Mulch. Just do it.

[mugenbao]

I also don't really know how much seed to sow for a good spread because I don't know how this clover will grow in my setup

I thought I way overdid it the first time when the clover was so densely planted that it literally lifted the entire top layer of soil like an umbrella, lol. This last time I planted it too sparsely and didn't give it enough of a head start, and my conclusion is that I'd rather err on the side of overplanting and start the living mulch sooner if possible. It's hard to resolve if you've used too little and didn't realize it until too late.

I forget if you guys inoculate your seed, but the site I ordered from mentioned it was beneficial for high nitrogen requirements. I took that to mean that I would get more N from the inoculated clover so I went for it. I'm all about the free N! Will post some pics when there is more action.

I just started doing that, and it's too early to make a definitive conclusion, but it looks like it's working extremely well so far!

I guess there's one way to find out. This thread is fun.

It is fun, one of my favorites. The organic soil forum in general is my favorite part of the whole site


.

 

[Elsweeto]

I'm in!

I'll be using a wild clover growing in Ireland found it recently it's seems to be a pretty small species, but grows really lush and dense. Using five gallon Ghetto air pruning pots (they are a stroke of genius).

Pics will follow as well as a name for the clover.

between here and the bokashi one you got some serious threadage going Mad well played sir.

 

[mad librettist]

came across an interesting option today:

Alyce clover

 

[mad librettist]

http://www.regional.org.au/au/asa/2001/p/9/addison.htm

Legumes for Agroforestry Systems

H. Addison and R. Congdon

Tropical Plant Sciences, School of Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld.

ABSTRACT

Six species of tropical legume (Desmodium intortum cv. Greenleaf, D. canum CQ1781, Arachis pintoi cv. Amarillo, Macrotyloma axillare cv. Archer, Vigna luteola cv. Dalrymple and Calopogonium mucunoides 43428) were grown under 37%, 24% and 16% light compared to an unshaded control. Dry matter production and nodulation level were measured. Calopogonium mucunoides, Desmodium intortum and Arachis pintoi displayed adaptation to low light levels and have potential for use beneath tree canopies.

KEY WORDS

Agroforestry, legumes, shade, tropics, shade adaptation.

INTRODUCTION
Following the cessation of logging in Queensland rainforests in 1988, there has been increased interest in establishing tree plantations on private land. One problem associated with timber plantations is that they are a long-term investment, with several decades required before landowners can obtain a return. Incorporating animals into timber plantations in an agroforestry system can allow earlier cash income to be made from the land. Other potential benefits of establishing pasture in young plantations include maintaining soil organic matter levels, increasing nutrient levels (1), addition of nitrogen through N fixation by pasture legumes, diversification of income and increased sustainability through reduced erosion and nutrient leaching (3). The selection of legumes adapted to the conditions encountered beneath tree canopies is of major importance if a productive pasture is to be maintained. More specifically, at different stages of plantation growth, legumes are required which are palatable, nutritious, productive, persistent, resistant to grazing and competitive enough to control weed levels and yet not cause a reduction in tree growth. In order to determine legume suitability for use in agroforestry systems a glasshouse pot trial was conducted at James Cook University (Townsville) examining six species of legume beneath four light levels in which dry matter production (yield) and nodulation level were examined.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Above-ground dry matter production
Highly significant differences (P<0.01) in yield were detected between species and light levels. Upon comparison of species within one light level by the LSD method, groups of significantly different species were identified (Table 1).

Table 1. L.S.D. groupings of mean above ground dry matter production (g) of six species of legume beneath 4 light levels. Species in a column followed by the same letter were not significantly different. Number in parentheses is percentage of yield at 100% light.

Light

100%

37%

24%

16%

Species


D. intortum

52.52 a b

24.6 (46) a

9.86 (18) a b

7.45 (14) b

D. canum

24.2 c d

5.63 (23) b

5.00 (20) b c

4.07 (16) b c

A. pintoi

20.66 d

6.73 (32) b

4.34 (21) b c

4.8 (23) b c

V. luteola

61.18 a

32.7 (53) a

7.95 (13) b

7.76 (12) b

M. axillare

46.81 a b

24.8 (53) a

1.08 (2) c

0.76 (1.6) c

C. mucunoides

38.23 b c

30.0 (78) a

13.4 (35) a

12.62 (33) a

Under full sunlight (100%) V. luteola, D. intortum and M. axillare comprised the group producing the most dry matter. Beneath 37% light V. luteola, D. intortum, M. axillare and C. mucunoides formed the most productive group. Under 24% light the greatest yields were produced by C. mucunoides and D. intortum. The large decrease in yield by Macrotyloma axillare at 24% light suggests that a critical light level is located between 37% and 24% of full sunlight for this species. Beneath 16% light C. mucunoides was the only species in the most productive LSD group, with 62% higher yield than the next highest producer, V. luteola.
The comparatively smaller reduction in yield at lower light levels by C. mucunoides is consistent with its light response curve (not shown), indicating C. mucunoides is shade-tolerant. Desmodium intortum and A. pintoi, also yielded sufficient dry matter under low light levels to suggest they have promise as shade-tolerant species for use beneath plantations.

Nodulation
Nodulation was scored according to Sykes et al. (4) and an overall decrease was found with decreasing light level (Table 2). Two possible reasons for this include the supply of nitrogen from the soil and applied fertiliser being adequate at lower light levels for the reduced growth of plants while at higher light levels plants were required to fix nitrogen in order to meet demand resulting from greater levels of growth, as higher levels of nodulation correspond to plants producing greater amounts of above-ground biomass. A second reason may be the possibility that under lower light levels nodulation was reduced due to lower levels of photosynthate being available for nitrogen fixation.

Table 2. Nodulation score of six species of legume beneath 4 light levels. Light levels in a column followed by the same letter were not significantly different (0 = no nodules, 5 = most).


Nodulation Score


Species

D. intortum

D. canum

A. pintoi

V. luteola

M. axillare

C. mucunoides

Light


100%

3.6 a

0 a

0 a

5 a

5 a

5 a

37%

0 b

0 a

0 a

4.8 a

1.2 b

1 b

24%

0 b

0 a

0 a

0.2 b

0 c

0 c

16%

0 b

0 a

0 a

0 b

0 c

0 c

CONCLUSIONS
Of the six species tested C. mucunoides consistently produced high quantities of dry matter under the 37%, 24% and 16% light treatments. Certain characteristics of C. mucunoides, however, may reduce its potential as a fodder beneath tree plantations. A vigorous climbing/scrambling habit could smother young trees while palatability of C. mucunoides to livestock is reported to be poor due to hairiness, and it is often refused by cattle until well into the dry season (2). Despite V. luteola producing good amounts of biomass under all light levels, the poor condition of plants (small, deformed leaves with varying amounts of necrosis) under the lower light levels (24% and 16%) would suggest that this species may not be a suitable choice for deeply shaded situations. Desmodium intortum also shows potential for use beneath tree canopies, maintaining a relatively good yield under all shade levels with the additional benefit of good production under full sunlight. This provides the potential for forage production during the early, relatively unshaded conditions of plantation establishment while still maintaining a comparatively good level of growth as the plantation ages and light levels fall.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks are due to Cherie Ramsay for her assistance, RIRDC and the CRRP for funding the project, ATFGRC for supplying seed, Joe Holtum, Chris Gardiner (JCU) and Raymond Jones (CSIRO) for their comments on this manuscript.

REFERENCES
1. Garrity, D.P. 1994. ACIAR Proceedings No. 56 pp. 69–77.

2. ’t Mannetje, L. and Jones, R.M. 1992. Plant Resources of South-East Asia 4 – Forages (Pudoc Scientific Publisher: Wageningen, The Netherlands)

3. Seyfried, M.S. and Rao, R.S.C. 1991. Tropical Agriculture (Trinidad) 68, 9 – 18.

4. Sykes, J.D., Morthorpe, L.J., Gault, R.R. and Brockwell, J. 1988. NSW Agriculture and Fisheries, Agfacts, P5.2.9,1-4.



"Science and Technology: Delivering Results for Agriculture?". Edited by Barry Rowe, Danny Donaghy and Neville Mendham. Proceedings of the 10th Australian Agronomy Conference, January 2001, Hobart, Tasmania.

 

[xmobotx]

been doing a lot of consideration relative to living mulch even planted my no-till tomato box w/ white clover {they're all tiny now some just lost their seeed remnant all are cotolydons} this tomato box is a torture chamber for (literal) tomatoes - hasn't fruited in 2 years ! this because it's been in poor light/temp situations since the tomatoes cant hang out in our house due to tobacco use -meanwhile mostly trying to get it established as no-till 2 seasons of dead tomato plants are now rotting into the top mulch layer

oh for hells sake anyway, what i got wondering is the effect living mulch might have to alleviate watering & wet/dry issues relating to the perched water table

it strikes me that deeper rooted clovers might be drawing that deeper water up and throughout the soil even when the roots of the productive crop haven't penetrated to PWT levels???

 

[Frosy]

Does anyone use buckwheat as a living mulch indoors? I love that stuff! And this is a great thread!

 

[chief bigsmoke]

ML, you had me going there for a minute thinking about the wonderful advantage of a massive mycorrhizal boost for our favorite cannabis. However, depending on your grow style, this could be catastrophic as the soil would become too acidic forcing out bacteria. Well, at least that's the way it happens in my head. I don't know how it would work in practice. Interesting idea though.

A layered and spiked soil I think would be best suited. So you can have different pockets of pH levels that will suit a variety of beneficial fungi and bacteria. good point you made. a regular monochromatic soil wouldn't be able to sustain both selections.

I have just started using some white clover and some oat grass as a living mulch. I love the idea of introducing other species.

 

[chief bigsmoke]

"Do Plants Perform Best With Family or Strangers? Researchers Consider Social Interac

"Do Plants Perform Best With Family or Strangers? Researchers Consider Social Interac

Here is a link called: "Do Plants Perform Best With Family or Strangers? Researchers Consider Social Interactions"

I believe this is relative to this thread and may spark some more discussion.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111109115816.htm

Quote from Article: "Among these questions is whether there is a link between kin recognition and plant performance, whether plant kin recognition can improve crop yield and how kin recognition shapes communities and ecosystems" says Guillermo Murphy, a graduate student in the Department of Biology at McMaster.

 

[Green 4 Good]

Yay, I have some mulch porn to brighten this thread up a bit.
It's been ten days since I planted the seeds. I've found that my spread was good. The clover has formed a dense carpet of green. It did lift the soil like an umbrella Mug. I was worried about that at first. I thought the air layer created between the two layers of soil would dry the seeds out and slow or stop their germination, so I just kept misting the soil as often as I could and it worked out. However, that was only on my two sweettooth seedlings.

The clover in the 6 pots of clones I have are sprouting slowly. The top layer of soil is still lifting a bit, but it's taking much longer. I included a comparison shot so you can see the difference. The only thing I can figure is that I didn't give the clones as much attention and they already had established root systems which was causing their pots to dry up quicker. I've started misting them heavily in the past few days to help them catch up. It seems to be working.

I pulled out a few clover and they have long tap roots. They're already touching the bottoms of the pots. I think that's pretty cool. I'm guessing/hoping this aids in transporting water and nutrients all the way to the bottom layers of the pot during waterings and tea applications.

 

[rrog]

Wow! Break out the lawnmower. You must be using Turf Builder

 

[mugenbao]

There's just something about this that I find extremely appealing on a deeply personal level:

Very cool, Green4Good! Keep us updated, please, I really want to see how well this works out for you


.

 

[chief bigsmoke]

buckwheat as a living mulch

buckwheat as a living mulch

Does anyone use buckwheat as a living mulch indoors? I love that stuff! And this is a great thread!

I've heard that buckwheat is a good living mulch. Here is some extra data:
Buckwheat (pH 6.0 -7.5 ) germinates fast, in three to five days, and flowers in approximately three to five weeks. Buckwheat has a short, fibrous root system, so does not tolerate drought well. It prefers moist soil. Mowed buckwheat decomposes very rapidly, perhaps too rapidly for good organic matter build up. Buckwheat is susceptible to frost and high heat/low moisture conditions. Plant after the last spring frost date and at least 60 days before the first expected fall frost date. Buckwheat can be managed to encourage flowering all summer long in cool climates. It attracts a wide range of predators and parasites. Planting border strips of buckwheat near zucchini decreased aphid populations in one study. Though not as good at suppressing weeds as the clovers, when seeded thickly, buckwheat produces a dense canopy quickly, shading the soil and acting as a good competitor against weeds. Some studies report effective control of Canada thistle, sowthistle, leafy spurge, and perennial peppergrass by buckwheat. Several scientists suggest allelopathy as the possible mechanism of weed inhibition and research in 2002 supports this idea. Buckwheat reportedly accumulates phosphorus and releases it when tilled into the soil in the fall.

source: http://www.goveganic.net/spip.php?article212

 

[chief bigsmoke]

ok here is another twist on the living mulch.

Give your Garden a "HUG":
The Hypsizygus ulmarius Garden Patch™ ★★
A great ally for most garden vegetables, this aggressive Garden Oyster mushroom unlocks nutrients from straw, sawdust, and organic debris, feeding the roots of underlying plants. Ideal for over-wintering and mulching, or early Spring planting where straw is overlaid, the HUG kit is a natural way to recycle nutrients and grow gourmet mushrooms at the same time.
LKHU $25.00

Thanks for sharing this info. I think it would be great to try these garden oysters.

 

[Frosy]

Great info Chief Bigsmoke! Now I'm mixing up new some 'volcanic' perpetual soil (thanks JayKush and others) and I love this idea of living mulch. I have seeds of for basil, marigolds, and buckwheat. Would love some clovers also. But I heard the word 'allelopathy' mentioned, does this mean that certain plants will inhibit my cannabis?

 

[self]

another benefit of growing mushrooms and mycelia with your plants is the co2 they produce...
there are already products you can buy, basically bags of mycelia and substrate, that are marketed as a natural c02 source...but this would be a beautiful living system...not to mention you could eat the fruits!

 

[xmobotx]

Great info Chief Bigsmoke! Now I'm mixing up new some 'volcanic' perpetual soil (thanks JayKush and others) and I love this idea of living mulch. I have seeds of for basil, marigolds, and buckwheat. Would love some clovers also. But I heard the word 'allelopathy' mentioned, does this mean that certain plants will inhibit my cannabis?

buckwheat does have known allelopathy and is recommended as a cover crop FOR weed control

doesn't necesarily mean it wil compete directly w/ canna but may be a "second choice" for companion crops in this instance. one of the issues noted is it's fast growth and canopy development can shade competing "weeds" IF that is the only allelopathic issue for this specific instance, it may be that controlling the canopy would leave you w/ only benefits

some research would clarify

 

[jaykush]

from my experiences buckwheat is totally fine.

 

[mad librettist]

buckwheat does have know allelopathy and is recommended as a cover crop FOR weed control

doesn't necesarily mean it wil compete directly w/ canna but may be a "second choice" for companion crops in this instance. one of the issues noted is it's fast growth and canopy development can shade competing "weeds" IF that is the only allelopathic issue for this specific instance, it may be that controlling the canopy would leave you w/ only benefits

some research would clarify

generally indoors, it's unlikely to be a problem. you would kinda notice your weed disappear...

 

[bonsai]

Inspired by this thread I'm moving to living mulch on my vege beds and its off to a great start. White clover with a few wildflowers and indiginous violets thrown in. Will be interesting to see how it handles our intense dry summer heat.

 

[unthing]

just for the fun of thought if for nothing else..

since mushrooms were already mentioned, somehow psilocybe strains came to mind..
just for the curiosity or with aquarium building mentality, not for consumption (not that's there anything wrong with it).

what would it need, or would it simply be inhibited by other life?
say, maybe mix of different clovers and ryegrass for example inoculated with myceline (rhizobium and the rest too)

it is decomposer after all so helpful too in that department.
i will definitely try it..eventually