Hi y’all. I am putting this question out to the ether to get some different perspectives on how I’m approaching this. I have property in a high desert climate, red sand, 5k feet, desert heat in summer, freezing and occasional snow in winter, with less than 15 inches of rain annually coming mostly in monsoon season.
There’s a 1/2 acre horse paddock that is hard as nails with only the most pokey weeds – the ones that flatten tires and make you cry – growing. To try to get the land healthier, I’ve tracked rainfall and where the water travels, started by digging swales and planting trees I was able to order through a state conservation program. Through friends and neighbors I’ve gathered organic debris to deep mulch six to eight foot circumference around each tree. Next up is adding native and xeric perennials.
This however, especially as the trees are whips at this stage, is still leaving the majority of the space as pokey weed zone. We try to chop and drop but with the heat and wind everything that gets dropped dries to a crisp and blows away off the hard packed ground. Although pokey weeds have their place, it makes it impossible to even walk back there and my neighbors are probably silently planning my demise since the seeds travel. My dogs have been injured with foxtails burrowing into their paws.
Has anyone successfully helped a space move beyond the pokey weed stage in the American southwest or similar situation? If it was your space, what would be your next step? The ground is hard as a rock. I will be supplementing water to get the trees started but only by flooding where I’ve dug out. Would love to hear how others might approach this challenge. Thank you!
submitted by /u/coconutcremekitty
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