Despite the dry summer, almost all of the trees on the agroforestry plot have survived, with only a few failures among the poplars. “Some poplars have not grown at all, others were probably peeled clean by a roebuck,” reports Dr. Philipp Weckenbrock, who is in charge of the agroforestry area on behalf of Justus Liebig University Giessen, adding: “Some of the value trees planted with roots have already gained over a meter since the end of February, the strongest poplars even about 2.5 meters. We can therefore assume that the rows of trees will be clearly visible by the Eco Field Days 2021.” On October 20, wheat was sown between the tree lines. So far, the cultivation of the field strips has gone more or less smoothly. At the end of November, the existing rows of trees will be completed with apple trees (four different varieties), pear trees (primarily as valuable wood and possibly to refine the apple juice) and elderberry bushes. “Word has already got around about the agroforestry on the Gladbacherhof,” says Weckenbrock happily. There have already been several groups of visitors on site and on October 1, a film crew from Hessischer Rundfunk filmed on the agroforestry area for the program “Alle Wetter” (minute 1:30 to 05:01).
30. October 2020