On a small property, ponds, swales, drains and seasonally wet ground often become part of one connected landscape system. Water moves through soil, vegetation and organic material, carrying nutrients and sediment as it goes. Fungi are one of the many organisms involved in that system. They can help break down leaves, branches, woodchips and other … Read more
Runoff is a normal part of living on a small rural property. Rain falling on roofs, tracks, driveways, yards, paddocks and sloping ground will look for the lowest point. Problems arise when water is concentrated, moving too quickly, carrying soil, or collecting beside buildings, roads and neighbouring boundaries. A useful property-management approach is to slow, … Read more
Runoff from animal areas can carry manure, urine, bedding, feed residues, soil and cleaning water into surrounding ground or waterways. On a small property, the volumes may seem modest, but repeated runoff from yards, shelters, pens, milking areas or manure-handling zones can create persistent problems. These may include muddy ground, unpleasant odours, nutrient build-up, oxygen … Read more
A woodchip mycofilter is a simple landscape feature that uses woody organic material, water movement and naturally occurring fungi and microbes to help manage runoff. On a lifestyle block or small rural property, it can be part of a planted drain, swale, shallow treatment bed or other area where water already travels. The basic idea … Read more
A lifestyle block can generate a surprising volume of organic material: grass clippings, fallen leaves, pruning material, crop residues, straw, clean woodchips, suitable logs and residues from mushroom growing. Instead of treating all of these materials as waste, it is useful to view them as biological resources that can be sorted, processed and returned to … Read more