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29/02/2024

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From grassland to flourishing biodiversity

SUCCESSFUL REGENERATION AND BIODIVERSITY PROMOTION THROUGH TARGETED PLANTING 

The complexity of nature and its ability to regenerate never cease to amaze me. Two years ago, we were standing in the same place on a compacted and damp meadow that didn't seem suitable for anything, but now there is a blooming diversity around the little trees that were planted here to breed varieties and have completed their first year in their final location. The year brought a lot of challenges: 

 A wet spring, which delayed planting, was followed by a long dry period. A particular challenge for the trees as long as no plant community is established. Watering is a must for survival, growth hardly takes place. Only towards the end of the summer does rainfall bring relief and, above all, help an increasingly established plant diversity.

For the sowing, we had chosen a mixture that contained a wide range of native wildflowers and grasses. It should help to promote biodiversity and create habitats for insects and other animals. Between the rows of plants, we sowed the "Veitshöchheimer Blühmischung", as this is perennial and has long-lasting flowers. The main seeds include corn poppy, daisy, cornflower, marigold and knapweed. The herbs meadow sage and yarrow also have a healing effect on the soil microbiome. Red clover and lucerne are known for promoting nitrogen fixation in the soil. Even more important, however, is the rooting of the soil. Before planting the trees and sowing the flowering mixture, the soil was lifted and loosened at 70 cm intervals using a subsoiler, without destroying the soil structure. With this method, the soil layers remain where they belong and are not mixed or turned as with ploughing.


Cutting with the titanium tine allows air to enter compacted soil, breaking up compaction horizons and creating tiny cavities. Bacteria and fungi, soil organisms, especially earthworms, and of course the plant roots have room to grow and move. We are not just thinking of the fruit trees. The loosening of the area is only successful if diverse, strong and deep-rooted grasses quickly create a living structure and thus stabilise the overall structure. For the edge area of the planting, which hardly ever has to be driven over, a tall perennial border is ideal, i.e. a plant community consisting of perennials such as cranesbill, delphinium, comfrey, phlox and bluebells. There are also grasses and wild flowers such as coneflower and wild mallow. These plants even remain standing over the winter and provide food and hibernation opportunities for a variety of creatures.


Walking through this blooming variety, the little trees would almost disappear between the tall grasses and perennials if it weren't for the wooden sticks that encourage straight growth. Attached to them are small plates with QR codes that let us know which crossbreed each tree is. By the end of the summer, the trees have become part of a functioning, diverse plant community.


SOWING THE PLANTS IMPROVES BIODIVERSITY, STRENGTHENS THE SOIL MICROBIOME AND HELPS OUR TREES TO BECOME MORE RESILIENT


- Hannes Kugler