Ideas for maintaining bare earth

We've just bought an orchard / veggie plot in central France. The fenceline sits some distance inside the boundary, and between the two has been maintained as bare, rather stony earth. At the front it is a band at least 1.5m wide and 30m long. Around the other 3 sides is only about 30cm wide.I can see the point of having area bare, and would like to continue the practice, but am a bit at a loss as to how to do it. The previous owner almost certainly achieved it with liberal doses of Roundup, but since part of the point for me is to provide habitat for those insects that utilise patches of bare ground, I really don't want to be using Roundup. Also, there would be no way of preventing drift onto my vege as far as I can work out.Anyone got any advice for how to maintain it?

I'm really dubious about Roundup's purported lack of effect on lifeforms other than plants. It's marketed in the UK as being safe for use where there are frogs, but in Australia it is well-known for killing frogs (it damages their waxy waterproof skin coating and they dessicate). The entomological jury is still out on Roundup and invertebrates, but the research into imidacloprid (Gaucho) and the effect it has on bees makes me think that it is entirely likely that Roundup has an effect on invertebrates at the sort of sub-clinical level that makes it very difficult to establish exactly what is going on. Plus, I know from experience that Roundup is both more volatile and less fugitive than most people realise. On hot days it will vapourise off target plants and migrate several metres to come down on non-target plants. It also does not always quickly and completely break down in the soil, especially in places exposed to repeated use.

Rotovating is not an option I think. The ground is almost rock hard, and I would like it to stay that way. Rotovating would disturb the ground and the solitary bees, etc that I want to encourage, need undisturbed ground for nesting. Also, wouldn't tilling the soil result in a rash of dormant seed germination – might be pretty, but kind of defeating my purpose :-) ?

My best thought was a flame gun, as Pro Gard has suggested, but I could only do this once a year, in the autumn I think. Anything else would make the farmer whose land adjoins very nervous I imagine.

Thanks for your thoughts guys. It will be interesting learning how to manage this area and I will keep you posted.

Replies

PRO

Phil Voice June 7, 2009 at 9:24pm

Hi Susan

One way would be to rotovate the strip on a regular basis but this would obviously turn any vegetation over.

I am not sure that Roundup would have any effect on the insects. Whilst it blocks the creation of the enzyme needed in photosynthesis, it is not found to do the same in humans and animals/insects.
Susan Walter June 8, 2009 at 7:11am

I'm really dubious about Roundup's purported lack of effect on lifeforms other than plants. It's marketed in the UK as being safe for use where there are frogs, but in Australia it is well-known for killing frogs (it damages their waxy waterproof skin coating and they dessicate). The entomological jury is still out on Roundup and invertebrates, but the research into imidacloprid (Gaucho) and the effect it has on bees makes me think that it is entirely likely that Roundup has an effect on invertebrates at the sort of sub-clinical level that makes it very difficult to establish exactly what is going on. Plus, I know from experience that Roundup is both more volatile and less fugitive than most people realise. On hot days it will vapourise off target plants and migrate several metres to come down on non-target plants. It also does not always quickly and completely break down in the soil, especially in places exposed to repeated use.

Rotovating is not an option I think. The ground is almost rock hard, and I would like it to stay that way. Rotovating would disturb the ground and the solitary bees, etc that I want to encourage, need undisturbed ground for nesting. Also, wouldn't tilling the soil result in a rash of dormant seed germination – might be pretty, but kind of defeating my purpose :-) ?

My best thought was a flame gun, as Pro Gard has suggested, but I could only do this once a year, in the autumn I think. Anything else would make the farmer whose land adjoins very nervous I imagine.

Thanks for your thoughts guys. It will be interesting learning how to manage this area and I will keep you posted.
PRO

Phil Voice June 8, 2009 at 7:48am

"On hot days it will vaporise off target plants and migrate several metres to come down on non-target plants."

I definitely agree with this.

Rotovating will release weed seeds but in time this will even out.

The flame gun method is not going to preserve the ecology. Sadly, any insect or spider in its path will be destroyed.

What about rolling out a membrane - not particularly attractive but if it is thick enough and excludes the light it can be effective.
pete June 8, 2009 at 8:41am

Hi Susan, I'm sure you have a reason for wanting these stips bare, but I can't think what it is, I've had bees nesting in my lawn before - so I may be way off here but otherwise and if I've got the picture right, I might rake off the worst of the stone and leave it, then strim or mow as and when.
Nick Steele June 8, 2009 at 9:45am

"On hot days it will vaporise off target plants and migrate several metres to come down on non-target plants.

Blimey, that's a bit of an alarming idea! How hot does it need to be for this to happen ? Is there any published evidence for it occurring ? Wouldn't you just see the water evaporate off, leaving the chemical on the leaf ?