I have a small petrol shredder shreds finely enough that the pieces don't grow. I am hoping that either liquid manure or fermented slurry will add biomass to my soil. I live on a steep hillside with rock and clay as my soil base. Trees planted have root systems that run across the surface rather than being able to penetrate. I garden on rock-walled terraces back filled with made soil - wood-chip manure, shredded green material and about 300 bales of hay a year. I recycle all green material through compost or cut and drop. I had no luck with fruit trees until I started composting with BSF lava in 2 metre deep pits. Six months of composting in these holes seems to enable root and nutrient penetration, and enables fruit trees to grow. I will use some DF as liquid manure and feed the slurry to the BSF. I will innoculate the slurry with kefir and see how that goes.
Yet few people I've spoken to, prune. I have pruned mine. Last flowers now so when that fruit is ripe out with the loppers. Interesting you shred - by hand or machine? Don't the stems sprout? Liquid manure, now that does sound like a great idea!
Elaine I prune every year after fruiting about fifty percent of plant and shred into my compost. This year i will trailing it as a liquid manure. If i didn't prune I don't think i would fit any other plants in the garden as DF becomes rampant once the plants get a bit of size on.
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Such a good idea though. Make use of natural structures that you already have
I have a small petrol shredder shreds finely enough that the pieces don't grow. I am hoping that either liquid manure or fermented slurry will add biomass to my soil. I live on a steep hillside with rock and clay as my soil base. Trees planted have root systems that run across the surface rather than being able to penetrate. I garden on rock-walled terraces back filled with made soil - wood-chip manure, shredded green material and about 300 bales of hay a year. I recycle all green material through compost or cut and drop. I had no luck with fruit trees until I started composting with BSF lava in 2 metre deep pits. Six months of composting in these holes seems to enable root and nutrient penetration, and enables fruit trees to grow. I will use some DF as liquid manure and feed the slurry to the BSF. I will innoculate the slurry with kefir and see how that goes.
Yet few people I've spoken to, prune. I have pruned mine. Last flowers now so when that fruit is ripe out with the loppers. Interesting you shred - by hand or machine? Don't the stems sprout? Liquid manure, now that does sound like a great idea!
Elaine I prune every year after fruiting about fifty percent of plant and shred into my compost. This year i will trailing it as a liquid manure. If i didn't prune I don't think i would fit any other plants in the garden as DF becomes rampant once the plants get a bit of size on.
Do you prune the plants, Pat?