Mulch
Keep the soil covered. At ECHO, the soil around nearly all our plantings—vegetables, fruits, grains, root and tuber crops, even forestry plots—is covered with organic matter. Whether through crop residues, a permanent cover, a slash and mulch green manure, a cut and carry mulch (for example, vetiver grass stems), or wood chips from tree trimming companies, we make a strong effort to not leave bare ground. This has been a practice for decades at ECHO, foundational to success with our own plantings. It was confirmed and underscored from the very positive reports shared by Roland Bunch from Central America on the enormous importance of keeping the soil covered in the tropics. Our observations and experiences on the ECHO farm and in network visits to many regions around the world increasingly confirm to us that mulching is a critical aspect of farming in the tropics. When all else fails, mulch. For more on the importance of mulch, see EDN 58-1, 74-1 and 96-1.
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2008-07-20 Keep the soil covered. At ECHO,the soil around nearly all our plantings—vegetables, fruits, grains, root and tuber crops, even forestry plots—is covered with organic matter.
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2018-11-20 Grain sorghum(Sorghum bicolor)and pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum)are both globally important warm-season,annual cereal grain crops.Small-scale farmers who grow these grains can belimited by access to fertilizers and human labor. Agricultural low input systems use few commercial inputs,...
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1996-10-19 Zai Holes Harness Termites to Increase Crop Yields Grass Mulch: An Innovative Way of Gardening in the Dry Tropics Colored Plastic Mulches Thick Mulch for No-Till Gardens Rice Hull Mulch
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1998-05-19 A conversation concerning the difficulty of obtaining mulch in semi-arid areas.
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1993-01-01 When I visited Jamaica a couple years ago I learned that farmers in south St. Elizabeth Parish were growing a good crop of scallions. What was unique is that they relied on rainfall in an area that is normally too dry for intensive vegetable production without irrigation. In fact, they were...
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1996-01-19 Colored Plastic Mulcheshave been found toimprove yields and fruit quality in some vegetable crops.
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2014-04-20 EDN 122 highlighted multi-purpose cowpea varieties with spreading vines that cover the soil. Below is an ECHO research update from South Africa relating our experience so far with a spreading cowpea variety intercropped with maize grown in a Foundations for Farming (FFF) system. “Living carpet”...
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1998-12-19 Trees can be an effective source of mulch in drylands.
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- Abstract,Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia, 2014 Weeds infestation is one of the major constrains of SRI due to wide planting geometry and moist environment, thereby reducing rice yield up to 69.15%. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of two mulching materials (rice straw...
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Competition for mulch and fodder is one of the key issues constraining successful conservation agriculture in areas where livestock are a part of the agricultural system. Convenor: Putso Nyathi is a Conservation Agriculture Technical Officer for Southern Africa with MCC supporting CFGB funded...
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2015-05-19 Mulch is a protective covering of organic material laid over the soil around plants to prevent erosion, retain moisture, and to enrich soil. Paper mulch, made of magazines, boxes and other paper materials, is laid on top of traditional materials such as grass, fruit peels and leaves. This...
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2017-07-25 The tropical forest is constantly self-mulching. After a walk in the woods I usually return with bits of leaves and twigs caught in my hair. Lying in bed at night, my partner and I often hear branches and even whole trees tumbling toward the great soil food web below. This self-mulching is one...
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Sheet composting is an ancient technique that has many practical applications today. Also referred to as lasagna composting or sheet mulching, sheet composting is a cold composting method that has been used by people around the world for generations. It is an excellent way to convert grass to...
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Access Agriculture Training Video You can make mulch from any locally available, dry plant material such as grass, or straw. Mulching is easy. And above all, it helps to save you water, time and labour whilst at the same enriching your soil and giving you a better harvest. Available languages...
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Convener J. Biala Editors J. Biala, R. Prange, M. Raviv Publication date 25 January 2014 ISBN 978-94-62610-04-0 ISSN 0567-7572(print) 2406-6168(electronic) Number of articles 76 Volumes 1 Place Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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Convener R. Ortga Blu Editors R. Ortega Blu, M.M. Martínez S., P. Ospina S. Publication date 27 March 2015 ISBN 978-94-62610-66-8 ISSN 0567-7572(print) 2406-6168(electronic) Number of articles 28 Volumes 1 Place Santiago, Chile