Hand pulling was a lot more physical work and took far more time. But it had two plus factors.......it gave me lots of material to grind up for mulch, compost material, and livestock bedding. And it was far better in controlling regrowth of the ferns. In fact, only a few ferns are growing back here and there and they are easy to pull out.
Handpulled in foreground. Weedwacked beyond.
Weedwacking was vastly quicker. Greatest advantage : less time spent. Hand pulling took weeks, weedwacking took 2 days, Downsides: no material for compost and bedding. The wacked up plant pieces lay atop the ground like a mulch, which sounds good but it has majorly interfered with trying to get oats and grasses I seeded to germinate. The seed isn't making good soil contact. The second downside : the ferns are regrowing with a vengeance. I'm now not to sure that the sprouting grasses will be able to outgrow the ferns. This leads to another downside.....weedwacking the ferns leaves behind a hard stubble. This stubble is sharp and well anchored. Pulling them out at this point is far more difficult than pulling out complete plants. Attacking the stubble with a tiller isn't possible because the ground is totally unimproved rock with dirt between. And the ground hasn't been bulldozed so it is a mass of ups, downs, boulders, and trees.
I've decided I prefer to hand pull the ferns. I like the results better.
ReplyDeleteHi! My name is Gerty and my husband Damon and I will be on the big island March 8-11. We would love to tour your homestead/permaculture/food forest, please let me know if that is something that you offer! We would love to meet you but understand if you are busy as well. I look forward to hearing from you and of course to all your future blogs :)
Sorry that I didn't notice your comment until now. Perhaps you'll return to Hawaii some day in the near future and have the opportunity to visit Ka'u.
DeleteIt sounds like the ferns strongly deter a pasture. How about an orchard? You could leave the ferns and have a "food forest". The ferns' roots are creating soil out of lava. I learned from Mansanobu Fukuoka that all plant roots help each other.
ReplyDeleteYes, the ferns could be used as a cover crop in an orchard. They would be rather pretty.
ReplyDeleteI do utilize part of the pastures for a quasi food forest, one that the livestock won't destroy. I have guava, citrus, mulberry, and coffee, though I have to protect the trucks and shorter trees until the outgrow the nibbling mouths.
My Secrert Garden is a food forest area, with tall native trees and avocado, tree climbing vines (pipinola), short food trees (citrus, sapote, eggfruit, macadamia nut, banana, peach, apple, mulberry), brush level (chaya, mamaki), ground level (various shade herbs, turmeric, ginger), ground cover (sweet potato, Okinawan spinach, cholesterol spinach, New Zealand spinach), and below ground (sweet potatoes). I'm sure there's more in there but this is want comes to mind right now.
I forgot to talk about those roots. You bet, roots help the soil!!!!! Super important. Even in my worst soil areas I will plant something, anything that will grow. Their roots are step one to improving and making soil.
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