19 Monitoring Blog Guantugloma Vivero

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Technical blog monitoring vivero (plant nursery) progress in community of Guantugloma

While visiting springs, tanks, and existing irrigation system, the Guantugloma Water Committee showed us their vivero which uses same bags and planting techniques as Malinguapamba. Wonderful growth in only 2-6 months including a good diversity of plants, mostly shrubs, all native to the area, all from sprigs (cuttings planted into the ground rather than seeds). The plants are protected on the SW (i think) side of a Yawal shrub line to protect from wind but generally full sun.

Successful plants include: Mortino (native blueberry), Yawal both Peruvian and "natural," Chilco, Cullia, Yurapanka, Malua (looks like gooseberry), and Aliso Peruviano. I won't try to sift through Quichua vs Spanish on these, but suffice to say they have ~ 1,000 plants ready for use in erosion control and reforestation.

Of note is the regular harvest of the Yawal from shrub lines for plantings, in photo 4 the cuttings are laid onto the ground and will sprout for later harvest. This and a visit to Augustine's plots (photo 16 in (last) blog 18) prove what marvelous farmers these folks are, with seriously green thumbs up here at such huge altitude. Clearly their watershed conservation and reforestation efforts will be wonderful to watch.

NOTE that i dropped off another several thousand bags from Jean Brown, gave to Dona Josefina in Malingua Pamba. What an awesome project this is.

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