Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Vetiver grass and comfrey with the kids...
...two great multifunctional plants commonly used in permaculture.
Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) is a clumping perennial grass native to India and is a relative of lemongrass. It is planted in rows on contour for erosion control because it sends 2-4m roots straight down and has a great capacity to hold soil. The oil harvested from its roots is used as a base in 90% of perfumes because of its fixative qualities. It is also used in India as an evaporative cooler where mats are woven of the roots and hung in doorways.
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale L.) grows vigorously from root cuttings. At the same time it is very easy to control because it grows from clumps and doesn't spread. It is often used to make nutritional teas for plant growth but i use it mainly as a valuable additive to the compost pile.
Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) is a clumping perennial grass native to India and is a relative of lemongrass. It is planted in rows on contour for erosion control because it sends 2-4m roots straight down and has a great capacity to hold soil. The oil harvested from its roots is used as a base in 90% of perfumes because of its fixative qualities. It is also used in India as an evaporative cooler where mats are woven of the roots and hung in doorways.
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale L.) grows vigorously from root cuttings. At the same time it is very easy to control because it grows from clumps and doesn't spread. It is often used to make nutritional teas for plant growth but i use it mainly as a valuable additive to the compost pile.
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