Oé, today we give you a little topo on the stone walls in the vineyards. Overall, they serve as resources for the development of biodiversity. We explain all this to you ;-)
The roles of stone walls and scree in vineyards and in agriculture
The dry stone walls help consolidate sloping land , prevent landslides and protect against erosion around the vineyard . They are built by stacking stones and pebbles of different sizes without using any material to fix them or cement.
They are also useful for insects and animals that make their nests in them . The low walls shelter biodiversity , serve as lodgings, refuges and breeding grounds for our animal friends. We find a colonization made by plants but also the development of a microfauna , made up of small invertebrates. And mammals like the hedgehog, their predators, lizards, etc. In cracks and cavities, ants, wild bees and spiders point the tip of their noses! Some of these insects also hide in isolated trees ( For more information, visit our article on isolated trees ) . Finally, the dry stone walls and the scree shelter the cultivation auxiliaries .
Build and maintain stone and scree walls
To create a dry stone wall, no need for cement, just stack the stones , their weight allows them to remain stable and in place. It is important to prepare the foundations of the stone walls beforehand, by putting a mineral substrate (basically, it is an element on which a plant draws the minerals it needs) to avoid the colonization of the low wall by vegetation . The scree are built on the same principle as the stone walls, with a stack of stone to a height of between sixty centimeters and one meter . The presence of substrates such as sand, gravel, large boulders makes it possible to obtain various rates of warming and favorable niches for wildlife.
What do you think of the stone walls around the vines? Have you ever observed them during walks with your favorite winegrowers? Do you have any feedback to give us?
