There is another myth/issue re to swales - landsliding. Sometimes it occured in slopes - water changing soil state to liquefaction and it leads to further landsliding
Thank you for your input. It's important, so I'll pin this comment. It's a legitimate concern because the greater the rainfall, the more likely landslides become. While in humid environments, it might still be feasible to implement some earthworks, careful consideration is essential. To mitigate risks, it's wise to assess whether the land has a history of landslides and identify any soil types prone to instability. Additionally, strategies like redirecting water flow and planting trees can aid in stabilizing the soil and minimizing saturation.
@@granvisio All of these swale plans require a lot of planning, what kind of root structure do you expect out of the trees you are planting in your system, do you want do establish huge water retention before you have the root mass to retain that amount of water. Hopefully... people are really considering the implications in detail. Results really will fit the amount of proper planning and evaluation put into the plan.
Hi there! Thank you for sharing your view! I agree planning is essential. That’s why designing a permaculture system for a farm is not a quick and easy process. I will respond having in mind two scenarios since you responded to the comment about landslides. Scenario 1: When we’re talking about unstable, saturated soils - swales may not be the best solution. Rather one would need to work on water infiltration rates in soil by doing the so called “soil conditioning” and planting pioneer trees. These are hardy, local trees adapted to the conditions found on site. They grow really fast, and they can withstand the harsh conditions even when they are young. This is what they are used for in a Permaculture Design. Once they are established and water infiltrates better, we can then start thinking about planting productive trees along pioneers that are constantly being pruned, which material is used for chop and drop mulch to support productive fruit trees. Scenario 2: When establishing swales, it’s always recommended to plant pioneer trees first. Again, these will be local, native hardy trees adapted to site conditions. So, if we’re talking about drier climate like mine they will survive without additional irrigation and slowly penetrate the soil with their roots making “space” for productive trees. So, I always tell my clients, plant pioneers on swales, wait at least one year and then plant productive fruit trees - this is mentioned in the previous video where I presented general rules for constructing swales. They vary in sizes and dimensions and need to fit the particular landscape really well. That’s why consulting with an expert is invaluable before doing any kind of work. In terms of water retention, yes, all permaculture practitioners will tell you this is the ultimate goal. Ponds and swales effectively retain water, for later use, but the soil plays the most significant role in this process. Our goal is to keep most of the typical rainfall within the farm by leveraging the soil's capacity for retention. Any excess water, known as interstitial water, will naturally flow downstream and eventually join the streams. But trees are crucial - their roots manage water movement down in the soil. So, these strategies aren’t for your normal open field farm. The permaculture strategies are for farmers who want a biodiverse ecosystem with agroforestry components. Without hardy pioneers planted in the beginning, this is really difficult to achieve unless you have access to plenty of mulch and compost.
Landslide only occurs if you might make your swale too deep on a slope that is to inclined....you can also work the angle of the bottom of the swale to further prevent againstt possible slides....cya
People thinking swales DRY out the soil or plants is so strange- how would someone even come to that conclusion? Anyways, great video, thank you for clearing up these myths
It came from a conclusion that a berm was too high and was drying tree roots, which I think is unlikely. When it's raining water infiltrates better in berm. Thank you for the comment and for watching the video!
If you want to understand how to use swales properly, you need to go back to the original creator of the concept called the Keyline System by PA Yeoman and outline in his book- 'Water for Every Farm'. It is a comprehensive system of water management on a farm.
As with any soil disturbance, swales take time to work into an ecosystem - speed this up by putting them correctly in good spots, mulch, and plant them with fast growing ground cover! Easier said then done, but don't give up on a swale or write them out of a landscape/farm/natural landscape
Never heard this criticisms before. The one i have (about swales) is that they are many times done in a way that only cares about collecting water. And they are actually a design element with many consequences. Namely , are planting systems, create pathways, and they create a barrier that makes it impossibel for a tractor to pass, so, if one wants to mow (chop and drop) , it can become much more difficult, or even difficult to impossible.
Hi Antonio! Thank you for sharing your view! That's a really good point about access. I don't know if you watched Geoff Lawton's channel but he makes his swales really wide so a tractor can enter in the dry season to pick up fruit and spread compost. Unfortunately, this is not possible in steeper country. We don't have any machinery but sooner or later we'll create several bridges for access on swales with culvert underneath for water to flow freely in the swale. So yeah certain tweaks can be made but I understand it's not always ideal. I still think the rehydration aspects of swale makes it all worth it.
@@granvisio yes of course i have seen geoff s videos, he has been my great inspiration on my permaculture journey. Agree with you, there are ways to minimize the downsizes. But there are downsides. Specially when people hurry to do swales without experience that would help them think about all consequences (over time) that an earthwork does to a system. Swales too close toghether, are another common mistake. Doing swales without observation (at least for a full year), and without thinking about general design and maintainance over time is usually conterproductive. Im talking from my experience. I have done this mistakes. Sometimes less is better.
@@srantoniomatos I agree with you 100%. Thank you so much for sharing this. I hope many people will read your comment. I always advise my clients to not rush and observe the site if they have moved to a new location. It has certainly helped me to understand the climate, water flows, consequences of winds etc. Unfortunately many people want to go straight to planting before even fully considering water design elements.
@@choudharymuhammadalijutt9574 Don't worry! To be honest that's my fault. I am not consistent at uploading. But I have realized while doing day to day projects is great, I want to make a bigger impact and affect larger community. So I decided to go all in on YT. It will only get better! I promise!
@inthegarden6556 You can dig swales up to 18 degree slope which is 32.4 percent slope. So to be clear the one that for example has 18.5 meter run and 6 meters rise. Anything steeper than that will make the swale berms unstable. On steeper slopes you plant trees on terraces, benches or in net and pan system. Visualizations of this and a lot of useful details about swale construction are in this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_z3GHrBTd2w.htmlfeature=shared
