Vetiver.org Blog Post on Geotropism

A post on vetiver.org showing geotropism of Vetiver roots as a slideshow has some excellent steep slope applications. These are as about as extreme as they get!

Blog Post here.

Direct Link to Pictorial/PDF.

Mulch Rows

These rows of Vetiver have pioneered a grass area and have transitioned to a fruit tree planting and pollarded Eucalypts over time. As long as the shade over the Vetiver isn’t too high, the Vetiver continues to provide mulch to the point of suppressing most weeds.

Most applications of the cut Vetiver are applied to the preexisting cut Vetiver. As the grass blade has small amounts of Vetiver oil, it is resistant to rot and lasts much longer than other grass mulches like sugar cane.

Gully Silt Capture

A scour and capture inside a gully with a moderate flow.

Char Pot Planting

Charpots getting planted.

Char Pots Update

After 8 weeks, the charpot trial can be considered a mild success. A low-cost, renewable and sustainable media with no additives (other than animal manure and the feed to create it), enriched by said manure and ground contact. As lower quality slips were used, 1 didn’t survive and a few are less than fully ready (single tiller growth only). The plants pictured are healthy enough and are ready to be transplanted.