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Thanks! At this stage not really, the plants are still very young. But with the extremely high density of plants we might need to look into applying some of the techniques of syntropic agriculture further down the line!

Thanks!

Hi Jim. Not very obvious just yet, but a year from now they will have hopefully taken off! It feels like they're getting ready for a growth spurt next spring, especially now the water levels have restored after some beautiful rains. Hopefully all that water isn't causing any issues over at your place.

Thanks!

Thanks!

It seemed to work very well for us the past year. Remember it might be different for you project. But definitely worth giving a try, even if you don't apply it to the whole area.

Well, at least you know which plot is mine! See you in the gardens.

Our plan is definitely to keep the 'non-natives' out as mush as possible! I think because we started with a 'clean' grassy paddock we might have a head start. The grass seems to be acting as a living mulch and in that way help suppress the possibility for other plants to establish themselves from seed.

Hi Sam. Can't agree with you more on this one. We definitely have plans to provide space for the smaller (but oh so essential) small critters. There is a pond in the making. Also, Koru Wildlife Centre (who organises this project) specialise in breeding gecko and wētā. So we'll definitely follow up on making space for them. It all just takes time, which can be a limiting factor sometimes!

Thanks for your comment! It can be tricky to make the "right" decision with regards to gardening sometimes! I was especially surprised to see oxalis make a comeback in the second season, after being absent for the whole first season. Something to keep an eye on for sure. I've also heard that letting chickens run on an affected patch for an extended period can help eliminate oxalis. However, as in my case, that's not possible for everyone.

Thanks for mentioning that. I thought I shared most of them, but I see I missed a few. Future videos will have all the names, as that is also important to us! For now, please see the description for the names of the plants in this video.

@@ElementsOfResilience thank you🙌 the Māori names hold a lot of knowledge in themselves about the plants

Thanks!

Hi Ria, thanks for your reply! What's the approximate location of your project? Also, do you use any active treatments against the hares? You can find the update here: th-cam.com/video/WvQKfX2DO48/w-d-xo.html. We've had a very dry summer but the plants seem alright... Hope to post another update soon!

Thanks! Good to know it was worthwhile.

Hi Jim, cheers to your honesty. Don't worry the focus will remain on the message and not so much how it's presented, as I have very little skills in that area...

Hi David, this previously was a productive paddock of some sorts. This probably allows for a relatively easy transition, as you noted most of these grasses are relatively mild compared to some other plants out there. Nonetheless, I think by choosing the right trees combined with a deep layer of mulch, many common weeds could be knocked back enough to get the trees through the first year or two. After that they're off and in the long-term they'll shade out some of those plants

@@ElementsOfResilienceYeah I do a lot of this myself. Mainly in gullies and wetland areas. I have to keep them alive for the first 2 years, then they look after themselves. Although, even then, I can get blackberry, gorse and tobacco weed come up around the edges or in the middle of wetlands at any stage. So there's a certain amount of maintenance needed forever.

Great work! Have you seen this docu about Banks peninsula and the reforestation over there? Gorse will eventually easily be overtaken by natives, and in the meantime can act as a great nursery plant.. th-cam.com/video/3VZSJKbzyMc/w-d-xo.html

Hi Jim, just wanted to let you know that on the Summer Update video I can see your comment but can't reply or like it...So, thanks for the comment and we'll keep em coming for sure!

Thanks for your comment. One of the main aims of this project was to experiment. We'll simply have to wait and see what the impact of the grasses will be on the growth. Stay tuned for the summer update video!

I would be more worried that the grass is taking the available moisture .

We understand your worry, we share a bit of it as well! However, so far that's not what it's looking like! I'm currently working on the summer update video and hopefully we'll be able to show that the grass might actually be supporting the plants (up to a certain point)!

Hi Blake, so far yes... I'm planning to do a summer update video within the next week or so. Let's see what they look like in the middle of summer!

Hi Abid, do you mean how the air exists the solar dehydrator? In that case, I talk about the air-flow design from about 4:00 onward. The cold air enters on the bottom, heats up and rises, and exits on the back end through the mesh cloth! Hope that answers your question.

I agree! Maybe you can try this in your own garden?

That's definitely the plan for the future videos!

Indeed, most grasslands left to their own accord (i.e. no humans or ruminants) will slowly over time turn into forest. It's the natural succession of things. I guess we're 'cheating' a bit and hoping to speed it up as us impatient humans tend to do. I've seen similar projects before and the grass can either act as a great support through moisture retention, shade protection etc. Or, choke and overgrow the newly establishing plants. We'll keep a close eye on them (and provide updates!) as it all unfolds.

Yes, very exciting! Curious to see how it all unfolds! I have my expectations but we'll just have to wait and see...

Thanks!

Thanks for the support!

Yes! We're heading towards the spring-explosion-phase! Pretty much perfect weather; warm sunny days with plenty of rain in between! We can't eat up all the abundance that the garden produces at this moment... Very grateful to be able to be giving away and sharing some of this abundance with the wider community.

Uhm... I'm not sure what you mean by that?

Well...we try! It sure becomes easier when you have access to an abundance of fresh veges from the garden, which we're very lucky to have!

That sounds interesting! I'd be keen to see it when it's done (or the work in progress) if you were planning to upload a video of it?

I'm glad you found the channel! It's been a while since we last uploaded a video. Hope to be more frequent again from now on.

Thanks for your remark / question! It's important not to confuse Common Ivy (Hedera helix) with Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron spp.). Ivy is native to Europe but can be found all over the world now. Poison Ivy is native to North America, and I don't know much about this plant. Definitely wouldn't make dish soap out of it. If you were to eat Common Ivy it would be mildly poisonous. So I would recommend against doing that! However when used as a soap you don't really ingest it. Just as with your regular soap (which is also poisonous). Which you - I assume - also don't eat, right? Hope that helps

@@ElementsOfResilience Thank you for your beautiful message,, IV been looking for a none toxic soap to make at home,, I may give this a go to see what happens,, have a beautiful day my friend 🙏🌍✅🌻☀️👑

@@KingOsirismindprogramming8888 You're very welcome! Remember that you can start with making a small amount and testing. Common ivy in general isn't known to be allergic, and you won't be ingesting it. Yet, there's always a chance that when you're skin comes in contact with the soap (or any other new plant!) you're the unlucky one that turns out to be allergic to it. Nonetheless give it go!. Let me know how it went, if you decide to make some.

Glad you enjoyed it!

I went on a ramble for a few minutes about the benefits and why I specifically placed it there. I then decided it was a bit too long & boring and left it out... It's located in one of the areas of the garden which got flooded last winter. Many of the (Mediterranean) herbs don't like wet feet. This raises their root systems about 0.5m higher. Also, the wood slowly decomposes to become soil (and thus plant nutrition and carbon storage!) over time. in theory the wood is also supposed to absorb and hold more water. This makes it ideal for drier situations. The summer has been unusually wet, so I haven't been able to test this yet. That's to name just a few benefits...Thanks for your question!

What do you mean by that? It definitely is different from most soaps you would buy...

@@ElementsOfResilience It is just boiled water with leaves…does it make it a soap?

@@cyberrider1765 The liquid that comes from boiling the leaves can be used as a soap. It works quite well when cleaning dishes by hand. You simply add a generous amount to the cleaning water and it can remove most grease and other dirtiness. However, it does work and look different from a regular soap. These are often more concentrated and thicker. Thanks for your question. Maybe give it a try and let me know if it worked for you?

Thanks. I would say it scores more points on the beauty aspect than actually reaching high temperatures... Nonetheless, it works and you've got to start somewhere!

Looks like you could definitely use some dish soap for your channel!

Yup! Simply reuse plastic bottles (soda, milk) and cut them in half to cover seedlings when still young. This is also a great addition when planting seedlings directly into a mulched bed.

Thanks! Although very little at this point is because of effort from my side...

Possibly at some point in the future? For now there's plenty of other things to focus on!

More to come! Also working on getting the quality of the videos, audio and my performance a bit better...