Has anybody here got any experience with Permaculture style tree plantations specifically Paulownia ,i have been searching the web for days now and can only find lots of positive things mainly from the suppliers of plants and seeds ,any info would be helpful.
I can tell you that paulownia is easy to grow and it can be coppiced and it grows quickly. I've heard it called "instant shade". I believe the flowers are useful to a number of insects. I can also tell you that the wood is soft. I'm told that, being soft and easily worked, it's good for some sorts of woodworking, but I'm not at all familiar with that.
where I'm at, there are outfits catering to specialty woodworkers that could probably provide some information on local demand and price, but I don't know what the situation is in Bulgaria (you're in Bulgaria, yes?).
personally, a plantation of paulownia doesn't sound terribly exciting to me. it's a nice enough tree and useful, but not tasty enough to justify more than a couple of specimens. if, however, you're excited about the things paulownia is good for or you know folks who are, it might be just the tree to plant quite a few of.
I just checked the Plants for a future website and it has more info.It has only fared OK for me here in the PacificNW but that is also because I havnt given it full sun because it has less uses as food or medicine.I have read of it being real invasive in kentucky area but not so here.That would be similar to mulberries,tea,persimons,che,and a whole host of other plants from warm humid areas that struggle here.I have met wood carvers that love it for its ability to carve but fast growing often means less strong or rot resistant so ...
I have a done more research since my first post and have a better idea of what information i am looking for. We are thinking of the non-invasive type Paulownia elongata which is also fastest growing. The plan is to use the timber from the trees for firewood and building materials when the trees are ready in 10 years or so. In the mean time we want to make the most of the space between the trees and experiment a little with guilds and stacked functions. The trees are nitrogen fixing , huge biomass producers, heavy and sustained bloomers and heavy deciduous shaders. If anyone has any experience with plants that grow well below these tree's in all seasons would be much appreciated.
I set out a row of these trees with prospects of planting about 30 acres of them. I was in south AL on sandy soil and they did well. I planted them early one summer and in September, hurricane Ivan came through and leaned them all over. I cut them off at ground level and the next summer, they took off. I love the trees. But, they suckered terribly from the roots. I don't know if it was the shallow sands on top of yellow clay, or the high water table. But the one row became very wide with suckers. The wood is good for firewood, and that was my main interest. It burns fast and hot, but the tree is ready to cut again in about 4 years. Goats will kill them by girdling them. And they do love the leaves. Cattle will scrape on the bark and eat a few leaves. But nothing like the goats. But, as fast as the tree grows, it is impressive.
I just let my sheep kill the Paulownia kawakamii I've been growing the last couple of years here in deep South Texas. It grew fine in the early spring and late fall, but summer heat appeared too much for it. Dropped its leaves and refused to grow an inch. Be skeptical of the claims that Paulownias can take "120 F" heat. Mine seemed to have been defeated by consistent 95F weather.
Why not use a REAL permaculture tree? I don't know where you are located, but if you are anywhere that gets a decent rain fall and the earth does not freeze, you need to look at MORINGA trees! Yes, ALL parts of it can be used! It groes about 14 feet the first year and can be topped. You can eat the leaves raw or steamed, It has delicious fruit, ( hint sell leaves and fruit) the bark can be used in skin care, the roots in tea, and naturally, the tree as a tree shade. Grow CHIA ( yes, like the "chia pet") underneath the trees. Chia is a great anti oxident as well as helps lower blood pressure ( naturally you cant say that part though! ) Great comination!. I have fallen in love with the Moringa tree and hope to grwo some whenever I move ( soon).
They can escape out into the wider area and out compete native species, chocking out native habitat and replacing it with paulownia monoculture. Not much permaculture to be done with them, planting fruit bearing bushes underneath them is just about it. They do regrow from the stumps if I recall so perhaps they can be copiced for something like charcoal production.
From a firewood stand point do these trees have any advantages over black locust? I was under the impression that Paulonia was grown because of its ability to grow strait to use for timber.
I know this might be somewhat off-topic, but , is there not a native tree you could use for your plantations? Native trees harbor native fauna, and can contribute to preserving the local habitat, whereas introduced trees may not be as useful to the native animals, specifically birds and insects.
I have a Paulownia tree in my garden. They provide fast growing firewood with not so special heating value, compared to oak. Paulownia burn better and hotter than willow or aspen and dry faster. They grow very quickly for hardwood, I can't compare at all to Black Locust, I never saw them growing nor did I burn them. But for what I read Black Locust is fine firewood comparable to oak, right?
The leafs degrade very quickly though and are easy to collect. I just put all of them (10 cm strong) without preperation on my veggie bed when they fall off the tree. In late winter the leafs are completly degraded. Paulownia are useless for birds because the branches are too thick and too sporadic to build a nest in.
They produce massive amounts of seeds and most of them germinate, at least in my region (West-Germany at the river Rhine). The self-sowed seedlings grow 1-2 meters in the first year under good conditions. They germinate even between paving stones without a problem and grow big fast. Paulownia grow 10-15 meters high in a couple of years and they tend to get really broad.
Not much, my compost bins are underneath the tree. There is one 3 meter high Japanese Flowering Dagwood growing 1 meter away from the stem and Galium odoratum is crawling everywhere but doing poorly cause I'm trampling on it often. There is one flowering bush right next to it which I can't name yet. Without my compost bins it wouldn't inhibit growth of other stuff, I think.
Edit: My nephew damaged the tree, visible on the left side of the trunk. Upper right side bad pruning from a neighbor is visible. I wasn't into plants on that time. Have to correct it someday.
It is a nice tree even though it was mistreated often in the past.
Seed capsules. They degrade in 1-2 year on bare soil, I crush them when they are dry and put them in the compost bin.
![[Logo]](/templates/default/mobile/images/mobile-permies-2015.png)
