Removing Invasive Arundo, practices and recommendations
How to Remove Invasive Arundo Donax practices and recommendations.
An Alternative view of Arundo Donax (The Giant Reed).
Arundo as ally and gift, How to manage this crop for economic and cultural betterment.
Date: 12/12/2011 12:45:00 PM ( 13 y ) ... viewed 7833 times
This blog is a work in progress...
I will return to add more...
it is now...4:18 pm
December 12, 2011
MAKE LOVE, NOT WAR WITH ARUNDO DONAX, THE GIANT REED
The City of San Diego, and its Fire Department, and most Cities that work with Brush Management are currently in a war with Arundo Donax, The Giant Reed. They consider it a Fire Hazard and recommend an arsenal of Roundup Herbicide and other weed killers to deal with the problem than now costs millions of dollars and adds millions of dollars to the Monsanto profit margin. This magnificent gift from Nature has more than 102 Uses I am exploring, including the latest…valued as Musical Instruments by lovely participants in the Winter Solstice at the Centro De La Raze leading into 2012. I am taking a stand to demonstrate on the Enchanted Garden Intentional Community Growing Grounds near SDSU some of the benefits of Arundo Donax. I proclaim this land the last stand for Roundup Herbicide. I am calling on you to support this through signing a petition to Outlaw Roundup Herbicide and also coming out to help transform a patch of Arundo Donax into a demonstration plot. This little spot currently will be herbicided unless education takes place. To borrow from another spiritual tradition, I see the holding off of Roundup Herbicide on this little plot as a Chanukah Story. Will the Arundo Donax Macabee Warriors hold off the Roundup Herbicide? Innocent good neighbors, threatened by the high cost of brush management of fears that Arundo might come back, want to use the Roundup. Roundup herbicide is the most common approach to killing Arundo now; but why not just make peace with the plant and find its many uses as a crop?
I will expand and repeat the Arundo Donax Blessing Ceremony at the 2012 Ascension event at the World Beat Center, December 31-January 1, 2012.
WHERE TO SIGN THE PETITION TO OUTLAW ROUND UP HERBICIDE http://www.change.org/petitions/outlaw-roundup-herbicide
INDEX OF PLANT YOUR DREAM BLOGS IN THIS ENCHANTED GARDEN CAMPAIGN
USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan (R) with Leslie Goldman, Enchanted Gardener, at USDA headquarters, on the Fall Equinox 2011. This was Organic Listening Day. I spoke honoring Sec of Ag Tom Villsack, and Dr. Robert Fraley, the father of Roundup Herbicide. I called for a return to an organic approach, and see this as essential to regain the foundation of a sound economy and America the Beautiful.
THESE ARE SUGGESTED PROCEDURE
FROM THE CARLSBAD WATERSHED NETWORK
FOR THE IRRADICATION OF ARUNDO DONAX (GIANT REED)
Treatment Options
Arundo can be successfully removed only by completely killing the root system either by thorough physical removal or herbicide. Pulling and cutting can both be effective techniques if all of the rhizomes and above the ground vegetation are removed.
Herbicides are often applied as follow-up to pulling or digging, but more thoroughly the rhizomes are removed, the less the follow-up herbicide will be needed.
Pull or dig plants, from seedlings to six feet tall, ideally after heavy rains loosen the soil. It is important to pull up and remove the roots.
Cut the stems of larger plants with a chainsaw or bushwacker and dig up the roots with a shovel, pick ax or Swedish brush ax. Alternatively, use heavy equipment such as an excavator.
Cut the stems as close to the ground as possible in May and cover the clum0ps with a very thick tarp or several tarps for an entire growing season. This should prevent light from reaching the plant (reducing its ability to photosynthesize) and keep re growth from tearing the tarp. The lack of light will eventually deplete the plant's energy resources and it will die back.
Foliar spray. Some practitioners have sprayed 2-5 % dilution of glyphosate onto the leaves after the plant has flowered, but before summer dormancy.
Cut and treat. As an alternative to foliar spraying, a stronger concentration of glyphosate can be applied to stems immediately after cutting. Make sure that where necessary, you choose an herbicide product suitable for use near water.
Disposal
Both treated and not treated stems can be left on-site to decompose, although they breakdown very slowly. If left to compost, the essential thing to remember is to keep it away from the water. For stem that have not been chemically treated and in areas where it is feasible, the debris can be burned. Otherwise the canes can be chipped into very small pieces for mulching. The stems are easier to chip when dried and you will need a heavy-duty chipper to handle the plant's fibrous canes. Chipped materials can be disposed of in green waste containers, or spread out to dry and possibly sprayed with herbicide if any regrowth occurs from the chipped debris. Stem pieces that have no nodes or only one node will not reproduce.
Arundo rhizomes can dry out for over six months and still start growing vigorously whenever they come in contact with moisture. Cut Arundo stems will usually not sprout unless in contact with water or moist soil. Canes that have been cut and stacked for over one month are generally dead. Stem sections require two nodes to reproduce because leaves and roots will not both grow from the same node. (Nodes are the joint-like rings around the stem.)
Therefore, small pieces of stem with no nodes or only one node pose no risk of spreading Arundo.
ALTERNATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS
FROM THE ENCHANTED GARDEN ARUNDO DONAX
TEST SITE AT THE ENCHANTED GARDEN INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY
GROWING GROUNDS
San Diego, CA
December 12, 2011
View On December 12, 2011--within 48 hours, rain permitting, this stand of Arundo Donax (The Giant Reed) will be history and the land will be sprayed with Roundup Herbicide. Before and after shots...
I recommend a different strategy...but that would entail Grace and a Shift in consciousness.
PREMISE
IT IS TIME TO RETHINK OUR RELATIONSHIP
TO ARUNDO DONAX (GIANT REED)
ARUNDO DONAX IS A CROP,
RATHER THAN KILL IT, LEARN TO MANAGE IT, HARVEST IT,
AND REAP THE BENEFITS
Arundo Donax (The Giant Reed) of antiquity and our future, is a plant gift to humanity. It is here to help us regain our beat with nature. The use of Roundup herbicide and other herbicides is to be used with extreme caution. Glysophate and its combined chemicals are measures intended to beat the system, and work against the natural order. Nature always wins. This is clearly evident now. Every time we attempt to have dominion over natural system with GMO Roundup Technology and its GMO offshoot, we create superweeds and superbugs and take one more step closer to ensuring a failing economy for America.
We cannot Bank on Biotechnology to get us home. Securing Our Organic Future begins now in our own backyards as Roundup Herbicide financial success dooms us in the long run to further separation from what sustainable living has in mind for the human condition.
The Earth herself now now asks, entering 2011, that we adapt to her and her plants or die out as a species. Arundo Donax (Giant Reed) and those who honor her will likely survive and learn to thrive; those who fight nature during these times, will likely pass from the earth, and this can be attributed to lack of authentic University and High School education.
We are not in a war with the plant world. We are not in a war with disease, although this is the current strategy in our militaristic outlook toward plants, each other, and nations.
Our wars international are now ending. This is time to reestablish a true and just relationship with our returning men who have been in harm's way. We owe them. We own them a reeducation and jobs in harmony with earth's sustainable future.
ROUNDUP, FYI, NOT ONLY KILLS WEEDS, IT KILLS JOBS
Fletcher Morgan (L) and James Potter, Arborists, cleared this patch of Arundo Donax by hand without Roundup Herbicide. Others spend 12 hours as well clearing this Iwa Jima patch, pulliing roots of Arundo Donax from the hillside about 12 feet from my office and bedroom. I preferred to pay them to do this work that use Roundup that has questionable value. Every few weeks I would have to come to this site to pick out new growth and make garden contact. Such an approach would allow some of the Arundo to grow out from time to time to make bouquets and for other uses. During the rainy season, when there is no fear of fire, I would let it grown. At the beginning of the fire season, I would cut it. That is a natural approach to managing this specific patch. I would rather pay Fletcher and James than pay Monsanto to help me with this patch.
ARUNDO SPEAKS
Arundo Speaks. She says, "Befriend me and I will be your ally. I will gift you with more than 102 uses. I will help you save America The Beautiful. I will provide your youth jobs. Roundup Herbicide kills weeds and jobs.
CREATING A BARRIER TO PREVENT EXPANSION
OF CLUMPING BAMBOO AND ARUNDO
Rhizome Barrier – For Running Bamboos
For most applications, Bamboo Headquarters recommends a heavy, 40 mil, 24″ wide, high density, polyethylene barrier (HDPE), available in lengths up to 250 feet.
To install, dig a narrow trench, 2″ shallower than the width of the barrier, around the perimeter of the area in which you want to contain the bamboo.
Insert the barrier, making sure that two inches of the barrier remain above ground to prevent the rhizomes from jumping over. We recommend that you slant the top of the barrier outward so that the rhizomes bend and grow upwards. Also, inspect the barrier once a year and remove build up of leaves and soil along the edge of the barrier so the rhizomes do not have soil to help them grow over the top.
Be sure to overlap the barrier at least three feet where the two ends meet, use two vertical strips of double sided tape within the overlapped area. This will create a seal and prevent the rhizomes from slipping in-between the seam of the rhizome barrier. Use a dry cloth like old t-shirt, or towel to remove any dust clinging to the barrier surface and to make sure there is no soil in-between the overlapped layers.
Polyethylene barrier is better than concrete, because it does not crack. It is also better than sheet metal, which tends to rust when put in the ground, creating holes for the rhizomes to escape. In most situations, the 24″ deep polyethylene barrier is effective in containing running bamboo. The few exceptions are steep hillsides, or giant timber types of bamboo in soft loamy soil. In these cases we recommend the 30″ or 36″ wide barrier.
We stock bamboo rhizome barrier in full rolls, ranging from 150 – 300′ depending on width and thickness, or will cut and ship to your requirements. There is no minimum order on barrier.
Barrier is now available for purchase online! Click for pricing
HARVEST TIMES FOR ARUNDO
"Arundo Donax is not a problem if you harvest it and use it."--
parphrase Misha Johnson, Wild Willow Edu Center
USES OF ARUNDO DONAX (THE GIANT REED)
HISTORY MAKING: MULCHING ARUNDO DONAX
THE MIRAMAR GREENERY LANDFILL SAID THIS WAS TRASH
IT CAN BE MULCHED.
IT IS NOT TRASH.
Presently in San Diego, where we have large stands of Arundo, it is considered trash by our landfill. The landfill eans some funds from receiving it from contractors who cut it; however, we are running out of landfill space. When I started to work with Arundo, my first challenge was to go against the suggested recommendation of the landfill. They said it could not be mulched. We mulched it. I have since updated this understanding. The Miramar Greenery has a large commercial grinder that receives tons of greenery and produces mulch. In large quantities, Arundo will clog their machine. If you rent a large shredder and take the time to grind some qualities, you can be successful.
My conclusion about Mulching Arundo: We are wasting a valuable resource by considering Arundo Donax as trash.
FIRST CHIPPING AND SHREDDING OF ARUNDO DONAX AT THE ENCHANTED GARDEN
We proved Saturday, September 10 and 11th that Arundo Donax (Giant Reed) could be mulched. We rented this powerful chipper shredder for $200.00 for the weekend. from Ai Rentals. Five people helped bring things up to the chipper and to deliver mulch to trees and plants. Brian Everette, co-owner of the Arosa Property, came down from the San Mateo Eco Village to help.
Fletcher Morgan, a new arborist, is lead the way here at the Enchanted Garden to prove natural methods can be applied to our Arundo Donax, a so called invasive species that is one of the fastest growing plants on earth. Why not use this as a biofuel, or see it as an important crop? Do we need to use Round up as recommended to kill the roots? Let's show that we can work together to create mulch and manage this crop. On the day the Arundo cane conversation was being spoken about taking it all out and using round up, the earthquake hit in Washington. What is Nature's voice in our lives and future? What do plants have to say about human evolution? Lots to learn here now as we learn to keep the beat with nature. Securing Our Organic Future is the call now for everyone everywhere. Send Funds to help us demonstrate. 619.384.2631 for details. Call me. I left for Washington D.C. on Wed September 15 to tell a story about the San Diego Black Out and going beyond living as a Natural Disaster waiting to happen.
ANECDOTES OF INTEREST
UNLABELED GMO PRODUCTS FALL OFF THE SHELF AUGUST 25, 2011,
THE DATE OF THE 5.9 WASHINGTON D.C. EARTHQUAKE
Unlabeled GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) Products fell off the shelves in this Washington D.C. store on August 25, 2011, as the 5.9 earthquake hit.
VP BIDEN WAS VISITING THE JAPAN EARTHQUAKE SITE WHEN
THE WASHINGTON D.C. EARTHQUAKE HIT
Neither President Barack Obama nor Vice President Joe Biden was in the nation's capital when the Virginia earthquake occurred. President Obama was on vacation in Martha's Vineyard, where ABC News reports he was golfing while the earthquake hit, while Biden was in Japan, ironically visiting areas that were hit by last year's earthquake and corresponding tsunami.
ANIMALS ON EAST COAST STARTED SOUNDING THE ALARM
FIFTEEN MINUTED BEFORE THE WASHINGTON D.C. EARTHQUAKE
Animals at zoos across the East Coast showed signs of distress up to 15 minutes before the huge earthquake struck, leaving $100m worth of damage.
Keepers at the National Zoo in Washington DC say that red-ruffed lemurs started barking an alarm call a quarter of an hour before Richter scales leapt at 1.51pm yesterday.
And about three seconds before the ground started to shake, the zoo's gorilla Mandara gave a yell, gathered up her baby, Kibibi, and then climbed a tree.
Zookeepers said Iris the Orangutan started 'belch vocalising' before the earthquake started, and did not stop until it was over, while a 64-strong flock of flamingos huddled together ahead of humans noticing anything was wrong.
NO BRAINER: BIRDS LOVE ORGANIC FOOD AND LIFESTYLE
BECAUSE THEY ARE PART OF NATURE
45 seconds, made November 4, 2011 at the Pacific Symposium.
AUGUST 25, 2011, THE DAY OF THE WASHINGTON D.C., EARTHQUAKE,SYLVIA SOWADSKI, MEMBER OF THE SAN DIEGO FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU SUGGESTED THAT OUR STANDS OF ARUNDO BE REMOVED AND WITH ROUNDUP HERBICIDE. THE EARTHQUAKE HIT SOON THEREAFTER. WHAT IS UP WITH THAT?
Beware of the Tribe of the Arundo....?
NOTE: I want to thank Sylvia and her well meaning team for helping us bring Fire Prevention Awareness to the neighbors along the Arosa Canyon Rim. I believe that history will attest that the endeavors of the San DIego Fire Department and its desire to help us create Defensible Space to save our homes will lead ultimately to a balanced approach bringing solutions for the Posssible Best Future of the Arosa Canyon.
We begin this journey where we are, accepting current procedures, and looking at laws and where they stand now. We move step by step, organically Securing Our Organic Future through what we do here along the Arosa Canyon Rim.
Good men and women use Roundup Herbicide as we enter 2012. The EPA stands poised to outlaw it, if they find the courage and conviction to do as mandated, but the pressures from the Chemical and AgBiz industry need to be factored into our current accepted procedures.
I call on Organic Industry Leaders and salute the following members of our local, national, and international community for hearing the Call of the Arundo as a Wayshower back to reestablishing our lost beat with nature. Making Peace with the "Tribe of the Arundo" shall lead us to a Golden Age of Health and Prosperity, I see and seed.
Your Enchanted Gardener
Leslie Goldman
USDA Commentator
December 12, 2011
10:55 am
LESLIE AT USDA HEADQUARTERS ON WASHINGTON D.C.
SEPTEMBER 20, 2011
ADAPT OR NON-EXIST?
Which direction to you imagine Roundup Herbicide is taking us? As a Nation? As Individuals?
FORMING THE NEW GROUND ASKS COMPOST BUILDING
ARE WE READY TO USE THE PLANTS AROUND US TO DO THAT?
This is one of my favorite quotes from Nobel Peace Prize Winner Romain Rolland. It is from his book called "The Forerunners." This book was written during World War 1. Romain communicated to the heads of state. He wrote letters to President Woodrow Wilson. He called for an end to war through individuals thinking for themselves. This is a very inspired man who lives an inspired and passionate life.
The war we face today is on many fronts. Much is asked as we transition into an age of peace. We will leave war behind. We will leave Roundup and Biotechnology applied to agriculture behind. I will give alternatives in other Plant Your Dream Blogs in 2012 for the ideal food growing system that is based on local support of organic farming and neighbors coming together to take responsibility for growing some of their own food.
THIS WILL BEGIN WITH SUPPORT OF THE USDA PEOPLE'S GARDEN INITIATIVE
My first project for the 2011-2012 Enchanted Garden Campaign began at home. What other choice did I have? Roundup Herbicide has come into my own backyard, that is owned by neighbors across the Arosa Canyon.
NO NEIGHBOR CONTACT, THEN SUDDEN NEED TO COMMUNICATE BETWEEN NEIGHBORS
For years, there was no neighbor contact. We gardened organically on property that I considered part of our 1/3 acre, but was owned, by strange property lines, by the people 500 yards or more away, across a deep shared canyon. The canyon that we all enjoy, and that has produced open space and natural ambiance, is also inhabited by other living things, including many kinds of flora and fauna, and endangered species of herbs. It is the home to many kinds of birds, different reptiles, and native, as well as plants that were introduces into the canyon over centuries.
OUR WORLD CHANGED IN AUGUST
The world for those along the Arosa Canyon Rim (I have named it the Arosa Canyon) began to shift in early 2011. At that time the San Diego Fire Prevention Bureau and its limited staff, with limited funds, began to envision a campaign that would end with an Overgrowth Cleanup of Brush Management.
If the land had been public land, there would have been an environmental impact report, and clear directives that would have included procedures and post cleanup reparation guidelines.
A preferred approach would have been to call neighbors together and have community meetings. The actual procedure was to send out thousands of letters across San Diego, including to those around the Arosa Canyon Rim, with notifications of pending fines for code violations.
Our own first letter arrived some time in August, and my first contact over the phone was with Sylvia Sowadski on August 25, the same day as the earthquake in Washington D.C.
This meeting was cordial, and I invited envisoning a project that would meet the goals of the San Diego Fire Department--Defensible Space--as well as education about needed Fire Prevention Practices.
SYLVIA SOWADSKI HAS BEEN A GREAT HELP AND ALLY
Sylvia Sowadski has been a great help and ally. On her first visit, we walked our property. She had concerns about protecting the natural plants. I had already started to work with Fletcher Morgan, a new graduate of Arizona State University. He met Sylvia after he began working on our project, and he has helped many other properties come into compliance.
I came to envision the project of Overgrowth Cleanup on our land as a positive movement and it has raised number of questions that still need to be resolved.
THE ROUNDUP HERBICIDE ISSUE
I soon came to understand that Roundup Herbicide was the accepted practice for killing Arundo Donax (The Giant Reed). This was a major issue for me. This is dedicated organic land. Most Park and Rec departments use Roundup Herbicide and other Glysophate projects. It is considered relatively safe, however, continued research has shown that it may not be safe.
MANY BLOGS HAVE BEEN WRITTEN
Many issued, videos, and images have been recorded as this project has taken form. I will further index them.
WHERE TO WE GO FROM HERE?
HOW DO WE GROW FROM HERE?
INDEX OF PLANT YOUR DREAM BLOGS IN THIS ENCHANTED GARDEN CAMPAIGN
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