Tradescantia (aka wandering Willie) success story

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by pippimac, Jan 26, 2013.

  1. pippimac

    pippimac Junior Member

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    I don't have it, and wouldn't actually introduce it, but a friend was telling me how she'd left mountains of pulled plants under trees in a neglected orchard, and the trees showed remarkable improvement.
    She was fascinated that I'd heard permaculture people describe it as being one of the best plants for orchard groundcover and fertilisation.
    Still won't be bringing it home though!
     
  2. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    And mine pops up wherever.

    It out-droughted clovers, lucerne, sweet potato, lavender, and lemon grass in that position. As in, it kept growing when all else struggled.
     
  3. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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  4. purplepear

    purplepear Junior Member

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    Occupation:
    Farm manager/ educator
    Location:
    Hunter Valley New South Wales
    Home Page:
    Climate:
    warm temperate - some frost - changing every year
    We call it wandering jew and I had almost eradicated it from my garden when I went on a field trip to a Biodynamic citrus orchard. It should be named wandering dew actually as it has the ability to harvest water from the atmosphere and make it available to the soil. I when home after the field trip and starte reestablishing it. It is now encouraged in the nut and olive groves and the food forest and even tolerated a little in the mandala garden though I often pull it there.
     
  5. pippimac

    pippimac Junior Member

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    It's often spelled 'dew' over here. I'd always assumed because 'Jew' was un-PC or something, but your reason sounds much better!
    SOP, that link is amazing. Takes 'closing the loop' to another level entirely 8)
     

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