Scott Isaac

Thanks, Izzy. Since mesquite tends to cast light, dappled shade, I'm wondering more and more whether trees that need full-ish sun could still be productive under the nursing of a full grown mesquite tree. Somehow, I just imagine I'm going to want keep the mesquite at or less than an equivalent height to the citrus, pomegranates, apricots, peaches, etc. when the key food trees are full grown and bearing (10-15 ft or so).

Anyone here coppiced any mesquite?

I'm planning on using mesquite as a nurse plant for a soon-to-be-planted food forest. My question is whether I can coppice each tree branch by branch on a yearly rotation, in order to keep it from totally shading dwarf and semi-dwarf fruit trees, while still reaping the benefit of bean production? At what age does the coppiced branch produce pods (couldn't find that info after a brief search)? For example, if it's three years from coppice to pod from an established root system, my hope would be to have 3 or 6 stems so that I could cut 1 or 2 each year, ensuring annual bean production while decreasing the shade-out concern of the fruit tree, fixing nitrogen, and yielding animal fodder.

Thanks for the welcome, Zach! I actually read that very chapter the other day - it's really good stuff. In general, I get that trees are essential to improving hydrological cycles. I'm guess I'm just wondering whether anyone can speak to particular shrubs/plants providing all of their own moisture needs in a <9" annual rainfall climate, plus additional moisture through condensation that could gravitate towards a tree or plant with higher than 9" annual rainfall needs.

Rebecca, while my climate would NOT be classified as humid for the most part, our winter months do provide dew accumulation on lawns and leaves in the mornings (like now in March) and we're known for having serious fogs during the winter as well. I'm not really sure how late into the spring/summer I can expect this humidity to extend, but I'm sure there's someone in my area I could ask who would know. In my mind, given the fogs and dew, it's a question of whether this strategy can yield more benefits during the winter months than input demands during the periods of long drought.

Bill Mollison says that nature's best condensers are shrubs in the 1-3 meter height range. Also, in certain areas, up to 80% of the moisture that the ground receives is from condensation. So my question is this: Are there certain plants that condense more moisture than they require?

I live in Tulare County, CA, the top ag county in the world by most measures, where annual rainfall is 9" on a good year (which we haven't had too many of lately). I'm in the process of designing a model food forest for an awesome organization. As a primary strategy, I've envisioned planting key food trees in large (15' diameter), wood-chip mulched circular depressions that will act as watersheds for the tree in the middle. What I'm wondering is whether and which plants could function as "condenser plants." Of course, the hope would be to also stack functions: nurse plant (initially), nutrient/mulch accumulator, food production (human/chicken/wildlife), etc.

Thoughts on this strategy and suitable plants? Thanks