This information
comes from "Tithonia diversifolia as a termite
repellent for protecting fruit trees in Central
African Republic" by Timothy Watkins in the
January 2005 issue of ECHO Development Notes:
Using information that came from a Kenyan farmer,
ECHO tried out a recipe for controlling underground
termites and found it effective against termites
that were damaging Inga, Terminalia, Macadamia,
Dacryodes edulis, and guava trees. The Kenyan had
used Melia azedarach leaves along with the Tithonia,
but since these were not available in Florida, ECHO's
headquarters, only Tithonia was used.
This is a summary of
ECHO's recipe:
1) "Fill to half a 50-gallon
drum with fresh, chopped Tithonia leaves and stems
(soft, new growth)
2) Fill to level with water
3) Cover, place weight to hold
material in the water
4) Allow to ferment 4 days or
until vile smelling
5) Pour liquid and black muck
around bases of trees, or into termite mounds.
6) For trees, take care to keep
muck from touching tree, as it may cause the bark
to rot.
"Depending on the rains,
the treatment may be effective for about 1 month.
With heavy rains it is best to treat trees more
frequently."
This comes
from "Garden soil harbors its own little civilization"
by Anne Raver, as printed in the March 5, 2005,
issue of the Marin Independent Journal, originally
from the New York Times.
"I'd been an organic gardener for years before
I really looked at pictures of soil under a high-powered
microscope.
"Mites were feeding on springtails. Fungi were
swirling like strands of spaghetti around plant
roots. Nematodes shaped like torpedoes were grazing
on fungi. Everything was eating everything else.
"Fascinated, I began talking to soil scientists
and compost experts, learning that plants are not
just taking up nutrients. They are exuding carbohydrates
through their roots, feeding the bacteria and fungi
that, in turn, break down nitrogen, protein, phosphorus
and many other elements into forms the plant can
absorb. For the first time, I began to grasp what
I was dealing with in the soil of my garden: an
underground city more complex than the infrastructure
that powers Manhattan."
The rest of the article gives tips for attaining
and maintaining healthy soil: Get your soil tested,
either through a public university or "a reputable
private laboratory. Ask for a textural analysis,
which will indicate the percentage of clay, silt
and sand in your soil and how well it drains. And
ask for a complete nutrient analysis as well."
This can "also reveal problems with nutrients
in soil, nutrients that, even if they are present,
may be unavailable to plants for reasons that range
from a lack of oxygen to an excess of nitrogen."
It's possible for gardeners to make problems worse
if they don't know the chemistry of their soil.
Experts also advise gardeners to check out the ingredients
in compost and mulch and to know where it comes
from before they buy it to avoid pathogens that
can "cause serious damage." |