ROWBAGS

One day in September, a few years ago, I needed to move 

a few clumps of vetiver from the nursery to another location;

I couldn't finish the work in the immediate so I abandoned

the clumps in the parking area.

A couple of weeks later, when I put hands in the matter

again, to my great amazement, I wasn't able to pull the 

clumps from the ground because those had stricken roots

in the mean time and formed a solid block with the

compacted ground.

Today I review that incident with the certainty that I found

the keystone to introduce vetiver hedgerows to the public

authorities who act to safeguard the hydrogeological stability

in the interest of local inhabitants at any level.

Here is the Idea:

Let's take a common jute bag used to produce the typical 

sandbag, let's fill it with sand a little slow release nitrogen 

fertilizer, make a few holes along its long axis and place

in it a row of bare root vetiver propagations.

In no time the plants will strike roots which will escape the

jute bag from the bottom (for this it is advisable to place

them on concrete or plastic).

They can easily be produced in nurseries at any latitude.

In the production period, it would be best to keep low the

aerial part and often prune the roots in order to promote

new tillers and new root growth.

Drip irrigation in hot weather would be needed.

When ready, the bags, can simply be alligned on the ground

on contour lines, along their long axis, to form the much

debated hedgerows without moving a single stone or plough a single centimeter of land.

Total planting cost: ZERO

This rowbags can also be placed on top of other common 

sandbag walls or barriers forming in little time some strong

levee banks at very little cost and effort.

All the rest, given the instrument, is a bio-engineeristic task

for a specialistic team to design; here some examples:

- embankments set in order to favour the formation of 

sand barriers in rivers at risk,

- active defenses to slow down and direct the flow of 

floodwaters,

- immediate action (but built to stay)to spread heavy rainfall

in the catchment and prevent flashflood.

With a little fantasy anyone can imagine the huge potential

of this idea, or not?

And many thanks to Nicola for his giving graphic shape to 

my thinking.