorry about the rave however it’s Friday evening and I’m renewing my acquaintance with a bottle of bourbon!
Yes you can relate! It’s been a hot Spring! Absolutely love “the one straw revolution” such a beautiful way of thinking. And I’m going to have to read “Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance” - you got me curious now Pat! Enjoy your Friday, Alex 💚🌿
I love your perspective. Some trees may wither, but you seem genuinely happy with what survives and thrives, knowing that they will help your future plantings. You are truly a sister in permaculture to me! Hey, would it surprise you to find out that the south pole is actually the top of the earth, and not the bottom? Australia is not, "down under," after all. At least that is the clear testimony of The Bible.
Thanks Bill! Yes I look at it as a big experiment. And then when I discover what works, life becomes a lot easier! Watching your garden tour video now, I have serious moringa envy. Mine didn’t make it (after the floods maybe) so I’ll have to get some more seeds and start again! Alex 💚🌿
@@dreamsofgreen If you want me to, I would be happy to mail you a bunch of my seeds this season. They are being produced on trees that did die back after their first summer, but the roots were great, and produced what you see in the video. Actually, they are even bigger now. I would be happy to mail them in the pods when they are ready. They made it through the serious two months of dry heat, and are thriving. So, they are well acclimated to a climate much like your own. I would love to see a video of you growing my seeds! LOL That would be a great reward!
I liked that you wrote the names of the trees on the screen as you said them in this one. Thank you. I was having trouble understanding some of the trees' names when you said them in your other videos.
@@dreamsofgreen I have one more suggestion if you'll forgive me. If you have any big project ideas for your property, I think those kinds of larger-scale, multi-part series might earn you more subscribers because people will be curious how your ideas unfold. Judging by your view counts, things related to permaculture seem to be very popular, so another project like that from start to finish might be cool. Anyway, have a great day.
Hi Alex, and thanks for another great video, I’ve missed seeing you! I was wondering how you were going, especially with fires now too. We’re still bone dry here, and the big Willi Willi fire is only 10 or so kilometres away, but under control at present. Got 4 very hot days coming up, with a finale of 40 degrees on Wednesday, but, fingers and everything crossed, rain forecast on Thursday and Friday! I’ve started to propagate some seeds in the hope I can be planting soon. Our dam is still holding water but I don’t irrigate from it. Just reuse water from showering, washing clothes etc. I agree with you and those others about not babying plants with additional water, if they don’t make it, they weren’t meant to live on my place. And yes, of course, mulch everything with wood chips. I look forward to your next video, especially on scarifying the acacia seeds. I keep a running document now of notes I take from your videos, I love all the information you share. Thank you so much and take care 🙏🏽🙋🏽♀️🌱💚
Thanks so much Sharon! And so happy you’re propagating seeds! Sorry I’ve been behind in my replies and video posting too 💚 Yes we had fires close by and a 40 degree day yesterday.. so I feel your pain! But looks like a beautiful cool change and rain on the way on Thursday thank goodness. Hoping we all get a big downpour, in the meantime hang in there! Alex 💚🌿💚
If you soil is dry to soon in summer fill the sponge higher in the catchment for prolonged water catchment swales are water catchment tree growing systems it's prudent to catch water at the top of the hill it's looking great 👍
Great video. I live in Arizona where the radiation is killing all of the tree that I have planted. I am going to try your grass method. I am very excited to see if it will work here.
Oh wonderful! I wish you all the very best and glad you enjoyed the video. Shade and mulch is definitely key in my experience. Hope you have some success. Alex 💚🌾
Great stuff thanks Alex! I'm currently rehabilitating one of my dams to use for irrigation in the future. If your dam leaks I have had some success with polymer such as dam stop or dam leak to plug leaks, you obviously need rain at some stage though!
Thanks so much Ben! Yes we tried the polymer with the top dam as others had also had great success with it but sadly it still leaks so we’ll have to look into some other options.. such a shame as the bottom dam was like a natural swimming pool before the floods - crystal clear! We’ll keep trying! Kindest regards, Alex 💚🌿
This week I splashed out and bought an ICB Waterpod and then went to Brisbane and bought a fire-fighter pump. Tomorrow we will pump out of the rocky river into the pod , and water my younger trees that are not fully established yet
Yes we were just testing the fire pump yesterday and we have a few IBCs but a little trailer to take around the paddocks would be perfect! Hoping your little trees make it! Alex 💚🌿
I consider the ethics of irrigation from bores a little dubious if you can avoid it. With a dam or swales your collecting water and recharging the groundwater, with a bore you taking from the groundwater. A lot of things use groundwater though so can’t get to precious about it. For instance growing young gums for timber is a great way to mine groundwater, after about 20 years they slow down and shade vs transpiration isn’t to bad ,but 20 yrs is a good harvesting age.
Yes you make a great point, I have to agree. It was my goal to try and time my plantings with the rains and plant appropriate species to my climate so I didn’t need external irrigation.. swales would be ideal on the gentler slopes of our property to help collect as much runoff as possible (hopefully one day!). Alex 💚🌿
Love your channel and thank you. I used to live in Sydney and recently moved to Northern Africa and am hoping to buy land and build a homestead from scratch. I wanted to ask you a question please. I see you did the tree rows on contour but is there a reason you haven’t done trenches as well?
Oh wonderful! My best wishes to you! Yes there were a few reasons I didn’t dig swales which I’ve explained in detail in a couple of previous videos - this should answer your question better than I can explain here: ua-cam.com/video/1PBmKfd4a9Y/v-deo.htmlsi=eiAmYdpHQd6gaTav ua-cam.com/video/sqLPF1zsxUo/v-deo.htmlsi=eKTNUo_5deEkwwMs I hope these help and all the very best with your project. Thanks so much for watching, Alex 💚🌿
If you have either, the money or the equipment to do it yourself, use the opportunity to clean out and improve the dam. Do you have a license for a bore? If not, apply now and negotiate with a bore digger to do it when you can pay or they are prepared to do it on the cheap when they don’t have other work?
I wonder why you do not grow the fruit trees in a nursery where they would grow faster? You could plant them then already as a small tree of 2 to 3 years.
Great question! The absolute number one priority was to time my plantings with the rains once the drought broke and get fast root establishment with my tubestock trees. Waiting 2-3 years I would have missed my window and have nothing planted. But you are right, I have many trees in my nursery now 2-3 years old as backup (there should be a link in the description to this video) in case some smaller trees don’t make it. Hope this explains my thought process, Alex 💚🌿
Definitely on the hills the top soil is thin. I compost just for the nursery and veggie patch as it’s very labour intensive. For the rest of the property on such a large scale we’ll be chopping and dropping a lot of our pioneer species to help build up mulch and top soil 🌿
Hang in there, guys.
Alex! We are happy with our first rain. Wishing you your rain. Enlightening video! We follow with excitement.
Oh I’m so happy for you!! Wonderful news for you and I hope your trees are powering along now! It must be such a relief. Yes this tends to be the toughest time of year for us when it really starts to dry out so I hope we get a few showers and then some decent summer rains! Alex 💚🌿
Thanks for the valuable information about our dry country tree suggestions you generously share.
My pleasure Lorraine and thanks for watching! Alex 💚🌿
Ah, you answered my question about more support species here already. 😁 More support species is always a good idea I think, so you can supply your target trees with more moisture retaining mulch, nutrients, immunity and build soil. And the difference between your lush property and the dry surroundings are mind blowing already! Bravo! Keep on planting.
Haha! Yes, more digging 😅
Looking forward to trialling some bananas in the system soon too!
Thanks for your lovely comment. Alex 💚🌿
Awesome, we are dryer than u I would say. 8 hrs North of u and in a micro climate of dryer than most within 20kms of us. So I set up an irrigation system. It covers all 3 acres we r developing. But only a light spray irrigation system. But of course helps no end. Pigeon peas and QLD arrowroot and now Bananas have been our plants to create shade.
A lot of work but things starting to really grow now. Need that good rain though to get some deep moisture back. We have only had a third of our normal rainfall.( about 200mm this year) One of our food forests is 22 months old. One is 15 months old, and our vineyard is just on 1 year old. Grew from cuttings I got off anyone who let me prune their vines for nothing. We have small grape bunches forming already. Seems the easiest thing of everything to grow.
Love your videos and good to get ideas off someone in similar climate. Thanks as always.
Love this! Thanks so much for sharing what you’re doing, such an inspiration. And as you said, always really interesting to learn what others are doing in a similar climate. I think I’ll be planting some grape vines - great suggestion! I’ve got some bananas and arrowroot to plant up near the house too where they’ll get a bit more water. All the best with your property and keep me posted on your progress! Alex 💚🌿
Brilliant. I love these low effort high impact strategies.
Much appreciated! Alex 💚🌿
I'd be getting a shovel to dig the dam out a bit. We still have water. But we have good clay soil. We also have lilly pads. Not native but they do an amazing job stopping evaporation.
Yes, lilies! The evaporation has been crazy. I had some native lilies in there but I definitely need more cover. Great suggestion and thank you. Alex 💚🪷
Many years ago, in Europe, the “Men of the Trees” had a “walking stick” with a metal point and fold out spur (to step on to press it into soil) so they could gouge out a hole, drop a seed or nut or acorn into the hole and then just press the soil,closed with their foot. Many of them were shepherds who sowed as they minded their flocks, some were weekend 9:54 ramblers and others did it as a service. Rather like Johnny Appleseed was reputed to do in the US.
Oh I need one! This is a wonderful idea. Always love these interesting stories Anthony! Thank you for this, Alex 💚🌿
Great idea! I've never heard of it (I'm in Germany). Now I need to bring my nordic Walking sticks (or maybe one of my electric fence posts 😂) AND Seeds on the dog walking tours! 😊
@@MartinaSchoppeOh I love it Martina! A trail of trees everywhere you walk! 🌱💚🌿
Martina, where in Germany, I walked the Camino in Spain with some wonderful Germans. Give me your email and I will put you on a mailing list with Alexandra.
The “walking stick” was used by the men who wanted to replant the French forests cut down or blasted down in World War 1. More cut down I think, over time it was documented how streams and rivers started to run, wild life returned and villages repopulated, it’s an encouraging story. It can be trees, bushes, food plants or flowers.
I do what I call “Guerrilla Planting” by doing the same thing in public parks, roadsides, even National Forests. However, I’m an iconoclast in that I will plant any plant I think fits, not restrict myself to native/indigenous plants. I have an affection for both Pecan and Macadamia trees particularly and on occasion Cork Oaks.@@MartinaSchoppe
@@dreamsofgreen I have to collect more tree seeds first. I intendet to EAT my first "self"grown walnuts and hasels. But I often carry seeds of flowers with me to do exactly that :D
Looking forward to the follow up videos on this, great work thanks.
Thanks so much and yes, I’m really curious to see how it goes! Alex 💚🌿
Numerous people said I must watch your videos after they seen mine. I Kan now see why. Your videos are awesome! Good luck with that project there.
WOW amazing!! Thanks so much and I’ve just subscribed. Wishing you all the very best with your project in Namibia! I see you have some challenging conditions to work through, really looking forward to seeing your progress and the solutions you come up with. Best wishes, Alex 💚🌿
We have a bore and the previous owners who established our property put drip irrigation to all the shelter belt tree rows as well as the planting mounds around the house - we even have pop up sprinklers in the lawn! Apart from testing them out to see if they all worked I have never used them in the 2.5 yrs we've been here. I just don't see the point in babying those things and wasting water. If something isn't hardy enough to survive in our environment then it has no business being here, if it dies I will plant something better and we sure as hell don't need to waste water on lawn. So far everything has survived , even the grass 😁 This el nino summer season might be interesting though 🤔
Really enjoyed reading your comment. My thought process is exactly the same. I planted during the rains and didn’t irrigate on purpose - if my trees can’t survive above average rainfall without irrigation, what chance do they have during a drought?! And if they don’t make it, I’ve learnt what not to plant and can try something else. I think that’s the beauty of propagating your own plants. There’s no attachment as they didn’t cost anything. So I don’t fear losses, I just observe what’s happy here and what works. All the best to you and thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences. And thank you for not wasting precious water on your lawn!! Love it! Alex 💚🌿
Lets hope for some rain. We are in for a few dry years sadly. I'm not sure how they go in drought, but maybe have a look at kaffir plums, as Mine are coping pretty well with the dryer weather on the darling downs.
What a wonderful suggestion - I had never heard of kaffir plums. Thank you so much! I just looked them up and they are frost hardy as well. A great candidate for my food forest. Any idea where to source seeds from? Thanks again, Alex 💚🌿
You were absolutely right about the Pomegranate Trees. I have a Wonderful and an Azadi planted in my yard, in Tucson, AZ (super dry and hot like you get...Sonoran Desert) and they are not in any way protected from the sun (except for their roots, which are very well insulated and watered by my woodchips).
Yes, I put some wood chips around my pomegranates closer to the house - what a difference it made!
@@dreamsofgreen I started a yardwork company (Diamond Yardmasters) that my wife now owns and operates. I spend years learning how to pull weeds, and try to get them up from the roots.
Bermuda Grass is most common here in Tucson, AZ, and it propagates mostly by sending runners out underground. When you grab them to pull them out, they mostly break at the surface.
I determined that monthly maintenance would eventually get all the roots out, finally eliminating them from our customer's yards, and it took upward of 2 years to, "master," their yards. Mastered means we got ahead of the weeds, basically.
We bumped up our maintenance to two visits a month (no extra charge) to get ahead of the life cycles of the weeds and saw a dramatic improvement in the time it took to master a yard.
The idea was that by removing the sugar factories, the plants would have to dip into their, "strategic energy reserves," to regrow new sugar factories (solar cells). It took a really long time.
Well, I said all that to say this. When I pull on a Bermuda Grass weed in my yard now, upward of 2 feet of root comes out so easily, it is just dazzling. The soil really improves in a dramatic way. After years of experience pulling weeds, I can testify that the shade and water retention seriously activates the microbial life in the soil to build amazing structure...fast!
I am glad to hear you are seeing great results, too. If there are tree trimming service companies in your area that would dump them all over your property for free, I would bury the whole place a foot or two deep in them.
Sadly they don’t deliver for free.. it’s hundreds of dollars per load - I’ve called them! I think it would be worth it for the home paddock though where we have no top soil, but this year will be the first big chop n drop of the acacias and I can’t wait for wet season!! Got to grow my own mulch! 😁🌿
@@dreamsofgreen Well, I can see the economic basis for it not being free in a lot of situations. I am so sorry to hear that,
But, you can definitely grow your own mulch, as you well know. Woodchips are the best, but anything organic works well. They all "cover" the ground, providing shade from the sun, a barrier to the compacting effect of rain hitting the ground at thirty-to feet per second squared, and holding in moisture from escaping from the water table. The only downfall is longevity. The woodchips last a lot longer, and have greater water handling capabilities.
My advantage, before finding a tree service to provide them, was the yardwork company my wife and I started years ago. They save dump fees by dropping off material here. I compost pile it, but before it turns into good compost, it is somewhere between mulch and compost.
Also, when you mow your rows, that is effectively a chop and drop. Grass fed is a big thing with some of the people I watch. I'll try to find a video of a guy who actually uses a sithe to cut his acres. It is facinating.
Thanks Alex
Really interesting thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it! Alex 💚🌿
This is really interesting! I love your efforts, strategies and the way you tell your stories!
Thanks so much for your lovely comment, much appreciated! Alex 💚🌿
WOW! I remember those 35c+ temperatures from my Bonalbo days. For those not in the know, Bonalbo is on the western side of the Richmond Range so would possibly be a little warmer then Kyogle.
I am reading an interesting book by Masanabu Fukuoka called The One Straw Revolution on how he was the first Japanese farmer to grow rice under straw and not in paddy fields. Fukuoka-san from 1978 until his death in 2008 never once ploughed his fields!
Do any old farts remember reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance?
Well this book should be called Zen and the Art of Farming.
BTW I bough Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to teach myself a bit more about fixing old motorbikes I had but instead it became my initiation into Eastern mysticism!
I still have that book somewhere as we are packed up and ready to move on again.
Sorry about the rave however it’s Friday evening and I’m renewing my acquaintance with a bottle of bourbon!
Yes you can relate! It’s been a hot Spring! Absolutely love “the one straw revolution” such a beautiful way of thinking. And I’m going to have to read “Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance” - you got me curious now Pat! Enjoy your Friday, Alex 💚🌿
I love your perspective. Some trees may wither, but you seem genuinely happy with what survives and thrives, knowing that they will help your future plantings. You are truly a sister in permaculture to me!
Hey, would it surprise you to find out that the south pole is actually the top of the earth, and not the bottom? Australia is not, "down under," after all. At least that is the clear testimony of The Bible.
Thanks Bill! Yes I look at it as a big experiment. And then when I discover what works, life becomes a lot easier! Watching your garden tour video now, I have serious moringa envy. Mine didn’t make it (after the floods maybe) so I’ll have to get some more seeds and start again! Alex 💚🌿
@@dreamsofgreen If you want me to, I would be happy to mail you a bunch of my seeds this season. They are being produced on trees that did die back after their first summer, but the roots were great, and produced what you see in the video. Actually, they are even bigger now.
I would be happy to mail them in the pods when they are ready. They made it through the serious two months of dry heat, and are thriving. So, they are well acclimated to a climate much like your own.
I would love to see a video of you growing my seeds! LOL That would be a great reward!
Wow Bill, that would be amazing!! 🌱🪴🌿
I liked that you wrote the names of the trees on the screen as you said them in this one. Thank you. I was having trouble understanding some of the trees' names when you said them in your other videos.
Thanks so much for letting me know. Always value the feedback so I can implement it in future videos.. thanks for watching! Alex 💚🌿
@@dreamsofgreen I have one more suggestion if you'll forgive me. If you have any big project ideas for your property, I think those kinds of larger-scale, multi-part series might earn you more subscribers because people will be curious how your ideas unfold. Judging by your view counts, things related to permaculture seem to be very popular, so another project like that from start to finish might be cool. Anyway, have a great day.
Love it! Yes I agree, this is a great suggestion. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your ideas 💚🌿
@@dreamsofgreen You're welcome! I hope your channel takes off soon!
Hi Alex, and thanks for another great video, I’ve missed seeing you!
I was wondering how you were going, especially with fires now too. We’re still bone dry here, and the big Willi Willi fire is only 10 or so kilometres away, but under control at present. Got 4 very hot days coming up, with a finale of 40 degrees on Wednesday, but, fingers and everything crossed, rain forecast on Thursday and Friday!
I’ve started to propagate some seeds in the hope I can be planting soon. Our dam is still holding water but I don’t irrigate from it. Just reuse water from showering, washing clothes etc. I agree with you and those others about not babying plants with additional water, if they don’t make it, they weren’t meant to live on my place. And yes, of course, mulch everything with wood chips.
I look forward to your next video, especially on scarifying the acacia seeds. I keep a running document now of notes I take from your videos, I love all the information you share. Thank you so much and take care 🙏🏽🙋🏽♀️🌱💚
Thanks so much Sharon! And so happy you’re propagating seeds! Sorry I’ve been behind in my replies and video posting too 💚 Yes we had fires close by and a 40 degree day yesterday.. so I feel your pain! But looks like a beautiful cool change and rain on the way on Thursday thank goodness. Hoping we all get a big downpour, in the meantime hang in there! Alex 💚🌿💚
If you soil is dry to soon in summer fill the sponge higher in the catchment for prolonged water catchment swales are water catchment tree growing systems it's prudent to catch water at the top of the hill it's looking great 👍
Great video. I live in Arizona where the radiation is killing all of the tree that I have planted.
I am going to try your grass method. I am very excited to see if it will work here.
Oh wonderful! I wish you all the very best and glad you enjoyed the video. Shade and mulch is definitely key in my experience. Hope you have some success. Alex 💚🌾
Great stuff thanks Alex! I'm currently rehabilitating one of my dams to use for irrigation in the future. If your dam leaks I have had some success with polymer such as dam stop or dam leak to plug leaks, you obviously need rain at some stage though!
Thanks so much Ben! Yes we tried the polymer with the top dam as others had also had great success with it but sadly it still leaks so we’ll have to look into some other options.. such a shame as the bottom dam was like a natural swimming pool before the floods - crystal clear! We’ll keep trying! Kindest regards, Alex 💚🌿
Albizia and silky oak do well here in New Zealand too 😊
Oh wonderful, always love hearing what works in other parts of the world. Thanks so much for sharing this! Alex 💚🌿
This week I splashed out and bought an ICB Waterpod and then went to Brisbane and bought a fire-fighter pump. Tomorrow we will pump out of the rocky river into the pod , and water my younger trees that are not fully established yet
Yes we were just testing the fire pump yesterday and we have a few IBCs but a little trailer to take around the paddocks would be perfect! Hoping your little trees make it! Alex 💚🌿
We made a vdeo of watering the trees, Its up now@@dreamsofgreen
Watching it now!! 😄
I consider the ethics of irrigation from bores a little dubious if you can avoid it. With a dam or swales your collecting water and recharging the groundwater, with a bore you taking from the groundwater. A lot of things use groundwater though so can’t get to precious about it. For instance growing young gums for timber is a great way to mine groundwater, after about 20 years they slow down and shade vs transpiration isn’t to bad ,but 20 yrs is a good harvesting age.
Yes you make a great point, I have to agree. It was my goal to try and time my plantings with the rains and plant appropriate species to my climate so I didn’t need external irrigation.. swales would be ideal on the gentler slopes of our property to help collect as much runoff as possible (hopefully one day!). Alex 💚🌿
Love your channel and thank you. I used to live in Sydney and recently moved to Northern Africa and am hoping to buy land and build a homestead from scratch. I wanted to ask you a question please. I see you did the tree rows on contour but is there a reason you haven’t done trenches as well?
Oh wonderful! My best wishes to you! Yes there were a few reasons I didn’t dig swales which I’ve explained in detail in a couple of previous videos - this should answer your question better than I can explain here:
ua-cam.com/video/1PBmKfd4a9Y/v-deo.htmlsi=eiAmYdpHQd6gaTav
ua-cam.com/video/sqLPF1zsxUo/v-deo.htmlsi=eKTNUo_5deEkwwMs
I hope these help and all the very best with your project. Thanks so much for watching, Alex 💚🌿
If you have either, the money or the equipment to do it yourself, use the opportunity to clean out and improve the dam. Do you have a license for a bore? If not, apply now and negotiate with a bore digger to do it when you can pay or they are prepared to do it on the cheap when they don’t have other work?
What a fantastic range of drought resistant trees you have! And they are thriving despite the lack of rain. Well chosen Alex.
Thanks so much Wendy! Alex 💚🌿
Thanks so much Alex. So informative and “going with the flow “. Do you do any special treatment of pigeon pea to get it germinating?
Thanks so much for your lovely comment Robin! And no the pigeon pea doesn’t need any treatment, it will pop up with the rain. Best of luck, Alex 💚🌿
really love the content but your cameras focus setting makes in look like 480p
Thanks for letting me know and I hope I’ve fixed the problem now! 🌿
I wonder why you do not grow the fruit trees in a nursery where they would grow faster? You could plant them then already as a small tree of 2 to 3 years.
Great question! The absolute number one priority was to time my plantings with the rains once the drought broke and get fast root establishment with my tubestock trees. Waiting 2-3 years I would have missed my window and have nothing planted. But you are right, I have many trees in my nursery now 2-3 years old as backup (there should be a link in the description to this video) in case some smaller trees don’t make it. Hope this explains my thought process, Alex 💚🌿
Is there any composting done? I think it was mentioned that topsoil is really thin.
Definitely on the hills the top soil is thin. I compost just for the nursery and veggie patch as it’s very labour intensive. For the rest of the property on such a large scale we’ll be chopping and dropping a lot of our pioneer species to help build up mulch and top soil 🌿
This thumbnail got ya looking like a female John from GrowingYourGreens!
Too funny! I had to look him up and yes, I had to laugh!! 😆🧢
Lol