Permaculture in the Colombian tropical dry forest

Thank you for continuing to post, I have been back to the beginning right through to now. What wonderful country, you are very lucky.

Andrés Bernal wrote:Batch 2 :)

Though having the recipes for the wine fruit would be great, what I’d really like is a few seeds! Do you think they would grow in high-plains Arizona?

Thea Morales wrote:

Andrés Bernal wrote:Batch 2 :)

Though having the recipes for the wine fruit would be great, what I’d really like is a few seeds! Do you think they would grow in high-plains Arizona?

These guys are super resilient and drought tolerant, my only concern would be the cold. Maybe worth the try?

These guys are super resilient and drought tolerant, my only concern would be the cold. Maybe worth the try?
So, where do I buy these seeds? I’d like to give them a try.

Thea Morales wrote:So, where do I buy these seeds? I’d like to give them a try.

Not sure where to buy them online but I can send you a few if you pay for the mail no problem :) Send me a purple moosage of where to send them.

Life always finds a way! After a massive fire ravaged much of the tropical dry forest we care for, the first rains have brought hope. The chicalá tree, the first to bloom and produce seeds in the dry forest, is signaling to the rest that the rainy season has begun. A reminder from nature that, even though some may focus on destruction, life and creation will always be there to bring greenery and beauty back to this planet.

Andrés Bernal wrote:The chicalá tree, the first to bloom and produce seeds in the dry forest, is signaling to the rest that the rainy season has begun.

Wow! That is truly stunning Andrés, thank you for sharing with us.

Andrés, these look spectacular, similar to some of our wattles (acacias) in Australia.

Beautiful video and encouraging to know the rains are following, loving this pictorial journey you are taking us on.

Waterfalls after a huge storm last night!

Grew a bamboo path and now I'm using the cuttings as bedding for the duck pen :)

Thanks for sharing Andrés, the path looks amazing; bet your ducks are happy with their new bed.

Life always finds a way, and everything starts anew. After a devastating fire, the tropical dry forest recovers in an incredible way. Waterfalls replace ashes, and life takes over where death once reigned. Nature shows us its immense resilience.

Apart from the amazing photography the video is showing exactly the recovery process after the fires.

I wish it was the same for here on east coast of Australia. Our fires affected areas are still showing places that have had their seed beds completely destroyed from the burn intensity. As most of our bush has evolved over thousands of years to regenerate after fire this is the worst we have ever experienced.

After seeing what you produce I am seriously thinking of getting a drone camera to help me get an overall look at what is happening around my area as I believe the more we can understand the more we can do to help with remediation. Thanks for the inspiration.

Andrés, your videos make me want to come visit!
Great work!!

Last year was very dry and growth was slow, this year tho it has rained non stop and life is just exploding :) This year's update image!

Heavy rains continue:

Hello Andrés, Have you done any more interesting projects since the bamboo path and duck bedding? Love to hear if the rain has made a difference for you.

Annette Jones wrote:Hello Andrés, Have you done any more interesting projects since the bamboo path and duck bedding? Love to hear if the rain has made a difference for you.

Thanks Annette! Yes everything is growing super duper fast.

I'm installing water systems from the well and the river, we are slowly doing swales and lakes but do want to have a really secure water source during the dry seasons. Done with permits stuff and now the fun practical part begins :)

We've had non-stop rain and forecast says it will continue! Forest is growing soo fast!!

What type of water systems are you using for the well and from the river? We have an old fashioned but very effective shaduf system on our country property for the well, they can also be used from a river and are cheap and easy to operate. Admittedly we had a few strong men here to do the initial digging and setting up, but then no problems after, except to renew rope every so often. I'd be interested to see what you're trying.

Annette Jones wrote:What type of water systems are you using for the well and from the river? We have an old fashioned but very effective shaduf system on our country property for the well, they can also be used from a river and are cheap and easy to operate. Admittedly we had a few strong men here to do the initial digging and setting up, but then no problems after, except to renew rope every so often. I'd be interested to see what you're trying.

Sorry for the late response, missed this. We are using submersible pumps with a solar set up. For the river we made a shallow well too so that the water filters through a couple hundred meters of rock. In time I do want to install a ram pump at the river and then use that water to create a trompe system that goes down the well. Sounds like a lot of fun but gotta get them funds first :)

Fun last couple of days! We had a huge river overflow, lost some crops but nothing substantial.