Re: Schinus molle - California Pepper, the scum

I love the shop-vac story!
 
I hadn't thought about the water issue - I had thought of trying something like Sambucca to fill the middle range since the fire department wants the pepper six feet above a shed that's partly under the pepper canopy, leaving a strip of open view about where a full-grown elderberry would fill -in (or  manzanita?). Then habitat and food closer to the ground - preferably with thorns as anit-cat barriers.  On the other hand, it's clay, downhill from a watered area, and there's a stand of bamboo a little further along doing just fine thank you.
 
I'll start looking at leaf types and water-use. And an outlet by the shed for the shop-vac.  Thank you both, you've given me hope.
 
Carol
 
``Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity'' - Hanlon's Razor


----- Original Message ----
From: N Sterman <TalkingPoints@PlantSoup.Com>
To: peabodys_gardener@yahoo.com; medit-plants <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
Sent: Sunday, December 31, 2006 11:11:26 AM
Subject: Re: Schinus molle - California Pepper, the scum

Carol, I grow lots of different plants in the shade and litter of the pepper tree.  I too love it despite its warts.  Allelopathy has not been a problem at all.  

The biggest problem, as you suggest, is the litter.  Large plants with large, succulent leaves like agaves and aloes fare best though I have to brush out the centers every so often.  Fine leaved plants like the Australian natives (even large ones) and low growing ground covers simply get buried in the litter.  

Thevetia thevetiodes does well.  The litter seems to slide right off the Thevetia foliage.  Larger salvias are fine.  Pholmis does well too as do the larger native grasses.  

I recently heard about a woman who uses a big shop vac to vacuum the litter out of plants beneath her pepper tree!

Nan (in San Diego County)

On Dec 31, 2006, at 10:56 AM, Carol Joynson wrote:

I know I should rip it out. Evil incarnate etc., etc.  But 1) it's huge and provides wonderful privacy on my hillside, 2) can't afford to (do you know what they charge!??!! - worth it considering the location, but not in my budget).
 
So - it's sitting in the middle of my lotline where the native hedgerow is going in.  I would like to get as close to it as possible, maybe some understory.  Have heard the tales of alleopathy, have searched for details on web, nothing except some docs that suggest the real problem is suffocation: the tree puts out massive amounts of litter.  Even found a piece suggesting they would make great farmland reclamation trees in Africa: low water requirement, enormous biomass contribution.
 
Does anyone have anything  specific on what sort of California native (or other medit type, but this is for the birds and beasts) could possibly grow in the understory of a Schinus molle?  I'm more than willing to provide a weekly shake-out for the litter problem until the undergrowth is high enough (and I'm rich enough) to remove or severely cut-back the big tree.
 
Thanks,
Carol
Eagle Rock (Los Angeles, NE)
 
``Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity'' - Hanlon's Razor

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com



__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index