Hugelkuture using Eucalypt

Discussion in 'Designing, building, making and powering your life' started by Adrian1976, Jun 5, 2012.

  1. Adrian1976

    Adrian1976 Junior Member

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    Couldn't find much on the web about using Eucalypt in Hugelkuture.:think: With Australia filled with so much of it, I hope someone out there has some good news if this would work. As for me living in an area that the Red Gums dominant the landscape, it would only benefit if they could be used as a more reasonable resource than just firewood
     
  2. deee

    deee Junior Member

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    Hi Adrian,
    we've done some very small scale hugelkulture with mixed native scrap wood: melaleuca, callistemon, and eucalypt. It worked brilliantly, both for getting rid of junk and building soil in a really degraded area. But I'm talking garden scale, not large scale. The only impediment I can see to eucalypt is its reputation for alleopathic retardation of surrounding planting - probably have to use a suck it and see approach if no one else has done it, but this is the way the Aust bush works, and everything seems to get on all right. And I'd observe the usual precautions if you were in a termite hotspot.

    I'm curious, though: why do want to use red gum this way?
    Danielle
     
  3. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    It will work fine. How else does a rainforest Ficus get established in dry sclerophyll? Usually in a log, or rotten stump from a Eucalypt.

    Alleopathic properties will only last for a short time, from my limited research 6 months is the roundabout. Your logs should be older than that.
     
  4. Adrian1976

    Adrian1976 Junior Member

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    Danielle, thanks for your feed back. I had a feeling that it should be ok, and the country was covered in them before the "English Cottage Gardens" started to take place. My reason is simply, use what you have to the best of the products ability. Red Gums love water, and here they thrive. So thinking that way even when after being on the ground as dead wood for over 6 months they should do the same again once buried. The termite problem with red gum is much as if you see older houses built from this wood the termites don't go for it. Around here it's more of the Peppercorn trees that harbore them even though the DSE are poisoning them and removing the Peppercorn.
     
  5. Adrian1976

    Adrian1976 Junior Member

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    That's the news I was looking for. I didn't want to use green wood as i think there could be a chance with the Red gum, if kept wet it could have a chance of shooting off again.
    Thanks S.O.P
     
  6. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    No worries. I often reflect on a piece of forest near my house, regrowth Eucalypts of varying types, including dead Scribblys (remnants from when they dammed the creek and created the lake) and myself being a Ficus fan, explored the entire area to see if there were any. Could not find one in this particular piece of land until I came across a large fallen log, well-rotten with a young Ficus peeking out through a crack. Rotten Euc holds a lot of water, even 20+ metres up, the inner rotten heartwood will be moist to the touch, hence how 'strangling' Ficus gets started.
     
  7. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    g'day adrian,

    use whatever you can get hold of, nothing wrong with euc' just may take a little longer to break down, we are presently gathering timber material from pushed down trees to use in our garden, hugelkultur is only a process not a following of sorts, means hill culture in germany, we have been doing similar for over a decade now, just had no name for it. anyway we are putting everything bar the radiata pine into the gardens, that will become our char, making lots of fire wood to give away, and maybe some posts as well. don't envisage any issues as we will be planting on top of the timber.

    just throw a good feed of gypsum down and maybe a tad of dolomite?

    len
     
  8. Nickolas

    Nickolas Junior Member

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    thanks guys, i was just about to ask the same.
     
  9. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    g'day nickolas,

    like your einstein quotes, quite relevant, there are many who might pay heed to them, keep it simple hey, and sue common sense or sense in all actions.

    len
     
  10. Adrian1976

    Adrian1976 Junior Member

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    Thanks for your input len,
    My theory would be using the Hugel beds as a swale medium, as the material breaks down the goodies from inside can seep down helping the ground down hill to regenerate into a positive and then flow on affect towards then next swale.
     
  11. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    yes adrian,

    build your gardens along the contours and you achieve both swale and garden. my new gardens as always will be along the contours, currently once green material is laying in sheeves acting like a swale.

    yep whatever you improve in one spot i also reckon spreads around, even when we transfer stuff and help it.

    len
     
  12. KirstenM

    KirstenM Junior Member

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    Excellent, I was just going to ask this about eucalypts, thanks :) :clap:

    I am just making one raised bed at the moment, and while I have a lot of sticks, I don't have a lot of logs to use up, but I do have a good solid eucalyptus log. So I will stick it in and see what happens I guess :)
     
  13. Nickolas

    Nickolas Junior Member

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    thanks, i think i would have liked einstein:) i have a lot more of his quotes and many other good quotes that me and my father have gathered over the years if you would like to see them let me know.
     
  14. Changellain

    Changellain Junior Member

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    I'm interested in hugelkulture for my area, and it's a big termite hotspot. Can I ask, what are the usual precautions? Termites have eaten some of the wooden parts of the house - mostly the window frame in the southern wall. There are a few peppercorn trees nearby, and we saw them in some rotting wood we pulled up the other day. Am I just going to encourage them further with hugelkulture?

    Thankfully they don't seem interested in mudbricks. ;)
     
  15. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    we in termite country as well very many are, just barrier your home have good treatment laid importantly there must be at least a 2 meter bare zone around the home to take away hiding spots for teh termites no plants of walkaway within a meter and no plants withing 2 meters, best walkways looses stones kept as dry as, and of course when you can build in steel using material to finish that termites can't eat, use very little wood. that way then you may be able to do without any chemical barriers, that's how we do it.

    len see our web page for the eco' home we designed never seen another built yet so no chance of an overrun.
     
  16. Changellain

    Changellain Junior Member

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    Thanks Len. I was reading some of your responses to similar posts late last night and thought it was a good idea. The floor of the cottage is made of wood and is sitting directly on the ground! The floor is still in good condition for it's age, and the pest inspector didn't find any under the floor, just in the south window frame. I'm thinking our termites like a moist spot.

    The rocks around the house is a good idea. I was also thinking I could keep the south wall dry and have a deck going around there as well. The water tanks are around to the south, so I think it may have been because the pipes are leaking.

    I had a thought about peppercorn trees, though.. I was thinking perhaps the peppercorn trees and the termites are both enjoying the same environment, rather than one encouraging the other to be there. Either way, they're regarded as a bit of a weed, but I won't take them out until replacement shade trees have grown. I'm thinking hugelkulture beds are still a good idea, but further up the hill.

    Unless I'm wrong about the peppercorn trees, and the termites are nested in there! Then again, if I took them out, and they look for a new nest, the closest available wood is our floor and roof.. so that's probably a bad idea too! Hmm.. much to learn and consider before making any rash decisions.
     
  17. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    All termites like a moist spot, it's usually why bathrooms get destroyed.

    Termites are only eating dead timber, so your peppercorn trees are living or dead? More research needed.
     
  18. Changellain

    Changellain Junior Member

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    The peppercorn trees are alive and well! The ground beneath them is beautiful and has lovely green grass, unlike just about the rest of the 20 acres. There were termites in the rotting wood inside a couple of tyres we pulled up last week, right next to the gate to the house. The gate is bordered by two large wooden posts that look very old indeed, and aren't falling over. Infact, there are a lot of wood posts in the ground for fencing. That surprises me.
     
  19. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    Where are you based?
     
  20. Changellain

    Changellain Junior Member

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    The riverina area, southern NSW. About half way between Albury and Wagga Wagga. :)
     

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