Good morning, and welcome to the next edition of our monthly newsletter, Reading Landscapes.

Here’s what we’ve got for you today:

• How to manage a large “crop” of Cotton Bush

• Blady Grass, a native and a grass, but not always desirable

• Available once more

• What we’ve been learning

🔎 Looking at the Landscape

Like us to discuss a photo of your landscape? Share it with us here. 

Thanks to Barbara for sending in this landscape to discuss.

Barbara manages 12 hectares of flat land situated between two conservation bush areas. Three years ago, Barbara removed cattle that were being agisted on her property because they were damaging the creek, and the farmer refused to implement rotational grazing practices. Last year, she conducted a cool burn of the grasses with guidance from a First Nations fire practitioner. Her soil has a low pH of approximately 4.5.

Following these management changes, Barbara now has a large outbreak of Cotton Bush across the property. She has already tried mulching two larger areas twice, but left a small area untreated.

Barbara would like to understand:

1. Why has Cotton Bush become so dominant after the cattle removal and cool burn?

2. What is the best way to manage this cotton bush?

3. Are there specific strategies that would work well given her acidic soil conditions?

As I always say, a picture only tells part of a story, but given your description of the landscape and from seeing similar contexts in other landscapes, I’ll look to provide you with my observations behind what’s happening.

I expect there to be a number of factors that have caused the cotton bush to arrive. The details of the landscape that you provided, check all the boxes to be an ideal growing environment for Cotton Bush. Providing;

• Hard-ground

• Low organic matter and soil fertility

• Acidic soils

• Disturbed soil, as well as being a forested environment.

The set stocking, continuous grazing program would have created an ideal environment for species that like those conditions, often grass species, capable of continually growing and developing a shield over the soil, protecting it.

Over time, the ground beneath those plants would have become harder, and the nutrient reserves in the soil would have been depleted. The change in plants came with the cool burn.

Completing a cool burn took out the grass and other species that were growing there and the biomass, exposing the soil and potential residual competition and opening up the opportunity for new competition to germinate. In this case, it was the Cotton Bush, which thrives in environments with dry, hard soil and little organic matter.

Thankfully, Cotton Bush, with a little management, is a pretty easy plant to push along to the next successional phase. To change succession, we need to;

• Increase our organic matter in the soil and fertility. You could look to import sources like compost or mulch to add to these areas

• Change our grazing management, which in this case we have already completed

• Keep good ground cover and organic matter to hold as much moisture as possible from rain events. Looking at the broader landscape, contouring could be a potential option as well

• Using grazing management, look to increase the impact on the Cotton Bush, towards the end of its growing cycle. You could also look to use machinery as well, by slashing, like you have been. I would recommend doing that as the Cotton Bush comes to the end of its growth and keeping a watch that you don’t start to see too much organic matter build up, which will minimise the opportunity for new species to germinate

• You could also look to incorporate cover crops as well as a way of getting those new species into the landscape, but I’m sure there are already plenty of seeds there just waiting for the right opportunity

I hope that gives you some tips on the future management of this site, Barbara. Your best bet is to get in and try some experiments to see what works, and don’t worry too much. In my books, Cotton Bush is a pretty easy plant to manage and one that I wouldn’t worry too much about long-term.

🌳 Learning from Plants

Have a plant you’d like to discuss? Share it with us here.

Blady Grass

Common Names: Kunai Grass, Bladey Grass, Satintail, Spear Grass, Sword Grass, Thatch Grass, Alang-Alang, Lalang Grass, Cotton Wool Grass, Kura-Kura, Cogongrass, Cogon Grass

Scientific Name: Imperata cylindrica

Where in the Succession: Low Fertility Exploiter

Thanks to Jonathan for sharing this month’s plant with us.

Blady Grass is a perennial grass species found across most countries, with a preference for more tropical areas with higher rainfalls. It is native to Australia and Southeast Asia along with other parts of Asia, and potentially East Africa.

In Australia, it is found across the country, but it has a distinct preference for coastal and subcoastal areas, with it only being present in some inland areas.

What is it telling me about my landscape?

Blady Grass is a low-fertility exploiter species. And, I think it is our first exploiter species covered in Reading Landscapes. For a refresher on what it means for a plant to be an exploiter, check out the article on Plant Succession.

Where will I find Blady Grass growing, and why is it growing there?

Blady Grass will be found growing across a wide range of conditions; wet and dry, sandy or clay soils, a range of pH. But, in most cases where we find a dominance of it growing and outcompeting other species, we expect to see some of the following characteristics;

• Low fertility soils

• Acidic soils

• Overgrazed areas

• Landscapes disturbed or degraded by practices like overgrazing, fire or cultivation

Once growing in an area, it is excellent at holding superiority through its ability to;

• Reproduces both sexually through seeds and asexually through its rhizomes in the ground¹

• Produce allelopathic compounds inhibiting the growth of neighbouring species²

• Grow dense mats that create a physical barrier by shading out other species and inhibiting their germination

It is for these reasons that it is often used in rehabilitation projects for erosion control and soil stabilisation, as it is excellent at completing those two jobs, but like I said above, at the expense of allowing other species to thrive as well.

How can we manage Blady Grass?

⛏️ Implement practices to disturb it and change the succession. In managing Blady Grass at Forage Farms, I have received great results using livestock and disturbance to change our succession. The best results were with our laying hens, but I have also used our cattle and pigs. In all three cases, I contained the animals in a small area, with high density to use their impact to knock down the Blady Grass and open up the opportunity for other species to actually germinate and grow. For the cattle as they won’t readily graze the Blady Grass I supplemented them with hay and silage. In all three instances I saw my succession change to mid succession accumulators (thistles and cotton bush) followed by farmers friends and grass. The area where I used chickens now has very little Blady Grass; the pigs and cattle have had a shorter time frame and are still being managed through that successional change.

🌱 Incorporate other plant species. Once we limit the dominance of Blady Grass and create an opportunity for other species to have a go, it would help if you got in and lent a hand by spreading seed or planting a multi-species cover crop. It isn’t necessary as other plants will come in, but often they will be mid to late succession accumulators, and by planting a cover crop, you can have more control over the species growing. Just ensure that the cover crop blend has a good mix of deeper-rooted herbs and legumes alongside the grass species.

🧑‍🌾 Change our management practices. If we find Blady Grass becoming a growing issue, look to the cause and how we can change our management to fix the problem. It thrives around the conditions created by continual overgrazing, burning and cultivation. Are we seeing any of those conditions in our landscape? These are some of the questions we need to ask ourselves as we take on the process of changing the succession.

⬆️ Build organic matter and increase soil fertility. In many cases where Blady Grass is growing, the soil is of subpar quality for more productive and palatable grasses to grow. If that is the case, we need to step in and assist Nature with improving that soil quality to try to change the succession. We can look to bring in sources of fertility like mulch, compost, and straw, and create the environment for those more desirable plant species. This step can often be combined with my first tip of using animal disturbance to take out the Blady Grass, then bring in a source of fertility and finish the process off by planting new species, and we can really start to push that succession forward.

You could also use the Blady Grass to help build your organic matter. Studies have found its rhizomes capable of producing up to 6 tonnes of biomass per hectare and a leaf biomass of 10 tonnes³ .

How to make the most of your Blady Grass

🪨 As a Soil Indicator: Low organic matter levels, acidic soils, light soil structure, low nitrogen, heavy metal presence⁴ , low potassium, low magnesium, presence of high salt levels⁵

🐮 Livestock: Blady Grass is not very palatable to livestock, due to its coarse structure. Younger shoots of the plant may be grazed, and I know that pigs have a liking for its rhizomes, which they will dig up.

💊 Medicinal: Blady Grass has a long history in traditional Chinese medicine, being used for relieving fever, managing vomiting, treating irregular menstruation, and for its diuretic effects. In modern medicine, it has been researched for its potential in the treatment of cervical cancer⁷ .

🍽️ Consumption: Blady Grass is rarely used as a food source; in emergencies, some cultures use the young shoots. To make up for its lack of edible uses, it has proven to be an excellent product for textiles. In Africa, it has been used for⁸ ;

• Thatching roofs

• Weaving into mats, baskets and bags

• Forming into ropes

• and as a stuffing material in place of cotton

And in Australia, it has been a fibre source for papermaking⁸ .

🙋 Answering your Questions

Ask the Team! Share your question here, and we’ll answer it in a future newsletter.

💬 Everyone Asks:

Where can I get Peter’s books, Back from the Brink and Beyond the Brink? I can’t seem to find new copies anywhere.

🎙️ Hamish’s Answer:

We're excited to announce that Peter Andrews's two books, Back from the Brink and Beyond the Brink, are back in print. We have received the rights back from the ABC and have them in print again.

These remarkable works delve into Peter's groundbreaking insights on sustainable land management and regenerative agriculture. His passion for restoring our landscapes and nurturing the environment shines through every page, and we can’t wait for you to experience this knowledge firsthand.

Whether you’re a long-time fan of Peter’s work or discovering his wisdom for the first time, these books are a must-have for anyone interested in positively impacting our planet. They are not just books but a call to action, an invitation to embrace a brighter, greener future.

What’s more? You can now purchase your copies directly from our website! Don’t miss out on adding these incredible titles to your collection. Grab yours today and join us in celebrating the return of Peter Andrews’ inspiring works!

Let’s continue to learn, grow, and make a difference!

Happy reading!

P.S. Feel free to share this exciting news with your friends and family! Let’s spread the word that these books are once again available! 🌱✨

📚 What We’ve Been Learning

A quick list of our favourite things we’ve been watching, reading, listening, and writing.

Natural Sequence Farming: Stuart Andrews: Stuart sits down with Alpha Lo of the Climate Water Project to discuss Natural Sequence Farming and its role in restoring degraded land by rehydrating floodplains, reviving soil health, and reconnecting natural water cycles.

Episode 150: Grazing Beyond the Mainstream with Jim Elizondo: Jim provides an introduction to the concepts behind Total Grazing and how that differs from other grazing methods. The episode covers a range of topics

#55: From Selling Firewood to Natural Sequence Farming with Stuart McWilliam from Blackbird and Beast: Stuart sits down and discusses his journey, with an inspiring story that everyone should listen to. He dives into the significance of practical experience over formal education and how he navigated the shift to regenerative farming. Stuart discusses the challenges of managing his first cattle venture, the impact of mentorship, and the power of community in farming. He also reflects on personal growth, sobriety, and the idea that resilience can lead to unconventional success.

How livestock can "green" global deserts and restore degraded land | Alejandro Carrillo | TEDxBoston: This TED talk provides a great overview of the work Alejandro Carillo has been implementing to restore the degraded Chihuahuan Desert. He discusses understanding the role of plant succession in changing an ecosystem, getting your small water cycle functioning and that even the harshest of our landscapes can be restored. Alejandro is coming to Australia this month, and for those in South-East Queensland, Gympie Beef Group is hosting a one-day field day.

1  Imperata cylindrica

2  Allelopathy and Allelochemicals of Imperata cylindrica as an Invasive Plant Species

3  Allelopathy and Allelochemicals of Imperata cylindrica as an Invasive Plant Species

4  Seed endophytes and rhizosphere microbiome of Imperata cylindrica, a pioneer plant of abandoned mine lands

5  Imperata cylindrica: A Review of Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Industrial Applications

6  Imperata cylindrica: A Review of Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Industrial Applications

7  CD24 gene inhibition and TIMP-4 gene upregulation by Imperata cylindrica's root extract prevents metastasis of CaSki cells via inhibiting PI3K/Akt/snail signaling pathway and blocking EMT

8  Imperata cylindrica

9  How much wetland has the world lost? Long-term and recent trends in global wetland area