14 Feb 2016 Sun
Gidday,
Education has been a major focus at our Permaculture Demonstration Site property for several years now and one of the points I have spoken of is that our properties need to work for us instead of us working for it. However with the focus on students and people systems some of the management of the property hasnt been addressed very well and the result is that production hasnt been at an optimum.
So of late I have been troubled whenever I have looked at a section of bananas as I have walked past it because it is quite overgrown with some tough grasses. This stand of bananas hasnt been producing very well and also is frustrating to manage with the mower or whipper snipper.
![IMG_1180[1]](https://i0.wp.com/permeco.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/img_11801.jpg?resize=720%2C540&ssl=1)
So today I got in there and got quite aggressive with the grasses and then added some beautiful compost from the “Bio-digester chicken compost “system. This was covered with some cardboard sheetmulch and then sawdust.
![IMG_1181[1]](https://i0.wp.com/permeco.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/img_11811.jpg?resize=720%2C540&ssl=1)
Now the bananas will have less competition from the grasses and have been fed so production should increase and with the mulched area right up to the wire fence maintenance should be much easier. I feel that this will now last without a major input for 6-8 months. I will add some pinto peanut Arachis pintoi cuttings into the mulch to start a living mulch of legume.
Feels good and will look real good when I walk past tomorrow!
Cheers Tom
©2016 Tom Kendall; permeco.org, incorporating Permaculture Research Institute Sunshine Coast, simplicity, permaculture, self reliance and homesteading, easing banana maintenance.
Author: Tom Kendall
Tom is a lifelong agriculturalist and co-founder of the Permaculture Research Institute Sunshine Coast Inc. His site "Maungaraeeda" is a Permaculture Demonstration and Education Site. He is a Permaculture Educator and Consultant, and has a wealth of knowledge about how to be truly sustainable. Water management strategies, alternative fuel generation, animal systems and numerous other Permaculture Designed Solutions are his speciality.
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Bananas will be happy… thanks for sharing… pinto peanut … great idea!