Science > Gardening

Organic gardening

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Nimue:
Hi,

At the moment I have the gardening fever...the sun comes out the birds twitter.. you know...

So I would like to share my experience and some ideas for organic gardening. ( Pest control, manuring).

Pest control... Lava stones:
I´ve always had problems with coccids and other vermin's on my oleander and other big
plants in jars, now I fill the jars with small lava stones mixed with soil, on the
top I fill the jars with a thick blocking layer of lava stones, so you have a good water reservoir and a bad nutrient solution for vermin's.

Impregnated lava stones (with lavender or citrus oil) , are also a big help against snails, they don´t like the smell.

Manuring + pest fighting.... Fieldhorstail extract

I use this for manuring (especially for my plants in jars) Fieldhorstail extract is boosting the
defensive forces of the plants against vermin's and fungus.

Components of the extract are:  Fieldhorstail, tensy haulm, wormwood, onions and Humusextract.

Manuring for fruit trees and plants.... castor oil plant shred.

The shred is a good alternative to animal nitrogen ( horn shavings), for signs of fatigue of
the trees/plants, you can mix the shred under the soil regularly.

More will follow

Happy gardening !

Nimue:
Continuation

Here my Tips for soil- improvement.

Lupins…. The last were about 8 months on my free bed , and then I merged them with the soil. They are very good for the nitrogen conten in the soil. (green manure).

Seaweed chalk, for nutrient –poor grounds. Algae form: Lithothamium calcareum.

Wood ash for humus cultivation, contains potassium.

Rock meal made out of  basalt (from volcanic origin)

And for plant homeopaths … Quartz flour

More will follow

Other tips and ideas are very welcome !

Nimue:
Hi.

Here some further ideas for plant protection on natural basis:

Oak bark slurry….. mixture 150 gr bark/10 l rainwater/1:5, put it in the sun for some days. Use only bork from young trees without algae and lichen. The slurry is against scoring and sucking vermints, also ants.

Basil tea, against plant louses and spidermites….mixture  8 teaspoons basil haulm mixed with
1 l rainwater (cook it like tea) use undiluted.

Birch leaves slurry…. Preventive against scab on leaves and fruits. Mixture 1000 gr greenery/10 l rainwater/1:5, and put it in the sun for some days (use only fresh greenery)

A Further idea for manuring I´ve mentioned in an other threat (from garden to gaia) before


--- Quote ---I use a stock of stingling nettles, this is manuring and pest fighting in a natural way.  I my location we find stingling nettles everywhere (don´t collect them near
roads with a lot of traffic).

How to make the stock:    Put the nettles + water(1:1) in a basin (Terra Cotta or other natural material no plastic !), close the basin and place it directly in the sun and let
the stock ferment approx. 5 - 7 days, then you will have a stingling slurry (Better you don´t breath to deep, when you open the basin after fermentation)
Now you can manure your plants with the slurry an hold the pest off, furthermore a very low price variant.

--- End quote ---

monksgirl:
natural enzyme cleanser mixed with water and applied with pump sprayer has been my mainstay for both bugs and fungal disease. Where we live the soil is alkaline, and adding gypsum balances it for nutrient uptake.  I love the idea of infusing essential oils into lava rock, I'm going to try it for the slugs that live by my fountain.  And a word of caution: our city gives away compost that it makes from tree clippings and grass that folks take to the dump.  A little known fact is that they add solids from the city sewage treatment plant to the mix- including all the nasty chemicals that end up in runoff and down the drain- so don't ever use compost unless you know what is in it.

Meager1:

--- Quote ---I use a stock of stingling nettles, this is manuring and pest fighting in a natural way.  I my location we find stingling nettles everywhere (don´t collect them near roads with a lot of traffic).
--- End quote ---



You can use most of your "weeds" dandelions, plantain etc, this way. ( though you can eat most of these as well )

But if your not going to eat them, just fill up 5 gallon buckets with your green weeds, add a couple of gallons or whatever fits in the bucket, of hot water and stir with a stick a few times, and let sit an hour or so to extract a nice green weed tea. 

After this cools, use it to water your plants.

This already contains most of the nutrients plants need to thrive and your not just throwing away unwanted plants, but putting them to a better use. It`s an old trick most people have forgotten since modern fertilizer was invented.

You can also put a teaspoon of this tea in a glass of water to root plants cuttings and even to keep cut flowers fresh for a much longer time.

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