Lyza and Karen say, "Vetiver works!"

In every movement, a time comes when "the word" becomes part of the lexicon, a time that it needs no introduction. We're not there--yet. However, glimmers of hope appear. In Hawaii, we're finally meeting people who can pronounce "Vetiver" and, in some cases, even enthusiastically relate how it can help our environment.

This week two separate bloggers embraced Vetiver--for different reasons. Thank you, Lyza Danger Gardner (lyza.com) and Karen Caplan(whatsonkarensplate.blogspot.com). Their abbreviated narratives follow.
By Lyza:

VETIVER: MIRACULOUS GRASS SMELLS FANTASTIC, PROVIDES ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

Vetiver’s present in nearly 90% of Western perfumes and its aroma is a complex weave of smoke, earth, wood, secrets, calm, nuance, and sap. The fragrance has almost no edges; in its distilled form, it’s a viscous, amber syrup that you could almost put on pancakes.

The grass is native to India and related to lemongrass, and seems calibrated to the current needs of our world. It’s grown widely in Haiti, India, and Indonesia for the perfume markets of the world, but its other talents are promoted by organizations like The Vetiver Network International.

Vetiver forms the basis of the “Vetiver System,” an interplay of the plant’s unique characteristics with its environment. It provides excellent erosion control, is easy to grow, doesn’t mind toxins like heavy metals or weird algae or phosporus blooms and, by dint of its way of propagation, is non-invasive and easily controlled.

Aromatic essential oil is distilled from its roots, which grow 12-15 feet nearly straight down and control erosion. Oil from roots 18 to 24 months old is highly prized. Like other complex and wonderful smells in the world, Vetiver oil is made up of 100 or more components. One of its most prominent is Terpinen-4-ol, a terpene shared with tea tree and nutmeg oils.

While the antiseptic effects of tea tree oil have been widely tested and documented, recent research has shown that the anti-inflammatory effect of Terpinen-4-ol may also suppress tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a primary antagonist in Crohn’s Disease.

By Karen:

Mudslides, Fires and Vetiver Grass

Mudslides. Fires. It seems as if Southern California experiences these plagues every year. And this year was no exception. We had terrible fires in the fall and, as our rainy season arrive, many areas in the South experienced flash flood warnings.

My most dramatic memory was after my mother and I drove back from Palm Springs to Orange County. A few days after our trip, the news reported that the very transition road we had traveled, from Highway 60 to Highway 57, was closed due to mudslides caused by heavy rains, saturated soil and fire damage.

All I could think of was, “Why aren't they planting Vetiver grass?”

What is Vetiver, you ask? According to my friends Noel Vietmeyer and Mark Dafforn of the National Research Council, this little-known tropical grass is relatively cheap and effective at preventing soil erosion. When planted in lines along the contours of slopes, Vetiver quickly forms narrow but very dense hedges. Its stiff foliage then blocks the passage of soil and debris, and slows any runoff, giving the rain a better chance of soaking into the soil instead of rushing off the slope.

Remember the horrific 2005 mudslide in La Conchita, California (near Santa Barbara), in which ten people died when an entire mountainside collapsed on top of their homes? Well, that location was also home to the only banana plantation in the western United States – Seaside Banana Gardens. (Before the 2005 disaster, a 1995 mudslide had knocked out most of this plantation.) Fortunately, the grower, Doug Richardson, only lost his bananas – he and his family were spared.

Doug still grows bananas, however, and a few years ago he wrote us about the success of his Vetiver planting (and more exotic bananas).

So, if I had a wish, it would be that someone reading this blog would pass along this information to the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Sunset Magazine and others, and that Vetiver would get great publicity and be planted all around Southern California so we'll NEVER have to worry about mudslides again.

So, please pass along this information…and I’ll keep you informed about how this message spreads!

Thank you, California!! Come in, please!!

California Cleans Up Waste Water Using the Vetiver System

It is always exciting to see that Vetiver can be applied so successfully to resolve a problem, and its versatility in application. Bio Clean Environmental Services in Oceanside, which specializes in storm water treatment, used just a few Vetiver plants to "scrub" highly contaminated water.   Zack Kent, Storm Water Engineer, reported that the Oceanside project was an interesting opportunity because it's a very dirty site that treats wash down water from a harbor boat wash site, along with many smaller sewer spills coming from recreational vehicles (RVs) on a continuous basis. In the last two years, the system removed more than 4,000 pounds of oil-laden sediment from the pre-treatment chamber, treating 2,000 to 8,000 gallons of water daily.

Kent said that Bio-Clean chose Vetiver because of its ability to grow in saline water and address the high pollutant loads that characterize the installation.  "It was a great choice and a real success story." A power point containing images and data about this project are available for viewing on TVNI's website:    http://www.vetiver.org/USA_oceanside02.pdf


Approximately 18 Vetiver plants were installed in a concrete treatment box containing a special media.  Said Kent, "One of the ways we get the Vetiver to grow so quickly is we don’t use any soil. It’s a soil-less media made consisting of expanded aggregates and a proprietary hydroponics media. This allows for fast growth." Within 15 months the plants developed a massive root system, which collected high uptakes of N, P and a range of heavy metals.  Trimmed periodically, the Vetiver was dug up after 15 months.

The key data includes removal efficiency when comparing effluent inflow to outflow: nitrate 76%, phosphate 70%, TSS <15 microns 82% , copper 53% (undetectable), lead 100%, Zinc 79%, TPH (gasoline) 42%, TPH (diesel) 100%; TPH (motor oil) 100%, fecal coliform 84%,E. coli 79%, and Enterococci 70%

Cane Fire! Vetiver hedges protect sugar cane, too

This is the second story today that I've cockaroached from The Vetiver Network. The following exchange between Dick Grimshaw and John Greenfield addresses the application of the Vetiver System to agriculture dear to Hawaii: sugar cane fields and native forests.

From Dick Grimshaw:

The recent fires in California remind us of its devastation to property and to the local ecology. Often these fires are so hot that they burn off most of the ground vegetation. Recovery is
slow and, during the delay, the land is exposed to rainfall and resulting erosion, high rainfall runoff, and sometimes land slippage.

Plenty of evidence shows that it's difficult to burn green Vetiver. Although Vetiver may burn off, sometimes completely, when it's dry, it recovers quickly within weeks. This enables the hedge to meet its design objectives.

Green vetiver hedges are very dense, and fire has difficulty penetrating them. Under these conditions, the hedge acts as a fire break to slow creeping fires. Where Vetiver in Fiji was grown in conjunction with sugar cane it survived the annual fire that was set before the cane harvest.

On Vanuatu (South Pacific) Vetiver hedges were used to improve moisture and soil fertility to facilitate the replanting of forests destroyed by fire. This successful process is described on the TVNI website. The new forests were also subject to fire; those that were burned recovered quite quickly because the Vetiver started regrowing (ex-hibernation) as soon as the tree canopy was incinerated. The revived hedges reduced erosion and runoff which helped the trees to recover quickly.

Find representative images of this Vetiver recovery at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/VetiverNetwork/VetiverSystemsAndFire#

John Greenfield responds:

Dick has made a valid point here: green Vetiver hedges in the tropics are virtually fireproof. Let me make a slight correction to keep the record straight.

Dick reports that Vetiver in Fiji grown in conjunction with sugar cane survived the annual fire that was set before the cane harvest.

Unlike nearly every other cane-growing country, no cane in Fiji was burned before harvesting. If it was, the sugar company penalized the grower, because burned cane results in slightly caramelized sugar that costs more to refine. In Fiji, growers burn the trash generated by the cane harvest. (Like Hawaii,) Fiji has no snakes, or dangerous vermin that would require a pre-harvest fire, but you do have to watch for hornets.

The amazing thing about Vetiver hedges in the cane fields is that, following harvest, the cane grows rapidly and in a matter of months completely shades the vetiver from the light. At the next harvest, (12 months later for ratoon crops ,18 months later for plant crops) the hedge is plunged into full sunlight, then must survive the heat of a trash fire before once again being shaded again by the next ratoon crop. This process repeats for years but doesn’t effect the Vetiver's viability. I don’t know of many plants that can withstand this rough treatment.