Sheep, and grass, and organic fertilizers
- Subject: Sheep, and grass, and organic fertilizers
- From: T* K* E*
- Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2002 08:05:40 -0500
>>sheep do a great job on large expanses of grass--fenced out of flower
gardens of course! They trim right up close, recycle the clippings, and
look picturesque.
But they need >>1 to be happy, right, and is 0.6 acres, even in the US SE,
enough? I have the Briard; he could probably be trained to keep the sheep
out of the flowers (and does a GREAT job on the squirrels, BTW: you think
oak is bad for attracting squirrels, try a pecan!). I asked about goats
once; the goat man from the NCDA told me that a) they preferred to eat
ANYTHING to grass, so would be working hard to get at my flowers and shrubs,
and b) couldn't be trained on an electronic underground dog fence because
they "test" fences all day long and would wear out the battery way faster
than a dog would. Llama people won't sell just one llama without a
grazing-animal companion.
Speaking of recycling: Herbivore poop is generally a good thing, at least
at the rate herbivores spread it around on their own. Does anyone have any
information about dogs? I know cat poop will kill plants. Is there a
reason besides esthetics and overall cleanliness to clean up after the dogs,
and if I toss it into the hedge at the back, am I fertilizing or killing?
Three dogs, 150# total weight.
I read recently (Doug Green, maybe?) that grass simply WAS the cheapest,
easiest ground cover going, and if there was something else, you could bet
the landscape companies would be planting that instead of grass. (Analogous
to why hotel bathrooms use shower curtains rather than glass doors; it's
because curtains are easier and quicker to clean and if you want to know
about housekeeping efficiency, ask a hotel maid.) Can't say that I could
argue one way or another.
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