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Human milk is like 90% whey, although I assume we might be able to procure milk with gonadotropin hormone from livestock in a manner similarly to any benefits of a BB-12 bifidobacterium which has been reclassified as an animales species. Consider L. Bulgaricus and 120 year old people when choosing which mix in for drinks etc
I think you should snip some parts of the seed shell. That seems to fasten the germination speed. It world on a lot of seed. It could work with your plant seeds
I love how you say "Brandon had already dropped me off" as if your house is three neighborhoods over. People outside of Texas may not understand that Brandon had to drive 7ish hours to take you home, then turn around and drive about 4 hours back to Midland, at least another hour digging up the plants, and then 3 hours back to Sierra Blanca. That's a long day!
you can drive thru my country (belgium) in 2/3 hours, and a 30 minute drive to work is very long here lol. a guy in my family has a good friend that moved to bracketville, texas 20 years ago and it takes him a few hours to go to the supermarket. blows my mind.
i love hearing you gas up Brandon. i've worked as a ranch hand, and it gives me a little extra joy watching your videos when you spread the positivity across the team. i hope you realize that one of the biggest draws of this channel compared to other similar ones is the intentional spotlight you shine on the scientific method, especially calling yourself out and showing how you are learning from mistakes. it's very satisfying to watch you and the community grow together, and that is fostered by your willingness to try things out, make mistakes, and learn from them.
Every new episode I’m left wondering how the hell Shaun found Brandon - the dude is just the absolutely right guy to be doing this job and seems to be enjoying the experience
Translating the measurements to metric in the edit is very appreciated by us international folks! Greetings from Brazil, you’re doing great at dustups!
I've planted agave without roots. My soil is pure sand. I dug them into the ground, and within 2 weeks, not being watered, they were surviving. 2 year on, they are very healthy. They only get watered when it rains
Also I would grow some of those Agave in large pots in your nursery and harvest the pups that way if you pull them out of the pots once they start pupping you will see roots in the pot that can be broken up and potted.
I know water is at a premium out there but you should cover the roots with soil and water them in with a couple gallons of water to eliminate air pockets around the root. You are going to a lot of trouble to transplant so you should always water them in. The roots need contact with sole to absorb moisture.
yeah, watering doesn't just make the soil wet. It washes finer particles into the cavities around and in between the roots so the soil is in direct contact. Just like it would be if they'd grown into the soil themselves
Solar farms in australia are actually increasing farm productivity on arid farms. The panels as well as providing shade to protect plants from the midday sun, they also collect dew from the air that then waters the grasses around them. I’m not saying put up solar panels but you could simulate them maybe make an experimental area similar to the terrace to see if it works there.
You could "simulate" solar panels with plywood panels pretty cheap. Just install them 4' of the ground and paint them to seal them. They would last a decade maybe. I put up shade cloth on the west side of my house in the summer. It's fine after 15 years in the sun 4 months a year. Pretty cheap too. Can select from 30% to 90% shade.
Stop bringing up dew. Countless know-nothings talk about dew collection as if there's any meaningful amount in his desert (there isn't). Also pointless and expensive given there's nothing to do with the collected power - this is a permaculture project dude, solar panels are anything but permanent.
Glad to see you doing this. I ran across the same issues when I got our property in Terlingua. I now have hundreds of different yuccas and agaves growing at our ranch in North Texas to be transplanted to Terlingua in the next few years.
I don’t bother with sterilization. All you need is a well draining potting mix and full sun. The important part is that you need to keep the seedlings watered and then know when to stop the daily watering.
Growing cactus from seed is bit more challenging but if you use an almost 100% inorganic mix you don’t need to sterilize. Cactus are more prone to fungus rot though. Yuccas and agave are super tough.
Try using a gardening fork for loosening the ground if you want to pull plants with the roots. I usually use it to pull weeds with deep roots, but you can use it to dig up a plant you want to keep just as easily. It breaks up the soil but lowers the risk of damaging the roots relative to a shovel
Biochar added deep with sand/soil on top of that for placing seeds and seedlings provides a big moisture reservoir beneath the bed… just a little biochar goes a long long way
Planted hundreds of agave and aloe vera, very rarely they die. I never plant them with roots, they go straight in the soil in the Autumn and that is it, only get watered when it rains. Im not on the desert but on a semi arid area of Portugal, we get 400mm rain and temperatures reach the 45C in the summer. Keep the amazing work
Yeah, I've just dug up the pups (babies) which I've found in the wild, with a BIT of root, though not very much, and planted them just like that and they've done fine. That would always be my preference rather than growing them from seed. I am growing them in Serbia, we have very hot, dry summers but also frost in winter (though less and less in recent years) and they get damaged in winter sometimes but they bounce back in summer.
@@thehillsidegardener3961 I'm quite lucky that this area is not prone to frost, rarely goes to 0C, but on the other-side the lack of water is getting more serious every year.
@@wildalentejo Yes, we had over 3 months this summer with zero rain - we were never a desert climate, things are getting really bad. I guess actually quite similar to your part of Portugal, except we still get sub-zero temperatures in winter. I got my Agave from Greece where there are a lot growing wild, but I guess they are going to be growing in more northern climates in the future...
Are you aware of Mossy Earth? On their 4th episode of their new podcast they talked about using a scientific approach to evaluate what works or not. Maybe they can help you with a good methodology for your experiments.
We've been screaming about Mossy Earth for the past year And they are still only just getting started in Brazil There is still a lot of time till they start working in the US. Especially with Trump's philosophy going back to the top of the government
@@kumatmebro315 How are they not transparent? They seem to be documenting and reporting on all their projects quite extensively to me. Granted I know nothing about how it "should" be done, so excuse my ignorance.
Dang!! That ECB is going to come in super handy! And only cost the gas & time to get it! Hard to beat!! What Brandon did planting the Agave seems brilliant! Heck of an idea that ought to work!
By the way Shaun I thought you might appreciate this bit of information: I took cuttings of two plants in the summer. Put them into bottles of water and waited for them to root. Both plants almost dropped all leaves but no roots. I kept waiting, hoping for a miracle. Then FINALLY after FOUR MONTHS!! They both rooted. So the morale of the story is: if your cuttings don't root in reasonable time frame, do not give up, keep them in water! Best of luck, bud. We are rooting for your success! 👍
To dig plants op without severing the roots using a fork instead of a spade can make it way easier. Use the fork to lift and break up the ground around the plant, then roots are free to be pulled out of the ground. A fork breaks up the ground much more effectively than a spade.
The Agave with the broken off roots should put out new roots if you let the end callus for few weeks, then place onto moist soil. You would need to baby them awhile in pots, but in the end much faster that growing them from seed.
When ever you transplant any plants, it is good practice to remove any dead and damaged top growth (use them as mulch) and also reduce some of the good growth as the damage to the roots, there being less of them, they are not able to 'serve' the rest of the plants. It is easier for the smaller amount of damaged roots to provide water and nutrients for smaller 'crown' while the roots heal and grow bigger to start new growth on the top. And same 'rule' apply to cuttings as well, you only need small amount of green growth left on the cutting to keep it alive while the roots start to form.
Looks great… the mats and the Agave… and in case it helps you… I always dig deep and wide around plants to loosen the soil then test pry until I feel the whole plant shift before any attempt to pull the plant out.
Shaun,somehow your channel popped up and now have been binging all your past episodes on a rainy day. Cheering for you all the way! Anyway in one of your episodes ,I think it was the laser level episode,which was quite interesting! In that episode you talked about a garden. Got a book for you to check out called” More Food From Your Garden”that describes the “Mittlieder Method” of growing box gardening. The book has been around awhile so the method is tried and true. Renowned Agricultural Consultant and Lecturer from Lima Linda University in So. Cal. ,Jacob Mittlieder. I He’s traveled all over the world at foreign government request and turned terrible soil like yours into lush gardens! Good Luck,I’m pulling for you and hope this helps as I’m living am living my dream through you!
Definitely consult this guy and the civil engineer you know, I think you can lay that ECB along your dam slopes and the vegetation that grows in (and the blanket itself) would do a great job to stabilize those structures.
"Let's A' Dig".....I love it....We've got the full-screen Samuel Animations going this episode! Complete with flavors of Agave/Pineapple-Head awesomeness! Keep it up, boys!
In Deutschland hat sich folgendes bewährt:Nasse Pappe, Anzuchterde zu gleichen Teilen im Mixer zerkleinern und diese Masse mit dem Saatgut vermengt in Eierkartons füllen und in der Sonne trocknen lassen.diese lassen sich gut portionsweise pflanzen wenn sie vorher wieder gut nass gemacht werden. Greetings from Germany.
Great to see you trying again! Your determination is amazing! about the compost in the fridge: the top shelf is the 'warmest' as hot air floats. However, making contact with the back of the fridge is probably bad :P
Great episode! Brandon is doing some amazing work! It's awesome that you are getting some well needed freebies! I have a lot of succulents in my house and yard, and they are easy to propagate and survive. That's how a large amount of what I have has been used. I agree with comments about potting and pulling the pups. As far as the seeding goes, ive been having great results, unintentionally, putting my scraps in my raised bed i use for composting. So far in the last few years I've pulled out 3 mangos trees, 8 garlic plants, which I pulled 1 apart and is currently growing in another raised bed, and this year I had a cantaloupe grow. 1 area i pulled what i thought was a grass, and put it in another bed, only to find it to be a spider plant. Now I have a dozen from the vines that I replanted. On top of that, I did the same with my strawberry plant. Now ive got a dozen of those potted and growing. Just keep it going! Ignore the stupid trolls and their hateful comments. I've been finding them in others videos.🤪
I been on youtube since 2007, you are one of few youtubers I follow that I will watch uploads right away; and til the end. Love what you doing, I want to do something similar as well, planning to buy large land down the line and re-forest it.
Yeees growing seeds is the way. All effort is good but sometimes it's definitely worth going high effort. Also the reused Rao's jar is spot-on relatable for me 😂The erosion control blankets look like a major score! It's also pretty great to be able to see the results in person when you picked them up 👍
Brandon definitely made good on that job, and you too for making sure we all know it. I've been to a few deserts and they always feel good to be in, never spent enough time to work out why, hopefully i will some time
I had problems with damping off fungus until I began using seed starter mix (which is sterilized) from the nursery. Have much greater success at getting seedlings now. Also it is important to feed the seedlings once they grow their first set of real leaves. Hope this helps.
was just coming to say the same -- seed starting mix is also a more fine substrate (as opposed to cactus mix) so will have better contact with the seed for even moisture distribution and easily root penetration.
I would try germinating the agave in sand in a little plastic container out in the sun. Press seeds into the sand a little. Dampen the sand with some hydroponic nutrients. Use a plastic cover for humidity. I'll try at home and report back.
Once the ECB is lay across the dam's and pined, maybe sprinkle grass and flower seeds over it. Then every time you get a little bit of moister in the air, the ECB will help to hold it and the seeds might start to grow. As for your solar panels. lift them about 3ft off the ground and put plants and seed tray under them for shade. Plus you should also get some water dew off them as well.
BTW, Don't worry if you sever an agave pup's roots, they're tough! I learned about agave from a hippy neighbour. He picked up a 12 inch pup from somewhere, threw it under a eucalyptus tree, went inside, got stoned and forgot all about it! Six months later, he came across it again, it had taken root and doubled in size! It was then too big and well established to move, so that's where it stayed! 😂😂😂 I have planted agave pups many times with no roots whatsoever and if they are over about 12 to 18 inches tall, they usually live. I'd say over 18 inches in your climate, and give them an initial watering. Also, agave pups have an umbilical cord that attaches them to the mother. Once this is cut, they are usually a lot easier to dig up, and go for the outer plants first and work your way in. You can cut the lower leaves off the mother to get to the pups near the base but leave any pups less than 12 inches tall attached to Mum, for next time...
Shaun, Just a fun fact i picked up somewhere about loading your trailer. You currently put the weight in the back which is wrong and makes it more wobbly. put the weight in front and the trailer will be lot more stable.
True, but they wanted to load the agave in the space in front of the rolls… question is if it would be worth having the rolls up front and then shifting the them to the end again once they got to the agave.
Big thanks to you for reaching out to Shawn for that mutual helping! It was awesome to see the before and after photos with such a huge change. It reminds me of Geoff Lawton’s place in Jordan that is now an amazing food forest after being just bare hard ground. Again, thank you so much!
As begginer gardener my self I did similar miatakes. Few gardening channels later ... I buy soil for germination specifically, container with holes on the bottom. I would also cover seed with soil or perlite. Perlite keeps higher moisture content around seed. Pretty sure soon more experienced pro gardeners will share wisdom.. hope it helps ! greetings from Poland! Keep up the good work !
for tough seeds you can soak them in some rooting hormone for 12-24 hours, or scarify them by lining a small container with some sand paper and shaking them in there to rough up the seed coat and help water penetrate easier. a 12 hour cold shock in the fridge can help tough ones also even for arid hot zone plants weirdly
You can add herbs to infuse in the water you use to moisten the plant seeds. Basil has antimicrobial properties. You could buy a silver canister you could use as a watering can. Trace amounts of silver can leech into the water and help as well.
A garden fork (digging fork) would be better suited to extract the agaves or other plants without damaging them. The best method is to plant the fork 4-8 inches from the plant and pull-push a little on the handle, then repeat the operation in circle. This softens the soil around the roots and when the plant rises well with the soil, you can extract it by hand by shaking it slightly.
Shaun, FYI: When I plant seeds in a ziplock with a paper towel, I blow air into the bag. I assume my CO2 is good for any sprouts that come up. This has worked well for me with tomatoes and peppers.
ECB looks like amazing stuff. nice score ...... I realised I have come across it here, in the form of large discs with a set of cuts in the middle so you can plant trees or whatever through the middle, it breaks down a lot faster here because its so wet all year round but I've noticed that they work very well indeed. The nearest situation I have to dustups is trying to establish underbrush within the erosion zone under the canopy of large trees where we get thick mats of heavy tree roots and parched dry dust on top where people have walked on it. In that situation the best way I had found to re-establish growth was to drill holes in the soil and fill them compost or mulch and place a layer of mulch with a planted erosion barrier over the top of that. More often than not I find that people hating on what you are doing and telling you that the way is wrong, haven't actually done it themselves. I've also learnt over the years that people looking for ideas, want you to communicate possibilities backed up by experience, not straight facts, because if there is actually an established way of doing it, that fits your situation you would have easily found it in your research. You already know fairly well wether that way will work or not so brainstorming possibilities that make sense, is what you are looking for......not the hard fact "do it my way" stuff. Positivity and Ideas lead to more ideas.
Brainstorming ideas is awesome! And encouragement from everyone for sure. I live in New England and the guidelines of what works here have almost zero to do with what is going to work in that amazingly arid desert area. I am fascinated with the idea of Sean and Brandon succeeding in making it a food forest.
@@louisegogel7973 me too, I have acres of bracken to deal with and a substrate that is waterlogged in winter but bone dry in summer then covered by 5feet of sun choking indestructible green stuff.....very not desert like.
Also, ground garlic will keep critters away. Used to live in a sub division where free-roaming dogs would do their business on my front lawn. I started sprinkling minced garlic (from the dollar store) over the spots. Dogs would come sniffing, but a few snoot fulls of garlic, and they stopped.
Fill a shallow container that has drainage holes with a seed-starting mix. Scatter the agave seeds on top. ... LIGHTLY moisten the growing medium. Cover the container with plastic wrap. Put the container in a spot above 70°F with bright, indirect sunlight. You should have a heat pad with a thermometer in the soil to control the heat.
Great use of biomaterials that ECB. Also great that you picked up the excess rolls of another job before they were wasted. Fun watching your experience with professionals. I find the agriculture and environmental communities are very open to sharing and cooperation.
Agave extraction - I use a fork, maybe a broad fork. Here in Sydney, Australia my daughter has planted and transplanted more Agave then necessary. It was part of here succulent side Hussle. (Texas is too far to post.)
I’ve used the plastic bag technique many times to germinate hard to grow seeds. It’s similar to what you are doing, but I tape it to a window, and keep the bag a little open -that’s to keep mildew out.
over engineering is always better at first than being under duress afterwards. for many that seems counterproductive, but it becomes more cost effective in the long run. little by little you can start to whittle away that which is no longer needed.
As a long-time farmer, the method I use to germinate some of the more sensitive seeds(or just when I want the best results) is to put the seeds between paper towel, set them on a plate, wet them and then cover them with another plate and keep them in my oven with JUST the oven light on. It keeps humidity and temperature at a good place. It works excellent for me and I've been doing it this way for 15+ years. Granted, my seeds are all vegetables and no cactus or anything like what you're growing.
You’re my favorite person on TH-cam. When I see your videos I get excited. It’s so funny you collab with my other favorite TH-cam cero Gordo guy. Anyway I’m so happy for your thanksgiving! Agave from seed!!!! Btw I have a channel nothing like yours but it’s called aquaponics world and I’m sure your viewers would dig it. Anyway thanks again for your work and dedication to this channel it makes my day! I can see it now cero gordo with a hotel and dust ups with a forest. Let’s go!!!!
I grow a lot of fig and flowering shrubs from cuttings using coco-fiber because it is inert and far less likely to grow any fungus. I have also sprouted wild flower seeds using coco-fiber or peat with vermiculite and perlite. Using an inert media as a starting media will give you the best chance of avoiding mold.
I love watching your progress, Shaun. In my experience with indoor seed germination, excess microbes reduce germination success rates. I get the best results germinating in paper towels with chlorinated tap water. I transplant to potting soil that has been moistened with chlorinated water. I don’t add bacteria until my seedling is established and growing, which usually takes 1-2 weeks.
Loosen the soil around the agave roots with deeply thrust large garden fork. Then embrace as much of the Agave as possible and start moving it around in a circle without twisting it. Rock the plant back and forth, side to side, then circles again, over and over to loosen the root from the soil. Your best chance of eventually pulling it up without snapping the root off.
Coming from the mushroom world simply boiling water isn't hot enough to kill all mold spores, we use a pressure cooking method to ensure everything is dead the target temp is 121C. Also ideally you would do anything with the container open in front of a hepa filter forcing air across you and the opening to blow away any new spores from getting in. If you don't want to do the hepa filter route I have also had success with a still air box, and those can be made relatively cheaply. I don't know important it is for you to keep out mold spores in your application, but for mushrooming it is extremely important. Paul Stamets has some great books on the process and here on YT Southwest Mushrooms has some pretty good explanation videos.
It will be exiting to see if the transplants work good because this could speed up establishing the agave crop and Increase the value of the land so this pays for itself over time and increases the incentive to keep growing a desert forest ✌️👏
The rolls doubled will give you amazing evaporation barrier and hold any moisture put down in place plus add great mulch. Do you put any fertilizer down after establishment of plants? Vegetative additives will help hold the nutrients in place.
Keep paper towel moist by capillary action of a wick of rolled paper toweling to that which the seeds are on. Allow more space tween the seeds so when they germinate you can plant with attached paper toweling and thus less disturbance of the newly germinated.
You can create new plants from the broken leaves. Would be the quickest way to create numbers of new large plants. You should take off some of the large leaves from the ones you transplant because there are less roots to give water to all the leaves. So taking some off can help the plant deal with the transplant shock
I have a lot of success by germinating in sand inside of a closed clear container, fungus won’t grow as easily in sand and the small particle size of the sand helps the seedlings break through to the surface.
I commonly use the paper towel method to germinate seeds for my garden (not cacti or agave), but I don't use a ziplock bag like most do. I use a small, flat plastic tub like what luncheon meat sometimes is sold in. More oxygen is available, and that helps some with spoilage issues.
Here we use peat moss as it is plentiful and it cleans out the water as it holds more and keeps the ground moist. it decomposes slower than coconut fibre and is used to suplement the soils ph values but can use up nitrogen. this is a good choice for you and can be a bonus for the soil.
@@christopherd.winnan8701 coconut is imported in Canada and some things do not work from one area to another I never had any problems with planting but in some areas it is difficult and needs more knowledge to work.
When you put seeds in dirt it has to had contact with seed all around. Cover them 1cm with dirt and light press. And sprey with water. Seeds must have moisture. Yours can be seen and are dry from one side. Cower them with towel. And moist towel when dry. If you take a look at germinated ones they were in soil, not on top of soil. I made same mistake and had same results. You are good. It is Nice to see your progress
My silver agave largely seems to propagate on it's own from pups/runners. That would probably be a better way to get a little more established agaves if you can find an established shed patch that is propagating just pull some of the babies.
Thanks to Equip Foods for sponsoring today’s video! Head to my link at equipfoods.com/dustups and use my promo code DUSTUPS to get 20% off your first order, or combine this offer with a subscription and get 35% off your first subscription.
Human milk is like 90% whey, although I assume we might be able to procure milk with gonadotropin hormone from livestock in a manner similarly to any benefits of a BB-12 bifidobacterium which has been reclassified as an animales species. Consider L. Bulgaricus and 120 year old people when choosing which mix in for drinks etc
I like how you help each other out: one person’s trash is another’s treasure! Reduce, reuse, ♻️ recycling at its best.
@dustupstexas. If you haven't already, check out Geoff Lawton. He's done this exact thing in the deserts of Jordan.
I think you should snip some parts of the seed shell. That seems to fasten the germination speed.
It world on a lot of seed. It could work with your plant seeds
I can not wait to see the water collection when it rains!!
You really struck gold when you found Brandon. Someone like that is exactly what this project needs. Can't wait for some rain.
For real. Though at this point Brandon has basically morphed into Dustups Ranch with how attuned he's become with it.
I was going to say the same thing. He is an entertaining character too!
Does Brandon have a social media profile?
Brandon is becoming a really big asset for your project. I mean, he's spending his whole time out there. A REAL COWBOY
I'd say Mulchboy
I love how you say "Brandon had already dropped me off" as if your house is three neighborhoods over. People outside of Texas may not understand that Brandon had to drive 7ish hours to take you home, then turn around and drive about 4 hours back to Midland, at least another hour digging up the plants, and then 3 hours back to Sierra Blanca. That's a long day!
you can drive thru my country (belgium) in 2/3 hours, and a 30 minute drive to work is very long here lol.
a guy in my family has a good friend that moved to bracketville, texas 20 years ago and it takes him a few hours to go to the supermarket. blows my mind.
Just another day of Brandon being the best
@@owbeer I lived in Belgium for 3 years (1994-97). I loved it!
We actually spread the trip out. He got a few days off in DFW
Dude...your country is big as....! And as always...kudos to Brandon and his work. By the way..what happened to that sweet little bird?
i love hearing you gas up Brandon. i've worked as a ranch hand, and it gives me a little extra joy watching your videos when you spread the positivity across the team. i hope you realize that one of the biggest draws of this channel compared to other similar ones is the intentional spotlight you shine on the scientific method, especially calling yourself out and showing how you are learning from mistakes. it's very satisfying to watch you and the community grow together, and that is fostered by your willingness to try things out, make mistakes, and learn from them.
Brandon is not just a worker but surely also sees this as his accomplishments and work to take pride in.
Every new episode I’m left wondering how the hell Shaun found Brandon - the dude is just the absolutely right guy to be doing this job and seems to be enjoying the experience
@@LeeJDoprobably Brandon contacted him on his website
@@LeeJDo He's not just enjoying it, he seems like he loves it too! I don't blame him either, at that age that would've been heaven for me.
Translating the measurements to metric in the edit is very appreciated by us international folks! Greetings from Brazil, you’re doing great at dustups!
I've planted agave without roots. My soil is pure sand. I dug them into the ground, and within 2 weeks, not being watered, they were surviving. 2 year on, they are very healthy. They only get watered when it rains
Yea, these guys doing too much, For content i suppose.
@@am932 yep you're here!
@ did you get an agave rash on your skin yet? That should be a good video.
Right! Agave will root, even when you whack off most of the roots.
Also I would grow some of those Agave in large pots in your nursery and harvest the pups that way if you pull them out of the pots once they start pupping you will see roots in the pot that can be broken up and potted.
I used to grow pups in college. Those little pups were going for thousands of dollars. This is a great idea!!!
Pups are the way to go, not seeds
@@timgarrow1487where is the market for these? I have some from the ones i trim off and wouldn’t mind selling or growing more to sell.
I know water is at a premium out there but you should cover the roots with soil and water them in with a couple gallons of water to eliminate air pockets around the root. You are going to a lot of trouble to transplant so you should always water them in. The roots need contact with sole to absorb moisture.
yeah, watering doesn't just make the soil wet. It washes finer particles into the cavities around and in between the roots so the soil is in direct contact. Just like it would be if they'd grown into the soil themselves
Solar farms in australia are actually increasing farm productivity on arid farms. The panels as well as providing shade to protect plants from the midday sun, they also collect dew from the air that then waters the grasses around them. I’m not saying put up solar panels but you could simulate them maybe make an experimental area similar to the terrace to see if it works there.
Good ideas.
1:55 it’s colder the lower the shelf.
Not only that, but hen they could have a lil electricity for a fridge, charge power tools, and other things
You could "simulate" solar panels with plywood panels pretty cheap. Just install them 4' of the ground and paint them to seal them. They would last a decade maybe.
I put up shade cloth on the west side of my house in the summer. It's fine after 15 years in the sun 4 months a year. Pretty cheap too. Can select from 30% to 90% shade.
Stop bringing up dew. Countless know-nothings talk about dew collection as if there's any meaningful amount in his desert (there isn't). Also pointless and expensive given there's nothing to do with the collected power - this is a permaculture project dude, solar panels are anything but permanent.
Glad to see you doing this. I ran across the same issues when I got our property in Terlingua. I now have hundreds of different yuccas and agaves growing at our ranch in North Texas to be transplanted to Terlingua in the next few years.
I don’t bother with sterilization. All you need is a well draining potting mix and full sun. The important part is that you need to keep the seedlings watered and then know when to stop the daily watering.
Growing cactus from seed is bit more challenging but if you use an almost 100% inorganic mix you don’t need to sterilize. Cactus are more prone to fungus rot though. Yuccas and agave are super tough.
Awesome!!!
I'm in Terlingua if you want to sell any of those agaves (depending on type).
Try using a gardening fork for loosening the ground if you want to pull plants with the roots. I usually use it to pull weeds with deep roots, but you can use it to dig up a plant you want to keep just as easily.
It breaks up the soil but lowers the risk of damaging the roots relative to a shovel
Great tip
Biochar added deep with sand/soil on top of that for placing seeds and seedlings provides a big moisture reservoir beneath the bed… just a little biochar goes a long long way
Planted hundreds of agave and aloe vera, very rarely they die.
I never plant them with roots, they go straight in the soil in the Autumn and that is it, only get watered when it rains.
Im not on the desert but on a semi arid area of Portugal, we get 400mm rain and temperatures reach the 45C in the summer.
Keep the amazing work
Yeah, I've just dug up the pups (babies) which I've found in the wild, with a BIT of root, though not very much, and planted them just like that and they've done fine. That would always be my preference rather than growing them from seed. I am growing them in Serbia, we have very hot, dry summers but also frost in winter (though less and less in recent years) and they get damaged in winter sometimes but they bounce back in summer.
@@thehillsidegardener3961 I'm quite lucky that this area is not prone to frost, rarely goes to 0C, but on the other-side the lack of water is getting more serious every year.
@@wildalentejo Yes, we had over 3 months this summer with zero rain - we were never a desert climate, things are getting really bad. I guess actually quite similar to your part of Portugal, except we still get sub-zero temperatures in winter. I got my Agave from Greece where there are a lot growing wild, but I guess they are going to be growing in more northern climates in the future...
Are you aware of Mossy Earth? On their 4th episode of their new podcast they talked about using a scientific approach to evaluate what works or not. Maybe they can help you with a good methodology for your experiments.
We've been screaming about Mossy Earth for the past year
And they are still only just getting started in Brazil
There is still a lot of time till they start working in the US. Especially with Trump's philosophy going back to the top of the government
They seem kinda sketchy they are not even a nonprofit and there is very little transparency
@@kumatmebro315 they show their impact and their finances on their website. www.mossy.earth/transparency-dashboard
@@kumatmebro315 How are they not transparent? They seem to be documenting and reporting on all their projects quite extensively to me. Granted I know nothing about how it "should" be done, so excuse my ignorance.
@@kumatmebro315 with little transparancy you mean they have a detailed overview per project how funds are being spend? I call that very transparant.
Dang!! That ECB is going to come in super handy! And only cost the gas & time to get it! Hard to beat!! What Brandon did planting the Agave seems brilliant! Heck of an idea that ought to work!
Brandon is really a big key part of thing whole project I think. Having someone there who cares and can act regularly really helps i think.
By the way Shaun I thought you might appreciate this bit of information: I took cuttings of two plants in the summer. Put them into bottles of water and waited for them to root. Both plants almost dropped all leaves but no roots. I kept waiting, hoping for a miracle. Then FINALLY after FOUR MONTHS!! They both rooted. So the morale of the story is: if your cuttings don't root in reasonable time frame, do not give up, keep them in water! Best of luck, bud. We are rooting for your success! 👍
Amazing, it is all amazing. So much work, and we are STILL holding our breath for rain!
Great to see the gifted resources gaining momentum as your project grows. Exciting times.
Always have a chuckle at the awesome animations too!
To dig plants op without severing the roots using a fork instead of a spade can make it way easier. Use the fork to lift and break up the ground around the plant, then roots are free to be pulled out of the ground. A fork breaks up the ground much more effectively than a spade.
The Agave with the broken off roots should put out new roots if you let the end callus for few weeks, then place onto moist soil. You would need to baby them awhile in pots, but in the end much faster that growing them from seed.
your sons animations are getting better and better
It is ridiculous how interesting and fun it is to watch this channel! I really look forward to Saturday afternoons with the next installment. Thanks!
Amazing stuff, love to see these little wins keep piling up, amazing work Shaun and Brandon!!
When ever you transplant any plants, it is good practice to remove any dead and damaged top growth (use them as mulch) and also reduce some of the good growth as the damage to the roots, there being less of them, they are not able to 'serve' the rest of the plants. It is easier for the smaller amount of damaged roots to provide water and nutrients for smaller 'crown' while the roots heal and grow bigger to start new growth on the top. And same 'rule' apply to cuttings as well, you only need small amount of green growth left on the cutting to keep it alive while the roots start to form.
8:34 when I use the paper towel method I've always thought you had to put it somewhere dark, maybe I'm wrong.
Looks great… the mats and the Agave… and in case it helps you… I always dig deep and wide around plants to loosen the soil then test pry until I feel the whole plant shift before any attempt to pull the plant out.
Shaun,somehow your channel popped up and now have been binging all your past episodes on a rainy day. Cheering for you all the way! Anyway in one of your episodes ,I think it was the laser level episode,which was quite interesting! In that episode you talked about a garden. Got a book for you to check out called” More Food From Your Garden”that describes the “Mittlieder Method” of growing box gardening. The book has been around awhile so the method is tried and true. Renowned Agricultural Consultant and Lecturer from Lima Linda University in So. Cal. ,Jacob Mittlieder. I He’s traveled all over the world at foreign government request and turned terrible soil like yours into lush gardens! Good Luck,I’m pulling for you and hope this helps as I’m living am living my dream through you!
Samuel is getting better and better. Keep going!
Definitely consult this guy and the civil engineer you know, I think you can lay that ECB along your dam slopes and the vegetation that grows in (and the blanket itself) would do a great job to stabilize those structures.
"Let's A' Dig".....I love it....We've got the full-screen Samuel Animations going this episode! Complete with flavors of Agave/Pineapple-Head awesomeness! Keep it up, boys!
Thank you for the encouragement!
In Deutschland hat sich folgendes bewährt:Nasse Pappe, Anzuchterde zu gleichen Teilen im Mixer zerkleinern und diese Masse mit dem Saatgut vermengt in Eierkartons füllen und in der Sonne trocknen lassen.diese lassen sich gut portionsweise pflanzen wenn sie vorher wieder gut nass gemacht werden. Greetings from Germany.
Great to see you trying again! Your determination is amazing!
about the compost in the fridge: the top shelf is the 'warmest' as hot air floats. However, making contact with the back of the fridge is probably bad :P
I enjoy your journey and your comments about your mindset shift from efficiency to doing things well.
Greetings from snowclad Quebec.
kudos to Brandon and Casey! Great drawings & animation from Sam as well. keep it all up!
I love what you are doing and I appreciate that you are not a quitter! Great video!
Great episode! Brandon is doing some amazing work! It's awesome that you are getting some well needed freebies! I have a lot of succulents in my house and yard, and they are easy to propagate and survive. That's how a large amount of what I have has been used. I agree with comments about potting and pulling the pups.
As far as the seeding goes, ive been having great results, unintentionally, putting my scraps in my raised bed i use for composting. So far in the last few years I've pulled out 3 mangos trees, 8 garlic plants, which I pulled 1 apart and is currently growing in another raised bed, and this year I had a cantaloupe grow.
1 area i pulled what i thought was a grass, and put it in another bed, only to find it to be a spider plant. Now I have a dozen from the vines that I replanted. On top of that, I did the same with my strawberry plant. Now ive got a dozen of those potted and growing.
Just keep it going! Ignore the stupid trolls and their hateful comments. I've been finding them in others videos.🤪
1:00 Hope might not be a strategy, but it inspires strategizing. Keep it going, Shaun, the project has been thrilling to follow so far!
This is one of my favorite TH-cam channels. I admire the amount of effort it takes to do this.
I been on youtube since 2007, you are one of few youtubers I follow that I will watch uploads right away; and til the end. Love what you doing, I want to do something similar as well, planning to buy large land down the line and re-forest it.
Yeees growing seeds is the way. All effort is good but sometimes it's definitely worth going high effort. Also the reused Rao's jar is spot-on relatable for me 😂The erosion control blankets look like a major score! It's also pretty great to be able to see the results in person when you picked them up 👍
Brandon definitely made good on that job, and you too for making sure we all know it.
I've been to a few deserts and they always feel good to be in, never spent enough time to work out why, hopefully i will some time
I had problems with damping off fungus until I began using seed starter mix (which is sterilized) from the nursery. Have much greater success at getting seedlings now. Also it is important to feed the seedlings once they grow their first set of real leaves. Hope this helps.
was just coming to say the same -- seed starting mix is also a more fine substrate (as opposed to cactus mix) so will have better contact with the seed for even moisture distribution and easily root penetration.
I would try germinating the agave in sand in a little plastic container out in the sun. Press seeds into the sand a little. Dampen the sand with some hydroponic nutrients. Use a plastic cover for humidity. I'll try at home and report back.
Capable of storing water and making tequila! Cheers Shaun!!
Thanks Shaun! Another great video - always interesting and well done!! Can't wait for a good rain!!!
Shaun, the dam looks great. You should make dozens of these.
Can’t wait to see how the ECB does on the dams. Good luck.
Once the ECB is lay across the dam's and pined, maybe sprinkle grass and flower seeds over it. Then every time you get a little bit of moister in the air, the ECB will help to hold it and the seeds might start to grow. As for your solar panels. lift them about 3ft off the ground and put plants and seed tray under them for shade. Plus you should also get some water dew off them as well.
BTW, Don't worry if you sever an agave pup's roots, they're tough!
I learned about agave from a hippy neighbour. He picked up a 12 inch pup from somewhere, threw it under a eucalyptus tree, went inside, got stoned and forgot all about it! Six months later, he came across it again, it had taken root and doubled in size! It was then too big and well established to move, so that's where it stayed! 😂😂😂
I have planted agave pups many times with no roots whatsoever and if they are over about 12 to 18 inches tall, they usually live. I'd say over 18 inches in your climate, and give them an initial watering.
Also, agave pups have an umbilical cord that attaches them to the mother. Once this is cut, they are usually a lot easier to dig up, and go for the outer plants first and work your way in. You can cut the lower leaves off the mother to get to the pups near the base but leave any pups less than 12 inches tall attached to Mum, for next time...
Thanks!
You are an inspiring man Shaun . Thankyou for sharing your thoughts with experience . Sending positive thoughts .
Shaun, the ECB are celebration cigars for when your agave rows are established. 🎊
Shaun, Just a fun fact i picked up somewhere about loading your trailer. You currently put the weight in the back which is wrong and makes it more wobbly. put the weight in front and the trailer will be lot more stable.
True, but they wanted to load the agave in the space in front of the rolls… question is if it would be worth having the rolls up front and then shifting the them to the end again once they got to the agave.
Great meeting you and Brandon! Hope you make good use out of that ECB. Hopefully I can make it out to dustups and check it out soon!
Big thanks to you for reaching out to Shawn for that mutual helping!
It was awesome to see the before and after photos with such a huge change. It reminds me of Geoff Lawton’s place in Jordan that is now an amazing food forest after being just bare hard ground.
Again, thank you so much!
always informative in these videos i live just north of Houston only have more trouble with extreme weather sometimes
As begginer gardener my self I did similar miatakes. Few gardening channels later ... I buy soil for germination specifically, container with holes on the bottom. I would also cover seed with soil or perlite. Perlite keeps higher moisture content around seed. Pretty sure soon more experienced pro gardeners will share wisdom.. hope it helps ! greetings from Poland! Keep up the good work !
Perlite also allows light through for seeds needing light to germinate
Another great episode, gents. Amazing agave planting there. They look well set up. Looking forward to seeing what you guys do with those rolls.
for tough seeds you can soak them in some rooting hormone for 12-24 hours, or scarify them by lining a small container with some sand paper and shaking them in there to rough up the seed coat and help water penetrate easier. a 12 hour cold shock in the fridge can help tough ones also even for arid hot zone plants weirdly
The power of water is amazing. Thanks for running this experiment.
You can add herbs to infuse in the water you use to moisten the plant seeds. Basil has antimicrobial properties. You could buy a silver canister you could use as a watering can. Trace amounts of silver can leech into the water and help as well.
A garden fork (digging fork) would be better suited to extract the agaves or other plants without damaging them. The best method is to plant the fork 4-8 inches from the plant and pull-push a little on the handle, then repeat the operation in circle. This softens the soil around the roots and when the plant rises well with the soil, you can extract it by hand by shaking it slightly.
Rule of thumb , 1 foot to 1 an half foot dig around plant , when relocating a plant , depending on the plant.
Shaun, FYI: When I plant seeds in a ziplock with a paper towel, I blow air into the bag. I assume my CO2 is good for any sprouts that come up. This has worked well for me with tomatoes and peppers.
nice tip!
ECB looks like amazing stuff. nice score ...... I realised I have come across it here, in the form of large discs with a set of cuts in the middle so you can plant trees or whatever through the middle, it breaks down a lot faster here because its so wet all year round but I've noticed that they work very well indeed. The nearest situation I have to dustups is trying to establish underbrush within the erosion zone under the canopy of large trees where we get thick mats of heavy tree roots and parched dry dust on top where people have walked on it.
In that situation the best way I had found to re-establish growth was to drill holes in the soil and fill them compost or mulch and place a layer of mulch with a planted erosion barrier over the top of that.
More often than not I find that people hating on what you are doing and telling you that the way is wrong, haven't actually done it themselves.
I've also learnt over the years that people looking for ideas, want you to communicate possibilities backed up by experience, not straight facts, because if there is actually an established way of doing it, that fits your situation you would have easily found it in your research. You already know fairly well wether that way will work or not so brainstorming possibilities that make sense, is what you are looking for......not the hard fact "do it my way" stuff.
Positivity and Ideas lead to more ideas.
Brainstorming ideas is awesome! And encouragement from everyone for sure.
I live in New England and the guidelines of what works here have almost zero to do with what is going to work in that amazingly arid desert area.
I am fascinated with the idea of Sean and Brandon succeeding in making it a food forest.
@@louisegogel7973 me too, I have acres of bracken to deal with and a substrate that is waterlogged in winter but bone dry in summer then covered by 5feet of sun choking indestructible green stuff.....very not desert like.
I put seeds in a glass of water then put the glass in a sunny window for a week. I have 90 % success rate
"Effectiveness and then Efficiency". One can be very efficient at the wrong thing. Always strive for effectiveness first.
You can try Edge of no where farm method by planting huge trees and protecting them
It will take care of the rest
Ground cinnamon is also anti-fungal. You can sprinkle seeds/damp paper towel with it. Works like a charm.
Also, ground garlic will keep critters away. Used to live in a sub division where free-roaming dogs would do their business on my front lawn. I started sprinkling minced garlic (from the dollar store) over the spots. Dogs would come sniffing, but a few snoot fulls of garlic, and they stopped.
Brandon is the MVP in this episode with his bio-barrel application.
Fill a shallow container that has drainage holes with a seed-starting mix.
Scatter the agave seeds on top. ...
LIGHTLY moisten the growing medium.
Cover the container with plastic wrap.
Put the container in a spot above 70°F with bright, indirect sunlight.
You should have a heat pad with a thermometer in the soil to control the heat.
Sounds like you've done this before! Good information.
Great use of biomaterials that ECB. Also great that you picked up the excess rolls of another job before they were wasted. Fun watching your experience with professionals. I find the agriculture and environmental communities are very open to sharing and cooperation.
The flowers on those are insanely tall
For the seeds in the paper towel, sprinkle them with cinnamon before folding the towel up.
Agave extraction - I use a fork, maybe a broad fork. Here in Sydney, Australia my daughter has planted and transplanted more Agave then necessary. It was part of here succulent side Hussle. (Texas is too far to post.)
I’ve used the plastic bag technique many times to germinate hard to grow seeds. It’s similar to what you are doing, but I tape it to a window, and keep the bag a little open -that’s to keep mildew out.
This is a great encouragement for others.
over engineering is always better at first than being under duress afterwards. for many that seems counterproductive, but it becomes more cost effective in the long run. little by little you can start to whittle away that which is no longer needed.
As a long-time farmer, the method I use to germinate some of the more sensitive seeds(or just when I want the best results) is to put the seeds between paper towel, set them on a plate, wet them and then cover them with another plate and keep them in my oven with JUST the oven light on. It keeps humidity and temperature at a good place. It works excellent for me and I've been doing it this way for 15+ years. Granted, my seeds are all vegetables and no cactus or anything like what you're growing.
You’re my favorite person on TH-cam. When I see your videos I get excited. It’s so funny you collab with my other favorite TH-cam cero Gordo guy. Anyway I’m so happy for your thanksgiving! Agave from seed!!!! Btw I have a channel nothing like yours but it’s called aquaponics world and I’m sure your viewers would dig it. Anyway thanks again for your work and dedication to this channel it makes my day! I can see it now cero gordo with a hotel and dust ups with a forest. Let’s go!!!!
Soaking seeds for 3-4 days in water and some diluted urine also works.
I grow a lot of fig and flowering shrubs from cuttings using coco-fiber because it is inert and far less likely to grow any fungus. I have also sprouted wild flower seeds using coco-fiber or peat with vermiculite and perlite. Using an inert media as a starting media will give you the best chance of avoiding mold.
Shaun, congrats on 200K subs, you deserve that and more!
I love watching your progress, Shaun. In my experience with indoor seed germination, excess microbes reduce germination success rates. I get the best results germinating in paper towels with chlorinated tap water. I transplant to potting soil that has been moistened with chlorinated water. I don’t add bacteria until my seedling is established and growing, which usually takes 1-2 weeks.
Loosen the soil around the agave roots with deeply thrust large garden fork. Then embrace as much of the Agave as possible and start moving it around in a circle without twisting it. Rock the plant back and forth, side to side, then circles again, over and over to loosen the root from the soil. Your best chance of eventually pulling it up without snapping the root off.
Coming from the mushroom world simply boiling water isn't hot enough to kill all mold spores, we use a pressure cooking method to ensure everything is dead the target temp is 121C. Also ideally you would do anything with the container open in front of a hepa filter forcing air across you and the opening to blow away any new spores from getting in. If you don't want to do the hepa filter route I have also had success with a still air box, and those can be made relatively cheaply. I don't know important it is for you to keep out mold spores in your application, but for mushrooming it is extremely important. Paul Stamets has some great books on the process and here on YT Southwest Mushrooms has some pretty good explanation videos.
With the Agave, think of it like potatoes, you're trying to keep the root. When I used to grow potatoes, I used a pickfork instead of a shovel
Your persistence is inspiring. I'd given up hope a long time ago!
It will be exiting to see if the transplants work good because this could speed up establishing the agave crop and Increase the value of the land so this pays for itself over time and increases the incentive to keep growing a desert forest ✌️👏
The rolls doubled will give you amazing evaporation barrier and hold any moisture put down in place plus add great mulch. Do you put any fertilizer down after establishment of plants? Vegetative additives will help hold the nutrients in place.
Keep paper towel moist by capillary action of a wick of rolled paper toweling to that which the seeds are on. Allow more space tween the seeds so when they germinate you can plant with attached paper toweling and thus less disturbance of the newly germinated.
You can create new plants from the broken leaves. Would be the quickest way to create numbers of new large plants.
You should take off some of the large leaves from the ones you transplant because there are less roots to give water to all the leaves. So taking some off can help the plant deal with the transplant shock
I have a lot of success by germinating in sand inside of a closed clear container, fungus won’t grow as easily in sand and the small particle size of the sand helps the seedlings break through to the surface.
Awesome find on the mulch rolls. Now if it would just rain. lol
@PRINCESSDREAMYLYN
- How large a rain event are you predicting and when?
Amen to that
I commonly use the paper towel method to germinate seeds for my garden (not cacti or agave), but I don't use a ziplock bag like most do. I use a small, flat plastic tub like what luncheon meat sometimes is sold in. More oxygen is available, and that helps some with spoilage issues.
Here we use peat moss as it is plentiful and it cleans out the water as it holds more and keeps the ground moist. it decomposes slower than coconut fibre and is used to suplement the soils ph values but can use up nitrogen. this is a good choice for you and can be a bonus for the soil.
@MargaretKolosky - Is the coconut coir so expensive because it has to be imported?
@@christopherd.winnan8701 coconut is imported in Canada and some things do not work from one area to another I never had any problems with planting but in some areas it is difficult and needs more knowledge to work.
@@MargaretKolosky - Where is it imported from?
Sir. that was the most solid first 15 seconds of a vido i have seen. nice intro.
I have tune in every week hoping for rain. Just to see the water projects at work. I'll be back
When you put seeds in dirt it has to had contact with seed all around. Cover them 1cm with dirt and light press. And sprey with water. Seeds must have moisture. Yours can be seen and are dry from one side. Cower them with towel. And moist towel when dry.
If you take a look at germinated ones they were in soil, not on top of soil.
I made same mistake and had same results.
You are good. It is Nice to see your progress
I love the spirit of this channel. 🤘
My silver agave largely seems to propagate on it's own from pups/runners. That would probably be a better way to get a little more established agaves if you can find an established shed patch that is propagating just pull some of the babies.