Episode-629- Paul Wheaton on the Elimination of Irrigation [ 1:37:25 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Paul Wheaton from Permies.com
Yes you read the title correctly, elimination, not alternative, not creative, elimination. Can irrigation truly be eliminated? In my view absolutely, at least in many instances and one of our all time most popular guests Paul Wheaton returns to TSP to discuss exactly how to do it.
Join us today as we discuss swales, key line systems, terraces, hugelkultur, and over a dozen other ways plants get water in natural systems.
Irrigation is one of the most costly components of modern agriculture, it is also depleting one of most precious life giving resources, water. Yet think about it, there are millions of acres of prairie, forest, jungle and savana that produce massive yields of plant matter every year and who irrigates them? Imagine the impact if these systems could be scaled up to eliminate even 15% of current agricultural irrigation requirements.
The good news is many of them can be done in your own back yard, some are simple and others are complex but just by making a pile of rocks, burying some rotting wood or moving around a bit of soil you can vastly reduce your personal irrigation requirements.
Join Paul and I Today as we discuss…
- How did ancient earth ever have plants without humans to water them
- Tomatoes are actually a desert plant so why do they require so much water
- Why does Paul call watering plants, “the imaginary birth of irrigation”
- How many ways do plants have to get water in natural settings, many!
- Polyculture interactions
- Trees creating transpiration, condensation drip, etc
- Natural mulching
- Humidity rise
- Key line systems
- Terracing
- Swales
- Wind reductions
- Tap root systems
- No transplanting
- Paddock shift livestock grazing
- Dew ponds
- Stacked rock systems
- Edge utilization
- Shade
- The simple things you can do to get started on illumination of your need for watering
- The advantages of letting some crops struggle
- The work that proves these systems by visionaries like Lawton, Mollison, Holzer and Smits
Additional Resources for Today’s Show
- Members Support Brigade
- TSP Gear Shop
- Join Our Forum
- ShelfReliance.com – (sponsor of the day)
- HarvestEating.com – (sponsor of the day)
- Members Support Brigade
- Paul’s Article on Organic Lawn Care – This is the one we need blog links to!
- Paul’s Websites and Social Media Connections and resources he mentioned today
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