A long strip of vetiver grasses have been grown on the edge of a steep slope at the farm. It’s a super grass with multiple functions ranging from soil and water conservation, phytoremediation, biological pest control, fodder, mulching, compost material, perfumery to even handicraft uses. I am in the midst of propagating this along with citronella along the contour lines of the farm’s hilly terrain.
It’s very difficult to cut the matured grasses with a brush cutter, so I had to resort to using a sickle. Since the two rows of vetiver are on a steep slope, finding a stable footing to work around it was difficult. Here, I’ve just basically chopped and dropped them as part of my periodical maintenance of this hedge. They can also be used to line paths and build solid footings as steps for terraces. They are a great plant candidate for biomass production.
The young leaves that are cut after a two-week period of regrowth is especially palatable as fodder for cattle and fish. It’s certainly very highly economical, strategic and immensely functional to have vetiver saturate the farm at the right places. I personally find vetiver to be a much superior grass to napier on all fronts.
