Let's talk about Chop-and-Drop?

[Phaedra]

I am reading and studying how to build a tree guild. It would take some time, but before I make up my mind about further actions, I can still do something based on what I've learned earlier.

A chestnut tree was transplanted two years ago - It looks much more promising this year. I used the grass shear to chop the weeds and grasses and make a "blanket" around the chestnut tree.

Potted plants are arranged in its surrounding - the water would not be wasted, weeds could be suppressed, and it's easier to take care of them as a clustered group.

This area can become my first fruit tree guild - lupines, clovers, yarrows, and comfrey are already growing nearby. Weeding won't be easy (or necessary?) in a guild area, but chop-and-drop always can be done.

Well, a garden is like a universe - a small corner can be a solar system, and a bigger corner can be a galaxy. I know it sounds weird. However, such thoughts make my gardening work much more interesting.

 

[Phaedra]

I found an interesting list of pest-repelling plants.

List of pest-repelling plants - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[ducks4you]

Can you buy a citronella plant? It has been the new thing for sale for the last 2 years here.

 

[flowerbug]

i would not stack a lot of plastic pots around a tree like that. the ground needs the air to get to the roots of the tree. one or two pots may not be a big issue, but a lot of plastic pots might be.

otherwise, looks good and i hope the tree is happy in its new home.

 

[Phaedra]

The real "chop-and-drop."

A mega heatwave is coming tomorrow and might stay until Wednesday. I used the tomatoes and zucchini leaves pruned earlier today to create the mulch for the new bed. This is the quickest way for me to process those leaves.

Within 10 minutes, the mulch layer is done. I will keep a set of chopping tools in my greenhouse from now on.

 

[Phaedra]

Chop and Drop area update
Potatoes interplanted among Japanese Pumpkins

Both have certain capabilities to suppress the weeds - I chop weeds every two weeks, however, potatoes and pumpkins grow well.

About 10 pumpkins are developing in this small area

 

[ZinHead]

I like no dig, but there are some areas in my garden where the "cardboard+ a thick layer of compost" method is not practical or need too much effort. Do you think regular chop-and-drop is a good enough solution?


For example, around a two or 3-year-old fruit tree, I tried to temporarily cover the area with cardboard+compost to block the weeds/grasses. But in my opinion, it takes too much effort to maintain "weed-free" status. So, eventually, the weeds/grasses always claimed the territories back.

So how if I just regularly cut them back?

Or, like this area, there are so many buttercups and ground elders. To be honest, I am not willing to even think about how to eliminate them. Can I say, regular cutting them back will eventually weaken them?

I have too many pumpkins and courgette plants, so I just dug some holes and put them in. 🤣 So far, I have used the grass shear to cut the weeds and grasses and let them become a thin layer of surface mulch materials.

View attachment 49084

The effectiveness of chop & drop depends upon how balenced soil micronutrients are.
Test soil, then balance micronutrients & pH if they are off.
Then chop & drop will be far more effective.
(Iron, Sulfur & Molybdenum) part of symbiotic microbe nitrogen fixation enzyme FeMo-Cofactor.
Manganese part of nitrogen conversion enzyme of symbiotic microbes.
Boron is needed for Calcium assimilation & cell division.
Zinc for blossoming & Copper for disease resistance.
Balence is what is most important.
Too much of any good thing, is a nutrient toxicity.
Once micronutrients are balanced increasing nitrogen & carbon in the soil is much easier!

 

[Phaedra]

The effectiveness of chop & drop depends upon how balenced soil micronutrients are.
Test soil, then balance micronutrients & pH if they are off.
Then chop & drop will be far more effective.
(Iron, Sulfur & Molybdenum) part of symbiotic microbe nitrogen fixation enzyme FeMo-Cofactor.
Manganese part of nitrogen conversion enzyme of symbiotic microbes.
Boron is needed for Calcium assimilation & cell division.
Zinc for blossoming & Copper for disease resistance.
Balence is what is most important.
Too much of any good thing, is a nutrient toxicity.
Once micronutrients are balanced increasing nitrogen & carbon in the soil is much easier!

Thanks for the inputs.

I don't have the intention to garden in such a precise way. Nature didn't do things that precisely, either.
However, I agree that balance is important, and this can also be gradually done through observations and continuous learning.

 

[Phaedra]

Using marigold and comfrey leaves for chop-and-drop in the raised bed

Marigolds are planted to keep some pests away, also good for pollinators. Meanwhile, they grow most of the time crazily.

I sowed an entire tray of marigolds earlier and was worried about where to plant them. After I realized that my hens were very willing to eat their leaves and flowers, the problem was solved. I cleaned their leaves manually and gave them to the chickens with the lower older leaves from winter brassicas.

But, they can provide sufficient foliages to cover the soil surface in the raised bed, too.

I also harvested Comfrey leaves for mulching the raised beds.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

Is that large leafed plant rhubarb?