The Benefits of Tagasaste in the Food Forest and When to Harvest for Mulch
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- I'm always mentioning my tagasaste trees in my videos so today I thought I'd make it the star of the show. I'll discuss the benefits of this pioneer species tree and why I love it here in my climate. One of the problems I've come across though is the question of when to harvest the branches for mulch. I run through my thoughts on this and then do a quick harvest.
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Hi Linda love your videos. I’m in SE Melbourne where can I find seedlings or plants. I’m going to my nearby nursery or bunnings to see if they have any.
Hi there and thanks! My local native nursery has tagasaste (also know as tree lucerne) seedlings so maybe you could get some at a similar place. You could probably order seeds online. They are fairly easy to germinate and grow into a decent sized plant fairly quickly.
So after you chop and drop, I can see the leaves eventually falling off but what happens to the bare branches? Do you just leave them at the base of tree or do you remove? Thank you
It all gets left there to decompose. The woody material contains lignin which is a fungal food so promotes fungal growth. Soil with a higher fungal to bacteria ratio supports our productive trees (and forests).
Great to see a video on tagasaste! My goats love it, but I don't have any round here. I carry my loppers in my ute always to harvest trees overhanging fences.
Did you sow seed or buy seedlings?
Do you have a video on starting them off?
Hi Ruby! I’ve bought seedlings and started from seed. No video on it. I nicked the seed casing then soaked overnight with good success. I bought seeds from eden seeds and they supplied innoculant as well for the nitrogen fixing bit. I’ve heard other people have success just putting in hot water & soaking.
Great video Linda, I've been planting tagasaste this week and have more to go in, you've answered some of my questions about when to prune etc
Thanks Simon! Happy to help 😄
Oh and thank you, from my bees!!
They are everywhere around here Linda. The farmers have them planted along the fence lines and at the moment they are in full bloom and look really lovely. Great video full of info as always 🙌🏼 xx Cathi xx
I think they are beautiful!! Thanks Cathi!! x
I’ve noticed in other videos that you had tagasate as seedlings. Did you grew them from seed? Despite being labeled a “weed”, they are notoriously difficult to germinate. I am experimenting with some tagasate seeds. I was given, but wondered if you had any experience?
Hi Sarah! Yes I did grow from seed. The seeds were scarified first (a small nick with a knife) then soaked overnight. Germination after that is pretty good. Good luck with your seeds!!
They certainly haven’t proven weedy in my environment- not one self seeded tree in the 3 years I’ve been growing them.
There's definitely nitrogen being made available to other plants when you chop and drop. The common impression that there's root die back to match the above ground pruning is definitely not accurate (or coppicing simply would not work!), but the leaves and ramial wood contain loads of nitrogen that was pulled out of the atmosphere and used in building the proteins in the leaves and branches. That nitrogen goes back into the soil and becomes available to other plants.
Thanks Peter - that’s what I was trying to say in the video however you state it much here!! 😄
Hi Linda do u have video where u first grown your trees? I have received my seeds and not sure if I can propagate now? Will leave it in house though. Am in south east Melbourne. Enjoying your videos. Cheers
Hi there - sorry no I don't. Did you get innoculant with them?? Growing the trees is pretty easy - I usually knick the seed just a little then soak overnight before sowing in individual tubes. I have known people not to bother knicking them but put them in hot water when they soak them and that seems to get them going as well. Follow the instructions supplied for using the innoculant - probably just dust them after soaking and just before sowing! Good luck!!
Hi Linda those bees are so happy in that beautiful tree, hope you're doing well love Kirsten xx
Hi Kirsten they just love those trees! I’m great - hope you are too xx
Halo i am from turkey
Hi Irfan thanks for watching!!
Hi Linda, those seed pods really concern me? I think this has the potential to become a real problem for you, I hope I’m wrong.
Hi Michael! Pioneer species such as tagasaste and acacias grow when conditions call for them. Their role in nature is to repair damaged soils and they grow in soils that have a low bacteria to fungal ratio. So far only the acacias have volunteered in the still to be repaired areas of my swale cut out, and also throughout the swale berms. The tagasaste have yet to volunteer once. In my conditions it's just not favourable for them but I'm sure in other environments they would be a lot happier - perhaps drier, less grassy places, so you might see them take off a lot more in these places. As the soil improves with mulching, and fungal populations grow, conditions become less favourable for pioneers as the more acidic soils (created by the fungi) means there is less nitrogen available to these plants in the form that they can utilise. So I don't expect to have a problem. If some trees did happen to grow and they are not in a place that I'd like them, my fantastic brush cutter can deal with them in a similar manner as it deals with long persistent grasses, and the biomass (full of beneficial carbon and nitrogen) can be added to the soil surface - so that's a win too! I've learnt a lot about all of this. Permaculture helps you see things in a different way. If a plant wants to grow abundantly, don't be afraid, just use that tendency to your advantage and the advantage of the system you are nurturing! 😊
Thanks Linda. Tag has got into our native bushland throughout the Perth hills so i am loathe to plant it without being on site at the farm. As you point out there are so many benefits if they are managed well and being bee forage through winter is definitely an important one as well as the speed it grows to use as a mulch.
Yeah totally agree with you there - management is key in areas where it can take off. Doesn’t seem to be an issue here - no self seeding at this point!!
Hello please let me know which state you are in?
Thanks 😊
Hi I’m in South Gippsland Victoria
Thankyou for producing all these videos, its great to watch growing in a similar climate to myself in northland NZ.....we also love the tagaste for all the same reasons, I'm just establishing it again as we moved our fence lines and needed to remove a few...luckily though many have popped up by themselves with some of the disturbance of the soil
Thanks Laura! I was thinking that mine haven’t produced any offspring because the soil is covered with vegetation - no disturbance! Love how nature sends in the pioneers to come and fix it all!!
@@huttonsvalleypermaculture yes i just remembered most of it happened in the area where we made a small burn pile.....those ashes and dirt were then spread out.....so its possible the hit also acted like a form of stratification....which would make sense as a pioneer species
It all makes sense when you have a good think about it all!! Thanks x
The rumenants are asking a bit of those tagasaste that you trimmed 🤭🤭🤭💚🌱💚🐏🐑🐐🦙
My alpacas particularly love these trees!!
@@huttonsvalleypermaculture that's why they're yelling at you trimming 🤭🤭🤭
Merhaba Linda, videon görsel ve bilgi açısından harika. Üzgünüm İngilizce bilmiyorum ve kendi dilimde yazmak istedim. - 5 °C (usda 8) bölgesinde yaşıyorum ve yoğun kar yağışı alıyoruz sence tagasaste Burda yaşayabilir mi?. Türkiye ülkesi Balıkesir şehri. Ayrıca serin Akdeniz iklimi ve 700-800 milimetre yağışlar var, rakım 400-500 merte. Videoların da Türkçe dil desteğini ekleyebilirmisin lütfen videolarını izlemeye bayılıyorum şimdiden teşekkür ederim. Ayrıca tagasaste global olarak güvenli bir şekilde nereden satılıyor biliyormusun çünkü koyunlarım için birkaç tane ekmek istiyorum 😊
Hi there! Check out Plants for a Future website pfaf.org - they have a write up on tagasaste. It says that they can tolerate USDA zones 8-12 and can go to😊 -9 celcius so may be ok. Not sure where you can buy some but check out laws for sending seed to your country and perhaps I could post you some seed. Also check whether it is considered an invasive species there and if there are laws around that. In drier areas of australia this plant can be invasive so wouldn't necessarily plant in these areas.
I'll check how to add language support to my videos - I haven't done that before but perhaps Turkish could be the first one!! Thanks so much for watching!
@@huttonsvalleypermaculture Thanks for your interest and knowledge. Unfortunately, there are Customs problems in my country. You are still very kind. It's very nice of you to think about language support, I hope your valuable information spreads all over the world.🤗🤗
ooh thank you so much - just doing what I can 😊
Great video , ill definitely be revisiting this one . Thank you for researching it so well too. Such a useful and pretty plant . Thank you for sharing your knowledge 💚
Hi there! Yes my hands on experience over the last few years is giving me confidence with making the most of this lovely tree!!
Mem you send india by dtdc courier service i will give you seed and courier service charges pay online .
Sorry but I'm hesitant to send seeds overseas due to different regulations and permits required. I'm sure there would be similar fast growing pioneer species available in India - try asking the Paani Foundation
@@huttonsvalleypermaculture ok mem thanku thanku
Very interesting. I’m with you on providing the bees with the flowers then cutting before the seeds develop. I’m sure they will cope with the chopping as they look healthy.
Thanks Judy! Yes it’s definitely the plan - now just to get them all done 😆
want the seed where to b
If you live in Australia - Eden seeds sell them
Lovely video
Thank you 😊
Where do ya get 'em
I got the seeds from Eden seeds but seedlings are also available at a nearby nursery with tube stock so perhaps check around where you are!!
@@huttonsvalleypermaculture ok. I buy all my trees from Wildtech , in Victoria
From kenya.....love ur content
So pleased you’re enjoying it! Thanks for watching 😊