Update On Vetiver Grass

I have recently written a series on Phytodepuration and my Vetiver Grass plants, at that time I couldn’t figure out why my vetiver plants were not thriving.

Being successful in Permaculture is about observation and finding the solution within the problem.

Today I am here to share my observations on what I was doing wrong, and what changes I made to have a thriving vetiver grass yield.

If you’re getting the same results as I did, you can make the same changes and have vetiver succeed.

Additionally, I would like to share how to propagate vetiver grass successfully.

I hope you enjoy Mission Propagating Vetiver Grass.

Successful Vetiver Grass

Vetiver grass is very tolerant of the soil, salinity and, extreme weather conditions.

However, the shade is enemy number one to vetiver grass. Shade can cause reduction of growth and potentially cause the plant to die.

I now have my vetiver plants in a place where they can get direct sunlight most of the day and, they are thriving!

Additionally, The plantlets or slips must develop new roots and, have an extensive amount of water to have grown a well-formed root system.

At the beginning of the initial planting, you want to make sure you are irrigating or that you’re in the rain season.

I made these two small changes to the vetiver grass, and now I can propagate on a large scale.

How To Successfully Propagate Vetiver Grass

Vetiver grass must be propagated asexually because it is non-fertile to multiply. 

I am going to take you, step by step along with the video as I am propagating the vetiver grass plants.

  1. Dig around the plant of vetiver removing some of the soil from the roots
  2. Using a shovel remove the plant
  3. Remove some of the excess soil
  4. Cut the plants
  5. Use the top parts of the plant as mulch to the vetiver plants that have been put in the soil
  6. Divide the plants
  7. Put the plants of vetiver in a bucket of solution that contains microorganisms and compost
  8. Create a channel in the soil, fill the channel with water
  9. Using a hand tool create a hole in the soil
  10. Put the Vetiver plant in soil, trying to respect the roots as a whole
  11. Fill the hole with soil
  12. When you’re done, fill the channel with water.

This last step is very important because you have to remove all of the air.

Mission Propagating Vetiver Grass Complete

Once you have propagated and successfully multiplied the number of vetiver plants, you have.

You are on your way to having a vegetative barrier to help reduce erosion.

Or having a plant system that is cleaning your soil or your greywater.

Giuseppe Tallarico
 

Giuseppe is a versatile and results-oriented Agronomist specializing in Permaculture, Food Security, and Environmental Management Systems dedicated to consulting large-scale farms through the transition to sustainable and regenerative agriculture to achieve maximum profitability naturally while creating a greener abundant earth for generations to come. Giuseppe is an Accredited Instructor by the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia and a permaculture consultant for the government of Jordan. Giuseppe serves the world permaculture community as the founder and General Manager of the World Permaculture Association, the head of the Urban Permaculture Laboratory Educational Center, and manager of Rigenera, a Permaculture consulting company. https://www.giuseppetallarico.com

Click Here to Leave a Comment Below 4 comments
Rafael

Hi Giuseppe,
Thanks for the video and great information.
How long before a transplant can be itself used to propagate?
All the best,

Reply
    Giuseppe Tallarico

    Hi Rafael, I would wait one year. Thanks for the question

    Reply
Ruth Carruthers

Hi Giuseppe,
thank you for the great video. A fellow permacultutist gave me some vetiver plants in pots which I planted early spring 2 years ago. They have totally thrived and clumped out tremendously! I am going to propagate from them in the coming days (late winter/early spring where i live in Australia ) to form a barrier along my fence line from encroaching weeds from my neighbour. I love this plant! And thank you again; your video was excellent!

Reply
    Giuseppe Tallarico

    Hello Ruth,

    Thank you for your interest in our mission of propagating vetiver grass. Unfortunately, we had to remove the video due to technical reasons, but we are still actively working on promoting the use of vetiver grass as a sustainable solution for soil erosion, water conservation, and carbon sequestration. Vetiver grass is a versatile and hardy plant that can be used for a variety of purposes and is adaptable to various climates and soil types. If you have any further questions or are interested in learning more about how to propagate and utilize vetiver grass in your community, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

    Best regards,
    Giuseppe Tallarico, General Manager of the World Permaculture Association

    Reply

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