Tithonia diversifolia is a species of flowering plant that is commonly known as the tree marigold, Mexican tournesol, Mexican sunflower, Japanese sunflower or Nitobe chrysanthemum. It is native to Mexico and Central America but has a nearly pantropical distribution as an introduced species.
It has shown potential in raising the soil fertility in soils depleted in nutrients. This plant is a "weed" that grows quickly and has become an option as an affordable alternative to expensive synthetic fertilizers.
It can be grown as shrub of hedge
Tithonia diversifolia is 2–3 m (6.6–9.8 ft) in height with upright and sometimes ligneous stalks in the form of woody shrubs. The large, showy flowers are yellow to orange colored and 5–15 cm wide and 10–30 cm long.
It works as a fertilizer but it takes a lot of work
Harvesting and distributing this fertilizer over the land by hand is very labor-intensive. The best yields come when T. diversifolia is grown off the land as to not take up growing space. For this reason, when time spent on labor has been factored, this approach may not be beneficial to a farmer.
Tithonia diversifolia can be used as organic fertilizer biomass. For this use, the plant is first grown in hedges around the edges of harvest land. The green stems (not the woody stems), leaves, and flowers can be removed from the plant at a farmer selected time, though it is recommended that cutting every 5 months will give a plentiful amount of nutrients in the biomass. The biomass can also be used as a mulch and can be left on top of the soil to decompose into the ground.
How to propagate
Cuttings root very easily, just like cassava, in fact, you can grow them together.
Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L3gcvS0oZQ
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tithonia_diversifolia
https://growerjim.blogspot.com/2014/08/tithonia-diversifolia-bolivian-sunflower.html
http://www.thesurvivalgardener.com/meet-amazing-giant-sunflower-that-fixes/
https://www.echocommunity.org/en/resources/61d7b231-5e4e-4448-82d0-51d83a5025e8
Showing posts with label Mulch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mulch. Show all posts
Urban Homestead Grows 150 Fruit Trees in the Desert on 1/3 Acre, using wood chips (video)
"John from http://www.growingyourgreens.com/ visits Phoenix, Arizona to share with you an urban homestead that grows 150 fruit trees on just 1/3 of an acre. You will also learn about other vegetables and animals on the property in the Sonoran Desert climate.
In this episode, John visits Jake Mace, once of his viewers that is growing food successfully in Phoenix. You will get a tour of Jake's place showing many of his edible fruit trees, also sharing his main method of fertilizing his trees, how he waters his trees, the vegetables that grows the best in the desert, and how Jake uses animals to his benefit without eating them.
You will learn about a cold tolerant avocado, the best perennial onion to grow in a desert climate, you will also learn animal jake lets graze in his yard to eat all the weeds, and it is not goats.
Finally, John will sit down with this urban homesteader and you will find out, why Jake decided to start growing his food, his opinions on animals on the homestead, how Jake lives on a plant based diet and can do more push ups than you, and much, much more.
After watching this episode, you will have a better awareness of how you can successfully grow fruit trees in a desert climate, how to use animals to your benefit on an urban homestead without eating them, and how you can thrive on a plant based diet."
Related:
SuperSize Your Vegetables with Wood Chips & Rock Dust in Your Garden
https://youtu.be/MEkFFRjDkvs
In this episode, John visits Jake Mace, once of his viewers that is growing food successfully in Phoenix. You will get a tour of Jake's place showing many of his edible fruit trees, also sharing his main method of fertilizing his trees, how he waters his trees, the vegetables that grows the best in the desert, and how Jake uses animals to his benefit without eating them.
You will learn about a cold tolerant avocado, the best perennial onion to grow in a desert climate, you will also learn animal jake lets graze in his yard to eat all the weeds, and it is not goats.
Finally, John will sit down with this urban homesteader and you will find out, why Jake decided to start growing his food, his opinions on animals on the homestead, how Jake lives on a plant based diet and can do more push ups than you, and much, much more.
After watching this episode, you will have a better awareness of how you can successfully grow fruit trees in a desert climate, how to use animals to your benefit on an urban homestead without eating them, and how you can thrive on a plant based diet."
Related:
SuperSize Your Vegetables with Wood Chips & Rock Dust in Your Garden
https://youtu.be/MEkFFRjDkvs
If you have a lawn, you need a scythe -- every permaculturist should own a scythe
Scythe is best for cutting grass
It beats the lawnmower any day, especially for longer grass. From permaculture.co.uk:
"How often do you find yourself using a tool which, in one form or another, dates back at least a millennia, and yet which outperforms its modern equivalents in pretty much every way that matters? How often do you find yourself using a tool whose basic principle can be traced back almost to the dawn of agriculture, and yet which, with a lot of smart but fairly minimal modernisation along the way, is still in use globally because it still works? And what are the chances of this tool also being physically beautiful object, and a delight to use?"
Scything is great exercise too
I sometimes joke that the most effective exercise regimen is not called Cross-Fit but "Cross-Cut". The twisting motion slims the core of the body and decreases the dangerous abdominal fat (the one that is pro-inflammatory). Make sure to watch a brief training video before start using your scythe.
Longer grass cut by scythe is great mulch
The cut grass serves as a great mulch around the plants here in Florida. It conserves moisture and lowers the soil temperature. I use a soaker hose either on top or below the grass mulch.
References:
Why every permaculturist should own a scythe http://buff.ly/1S7xGnG
Here is my current scythe setup purchased from Amazon. You need 3 things: shaft, blade and sharpener.
Related reading:
The Scythe: A Tool For Sustainable Farming - HEART Village - Sustainability Training in Central Florida http://buff.ly/1Ta5HXr
It beats the lawnmower any day, especially for longer grass. From permaculture.co.uk:
"How often do you find yourself using a tool which, in one form or another, dates back at least a millennia, and yet which outperforms its modern equivalents in pretty much every way that matters? How often do you find yourself using a tool whose basic principle can be traced back almost to the dawn of agriculture, and yet which, with a lot of smart but fairly minimal modernisation along the way, is still in use globally because it still works? And what are the chances of this tool also being physically beautiful object, and a delight to use?"
Scything is great exercise too
I sometimes joke that the most effective exercise regimen is not called Cross-Fit but "Cross-Cut". The twisting motion slims the core of the body and decreases the dangerous abdominal fat (the one that is pro-inflammatory). Make sure to watch a brief training video before start using your scythe.
Longer grass cut by scythe is great mulch
The cut grass serves as a great mulch around the plants here in Florida. It conserves moisture and lowers the soil temperature. I use a soaker hose either on top or below the grass mulch.
References:
Why every permaculturist should own a scythe http://buff.ly/1S7xGnG
Here is my current scythe setup purchased from Amazon. You need 3 things: shaft, blade and sharpener.
Related reading:
The Scythe: A Tool For Sustainable Farming - HEART Village - Sustainability Training in Central Florida http://buff.ly/1Ta5HXr
Free wood chips for mulch are available from the local power company
Most local power companies have a program that provides free wood chips. Here is one example from FPL in South Florida:
"When our line-clearing contractors are trimming trees in your area, you may be eligible for free mulch. Once FPL’s line-clearing professionals have completed work in your area, they will use a wood chipper to grind the tree limbs and branches into mulch. This type of mulch is different from store-bought mulch, which is treated and made from one kind of tree. The quality and consistency of this mulch varies considerably, depending on the types of trees and leaves removed during the tree work. FPL does not recommend this mulch for aesthetic use in formal landscape beds, but rather for use around trees and other plants to:
Maintain moisture
Maintain soil temperature
Reduce weeds and grasses
Provide nutrients to the soil, and
Reduce wind erosion from uncovered soils.
Orders for mulch are filled based on a minimum of one truckload. This is equal to 14 cubic yards of mulch, which is approximately 130 bags from a retail store or 25 wheelbarrow loads. To order free mulch, call the phone number on the letter or door card you received to request an application."
https://www.fpl.com/reliability/trees/line-clearing.html
Here is an example from Arizona: How I get Wood Chips for FREE in My Garden:
Related:
Where to Find Safe Mulch - The Survival Gardener http://buff.ly/1WBpdyp
Citizen Forestry Manual. Miami-Dade County (PDF).
http://www.miamidade.gov/environment/library/brochures/dig-in.pdf
"When our line-clearing contractors are trimming trees in your area, you may be eligible for free mulch. Once FPL’s line-clearing professionals have completed work in your area, they will use a wood chipper to grind the tree limbs and branches into mulch. This type of mulch is different from store-bought mulch, which is treated and made from one kind of tree. The quality and consistency of this mulch varies considerably, depending on the types of trees and leaves removed during the tree work. FPL does not recommend this mulch for aesthetic use in formal landscape beds, but rather for use around trees and other plants to:
Maintain moisture
Maintain soil temperature
Reduce weeds and grasses
Provide nutrients to the soil, and
Reduce wind erosion from uncovered soils.
Orders for mulch are filled based on a minimum of one truckload. This is equal to 14 cubic yards of mulch, which is approximately 130 bags from a retail store or 25 wheelbarrow loads. To order free mulch, call the phone number on the letter or door card you received to request an application."
https://www.fpl.com/reliability/trees/line-clearing.html
Here is an example from Arizona: How I get Wood Chips for FREE in My Garden:
Related:
Where to Find Safe Mulch - The Survival Gardener http://buff.ly/1WBpdyp
Citizen Forestry Manual. Miami-Dade County (PDF).
http://www.miamidade.gov/environment/library/brochures/dig-in.pdf
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