Round two

Once upon a time, I ordered six Vetiver plants, to grow as a hedge. The purpose was to use it, to stop erosion down in our gully. But also to provide mulch when pruned back. It was going to be great! I planted out five plants though, and after the first deluge, they were completely covered in silt and didn't recover. But I had one left!

I nurtured that plant for up to twelve months, by continuing to pot it into larger pots. Then, one day, I ran out of larger pots and it was forced to contend with limited space and irregular watering. I really should have dealt with it sooner, but yesterday I decided it had to be propagated.

It did extremely well for the conditions I gave it towards the end. There were masses of brown leaves, but it was mostly green growth underneath. I guess the reason I put it off for so long, was wondering how I was going to pull apart, a root bound pot - knowing the reputation vetiver has for impenetrable root systems.

I started with a big knife to attempt to divide the plant at first. But all it did was slice the leaves off the rhyzome, and separated them from the roots. So I ditched the knife, removed all the soil I could from the roots, and gently pried each section away from the next. It was easy, once the roots were detached from the soil.

After dividing them up, removing the dead leaves and trimming the roots, I soaked them in a seaweed solution (Seasol). I was happy to discover my vetiver grass, was more alive than dead. It certainly lives up to its reputation, as being one of the toughest plants in the world.

After potting them into individual forestry tubes, I ended up with 24 plants in total. Here's hoping when I plant out round two, I can position it a little better than previously. I will have to keep back a couple of plants though, like I had the sense to do with the last batch - just in case.

I really want need a vetiver hedge, as it can be a handy tool for preventing soil erosion. Our soil shouldn't be leaving the property. Plus I want need all that free mulch material, from its annual haircut. Without these things, our land has a hard time replenishing itself, and then we have a harder time managing it.

So fingers crossed for round two!