Thank you Corey and Amanda, another great video, very informative and such interesting results. Corey the idea of the green scratchy pads being used as a filter on the drip line, is a top idea. We are currently constructing our swales, it is great to see others utilising them also. Cheers Coen and Jay
@@ROCKPILEOffgridHomestead it certainly was. I love being outside in the garden, growing plants from seed, it helps to keep me sane. You have both done such a great job with your plantings considering your location. 11/10 for you both.
@@Bush_Edge_Homesteading_Aus confession, we’ve still got some mulberries in the freezer from last year! But yes we’ve been snacking every time we walk past 😋
One suggestion that I would make in regard to your swales, is that maybe you should look at adding some nutrient in the way of animal manure straw etc. to the bottom of the swale. When the rain comes, and it will eventually, the nutrients will soak into the berms helping to supply the trees with food. You are right when you say that the initial supply of food and water are essential in getting the trees, all trees, out of the ground... As you are aware, I make up a batch of liquid compost that I feed to my trees, both fruit and native, every month during the growing season. Cories mix for the passionfruit is obviously a mixture that all of your trees are going to thrive on going on the growth in that area... Acacias are also a great idea as they are a nitrogen fixer as well as a pioneer species... But I guess I'm already singing to the choir on that point... LOL
@@TheYarnQueens one day hopefully but for now I need to be close to the suburbs/city for my disabled son so he can access services. But fingers crossed one day 🥰
I will suggest - regarding the mulberry's - that you have identified a shortcoming with your orchard irrigation schedule. It is much better for orchard tree heath to put them on an irrigation cycle of long/deep watering periods less often. Your current watering cycle is to short and to shallow. You really want to soak the water deep into the ground so the roots will follow. Just a small adjustment. I will suggest watering for 90 minutes once every 3 days. ❤ of course, adding a ring of manure around the trunk of the orchard trees goes a long way. Just lay it on the soil surface and keep clear of the trunk. All the best Friends! 👍
Love this video. Some really great comparisons there. I was wondering how you got uniform watering from a gravity fed system, so thanks Mr RP for answering that. Did you end up pruning either of those mulberry trees? I would think that the bigger one is happier in that raised area as it won’t be getting as wet feet because drainage will be better there than the one in the ground as well as the added organic matter. We have 2 at work, one that was planted before my time and by the looks of things straight into the crap dirt with not a lot of added organic matter, and one that was planted in my time where we raised it up a little and added tonnes of organic matter, and the difference between the two is huge. They both get the same irrigation, but the one I planted its fruit is way sweeter and the tree is more vigorous.
Such a massive difference. Several eye opening lessons for us 😁 Our earlier gravity drip system had inconsistent watering and the top trees def suffered for it compared to the ones at the end of the line. Hopefully Corey has managed to sort that in the olive grove.
Nice video, informative and helpful. One the swale thingy, you probably have 1/20 of the trees that the swale could support. There is a lot of room there,,, and you could have some real hardy species on the up hill side of the swale also,,, olive tagasaste, pommegranite as an example. I have seen and been in well functioning swale systems, and you ultimately should be able to walk along the swale when its dry, and be completely shaded out. I know its a young swale, but it could easily hold 300 more trees without exceeding itself. On your next tree purchase of tube stock, try for say 50 x tall wattles, how about 50 tagasaste. You now have 2 half mediums mulberry trees that could give you 50 cuttings. You could now take sprigs from your olives and strike cuttings from them and have 200 + trees for no cost except a little time. Olive sprigs take approx 3 months to strike, so be patient. I'm writing this meaning to be nice and as a positive critic. When no sun hits the swale ditch, its succeded,, for now it has to be hay or mulch of some kind. Plant heaps more on next rain filling of the swale.
@@adammac4381 great feedback Thankyou, it’s all appreciated honestly 🙏 The swale was planted out originally with about 100 plants but they didn’t all survive. It’s definitely time to fill in the gaps!
I've seen much the same performance here, especially on plants in their first year. Hot, dry summers can really stunt the growth of a plant if it isn't getting the irrigation it needs b/c that water is what softens the ground and helps nutrients move around the soil. Hard for roots to grow when they can't get through the hardened ground! Even when not on a swale, it's a good idea to make a half-circle berm on the down-slope side of the planting just to act act as a small water-catcher for the dew and light rains that might happen by. Plus, they trap leaves and twigs blown by the wind, basically creating a thick mulch layer that'll help to cool the soil and make what soil moisture stretch further.
@@ROCKPILEOffgridHomestead Check out how Edge of Nowhere Farms does their trees. They have no problem growing incredible fruits out in the most wretched condition, so we know it works. You're place is just as dry, so it's fair to say that something like what EoNF does would certainly work in your application.
@@allthingsherb9181 Thankyou! Yes it does. Most of our irrigation is underground now… apart from the olives. But how we managed the hot poly was to set the irrigation for earlier in the morning.
