Last years crop of tumbleweed was enormous on the estate. The drive along the fence line at the north end of the property was completely obscured by tumbleweed and required cleaning not once but 4 times. Dreading the arrival of spring, since tumbleweed produce lots of seed, I watched closely the sprouting of carpets of green baby tumbleweed that appeared across the landscape. Expecting rapid growth and large plants I was surprised to see many of the carpets of tumbleweed start to die back. Whether the result of competition between plants or just the result of poor viability, the carpets of green slowly started to turn brown. Good news since the carpets appeared primarily in barren areas where no grass grew. The appearance of carpets of baby tumbleweed followed by their die off means the established root systems will help hold the soil in these barren areas as well as providing some aeration allowing other plants to colonize these areas. The conversion to biomass also means accessible nutrients for other plants.
This years crop of tumbleweeds not only appeared in open barren areas but also along the topsoil restoration barriers and other created edges on the landscape which will help catch more wind and water born soils adding to the process already started.
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| A green carpet of baby tumbleweeds turning brown, but providing ground cover for barren areas. |
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| The Edge effect, where tumbleweed are growing around a pile of last years decaying tumbleweed skeletons |
I and others had to clear large brown tumbleweeds from our road. They totally blocked the road and unknown where they came from! I had just walked to the mailbox on Rte 80 and that section was virtually clear and Voila! They must have been blown over the fences from both directions.
ReplyDeleteThe magical appearance of tumbleweeds blocking roads and fence lines sure describes the events here at PPR. I'm still cleaning tumbleweed out of the front garden. I get it clean and in a couple of days I start over again.
ReplyDeleteDid you see 12 feet tall stack of tumbleweeds in Roswell ? The county road equipment had to remove from around people's doors and roads.
ReplyDeleteand hubbie says we should figure out a way to make Christmas trees or something from these, package them up [carefully] and send them away.............send our trash in the mail elsewhere! tee hee
ReplyDeleteNo, I missed that article about Roswell. Willis is right there has to be something to do with the tumbleweed skeletons.
ReplyDeleteHike today................can you ever get away?
ReplyDeleteWould love to, but I'm working on the Rustic Cabin before the next family reunion arrives. I seem to get slower and slower with my work.
ReplyDelete