| A simple and effective method for re-vegetation of degraded landscapes, particularly in semi arid areas is seedballing. To make seedballs we need seeds, compost, clay and water. For rehabilitation purposes, native seeds are mixed together and then, in the correct proportions the seed blend, humus, clay and water are mixed and rolled into small (1 cm or half-inch diameter) clay balls. Seed balls can be made either by hand or by simple machine, depending on labour availability.((http://www.tve.org/ho/doc.cfm?aid=1401&lang=English))Although not all seedlings within a seed ball will survive to maturity, the appropriate species for each micro location will be there to survive. The clay coating protects the seeds from excess sun, heat, wind, water and pests, while the compost inoculates the soil with beneficial organisms and gives the seeds an extra boost when sprouting time comes. One of the strongest features of this method is that seedballs are simply scattered about the site you wish to re-vegetate, hence avoiding the act of digging. Further the balls absorb moisture from the ground, the dew and the rain and will sprout when conditions are right. The most suitable sites for ‘seed balling’ are those free from thick grasses. Seed balls are part of a wider philosophy known as natural farming. Learning from Fukuoka Masanobu, a farmer Panaiotis Manikis has pioneered this approach in Greece, leading a project to re-vegetate barren hills, mountains and deserts as part of wider effort to create a 'Greenbelt for southern Europe' - a green barrier from Portugal up to Iran-Iraq to stop desertification and recreate fertile soils.((http://www.mir.org/greenbelt/english/initiat.htm)) | A simple and effective method for re-vegetation of degraded landscapes, particularly in semi arid areas is seedballing. To make seedballs we need seeds, compost, clay and water. For rehabilitation purposes, native seeds are mixed together and then, in the correct proportions the seed blend, humus, clay and water are mixed and rolled into small (1 cm or half-inch diameter) clay balls. Seed balls can be made either by hand or by simple machine, depending on labour availability.((http://www.tve.org/ho/doc.cfm?aid=1401&lang=English))Although not all seedlings within a seed ball will survive to maturity, the appropriate species for each micro location will be there to survive. The clay coating protects the seeds from excess sun, heat, wind, water and pests, while the compost inoculates the soil with beneficial organisms and gives the seeds an extra boost when sprouting time comes. One of the strongest features of this method is that seedballs are simply scattered about the site you wish to re-vegetate, hence avoiding the act of digging. Further the balls absorb moisture from the ground, the dew and the rain and will sprout when conditions are right. The most suitable sites for ‘seed balling’ are those free from thick grasses. Seed balls are part of a wider philosophy known as natural farming. Learning from Fukuoka Masanobu, a farmer Panaiotis Manikis has pioneered this approach in Greece, leading a project to re-vegetate barren hills, mountains and deserts as part of wider effort to create a 'Greenbelt for southern Europe' - a green barrier from Portugal up to Iran-Iraq to stop desertification and recreate fertile soils.((http://www.mir.org/greenbelt/english/initiat.htm)) |
sanjeev