Mulch as a Drylands Strategy

Mulch is absolutely crucial to getting a new system going. Deserts are particularly in need of it as the soil life and ecosystem have been severely damaged and disabled.

Herbaceous material is great, but woody material is extremely important for developing the fungal soils that are good for growing trees. The woody, “chop-and-drop” material really needs to be cut into small pieces so that it can break down, and it will break down even more quickly beneath groundcovers that are trapping humidity.

All the leaves and twigs and bits of wood feed the soil, and this begins the process of growing lots of plants and lots of diversity. The more diversity in what’s growing, the more organic and woody matter that is added to the soil to further feed and broaden the system.

And then, the broadened system will create a fuller nutrient and mineral profile to the landscape as it breaks down. And, on the system grows.

When you feed the soil, you can feed the world!

Key Takeaways

- Using lots of mulch is a key strategy in starting new growing systems, particularly in arid climates where moisture is lost and, thus, soil ecology is minimal.
- Woody mulch material—cut into small pieces—is extremely important because it, rather than herbaceous mulch, fosters fungal soils that are good for trees.
- As the leaves, twigs, and branches break down, they create a better-suited environment for more diverse plant life. That plant life then breaks down and broadens the system again. And the process repeats into rich botanical diversity growing in very fertile soils.
- “If you feed the soil, you can feed the world.”

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About Geoff:

Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth, each other, and to return the surplus.

About Permaculture:

Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial synergies – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in diverse natural systems. Permaculture applies holistic solutions that are applicable in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.

#permaculture #greeningthedesert #mulch

[bitlessmind]

I've asked the neighbours in our village for their cuttings to get a decent amount of mulch. They still provide it to me and I'm very thankful for it.

[puskycarrera]

Hi everyone. I have been using these methods in Saudi Arabia for more that a year now and have had amazing results. The same exact spices have been used. More lucina and siganporian daise. I will post videos on it soon to the channel. Very exciting to see that Geoff is recommending these trees and herbs as mulch and I’ve been lucky enough to be using them by chance.

[traildude]

I helped a cousin who lived in eastern Washington state turn his yard into a lawn. It started as hard-pan, and they'd tried putting mulch on it but that had only a negligible result over three years. What I did was till up the ground ten inches deep, then put six inches of mulch on top, then tilled sixteen inches deep, which mixed the mulch into the top layer of soil. What this did was give enough organic matter that the ground absorbed moderately quickly where before water had pooled and mostly evaporated despite the mulch on top. After one good rain where the neighbors' yard had standing water that mostly evaporated, my cousin's yard absorbed most of the rain. With another heavy rain forecast in a few days I implemented my next step: they had a rabbit which of course produced copious amounts of droppings that were high in nutrient content, so while the soil was damp we spread rabbit droppings in a layer about 3/4" deep and tilled that into the top eight inches. Since the ground was highly alkaline, and since coffee grounds could be had for free by the five-gallon bucket load, we mixed another 3/4" worth of coffee grounds with the rabbit droppings before tilling. After the next rain we bought enough "planting mulch" mix to cover the ground an inch deep; we mixed grass seed and some vetch seed into the planting mulch thoroughly and spread the result out evenly then tamped the surface down so it was smooth and level. He had to water it a few times through the summer but that was the last time; with the organic content in the upper layer of soil and a light addition of light mulch each spring that yard turned lawn became the envy of the neighborhood; it turns brown in mid-summer but becomes green again after the first rain (which sometimes comes in August!). The only things he added after the second year were corn gluten meal granules and coffee grounds. That lawn was a superb selling point when they got a new house!

Anyway, I related this to point out that sometimes mulch on the surface isn't enough and tilling in a first batch of mulch to give soil fiber and the ability to actually absorb water can get things started. It isn't even necessary to till the entire area if you're just trying to green it (as opposed to making a lawn); in Eastern Oregon with the same sort of alkaline soil it's been show that tilling some strips or circles covering only a fifth of the area and tilling in compost/mulch is enough to jump-start things; once there is green plant cover on those portions the earthworms will slowly but steadily extend the borders, turning more and more ground into actual soil -- it's just necessary to keep the entire area well-covered in mulch (including coffee grounds; in small amounts the earthworms love them).

[duascorpus]

For anyone living in AZ, I know that these methods are a lot about getting non-native plants to grow, but we actually have many native food plants! In fact, all 3 of our main native legumes: palo verde, ironwood and mesqute, are edible and delicious! So I highly recommend using them as shade, mulch and food while actively supporting native wildlife :) We have so many other edible native plants too like chia, cholla, prickly pear, saguaro, saltbushes etc! Im definitely not advocating against bringing in things like olives and whatnot, but adding in native plants whenever you can is a great way to support ourselves and our pollinators :D (Ps AZ has the highest diversities of native bee species in the US and possibly the world!)

[TheJesusFreeke]

I love the low key statement that y'all broke records for olive oil quality...I have no doubt you all produce some of the most incredible, nutrient-dense foods ever. As a child, I thought botany was boring. Now I know our lives literally depend on it, so I guess it's not so boring anymore.... :)

[ninemoonplanet]

I showed your videos to my neighbours, two from Qatar, the rest from Palestine. They showed strong interest in how much change can be achieved in that hyper arid land.
Are any students/instructors able to get into Palestine and teach those farmers permaculture? It's one thing they really could use..
When I first saw that land, dusty, rocky, barren, I said to myself, "Wow, that's one challenge I don't think I could take on."
Years of progress is so wondrous, replacing dust to green.
Thank you, for the people who live in Jordan, relatives of my neighbours, and training people to finally get some progressive actions to have foods without the costs of import.

[BarbaraC]

Thank you for all of your videos... especially the ones addressing dryland strategies. I live in Tucson, Arizona within the Sonoran Desert. It's definitely capable of growing more but the long drought we've been experiencing is a challenge. I've been following your advice for 6 years and I'm able to grow and keep alive more by mulching (rocks, wood chips, horse/cow manure/ chicken manure mixed with pine shavings). I grew 20ft Laucaena trees, so beautifully, but lost them during our winter and 3 hard freezes (zone 9b). They are slowly coming back in May. I plant vegetables in 15 gallon containers under mesquite trees so they receive some shade during heat. I like your perennial suggestion. I found Mexican Petunia's pretty and an easy to grow, self seeding (a pest at times) ground cover. It's been great for mulching. Love all of your videos, thank you and your team.

[mandandi]

Very informative. I have seen the benefits of this over the past 3 years. The soil in my yard is getting better at supporting more plants and grasses. I simply let the grasses grow without chopping it thru the rainy season, at which point I cut it all and made compost with it. This past rainy season, I did the chop-and-drop using the grass and the vegetables I grew are thriving, as well as some trees.
Now I am using goat manure in and on top of the soil and mulch with the grass on top of the manure. I don't need to water as much, the soil stays moist longer. So I use less water to water my plants. In fact, I use water from cleaning utensils I give chickens water in most of the time now. My water bill hasn't gone up by much despite growing more plants.

Compost tea from goat dung has percolated deep into the soil too and helps with improving nutrient profile of the soil. Worms are more plentiful too. Over the next few months after southern hemisphere winter, I will be planting lots of fruit trees finally. I hope to have a food forest in a few years in my yard.

[cherylreid]

Thank you Geoff, family and team. At a time of never ending bad news your permaculture videos are a wonderful, positive tonic for the spirit. I visited your own permaculture farm seven years ago and it remains one of the most uplifting experiences of my life. I am lucky to live in a similar environment not far from there and constantly refer to your teachings in an effort to become more self sufficient. 💕

[louisegogel]

This is awesome Geoff. Thank you for the more in depth tour and explanation of mulching.

When I was living near the sea on Cape Cod, I mulched my raspberry patch with ten inches of washed up sea weed. The soil temp, moisture, and fertility were wonderful. I never had to pull out any unwanted plants around the raspberry plants. And there was always an super abundance of delicious raspberries, enough to tide us over winter!

Mulching is something superb to do.

[jesssmart]

Geoff’s back, such inspirational work

[TheParadiseParadox]

We're planning on how to use some of your techniques here on the ranch in Jalisco, Mexico. Fortunately we don't have so many problems with water, considering there's a rainy season that lasts for about 4 months, and also some natural springs on the property. Even so, many parts of the property get very dry during the dry season, so we hope to look at cultivating ground cover and mulching to keep the moisture in for the whole year.

We're looking at the plants we can already find on the land to put to use. For example, we can get some equisetum from near the creeks and use it to make a reed bed for processing our grey water. There's also a herb which seems to be edible, which it seems the previous groundskeeper was using as ground cover near a banana tree. So we'll see if we can use that. Also some verdolaga/purslane which might be useful and tasty.

Greetings from Mexico and thanks for your work. Showing your videos to my companions has planted some seeds in their minds, seeing what is possible.

[mojavebohemian]

Thank you Mr. Lawton. Keep 'em coming as we are all thirsty for the GTD project info and videos. (North east Arizona, USA)

[norxgirl]

Scrambling to deep mulch trees here in 6b7a it when first planted them several years ago, dug swales and berms since we are on a 10% grade. About halfway done....

Always in the lookout for local tree companies needing to dump chip....very blessed....noticed early on the volunteer trees that grew out of first chip pile looked better than any other 200 planted trees here....staying I go back and water until it runs off....

[JeremyThomas_Environmentarian]

Thank you so much Geoff for the tour. It's amazing to see the changes and progress and systems all working. Congratulations and I will continue to use your ideas, knowledge you provide free, and systems, in my own half acre in rural NSW, Australia.

[louisputallaz]

Tnx Geoff, chop, drop and mulch, Ape take note, do this instead of burning, less carbon in the air a good thing.

[AmzBackyardOrchardandVineyard]

Greetings from Arizona zone 9B, thanks for all of your tips and tricks, we definitely use them in our portrait and Vineyard and it works wonderfully! Cheers 🥂😎

[shovelspade]

Great to see you Geoff, your looking well which is a beautiful reflection of the environments your help create. Take care

[victorjre]

For saline and saline-sodic soils I've discovered a wonder. Well, more like the wonder discovered me: Batis Maritima. It grows naturally in that kind of soils in the Caribbean. I used to fight it until I discovered regenerative agriculture and now is my best ally.

[hermes]

Thank you Geoff!! Please do more dryland videos. Love to see them and learn