Shaun big supporter of your efforts. It's not clear in the video what canyons or what part of Oxford canyon road is on your property. Interesting to know if there are dlash floods during a torrential rain. If so there must be some type of 'runoff ditch,' a long hemispherical canal you can cut into the side of the road or perhaps put in piping to capture and drain away some of the water, as you see in some parks or forests, but especially in Caribbean islands.If you are going to receive a huge flash flood once a year, captuing that water and directing it into some sort of shaded well or a holding pond sheeted over with some beams and opaque plastic to keep it cool seems doable. On Homestead Rescue show I often see them digging a basement type storage or pond over six feet deep with nothing more than a dozer. Sometimes it's a sunken greenhouse. They say the temp is usually stable at around 60 degrees at a certain depth of a couple of meters and at a cool temperature with plastic or glass containment the water should not evaporate away but condense and drip back down. If algae grows in it, wow, that's biomass! You could have ducks in there pooping away as they do. They usually put a plastic lining on the bottom, check it is leak-proof with a truck of water, and then make some kind of filtering system where they can open some valves on hoses to drip down via gravity to some proximate seedbeds. All that to say, why don't you make a plan to capture the industrial strength flash floods with some cheap plastic tubing (properly anchored in cement pilings) or just a half moon open disk channel by the sude of the road to give you a water source. You said the road is steep at times, perfect fo using gravity to cacth water.
I posted this on a previous video: You should look into planting Texas Persimmons. They’re native to the Chihuahuan Desert and Edwards Plateau. They produce edible fruit that can help build soil as they decompose and attract animals to further spread seeds and manure. These trees can handle the summer heat and require little supplemental irrigation, being extremely drought tolerant. They favor riparian zones, prairie margins, rocky slopes, and alkaline soil. If you end up with larger trees on site they will thrive in the shade of them as well. You will need to make sure you get both male and female trees (determined by their flower shapes). You already have bees on site and they love this tree’s pollen! Maybe once you have a well you can plant a small grove with an assortment of trees/shrubs to serve as an anchor to work off of. Perhaps the Miyawaki Method of planting could benefit your project when it comes to building the actual forest. Particularly to conserve resources and increase the chances of each plant’s survival. If you have one designated area that you focus on establishing first (with mulches and water) it won’t be as daunting of a project.
@@dustupstexas They grew profusely in the washes on the backside of Rattlesnake Ridge on Terlingua ranch. My ranch dogs would climb the lower branches for fruits when they were ripe, and then I would pick the ones over head and drop them down to the dogs when only fruits high up were left. They considered them to be a real treat. The fruit and dropped leaves make a potassium rich compost.
I added clay to my check dams and it was essential in trapping sediment to build up materials that would retain more water. I just put it in front of the dam and let the rain sort it and fill the gaps. It took two applications.
@@johnfontaine2760 maybe but my clay was free and deep red. I wanted a natural and free solution. I have more wild flowers and trees sprouting after three years that I’m shocked.
Impressive low key tour of the canyon. I can just imagine Brandon's barefoot canyon walking experience being sold as a posh spa treatment. Thanks guys.
I think building beaver dams and collecting seed is the most important thing right now. And then growing plants from the seed so that after rain they can be planted in low places where the water accumulates. The more shade the soil gets, the less water will evaporate and the more water the plants will have. Rain is rare, so you have to make the most of it when it comes. I know from Spain that after forest fires you have to replant as quickly as possible once they are over, otherwise grass and bushes will crowd out trees.
Not sure if Texas does this but the Missouri department of conservation sends out order forms in their magazine for native shrubs, trees, and other plants. You get them in orders of 10 or more but they are usually super cheap as in maybe a dollar per plant. It might be a good way for you to do that cluster planting you mentioned way cheaper for a little more native variety to your forest.
Btw, I have a plant growing that you would love, it’s an Australian Desert Lime. I specialise in “desertification” and growing plants that will grow and even thrive in deserts and increase the complexity and diversity.
Sometimes I'm super jealous of Brandon... as I'm sitting here telling myself "man i want that job" while eating chilled grapes in my 68° room and ready to take a late afternoon nap when it gets up to 73°. What i realistically mean is; man Brandon has a cool job i want to see more of that cause if i'd prolly die out there.
Regarding using the post hole digger. (Gas). I keep a rake handy. I let the digger dig and intermittently lift it up 8” or a foot and the debris with spin out. When it piles up you rake it out of the way and repeat. Not making the hole bigger than the augur bit is a big help. I also keep a big metal breaker bar to remove and break up rocks and roots when needed.
I have found that no hand tool moves soil/gravel/rocks as well as a small (6 or 8 inches wide) spring tooth rake. I know it sounds crazy, but you need to try it. It will become a favorite tool. True Temper makes one of the nicer ones.
I made a drag out of an old heavy gate at a mine cleanup and loaded it up with boulders. Chained up to the pickup I would rework (smooth) out all the roads. Worked especially well when the soil was damp, maybe some day🤗
Love this channel. It’s hilarious though how soothing your voice ended up being talking about desert nerdery. I fall asleep to it all the time and have awesome desert dreams. Thanks! 🙏🏼 💤 🏜️
I love how simple and straight forward the videos and conversation are. This is exactly what I figure it would be like if I was friends with Shaun and Brandon and came out to visit the ranch every now and then.
I have three buckeye I grow and give away seedlings. So cool to see another member of the Aesculus spp. This episode is the exact content I have been looking forward to! Happy foraging friends.
I think this is one of my favourite episodes to date. With so much focus on work, there's so little time or energy to spare for actually experiencing your surroundings. I'm in a similar situation where i'm working my ass off to build a cabin before the snow flies, where all the time and energy I have is being put towards that and all I have energy left to do is eat and sleep. Nothing left in the tank to enjoy my surroundings.
Plant is possibly: Mexican Buckeye (Ungnadia speciosa) is not a true buckeye as a second common name “False Buckeye” indicates. It is a very early spring-flowering small tree or tall shrub in the soapberry family. Like Western Soapberry it has a compound leaf, but its three-lobed seedpod, containing three large dark brown to reddish seeds which rattle (when shaken after ripening) is like the large seedpods of some trees or shrubs in the Buckeye family. That might be the reason for its common name. The true value of the Mexican Buckeye is its drought tolerance and its ornamental appearance. Its fragrant pink to light purple blooms appear very early in the spring and can rival, on a healthy tree, the blooms of the Redbud tree, another early bloomer.
Ok, im a geek... i love paleontology, geology, biology ect. So as you two wete walking down that canyon all i coukd see was the massive alluvial deposits! I find it fascinating to think about the fact that thousands to millions of years ago there was a very large river flowing right where you were, indicating far wetter times. Though you coukd see a very distinct line separating the two layers which i believe shows a time of drought, then it picks back up again with the layers above, i woukd love to have your property, the amazing amount of ecological diversity you have there is staggering, not to mention the potential paleontological and geological history you have, you are a very lucky man
Well I wish I were that geologist, but sadly I'm just a very enthusiastic science need, I don't know it all.im more of a jack of all trades, I know a little of each natural science. As an example, you had mentioned about one plant being able to handle the limestone, not many people understand that limestone is very difficult fir most plants to grow in. Because of that difficulty, as a result there are plant species that become endemic to such environments. Very similar to serpentine rock, which is ingenious unlike limestone which is sedimentary. But boathouse are very extream soils for plants which only a few species can thrive in, thus creating uniqueplant communities. So knowing the geology and herb botany of a location cane greatly increase your success. I'm using this knowledge for my own tiny 5 acres of land here in oklahoma. I really want to see you succeed in your desert forest, it will be fascinating to see how it plays out in changing the environment of the area including its own micro-meteorological effects. Ok, I'm shutting up now, sorry, I ramble when I'm interested in something....
There’s a guy in California who brought his land back by starting by planting native grasses, then trees and eventually it restored the aquifer and some streams.
I can't wait until Tony/Joey from Crime Pays comes out. No doubt you are going to learn you have a LOT more species of plants on the ranch than you've identified so far.
Why not ask for help from groups like mossy earth or, leave curious? They do this kind of stuff all the time, and / or will have contacts who could provide practical boots on earth help?
A cheap way to keep animals away is dog hair. You can go to a Dog groomer and ask them to bag the more greasy/larger dogs for you to sprinkle/hang on trees to allow the scents to waft. It’s kept deer and cattle out of our garden beds.
Clay is a double edged sword when it comes to gardening. It is generally rich in minerals and holds onto water for a long time. Most plants have a hard time digging their roots through the stuff, and sometimes it holds onto water too well. This can cause a low oxygen environment that breeds anerobic bacteria that will cause root rot. It is also generally low in nitrogen for this same reason. Most legumes do well in clay because they are nitrogen fixers. My backyard is straight clay. Adding organic amendments to it is unbelievably hard, but I am trying to build a food forest anyways.
Yeah as someone who have way to much clay in my soil I really don't get these people wanting it. In my experience clay turns intoa brick around the plants roots and doesn't allow any water in.
@@DaDungeI have heavy clay soil. Try to water plants, the water just rolls off if it's dry, plants don't grow well either. I've had to add a lot of organic matter
Nice episode. Good to see you hanging out, enjoying, exploring and immersing yourselves in the local environment, rather than relentlessly seeking to imposing your will on it. Work with the place, not against it. Peace and love ❤
If you want clay for amending the soil, the cheapest, easiest, and fastest way to get that is to buy cheap kitty litter at the local feed or grocery store. Get the scent-free stuff. It's literally only Bentonite Clay made into pellets. And because it's "mass-produced" for the pet industry, the stuff is far cheaper than you'd be able to buy clay from a home builder or the like. Since you only need a relatively small amount, you really can't go wrong using Kitty Litter. The convenience and simplicity of it will save you gobs of time compared to trying to dig your own and get it back to the garden areas.
Build up a baby dirt bathtub and drop some mulch around that mesquite and I think you would be pretty surprised with how much better it would do out there. Even a couple layers of rock mulch would probably do wonders for that guy.
Might be a good idea to ask Brandon to wear a GoPro some of the time either while working or exploring. Chest mount or hat mount maybe. It would show you more and give you additional footage for your posts.
Ya trees are probably helpful i am in central texas and i have noticed during hot times without rain the only places that keep grass are around trees i assume it keeps enough sun off them during the day
My first order of business on a desert property would be to keep as much water on my patch as possible. Make swales, bury some cisterns. Sequester every drop that falls on the property or flows overland to the property when it rains. Release it slowly to select areas and watch things green up.
The huge beautiful washes are in need of a few rock dams to let water soak in and not speed off the property. They look very flat and raceway. You are making progress and i agree that there is need for amendments. Now, where to find easily accessible additives.
16.55 you might want to get a bunch of that gravel and dirt that is on top of the clay and pan it for gold..that looks like its an old river bed and it looks pretty good
Speaking of amendments have you considered coconut Coir for water retention and organic matter? You can buy it in compressed blocks and then mix in to swell up when watered, very good at keeping the water under the mulch and around the plant roots.
Great video, Nice to see you took time out to enjoy your own ranch. Some goods points about the plants and most importantly the other plants around it. Having grouping of various trees and bushes best locations for them. Maybe if you can get the seeds from those plant and put them in pots, then when they are the right size. plant them in maybe your dirt tubs in groups/ clusters. Also If you are getting dogs, Maybe 2 or 3 together keeping each other company and protect for themselves and the place. Especially if you are walking around by yourselves. Also am sure the dog centre will have LOT'S of dog poop they be happy for you to take away. Win win.
A washed out bank like this would be a good place to find and take woody clones for your farm. Especially on these washed out banks, you can recognize the structure of many of the plants lend themselves to colonizing and so are easy to remove rooted cuttings, especially in late winter, or when they are freshly disturbed, and transplant them. Oftentimes you can stool a shoot of most woody trees and shrubs by lowering a shoot and pinning it to the ground with a boulder, after some time roots may form under the boulder and you can take the cutting then.
You need a visit from the Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't, guy, here on RUclips. I'm sure he could tell you a lot about the flora on your place, that you don't already know. Also kenaf is a plant you might consider for your place. It has a lot of benefits and grows well in sandy desert soil.
Thank you so much for sharing this journey. It's wonderful to see you guys exploring and reaping some of the rewards of your hard work. When that random notification hit my inbox 21 months ago I didn't dream I'd be privileged to see such an amazing journey. Godspeed to you men.
Mesquites lower the water table significantly. They have deep tap roots and stoma that don't close. Around San Angelo if you chain all the mesquites up they will be replaced with hip high grasses and the river nearby will raise three feet.
I'm in Minnesota and factoids like that blow me away but had heard it before from a dude who has innovated a herbicide shooting gun and he takes out cedar also and water levels rise upon those two trees deaths, far out
Loved this episode, it felt like walking through river valleys where I’m from, trying to figure out what’s growing, why, and where. Real human exploration stuff.
Generational planting is super usefull, grasses in particular tend to grow deeper roots from one generation of that plant to the next. Out in Victoria, Australia i use a lot of Acacia's as they can grow in literal rock but are nitrogen fixers and a pioneer species. While in Texas a plant like that may be an environmental weed we would look to use the same types so your commentary is correct and I'm glad your picking up knowledge rather quickly which can come rather slow in practice.
Love your show! I actually had an idea very similar to what you’re doing because I grew up in California and as a kid we would drive up through the san joaquin valley where there were always farms and stuff growing. Later in college i learned just how fertile and important that valley is and so years later when I moved to Texas I became fascinated with how much west Texas looked like it could be just as fertile as the san joaquin valley. I thought it would be great to leave my programming job and work on somehow getting/preserving water and growing crops out there as i also am fascinated with permaculture ideas. Hats off to you for actually doing it! Keep up the good work!
Shaun, I have been following you for a while and love what you're doing. There's another guy @timeline ranch, out in the Chihuahuan desert of Texas and he is starting to do work on leak weirs and water management. Someone else I watch is on another continent in Spain. @suerto de molino who has done a lot of water retention works on his property utilizing weirs, dams, channels on contour, etc. I don't know who the guy is in Spain, but he learns as he goes, and explains things like velocity, potential energy being converted to kinetic energy so even I understand. Thank you for what you do. Rooting for you from the midwest.
Arroyo sweetwood (myrospernum sousanum) is supposed to be native to northern Mexico along the border areas. It is a desert tree found in canyons and arroyo like areas. I grew mine from seed about 5 years ago and this summer it is producing seeds itself. I am in zone 7b which is out (north) of its native range (from Austin Tx, southwards).
i recommend digging an 8x8 area 2-4 feet deep and sorting out the soil and rocks into wheel barrels. Use the rocks to create stacks of rocks in a circle that look like a well. This provides shade for the plants that they need vs the heat and sun while giving them room to grow. Use the dirt to build a mound that will provide shade for things to grow around. Your biggest problem is herbivories as the entire area would already be a forest if the predators existed so you should get a dog that does good in the heat. And these shade wells that provide shade for existing plants to boom. It's as simple thereafter to go and water these plants in the wells at night when the sun is down.
I liked this video and the mentality behind it. Looking at what plants are on the land, where they are growing. Pay as much attention as you can to the type of "structures" they are growing in too and the geology/topography around them, like mounds of rocks, piles of branches or decaying cacti. It is good to see what is growing and where and try to mimic those patterns in the land you manage when planting seeds and building structures. Also, be very mindful of orientation to the sun. Are the little slot canyons exposed to the sun in a particular pattern/etc. Using many different native plants that have several uses is key as well. Ideally there should be benefits to both nature/biodiversity and human needs, but even plants that don't benefits humans directly are useful. As long as what you are planting isn't allelopathic or detrimental to other nearby plants, it will help restore the soil and make it suitable for other species to gain a foothold. Pioneer species, secondary species, tertiary species, ultimately keystone species/plant guilds/communities for whatever ecoregion you are in. I'm glad to see you thinking along these lines. If you actually take the biomass from the stuff you've planted in the terraces when it's ready and go hard with planting native seeds in the types of places or man-made structures you are managing, I think you will have massive success (but it might take a few years to really see things popping). These plants you are seeing out in the wild, they are out there surviving and thriving with no human intervention. They are exactly the type to gather seeds from and then try to plant those types of seeds in similar spots near your base of operations. As somebody said elsewhere, if you built a little rock structure in a U shape around that tiny mesquite you saw, just a one rock high/a few rocks wide boomerang shape around it pointed so the upstream water flows through it and the arch is facing down stream (the water will pool up a bit behind it and the ground will stay moist under the rocks, giving the tree more water). I bet in 3-5 years, that tree will be 2-3 times taller than it is now. And that would be a great plant to harvest seeds from since it's a variant that has managed to germinate and survive in a place where other mesquite doesn't seem to have a chance. Even if it's small and barely hanging on now, the fact it germinated and isn't dying makes it an important phenotype if you decide to cultivate some mesquite along with the other plants you are growing. I think you need to focus on the fact that most of these species and diversity of species you are finding are in slot canyons or enclosed, protected areas. Also try to notice what still can manage to grow in more open and exposed areas. As you work your land and decide where to focus your efforts, try to do it in a way that takes advantages of the many similar structures across your own land, the washes throughout your ranch, the spots where two of them meet. You can work in those areas and create abundance while also mitigating the erosive down-cutting that is happening in those washes killing two birds with one stone. You can use those washes as lush flood plain/planting terraces with simple check dams and careful planning and properly built structures, beaver dams, other weir like structures.... don't try to contain the water, just slow it and spread it and keep it moving slowly as it creeps along through the stream bed. Create a series of "speed bumps" that will catch sediment and some of the passing water and seeds will naturally germinate just like these trees you are showing here are germinating in piles or rocks next to or in the water ways. P.S. For your own dogs as well as any you might have on the property, snake avoidance training might be something worth looking into (if you haven't already). I'd never want to send a dog into brush or let them off the leash if they're not trained to know what snakes are and alert and avoid them on sight/smell. Also, others have rightly pointed out, but if you have a dog out there long term, it needs to be the type of breed that can actually protect itself. If it's a smaller dog or a dog with the wrong temperament, it will be a danger to itself and possibly other people/livestock/etc. There are many appropriate breeds (just search here on YT for "livestock guardian dogs" would be my recommendation, but without livestock to guard, they might not be a good figt), but coyotes (and javelina, snakes, etc) are legit dangers to dogs out there, especially smaller breeds. Try to have a pair of dogs if possible, they can back each other up and Coyotes are a lot less likely to mess with two dogs than one. Javelinas will charge almost anything though. P.P.S. A six foot fence is NOTHING to a coyote. You literally need a dog strong and hearty enough to fight off a pack of coyotes by itself if it needed too. You'd ideally want the dog to keep Brandon company when he's out and about (but trained enough not to bolt after wildlife/etc). Livestock guardian dogs aren't exactly the type to love to go for walks, however, so it might be more the type of dog who just chills around the camp and if you ever get chickens/etc, hangs out with them. They seem lazy, but they are awesome animals and instinctively know how to deal with predators. The desert is a dangerous place for dogs, lots of pokey stuff too and thorns and whatnot that can get in their paws and cause irritation/infection.
If you want to try making your own ollas for drip irrigation, RUclips has a bunch of videos about using native clay. Looks like there is enough sun to power a small solar kiln too. You have a beautiful place, and a potter might well enjoy hanging out there to work!
I enjoy seeing what you are doing week by week, but I really want to see updates on the work you have previously done to see the progress. Maybe once a month you can do an update video?
Hard work first. Enjoyment comes when the hard work pays off. Of course that doesn't mean never stop and smell the roses so to says. Keep up the hard work!
Grow mesquite anyway! Plant everything. If it'll grow, great. If it's not likely to make it, that's no reason to not try. Up your game in select spots. No one likes to hear run faster after having run two and a half miles as fast as they could, I know. But here we are, with a half mile to go and I'm saying run faster. Sorry. Spread seeds from mesquite seed pods anywhere you can reach. Good job! Persevere!
Maybe someone has already suggested this, but maybe use canopies above the terraces or wherever need to get starter plants a better chance to grow. Also! Maybe a pond? Oil companies pump and dump water in liner ponds that just sit in west Texas and maybe you could get cheap? And plenty of native fish and water plants that can survive in flowing or still water. Hope this helps. I’m also from west Texas so if you need a volunteer I’m here!
A consideration: The animals in the area are living off the plants in the area. Their dung is going to have microbes and other materials that could be useful soil amendments for growing plants in the area. Not sure collecting it and using it on the plants is the best use of time, but if there is some nearby as you work, i think it's worth flipping over on nearby plants.
I get it, you have to do the work videos and those are cool but definitely try throwing one of these exploration videos in from time to time. Super neat. Kinda makes me want to buy some land to use for recreational purposes
With the trees, check the nearest extension office. With the dogs, I would look at a livestock guardian dog that that is good with hot weather and can build trust with both you and Brandon. Last comment is have you thought about playing the long game and turning a portion of the dustups ranch into a Sotol farm and converting that into spirits?
A question I have: Besides the plans for a desert forest, are there plans for long standing living + working space on the Ranch like an Earthship or something or is it for the next decades more planned to be a only a growing site with containers as workspace?
I have an idea for digging into the limestone. I'm still exploring that. But for now, we can do quite a bit better with the dog houses for much less effort
It's pretty cool what you are doing. Great idea to share your experiences on RUclips. I enjoy learning the process with you as you gain more experience. Keep up the good work!😊
iNat works well, you just need to make sure you take good photos. It sounds silly, but you can do tutorials on RUclips which show the proper way of taking ID photos (both sides of the leaf up close, picture of the trunk up close, close up of flowers and fruit if there are any, close ups of any buds, and a further back photo showing the entire plant). Take a bunch of quality photos and you’ll get a good ID within 48 hours usually. Using any AI software to recognise the plants is basically guessing, as plants are difficult for botanists to ID, especially from single images.
Also, dogs cost a bit of money to maintain, especially one that’s running around the desert, and wild cattle will attack dogs. Plus I don’t think you want just 1 dog if the dog is going to encounter wildlife alone, if its not, then 1 dog could be good, but might just cost you money more than help.
Have you thought about a plant nursery/seed propogagtion place? Half shaded light water supply maybe soil creation focussed on seedling prodiction Good luck
Haven’t watched the video yet, but bummed that RUclips is not letting me know that you’ve got a new one. It’s not going to stop me from catching the episode. I’m grateful for your willingness to share your journey with the world. Every time I do yard work I think, “what would happen with this on Dustups Ranch? :)
Since you have clay, you could try making a riparian area. (assuming the clay is fine enough to work as a pond bed, maybe line a bathtub with it and plant the buckeye there?)
Love this channel and all the work you all are doing. My number 1 for excited at new releases :) ps: the gun resting pointed at inner thighs makes me nervous; lots of blood flow there.
I have no advice, i just look forward to watching whatever you post. I, too, live in Texas in very very sandy soil. Many years ago i sprigged some Tifton grass. People told me i was crazy. For a few months i paid a lot of attention to it, then i ignored it, and it has truly gone crazy. Likely not fit for your purposes, but maybe in the future when you have achieved some extraordinary results, maybe plant in a living area??? Although people with more knowledge than I will probably tell us both why it would be total nonsense. Lol. (Thats what the ranchers around here told me too, but i have never regretted it. When everything else died from the fires and the elongated drought, the Tifton has prospered, and never died) Since it roots both above and beneath the soil, it keeps my ground in place. There are downfalls too, it can take over, but hasnt choked out my trees or bushes, but it possibly could in your soil. It does get very tall and tangled too. Could be a detriment I guess. Omnivores do love it.
Thank you to Bombas for sponsoring this video! Head to bombas.com/dustups and use code dustups20 at checkout for 20% off your first purchase.
Watch "crimepaysbotanydosnt" he does a lot of stuff around Texas and iv learned so much about botany from him
@crimepaysbutbotanydoesnt
Shaun big supporter of your efforts. It's not clear in the video what canyons or what part of Oxford canyon road is on your property. Interesting to know if there are dlash floods during a torrential rain. If so there must be some type of 'runoff ditch,' a long hemispherical canal you can cut into the side of the road or perhaps put in piping to capture and drain away some of the water, as you see in some parks or forests, but especially in Caribbean islands.If you are going to receive a huge flash flood once a year, captuing that water and directing it into some sort of shaded well or a holding pond sheeted over with some beams and opaque plastic to keep it cool seems doable. On Homestead Rescue show I often see them digging a basement type storage or pond over six feet deep with nothing more than a dozer. Sometimes it's a sunken greenhouse. They say the temp is usually stable at around 60 degrees at a certain depth of a couple of meters and at a cool temperature with plastic or glass containment the water should not evaporate away but condense and drip back down. If algae grows in it, wow, that's biomass! You could have ducks in there pooping away as they do. They usually put a plastic lining on the bottom, check it is leak-proof with a truck of water, and then make some kind of filtering system where they can open some valves on hoses to drip down via gravity to some proximate seedbeds. All that to say, why don't you make a plan to capture the industrial strength flash floods with some cheap plastic tubing (properly anchored in cement pilings) or just a half moon open disk channel by the sude of the road to give you a water source. You said the road is steep at times, perfect fo using gravity to cacth water.
Invite the guy from crime pays but botany doesnt out to your ranch
www.youtube.com/@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt
Gota have fun with it. Otherwise what’s the point of life.
I posted this on a previous video:
You should look into planting Texas Persimmons. They’re native to the Chihuahuan Desert and Edwards Plateau. They produce edible fruit that can help build soil as they decompose and attract animals to further spread seeds and manure. These trees can handle the summer heat and require little supplemental irrigation, being extremely drought tolerant. They favor riparian zones, prairie margins, rocky slopes, and alkaline soil. If you end up with larger trees on site they will thrive in the shade of them as well. You will need to make sure you get both male and female trees (determined by their flower shapes). You already have bees on site and they love this tree’s pollen!
Maybe once you have a well you can plant a small grove with an assortment of trees/shrubs to serve as an anchor to work off of. Perhaps the Miyawaki Method of planting could benefit your project when it comes to building the actual forest. Particularly to conserve resources and increase the chances of each plant’s survival. If you have one designated area that you focus on establishing first (with mulches and water) it won’t be as daunting of a project.
They're in the seed mix!
@@dustupstexas They grew profusely in the washes on the backside of Rattlesnake Ridge on Terlingua ranch. My ranch dogs would climb the lower branches for fruits when they were ripe, and then I would pick the ones over head and drop them down to the dogs when only fruits high up were left. They considered them to be a real treat. The fruit and dropped leaves make a potassium rich compost.
I added clay to my check dams and it was essential in trapping sediment to build up materials that would retain more water.
I just put it in front of the dam and let the rain sort it and fill the gaps. It took two applications.
You might even try using the clay they use in cat litter. That stuff is really good at moisture retention and sealing ponds.
rice water.
Very cool!
@@johnfontaine2760 maybe but my clay was free and deep red. I wanted a natural and free solution. I have more wild flowers and trees sprouting after three years that I’m shocked.
Impressive low key tour of the canyon. I can just imagine Brandon's barefoot canyon walking experience being sold as a posh spa treatment. Thanks guys.
Now that's some great marketing!!! 😜
Book me !😂
I think building beaver dams and collecting seed is the most important thing right now.
And then growing plants from the seed so that after rain they can be planted in low places where the water accumulates.
The more shade the soil gets, the less water will evaporate and the more water the plants will have. Rain is rare, so you have to make the most of it when it comes.
I know from Spain that after forest fires you have to replant as quickly as possible once they are over, otherwise grass and bushes will crowd out trees.
I'm glad you had a chance to do some exploring on your ranch. And for bringing us along!
Not sure if Texas does this but the Missouri department of conservation sends out order forms in their magazine for native shrubs, trees, and other plants. You get them in orders of 10 or more but they are usually super cheap as in maybe a dollar per plant. It might be a good way for you to do that cluster planting you mentioned way cheaper for a little more native variety to your forest.
Btw, I have a plant growing that you would love, it’s an Australian Desert Lime. I specialise in “desertification” and growing plants that will grow and even thrive in deserts and increase the complexity and diversity.
I like the way you talk about Brandon, acknowledging & respecting the relationship you have with him binded by the ranch.
I love seeing that
Sometimes I'm super jealous of Brandon... as I'm sitting here telling myself "man i want that job" while eating chilled grapes in my 68° room and ready to take a late afternoon nap when it gets up to 73°. What i realistically mean is; man Brandon has a cool job i want to see more of that cause if i'd prolly die out there.
Just so brilliantly put. He needs Starlink out there maybe/ Hate supporting the douchecanoe but it seems he is reliant on Cell service.
@@_garebear Meshtastic might be a better option?
@@_garebear We have Starlink. It's blazing fast
Its actually faster than my home Internet in Ft Worth
@@dustupstexas I hope his satellites work with all the government contracts he gets for them
Regarding using the post hole digger. (Gas). I keep a rake handy. I let the digger dig and intermittently lift it up 8” or a foot and the debris with spin out. When it piles up you rake it out of the way and repeat. Not making the hole bigger than the augur bit is a big help. I also keep a big metal breaker bar to remove and break up rocks and roots when needed.
I have found that no hand tool moves soil/gravel/rocks as well as a small (6 or 8 inches wide) spring tooth rake. I know it sounds crazy, but you need to try it. It will become a favorite tool. True Temper makes one of the nicer ones.
I made a drag out of an old heavy gate at a mine cleanup and loaded it up with boulders. Chained up to the pickup I would rework (smooth) out all the roads. Worked especially well when the soil was damp, maybe some day🤗
Love this channel. It’s hilarious though how soothing your voice ended up being talking about desert nerdery. I fall asleep to it all the time and have awesome desert dreams. Thanks! 🙏🏼 💤 🏜️
I love how simple and straight forward the videos and conversation are. This is exactly what I figure it would be like if I was friends with Shaun and Brandon and came out to visit the ranch every now and then.
Hackberry trees grow along fence lines where birds pooped, but they can also follow underground water paths!
FYI
I have three buckeye I grow and give away seedlings. So cool to see another member of the Aesculus spp. This episode is the exact content I have been looking forward to! Happy foraging friends.
I think this is one of my favourite episodes to date. With so much focus on work, there's so little time or energy to spare for actually experiencing your surroundings. I'm in a similar situation where i'm working my ass off to build a cabin before the snow flies, where all the time and energy I have is being put towards that and all I have energy left to do is eat and sleep. Nothing left in the tank to enjoy my surroundings.
Plant is possibly: Mexican Buckeye (Ungnadia speciosa) is not a true buckeye as a second common name “False Buckeye” indicates. It is a very early spring-flowering small tree or tall shrub in the soapberry family. Like Western Soapberry it has a compound leaf, but its three-lobed seedpod, containing three large dark brown to reddish seeds which rattle (when shaken after ripening) is like the large seedpods of some trees or shrubs in the Buckeye family. That might be the reason for its common name. The true value of the Mexican Buckeye is its drought tolerance and its ornamental appearance. Its fragrant pink to light purple blooms appear very early in the spring and can rival, on a healthy tree, the blooms of the Redbud tree, another early bloomer.
I second this ID. Knew it was Mexican Buckeye as soon as I saw those distinctive seed pods!
Yep, definitely not texas buckeye.
Apparently, honey made from it is great! It would be good to plant for pollinators.
Definitely Ungnadia speciosa. Pink flowers in very early spring. A beautiful plant (hence "speciosa).
Mexican buckeye or monilla
Ok, im a geek... i love paleontology, geology, biology ect. So as you two wete walking down that canyon all i coukd see was the massive alluvial deposits! I find it fascinating to think about the fact that thousands to millions of years ago there was a very large river flowing right where you were, indicating far wetter times. Though you coukd see a very distinct line separating the two layers which i believe shows a time of drought, then it picks back up again with the layers above, i woukd love to have your property, the amazing amount of ecological diversity you have there is staggering, not to mention the potential paleontological and geological history you have, you are a very lucky man
And I'm slowly, very slowly learning it. I'd love to have a geologist explain it to me in person
I bet you’d be invited to go out there for a week with them and delightfully give us all a very interesting lecture tour!
Well I wish I were that geologist, but sadly I'm just a very enthusiastic science need, I don't know it all.im more of a jack of all trades, I know a little of each natural science. As an example, you had mentioned about one plant being able to handle the limestone, not many people understand that limestone is very difficult fir most plants to grow in. Because of that difficulty, as a result there are plant species that become endemic to such environments. Very similar to serpentine rock, which is ingenious unlike limestone which is sedimentary. But boathouse are very extream soils for plants which only a few species can thrive in, thus creating uniqueplant communities. So knowing the geology and herb botany of a location cane greatly increase your success. I'm using this knowledge for my own tiny 5 acres of land here in oklahoma. I really want to see you succeed in your desert forest, it will be fascinating to see how it plays out in changing the environment of the area including its own micro-meteorological effects. Ok, I'm shutting up now, sorry, I ramble when I'm interested in something....
I was so excited looking at those layers as well you could almost transport yourself back in time to see what was once there, amazing!!
There’s a guy in California who brought his land back by starting by planting native grasses, then trees and eventually it restored the aquifer and some streams.
Thank you for the tour, it was really interesting.
I can't wait until Tony/Joey from Crime Pays comes out. No doubt you are going to learn you have a LOT more species of plants on the ranch than you've identified so far.
i was thinking the same thing. it would be cool to Get Allen Rockefeller out there when it rains to see if there are any cool mushrooms
Oh nice. I had some banter with Tony about this too. I really hope they'll meet up. That would be so awesome!
Why not ask for help from groups like mossy earth or, leave curious? They do this kind of stuff all the time, and / or will have contacts who could provide practical boots on earth help?
Mossy Earth has done/is doing some great work!
They're so inspitational. Cpuld be a very practical support network for him
@samwitte7672
Yeah mossy earth are incredible and I’m sure would love to partner with you on this!!
And they would also help with researching lots of native species that can help improve the ranch faster
I suppose it might take away the fun from the process
A cheap way to keep animals away is dog hair. You can go to a
Dog groomer and ask them to bag the more greasy/larger dogs for you to sprinkle/hang on trees to allow the scents to waft. It’s kept deer and cattle out of our garden beds.
Excellent idea. I’m very interested to see how it works out if and when they take your tip.
Human hair works the same way!
@@boblatkey7160 you should probably watch the video… he’s trying to keep cows and animals out of the plants he is trying to grow to establish.
Get some "zoo doo". Spread lion shit around instinct will keep animals away
Clay is a double edged sword when it comes to gardening. It is generally rich in minerals and holds onto water for a long time. Most plants have a hard time digging their roots through the stuff, and sometimes it holds onto water too well. This can cause a low oxygen environment that breeds anerobic bacteria that will cause root rot. It is also generally low in nitrogen for this same reason.
Most legumes do well in clay because they are nitrogen fixers.
My backyard is straight clay. Adding organic amendments to it is unbelievably hard, but I am trying to build a food forest anyways.
Yes, and when it dries out it shrinks which can damage roots. As an amendment it should be fine, just don't overdo it
Pure clay is not good for growing but I think it would be beneficial as an amendment to his existing soil type.
Yeah as someone who have way to much clay in my soil I really don't get these people wanting it. In my experience clay turns intoa brick around the plants roots and doesn't allow any water in.
@@DaDunge this is why I plant in small mounds almost everywhere
@@DaDungeI have heavy clay soil. Try to water plants, the water just rolls off if it's dry, plants don't grow well either. I've had to add a lot of organic matter
This has been my FAVORITE episode yet. I love seeing the beautiful wash and the plants.
Nice episode. Good to see you hanging out, enjoying, exploring and immersing yourselves in the local environment, rather than relentlessly seeking to imposing your will on it. Work with the place, not against it. Peace and love ❤
If you want clay for amending the soil, the cheapest, easiest, and fastest way to get that is to buy cheap kitty litter at the local feed or grocery store. Get the scent-free stuff. It's literally only Bentonite Clay made into pellets. And because it's "mass-produced" for the pet industry, the stuff is far cheaper than you'd be able to buy clay from a home builder or the like. Since you only need a relatively small amount, you really can't go wrong using Kitty Litter. The convenience and simplicity of it will save you gobs of time compared to trying to dig your own and get it back to the garden areas.
The sound of the seeds is so relaxing 😌
Build up a baby dirt bathtub and drop some mulch around that mesquite and I think you would be pretty surprised with how much better it would do out there.
Even a couple layers of rock mulch would probably do wonders for that guy.
Might be a good idea to ask Brandon to wear a GoPro some of the time either while working or exploring. Chest mount or hat mount maybe. It would show you more and give you additional footage for your posts.
But he looks so pretty in third person
😂
Uí
Ya trees are probably helpful i am in central texas and i have noticed during hot times without rain the only places that keep grass are around trees i assume it keeps enough sun off them during the day
My first order of business on a desert property would be to keep as much water on my patch as possible. Make swales, bury some cisterns. Sequester every drop that falls on the property or flows overland to the property when it rains. Release it slowly to select areas and watch things green up.
Amazing what does grow in that harsh desert environment.
Glad you got to do some exploring.
The huge beautiful washes are in need of a few rock dams to let water soak in and not speed off the property. They look very flat and raceway. You are making progress and i agree that there is need for amendments. Now, where to find easily accessible additives.
I'm not sure that they would not be washed downstream with a heavy rainfall.
16.55 you might want to get a bunch of that gravel and dirt that is on top of the clay and pan it for gold..that looks like its an old river bed and it looks pretty good
My question exactly, I don't expect there to be much but it might be a fun distraction to look for potential gold concentrates.
Thank you 😊
Speaking of amendments have you considered coconut Coir for water retention and organic matter? You can buy it in compressed blocks and then mix in to swell up when watered, very good at keeping the water under the mulch and around the plant roots.
Great video, Nice to see you took time out to enjoy your own ranch. Some goods points about the plants and most importantly the other plants around it. Having grouping of various trees and bushes best locations for them. Maybe if you can get the seeds from those plant and put them in pots, then when they are the right size. plant them in maybe your dirt tubs in groups/ clusters. Also If you are getting dogs, Maybe 2 or 3 together keeping each other company and protect for themselves and the place. Especially if you are walking around by yourselves. Also am sure the dog centre will have LOT'S of dog poop they be happy for you to take away. Win win.
A washed out bank like this would be a good place to find and take woody clones for your farm. Especially on these washed out banks, you can recognize the structure of many of the plants lend themselves to colonizing and so are easy to remove rooted cuttings, especially in late winter, or when they are freshly disturbed, and transplant them. Oftentimes you can stool a shoot of most woody trees and shrubs by lowering a shoot and pinning it to the ground with a boulder, after some time roots may form under the boulder and you can take the cutting then.
If I were to bonsai hunt this would be the place to collect for desert yamadori.
You need a visit from the Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't, guy, here on RUclips. I'm sure he could tell you a lot about the flora on your place, that you don't already know. Also kenaf is a plant you might consider for your place. It has a lot of benefits and grows well in sandy desert soil.
He is really into the science and identifying native species.
Great suggestion! This guy is great
I suggested this months ago. Maybe if we keep bugging him, we can make it happen.
gotta bother CPbBD to contact Shaun, i would imagine with how big he is he is hard to contact.
Joey loves dozers and drip irrigation
Loved that you are focusing on the journey. Like all big ideas they are overwhelming unless you enjoy the journey
Thank you so much for sharing this journey. It's wonderful to see you guys exploring and reaping some of the rewards of your hard work. When that random notification hit my inbox 21 months ago I didn't dream I'd be privileged to see such an amazing journey. Godspeed to you men.
Nothing better than finding new things on your own bit of country.
Mesquites lower the water table significantly. They have deep tap roots and stoma that don't close. Around San Angelo if you chain all the mesquites up they will be replaced with hip high grasses and the river nearby will raise three feet.
I'm in Minnesota and factoids like that blow me away but had heard it before from a dude who has innovated a herbicide shooting gun and he takes out cedar also and water levels rise upon those two trees deaths, far out
Thanks!
Thank you!
Loved this episode, it felt like walking through river valleys where I’m from, trying to figure out what’s growing, why, and where. Real human exploration stuff.
Generational planting is super usefull, grasses in particular tend to grow deeper roots from one generation of that plant to the next. Out in Victoria, Australia i use a lot of Acacia's as they can grow in literal rock but are nitrogen fixers and a pioneer species. While in Texas a plant like that may be an environmental weed we would look to use the same types so your commentary is correct and I'm glad your picking up knowledge rather quickly which can come rather slow in practice.
Thx for filming this and sharing it with us.
Love your show! I actually had an idea very similar to what you’re doing because I grew up in California and as a kid we would drive up through the san joaquin valley where there were always farms and stuff growing. Later in college i learned just how fertile and important that valley is and so years later when I moved to Texas I became fascinated with how much west Texas looked like it could be just as fertile as the san joaquin valley. I thought it would be great to leave my programming job and work on somehow getting/preserving water and growing crops out there as i also am fascinated with permaculture ideas. Hats off to you for actually doing it! Keep up the good work!
Shaun, I have been following you for a while and love what you're doing. There's another guy @timeline ranch, out in the Chihuahuan desert of Texas and he is starting to do work on leak weirs and water management. Someone else I watch is on another continent in Spain. @suerto de molino who has done a lot of water retention works on his property utilizing weirs, dams, channels on contour, etc. I don't know who the guy is in Spain, but he learns as he goes, and explains things like velocity, potential energy being converted to kinetic energy so even I understand. Thank you for what you do. Rooting for you from the midwest.
Arroyo sweetwood (myrospernum sousanum) is supposed to be native to northern Mexico along the border areas. It is a desert tree found in canyons and arroyo like areas. I grew mine from seed about 5 years ago and this summer it is producing seeds itself. I am in zone 7b which is out (north) of its native range (from Austin Tx, southwards).
i recommend digging an 8x8 area 2-4 feet deep and sorting out the soil and rocks into wheel barrels. Use the rocks to create stacks of rocks in a circle that look like a well. This provides shade for the plants that they need vs the heat and sun while giving them room to grow. Use the dirt to build a mound that will provide shade for things to grow around. Your biggest problem is herbivories as the entire area would already be a forest if the predators existed so you should get a dog that does good in the heat. And these shade wells that provide shade for existing plants to boom. It's as simple thereafter to go and water these plants in the wells at night when the sun is down.
I liked this video and the mentality behind it. Looking at what plants are on the land, where they are growing. Pay as much attention as you can to the type of "structures" they are growing in too and the geology/topography around them, like mounds of rocks, piles of branches or decaying cacti. It is good to see what is growing and where and try to mimic those patterns in the land you manage when planting seeds and building structures. Also, be very mindful of orientation to the sun. Are the little slot canyons exposed to the sun in a particular pattern/etc. Using many different native plants that have several uses is key as well. Ideally there should be benefits to both nature/biodiversity and human needs, but even plants that don't benefits humans directly are useful. As long as what you are planting isn't allelopathic or detrimental to other nearby plants, it will help restore the soil and make it suitable for other species to gain a foothold. Pioneer species, secondary species, tertiary species, ultimately keystone species/plant guilds/communities for whatever ecoregion you are in.
I'm glad to see you thinking along these lines. If you actually take the biomass from the stuff you've planted in the terraces when it's ready and go hard with planting native seeds in the types of places or man-made structures you are managing, I think you will have massive success (but it might take a few years to really see things popping). These plants you are seeing out in the wild, they are out there surviving and thriving with no human intervention. They are exactly the type to gather seeds from and then try to plant those types of seeds in similar spots near your base of operations. As somebody said elsewhere, if you built a little rock structure in a U shape around that tiny mesquite you saw, just a one rock high/a few rocks wide boomerang shape around it pointed so the upstream water flows through it and the arch is facing down stream (the water will pool up a bit behind it and the ground will stay moist under the rocks, giving the tree more water). I bet in 3-5 years, that tree will be 2-3 times taller than it is now. And that would be a great plant to harvest seeds from since it's a variant that has managed to germinate and survive in a place where other mesquite doesn't seem to have a chance. Even if it's small and barely hanging on now, the fact it germinated and isn't dying makes it an important phenotype if you decide to cultivate some mesquite along with the other plants you are growing.
I think you need to focus on the fact that most of these species and diversity of species you are finding are in slot canyons or enclosed, protected areas. Also try to notice what still can manage to grow in more open and exposed areas. As you work your land and decide where to focus your efforts, try to do it in a way that takes advantages of the many similar structures across your own land, the washes throughout your ranch, the spots where two of them meet. You can work in those areas and create abundance while also mitigating the erosive down-cutting that is happening in those washes killing two birds with one stone. You can use those washes as lush flood plain/planting terraces with simple check dams and careful planning and properly built structures, beaver dams, other weir like structures.... don't try to contain the water, just slow it and spread it and keep it moving slowly as it creeps along through the stream bed. Create a series of "speed bumps" that will catch sediment and some of the passing water and seeds will naturally germinate just like these trees you are showing here are germinating in piles or rocks next to or in the water ways.
P.S. For your own dogs as well as any you might have on the property, snake avoidance training might be something worth looking into (if you haven't already). I'd never want to send a dog into brush or let them off the leash if they're not trained to know what snakes are and alert and avoid them on sight/smell. Also, others have rightly pointed out, but if you have a dog out there long term, it needs to be the type of breed that can actually protect itself. If it's a smaller dog or a dog with the wrong temperament, it will be a danger to itself and possibly other people/livestock/etc. There are many appropriate breeds (just search here on YT for "livestock guardian dogs" would be my recommendation, but without livestock to guard, they might not be a good figt), but coyotes (and javelina, snakes, etc) are legit dangers to dogs out there, especially smaller breeds. Try to have a pair of dogs if possible, they can back each other up and Coyotes are a lot less likely to mess with two dogs than one. Javelinas will charge almost anything though.
P.P.S. A six foot fence is NOTHING to a coyote. You literally need a dog strong and hearty enough to fight off a pack of coyotes by itself if it needed too. You'd ideally want the dog to keep Brandon company when he's out and about (but trained enough not to bolt after wildlife/etc). Livestock guardian dogs aren't exactly the type to love to go for walks, however, so it might be more the type of dog who just chills around the camp and if you ever get chickens/etc, hangs out with them. They seem lazy, but they are awesome animals and instinctively know how to deal with predators. The desert is a dangerous place for dogs, lots of pokey stuff too and thorns and whatnot that can get in their paws and cause irritation/infection.
If you want to try making your own ollas for drip irrigation, RUclips has a bunch of videos about using native clay. Looks like there is enough sun to power a small solar kiln too. You have a beautiful place, and a potter might well enjoy hanging out there to work!
Glad to see you enjoying the journey. ❤
This whole series is a great example of journey before destination
I enjoy seeing what you are doing week by week, but I really want to see updates on the work you have previously done to see the progress. Maybe once a month you can do an update video?
Hard work first. Enjoyment comes when the hard work pays off.
Of course that doesn't mean never stop and smell the roses so to says.
Keep up the hard work!
Pretty rounded episode. Btw, I feel a "Cap. Shaun of starship Dustups and first officer Brandon doing a away mission" energy going on.
What rugged beauty.
Grow mesquite anyway! Plant everything. If it'll grow, great. If it's not likely to make it, that's no reason to not try. Up your game in select spots.
No one likes to hear run faster after having run two and a half miles as fast as they could, I know. But here we are, with a half mile to go and I'm saying run faster. Sorry. Spread seeds from mesquite seed pods anywhere you can reach. Good job! Persevere!
Mesquite is hard to get rid of so be careful before you encourage it getting a foothold
@@_xyzyz_ A resource is hard to get rid of? Ok.
Thanks for posting. Glad to see you enjoying. A dog is a great companion
Thanks Shaun for another interesting video on greening the desert!!
Like the change up. Glad you got to explore.
The learning journey is the destination 🙏🏼
Maybe someone has already suggested this, but maybe use canopies above the terraces or wherever need to get starter plants a better chance to grow. Also! Maybe a pond? Oil companies pump and dump water in liner ponds that just sit in west Texas and maybe you could get cheap? And plenty of native fish and water plants that can survive in flowing or still water. Hope this helps. I’m also from west Texas so if you need a volunteer I’m here!
A consideration:
The animals in the area are living off the plants in the area. Their dung is going to have microbes and other materials that could be useful soil amendments for growing plants in the area. Not sure collecting it and using it on the plants is the best use of time, but if there is some nearby as you work, i think it's worth flipping over on nearby plants.
You can make a little library of branches, pressed leaves & seeds while you learn plant ID
This is called Herbarium.
I get it, you have to do the work videos and those are cool but definitely try throwing one of these exploration videos in from time to time. Super neat. Kinda makes me want to buy some land to use for recreational purposes
A small walled, kept garden near the camp that grows all the species you hope to keep on the property might help, or be cool for the video at least.
Good work and even prospects when you're gaining knowledge. Good job.
Good video. The variety was interesting. It would be great to see more hikes/tours when you get time.
You’re doing something right , look how many people are following this project of yours .80k views in 20 hours
Watching the weather and really hope you got some of the showers that came through today!!!
With the trees, check the nearest extension office. With the dogs, I would look at a livestock guardian dog that that is good with hot weather and can build trust with both you and Brandon. Last comment is have you thought about playing the long game and turning a portion of the dustups ranch into a Sotol farm and converting that into spirits?
A question I have: Besides the plans for a desert forest, are there plans for long standing living + working space on the Ranch like an Earthship or something or is it for the next decades more planned to be a only a growing site with containers as workspace?
I have an idea for digging into the limestone. I'm still exploring that. But for now, we can do quite a bit better with the dog houses for much less effort
It's pretty cool what you are doing. Great idea to share your experiences on RUclips. I enjoy learning the process with you as you gain more experience. Keep up the good work!😊
The animations keep getting better!
iNat works well, you just need to make sure you take good photos. It sounds silly, but you can do tutorials on RUclips which show the proper way of taking ID photos (both sides of the leaf up close, picture of the trunk up close, close up of flowers and fruit if there are any, close ups of any buds, and a further back photo showing the entire plant). Take a bunch of quality photos and you’ll get a good ID within 48 hours usually. Using any AI software to recognise the plants is basically guessing, as plants are difficult for botanists to ID, especially from single images.
Also, dogs cost a bit of money to maintain, especially one that’s running around the desert, and wild cattle will attack dogs. Plus I don’t think you want just 1 dog if the dog is going to encounter wildlife alone, if its not, then 1 dog could be good, but might just cost you money more than help.
Glad you got to explore and enjoy your land.
This is like watching geography channel but alot more entertaining 👍
Ace's color blends in so well with the ground. Little guy has active camouflage.
putting a fake beaver damn in that canyon seems like a good investment to me
Shaun Good to see you enjoying your property as opposed to work work work. Have fun stay safe.
Such great content, Shaun!
Love the exploration and the plant identification!
Agarita jelly is the best! Awesome memories.
Another great video keep it up, brother!
Have you thought about a plant nursery/seed propogagtion place? Half shaded light water supply maybe soil creation focussed on seedling prodiction
Good luck
Keep doing the good work and hope you get some rain soon
Tactical pants are awesome. Great for hiking and working in the garden. Mine are virtually indestructible.
Mesquite is a giant pea, Leguminosae family. It will send down a tap root down 200 feet. Fantastic plant. Some people consider it a pioneer species.
Haven’t watched the video yet, but bummed that RUclips is not letting me know that you’ve got a new one. It’s not going to stop me from catching the episode. I’m grateful for your willingness to share your journey with the world. Every time I do yard work I think, “what would happen with this on Dustups Ranch? :)
Hit the notification bell! Thank you for watching
im loving that exposed tertiary river wall
Have you considered a Warka Water Tower? I'm not an expert, but from what I understand, they will collect water even in desert conditions.
Since you have clay, you could try making a riparian area. (assuming the clay is fine enough to work as a pond bed, maybe line a bathtub with it and plant the buckeye there?)
Enjoyed the exploration
Love this channel and all the work you all are doing. My number 1 for excited at new releases :)
ps: the gun resting pointed at inner thighs makes me nervous; lots of blood flow there.
I have no advice, i just look forward to watching whatever you post. I, too, live in Texas in very very sandy soil. Many years ago i sprigged some Tifton grass. People told me i was crazy. For a few months i paid a lot of attention to it, then i ignored it, and it has truly gone crazy.
Likely not fit for your purposes, but maybe in the future when you have achieved some extraordinary results, maybe plant in a living area??? Although people with more knowledge than I will probably tell us both why it would be total nonsense. Lol. (Thats what the ranchers around here told me too, but i have never regretted it. When everything else died from the fires and the elongated drought, the Tifton has prospered, and never died)
Since it roots both above and beneath the soil, it keeps my ground in place. There are downfalls too, it can take over, but hasnt choked out my trees or bushes, but it possibly could in your soil. It does get very tall and tangled too. Could be a detriment I guess. Omnivores do love it.