Edible Ground Layer and Roots in Tropical Agroforestry скачать в хорошем качестве

Edible Ground Layer and Roots in Tropical Agroforestry

So we all want our food forests to be lush and abundant. We envision it teeming and crawling with life on every layer, or "strata" in the lingo of the day. And that is the right vision to have. But, one of the biggest mistakes anyone can make is trying to plant ALL the layers at once: canopy, understory trees, shrubs, vines, ground covers, roots... Now, let me clarify something I say in the video: in a temperate climate agroforestry system it is entirely possible to start on the ground (with comfrey or mangel or what have you) and work your way up. But in my intimate experience, in the degraded tropics the system gets flipped on it's head. You're better off starting with a canopy of fast growing pioneers and anchor the rest of the layers underneath it. Take a step back and see not the plants, but the SYSTEM you want to instigate. The plants in each layer depend on plants in the other layers. Particularly in the warm equatorial zone, where the sun is direct all year, valuable and edible ground layer plants like Ginger Turmeric Cardamom Galangal San Pedro Black Pepper need partial SHADE and WELL MULCHED SOIL. If you are working with deforested land like we were, those plants won't thrive if you plant them in compacted soil, direct sun, and no organic matter. Note: a few exceptions that can take the sun are: Camote Pineapple Pigeon Pea Pumpkin Fortunately, establishing a canopy in the tropics can happen fast if you pick the right plants: banana, plantain, balsa, and Madre de Cacao (glircidia) are good to start. Leave any questions or suggestions for more tropical ground covers in the comments please! For more on how to get started regenerating in the tropics and five year transformation watch this video next    • Regenerating deforested land into a Food F...