The land that I'm using was the only land I could arrive at a rock-solid partnership with. Since I didn't own a suitable patch of land to grow on, I was looking for this sort of arrangement. My buddy and I have arrived at a fine agreement towards this.
The only problem with much of his mountain acreage is that it is thick with well-established rhododendron. this began establishing itself when my buddy was just a boy. We are both in our late 50's, so there's been 45 years or so of growth. My buddy remembers running thru those woods when he was little, and now unless you use a chainsaw, that's not happening!
I have cleared an acre with said saw. I intend to clear many more as well. the soil appears really good, excepting borderline low pH, and low Ca. I've applied both lime and gypsum to the cleared area... and am awaiting the current soil testing results. I expect to see some difference in the measured values... and am ready to apply more as needed.
When I read the Persons book, the woody undergrowth seems to be a description of plants in the vicinity. I don't read this as something like what I'm doing, like re-establishing a forest floor from an invasive species like Rodo. some how trhis feels pretty good to do this, as well as extablish \"a growing concern\" such as our crops.
I'm asking for your opinion about this clearing vs occasional woody undergrowth occurances, specifically with the soil and growth concerns. Any thoughts?
