haha! mulching is good David! the cold system however cools the soil down to 40's with air temp in 80's...a bit more than mulchings shade effect :-)
cooling the soil also seems to switch on and off signals to the plant so it goes into turbo charge mood. With temperate climate plants it allows 4 growing seasons per year in the tropics. its common to see a pear tree with fruit after only a year or so of age.( but 4 years in plant time). same with grape clusters; bunches in relatively short time! to feed these growths and provide a healthful and sustainable yield you can see my interest in nutrients and what BD may possibly contribute. this can do two things; require less rainforest space for food growing and provide a monetary stability for the country folk. bob bob