Acacia growing experiment

All the gear for Acacia seeding and planting

Tapered hard plastic tubes (12cm high) with potting mix and Acacia seeds (2-3 per tube) in plastic boxes

Seedball mix: milled biochar (90%); water, microbes, NPK, liquid kelp, Mychorrhizal fungi spores (5%); granulated bentonite clay (5%)

Ice cube tray used for building seedballs

Acacia mearnsii (top) and Acacia saligna (bottom). Both should be good for biomass coppicing

Seedballs, ready to place on the ground. Need to dry if spreading/broadcasting from the hand

While I'm fired up over the recent climate politics in Oz, I thought I would do something physical/real just to muddy the C emission offset water ;)

I'm going to compare 2 growing systems, growing Acacia mearnsii and Acacia saligna for biomass coppicing to make more biochar in a Kon-Tiki 'Essential' biochar kiln (which can be partly used to grow more acacias for more biomass coppicing etc etc).

1-Illustrated on the 'Regenerative Agroforestry System (RAS)' page (Tree planting hole with biochar) using a Cyclone 200mm post hole digger (the green object), permafert, Acacia tubestock, circular berms, cardboard tree guards (from recycled cardboard) with bamboo stakes

2-Acacia seedballs using a manual system with a SS 20L bucket to hold the seedball ingredients, sledgehammer for vertically milling/pounding the ingredients, ice cube tray and teaspoon for building the seedballs and seeds - a system which I believe is suitable for low numbers of seedballs. I'm going to place them where I need them but for aerial spreading/broadcasting from your hand they would need to be dried, which seems to work with air drying on trays.

Other seedball approaches include using a 'Von Bachmayr drum' for larger quantities.

Airseedtech.com (drones) for even larger numbers terraforming the landscape if one can access and afford the technology.

Any feedback/comments welcome!

NOTES

I'm running 2 horses for comparison. I'm betting Acacia saligna will grow faster due to a preferred higher altitude and lower rainfall growing requirements compared to Acacia mearnsii. Information is variable on it's use for charcoal.

Acacia mearnsii

fast growing
excellent charcoal
can coppice
water hungry
can be invasive but 'native' to SA according to cabidigitallibrary.org
sea level to 200m (Barossa is ~372m)
600-925mm rainfall

Acacia saligna

pp.170-173, 'Acacias of SA'
sandy loam
charcoal - unsure how 'good' it will be for biochar
can coppice
biomass
fast growth rate
can be invasive
sea level to 325m
300-700mm rainfall

And just for some spine chilling comedy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUszJyS3d7A

Write a comment

Comments: 0