By: Michael Fox
A team of energetic young students and a huge pile of mulch … a great combination!
We split the team with one group put to work spreading mulch and another working on weed busting clearing Corky Passion Vine Passiflora suberosa and Creeping Lantana Lantana montevidenses.
Mulching the ground is an important part of our restoration of the forest habitat. I explained that mulch have three functions:
- Retaining soil moisture.
- Reducing erosion.
- Most important is keeping soil cool. Soil is teeming with living organisms: microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, algae and macro-organisms like springtails, mites, nematodes, earthworms, ants that recycle organic material refreshing and boosting soil health. Average soil temperatures for bioactivity range from 10-24°C. Mulch keeps soil warm in cold weather and more important for Brisbane it keeps the soil cool in summer.
.
Long term our objective is to grow Living Mulch which performs all the same functions: vines like Wonga Vine Pandorea pandorana providing safe habitat for lizards and food for Common Crow butterfly caterpillars while grasses like Graceful Grass Ottochloa gracillima provide seed for Pale Headed Rosella Platycercus adscitus.
Mount Gravatt Environment Group 