We had a lot of aphids on our rose bush right after it really struggled with disease caused by too much rain. The next year we had thousands of ladybugs hatching on the rose. Every leaf had at least one ladybug. Some leaves had 4 or 5. I didn't even know ladybugs came in some of these colors. Now we have no aphids, a normal amount of ladybugs, and a very happy rose. We never spray for insects or weeds, and nature took care of the problem.
I found an old apple tree in the wooded part of my yard last winter. As seasons turned, I gathered recipes for wine and cider making, only to find the apples on the tree extremely damaged by insects. This was yesterday, right before I saw you had uploaded a video. Had I not watched the video, I would have cut the beautiful tree down in fear of the insects spreading into my young orchard. Your timing was impeccable :)
I remember reading about the conflict between Louis Pasteur and Antoine Béchamp. LP was hailed as a hero for his germ theory of disease and his much lauded - and profitable - vaccines. AB was mocked and scorned for insisting on the importance of terrain, but with the recent beginnings of understanding of the importance of the microbiome, he is being proven more correct.
@@StefanSobkowiak Every day of my life humbles me further with my increasing awareness of the vastness of my ignorance. When I heard that Wisdom had prepared a great feast, I ran to her door. The smallest crumb of the smallest appetizer fell from the table before me, and I have been gnawing on that mountain for all of my life.
listening to this on the background, working on a sunday, trying to get to a deadline - being an accountant, resource investor/gardener, this episode struck perfectly on many levels
Really appreciate and enjoy this video. You hit ALL the right points and did so with compassion and patience. Wishing you tens of thousands of views and just as many converts!
This is fabulous! (As your other videos are also!) I first learned about Liebig's Law of Minimums with the planted aquarium hobby. How I wrapped my head around it is to think of nutrients as the ingredients for a recipe. If one of the ingredients needed in a recipe is missing, the result will be poor. Adding more of another ingredient won't fix it, but it may create other things to make it even worse. Learning what is missing based on the clues is the tricky part (like taking a bite of a muffin and being able to know what ingredient is missing). That's where community is important! Thanks to videos, like yours, and conversations with others on the internet, we can learn from each other.
Thanks for the earworm Stefan. Such a vital message and one I’ll share to all I know in the food growing space. It’ll help me evaluate my own growing challenges with more nuance too. Greatest respect for your ongoing work to get more people living in greater harmony with nature and the messages from her that we too often misinterpret. Green greetings from Durban, South Africa.
I was just watching another video the other week to learn about the Brix stuff. All of that and how pests don't focus on healthy plants that are > that 12/13 brix mark. (generally) After hearing that and observing my garden this year, it has been some what of an answer why my neighbors Home depot bought starters were all aphid infested and lots of those plants failed. Compared to my plants all started from seed, they were doing great, mostly... hah. I would guess it's because I didn't flood my starters with all that extra nitrogen then? Plants, nature, and the whole ecosystem, we're just here for the ride. I can't wait to do it all again better next year.
I have whiteflies and fruit flies the moment I used store bought compost and rainy weather. They appear when the soil is constantly wet and if my plants are limp from too much rain for days, they also attack my pepper plants and leave scales under the leaves. So now I have to look at weather forecast twice a day before deciding to place my potted plants in the open and just stick to granular fertilizer. I didn't thought of the compost until I watched this video.
Great topic Stef ... micro nutrients ... Look at the issue, find the real cause (not the pest or bacteria et al), and then deal with the non-bug solution. Properly fed plants (trees, shrubs, bushes, herbs, vegs, vines, tubers, leafies, ...) are strong and healthy. Weak plants, or monoculture planting creates big bug targets for free meal deals.
I mostly agree, I'm totally down with this way of thinking and don't spray anything, but I wonder what you think about invasive species that don't belong in the eco-system? I feel all they are indicating is that they shouldn't be there in the first place. Case in point: the Asian stinkbugs that are now rife in parts of Europe and the US that have no natural predators and cause havoc. I don't feel there's much to learn from those... Maybe I am wrong.
Seems he is lucky to live somewhere without heavy invasive pressure. I have tried for years to practice permaculture solutions and I've found I still have to be the predator sometimes. Can't grow a single tree ripened peach in my area without spraying for example.
@@Trashalchemy Yeah, I think we have to remember that many of the species we try to grow also aren't native so maybe we can't expect nature to have a ready solution in those cases. Although I'd almost rather not grow them than have to spray... We're mostly talking about perennials, but I always think of tomatoes, I mean, they aren't native for most of us yet we feel almost entitled to be able to grow them (not me, I gave up, too hot and dry now and... the aforementioned stinkbugs wipe them out, one non-native killing another...)
@@thehillsidegardener3961I would agree with you there. I would rather not grow the plant than spray. The last two years have been particularly difficult in regards to my fruit trees as I gave them a pollarding of sorts. Last year the plum trees were over come with aphids( a year after the pollarding) this year I have had a number of leaves covered with them. They are on the mend 🙂. I have also had far more ladybugs on my entire crop. What I have noticed an increase of is spiders of sort that curl the leaves of some apple trees I have. I plucked these off and composted them. Lastly the stink bugs and grasshoppers, it has been a very long time since seeing these insects again and I believe they have a purpose. Perhaps a robin will let me know. There are a few people still clinging onto the 'science' by applying some form of toxic chemical to 'aid' growth, but what they are not allowing is the true predator of these invaders to become aware. There must be a reason why they did not survive here before too. Patience and an understanding of nature and it's processes is key here.
I agree with you, I try to do as little as possible to baby my trees. The main issues I have are gypsy moth caterpillars and japanese beetles. I have to take steps to limit them.
There are several online resources about indicator weeds, even extension ones. For pests it's a little more digging. I don't know for books but there is a great podcast called : regenerative agriculture podcast. It's given me several good insights.
It's interesting at how similar the organic regenerative permaculture approach to healing the land is so much the same as functional medicine. Have a (flu) bug - why? Not enough vitamin D? Too many sugars in what you're eating leading to a bad diet without balance? Soil seems like the microbiome of the gut.
Slug issues. Our area in WNY was invaded by slugs. They eat everything in sit. I had straw down over winter. I didn't know they preferred that along with rolly pollies. It was hot and dry and then it rained one time and slugs galore.. I used diatomaceous earth and a soapy bucket. I do not like killing insects.. but what causes them to be in such high numbers?
Slugs respond to a lack of iron. That's why slug baits all contain iron. Try some "rusty water", from a bucket with pieces of raw iron. Or basalt rock dust which naturally has around 10% iron.
I heard a scientist claim that keeping pests off plants is all about having high BRIX level in your plant, i.e. at least a measurement of 12. I'm skeptical of this, but wondering if anyone else has heard this?
It absolutely works if the brix level is over 15 no bugs. The problem is getting it there. Cloudy days consecutively will really lower the brix no matter what you do. Can't control for weather. But you can do your best. Extra boron really helps raise the brix in my location. Get a refractometer and observe.
My yard has slowly become shaded by a big old tree.. every year I have been having less and less yield. I trued everything then I realized it had become too shaded after planting something in a pot in full sun. The amount of sun can make do differing things to a variety of plants. It's not just the soil, biology or nutrition.
I am confronted with an abundance of flea beetles this year... and I have never seen a damage like this - all - and I mean each and every one of them. is literally eaten to death. I hav no idea how to get this equation equalized.... we start at a new cleared property in the maritimes and those bugs seem to have been waiting for us :P ...
mint, mugsworth (artemisia vulgaris), hot pepper seeds, tobacco, garlic and coffee, infused makes a great insecticide to spray, a good field drink too if you omit tobacco, maybe garlic. note that mint rots, and does not preserve, omit if you want to keep longer than 2 days.
Probably too fungal for the crops you’re growing. Cleared land usually needs one or two intermediate crops to make it less fungal and more bacterial. Your soil is quite ready for fruit and berries.
My garden was trying to tell me that I’m not a good gardener lol. Just kidding. But I did try your approach once, then I realized I’ll never have the time to study that specific thing to learn how to counter it. I’d have to quit my job, leave my family, forgo my hobbies.. it’s just easier to spray soap water on the aphids then get back to my life.
Depends on your soil and climate. Dry climate or close to the ocean likely not beneficial. Rainy climate it can be useful, but go lightly salt is beneficial to a point then its not, like most nutrients.
Pas de problème de pucerons ou déséquilibre dans le sol : j'utilise du fumier de cheval et autres matières riches en carbone. Mon problème, pour mes 200 fruitiers, se sont les mouches du fruits. Quoi faire, alors que dans mon secteur de production de fruits, et de jardins, des gens ne traitent pas, laissent les fruits se faire infectés et font proliférer les mouches. Le traitement doit être fait par tous les voisins, et le geste simple, c'est au minimum de retirer les fruits infectés, ne pas laisser de fruits au sol, et les détruire.
We had a lot of aphids on our rose bush right after it really struggled with disease caused by too much rain. The next year we had thousands of ladybugs hatching on the rose. Every leaf had at least one ladybug. Some leaves had 4 or 5. I didn't even know ladybugs came in some of these colors. Now we have no aphids, a normal amount of ladybugs, and a very happy rose. We never spray for insects or weeds, and nature took care of the problem.
I found an old apple tree in the wooded part of my yard last winter. As seasons turned, I gathered recipes for wine and cider making, only to find the apples on the tree extremely damaged by insects. This was yesterday, right before I saw you had uploaded a video. Had I not watched the video, I would have cut the beautiful tree down in fear of the insects spreading into my young orchard. Your timing was impeccable :)
That is awesome! Old apple trees deserve a second chance, they are well rooted and can produce hundreds of pounds of fruit.
I remember reading about the conflict between Louis Pasteur and Antoine Béchamp. LP was hailed as a hero for his germ theory of disease and his much lauded - and profitable - vaccines. AB was mocked and scorned for insisting on the importance of terrain, but with the recent beginnings of understanding of the importance of the microbiome, he is being proven more correct.
We are barely scratching the surface in our understanding of soil and gut microbiomes.
@@StefanSobkowiak Every day of my life humbles me further with my increasing awareness of the vastness of my ignorance. When I heard that Wisdom had prepared a great feast, I ran to her door. The smallest crumb of the smallest appetizer fell from the table before me, and I have been gnawing on that mountain for all of my life.
Heal your soil, it will heal your soul. Great content Stefan ❤ thank you
listening to this on the background, working on a sunday, trying to get to a deadline - being an accountant, resource investor/gardener, this episode struck perfectly on many levels
We have lost that connection to the land and it's inhabitants! Thank you !
Really appreciate and enjoy this video. You hit ALL the right points and did so with compassion and patience. Wishing you tens of thousands of views and just as many converts!
Thanks so much!
Nobel prize winner for virus study ended saying, the virus is not the cause, it is the symptom. I know 1 person here might understand.
YESSS! Absolutely 💯... if our bodies are in healthy high alkaline state then virus/dis-ease cannot live😊❤
Please make more indicator video's!! Very interesting and helpful
Thank you, Stefan.
Thanks for the great information! I’ve learned so much from you for my little forest gardens! Blessings to all 🤗🇨🇦🌻
Our pleasure!
This is fabulous! (As your other videos are also!)
I first learned about Liebig's Law of Minimums with the planted aquarium hobby. How I wrapped my head around it is to think of nutrients as the ingredients for a recipe. If one of the ingredients needed in a recipe is missing, the result will be poor. Adding more of another ingredient won't fix it, but it may create other things to make it even worse. Learning what is missing based on the clues is the tricky part (like taking a bite of a muffin and being able to know what ingredient is missing). That's where community is important! Thanks to videos, like yours, and conversations with others on the internet, we can learn from each other.
So well said, great message!
Thanks for the earworm Stefan. Such a vital message and one I’ll share to all I know in the food growing space. It’ll help me evaluate my own growing challenges with more nuance too. Greatest respect for your ongoing work to get more people living in greater harmony with nature and the messages from her that we too often misinterpret. Green greetings from Durban, South Africa.
I was just watching another video the other week to learn about the Brix stuff. All of that and how pests don't focus on healthy plants that are > that 12/13 brix mark. (generally)
After hearing that and observing my garden this year, it has been some what of an answer why my neighbors Home depot bought starters were all aphid infested and lots of those plants failed. Compared to my plants all started from seed, they were doing great, mostly... hah. I would guess it's because I didn't flood my starters with all that extra nitrogen then?
Plants, nature, and the whole ecosystem, we're just here for the ride. I can't wait to do it all again better next year.
I have whiteflies and fruit flies the moment I used store bought compost and rainy weather. They appear when the soil is constantly wet and if my plants are limp from too much rain for days, they also attack my pepper plants and leave scales under the leaves. So now I have to look at weather forecast twice a day before deciding to place my potted plants in the open and just stick to granular fertilizer. I didn't thought of the compost until I watched this video.
Where does a person get a sap test? Does a person go to a university ? To my memory ,The county extension office doesn't offer the test.
Look up advancing eco agriculture, they send samples to Holland where it’s done.
Pozdrawiam z Polski 👍
Dzenkuje
Great topic Stef ... micro nutrients ... Look at the issue, find the real cause (not the pest or bacteria et al), and then deal with the non-bug solution. Properly fed plants (trees, shrubs, bushes, herbs, vegs, vines, tubers, leafies, ...) are strong and healthy. Weak plants, or monoculture planting creates big bug targets for free meal deals.
This is what I have been doing for the last three years. They are getting there!!
Excellent video. Thank you for sharing this insight & mindset!!
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for a great video and ear worm.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Some day I'll be back to growing in my soil again, must be getting healthier less skunks digging for grubs it used to be like the surface of the moon
I mostly agree, I'm totally down with this way of thinking and don't spray anything, but I wonder what you think about invasive species that don't belong in the eco-system? I feel all they are indicating is that they shouldn't be there in the first place. Case in point: the Asian stinkbugs that are now rife in parts of Europe and the US that have no natural predators and cause havoc. I don't feel there's much to learn from those... Maybe I am wrong.
Seems he is lucky to live somewhere without heavy invasive pressure. I have tried for years to practice permaculture solutions and I've found I still have to be the predator sometimes. Can't grow a single tree ripened peach in my area without spraying for example.
@@Trashalchemy Yeah, I think we have to remember that many of the species we try to grow also aren't native so maybe we can't expect nature to have a ready solution in those cases. Although I'd almost rather not grow them than have to spray... We're mostly talking about perennials, but I always think of tomatoes, I mean, they aren't native for most of us yet we feel almost entitled to be able to grow them (not me, I gave up, too hot and dry now and... the aforementioned stinkbugs wipe them out, one non-native killing another...)
@@thehillsidegardener3961I would agree with you there. I would rather not grow the plant than spray. The last two years have been particularly difficult in regards to my fruit trees as I gave them a pollarding of sorts. Last year the plum trees were over come with aphids( a year after the pollarding) this year I have had a number of leaves covered with them. They are on the mend 🙂. I have also had far more ladybugs on my entire crop. What I have noticed an increase of is spiders of sort that curl the leaves of some apple trees I have. I plucked these off and composted them. Lastly the stink bugs and grasshoppers, it has been a very long time since seeing these insects again and I believe they have a purpose. Perhaps a robin will let me know. There are a few people still clinging onto the 'science' by applying some form of toxic chemical to 'aid' growth, but what they are not allowing is the true predator of these invaders to become aware. There must be a reason why they did not survive here before too. Patience and an understanding of nature and it's processes is key here.
I agree with you, I try to do as little as possible to baby my trees. The main issues I have are gypsy moth caterpillars and japanese beetles. I have to take steps to limit them.
What books are good for helping us know how to read the pests and weeds?
There are several online resources about indicator weeds, even extension ones. For pests it's a little more digging. I don't know for books but there is a great podcast called : regenerative agriculture podcast. It's given me several good insights.
It's interesting at how similar the organic regenerative permaculture approach to healing the land is so much the same as functional medicine. Have a (flu) bug - why? Not enough vitamin D? Too many sugars in what you're eating leading to a bad diet without balance? Soil seems like the microbiome of the gut.
Absolutely, so much similarity.
Slug issues. Our area in WNY was invaded by slugs. They eat everything in sit. I had straw down over winter. I didn't know they preferred that along with rolly pollies. It was hot and dry and then it rained one time and slugs galore.. I used diatomaceous earth and a soapy bucket. I do not like killing insects.. but what causes them to be in such high numbers?
Slugs respond to a lack of iron. That's why slug baits all contain iron. Try some "rusty water", from a bucket with pieces of raw iron. Or basalt rock dust which naturally has around 10% iron.
Thank you, very interesting
Glad you enjoyed it
So different plants absorb different elements at different PH levels.
I was told when growing spring veg they need a different ph than when soil is warmer.
What books that discuss nutrient deficiencies do you recommend?
I recommend you don’t focus on what you don’t want, focus on what you want. Our next video will give you a simple recipe to solve deficiencies.
I heard a scientist claim that keeping pests off plants is all about having high BRIX level in your plant, i.e. at least a measurement of 12. I'm skeptical of this, but wondering if anyone else has heard this?
UA-cam, Advancing Eco Agriculture, they specialize in sap analysis and micro nutrient, enzymes with sugar spraying
It absolutely works if the brix level is over 15 no bugs. The problem is getting it there. Cloudy days consecutively will really lower the brix no matter what you do. Can't control for weather. But you can do your best. Extra boron really helps raise the brix in my location. Get a refractometer and observe.
Yep
My yard has slowly become shaded by a big old tree.. every year I have been having less and less yield. I trued everything then I realized it had become too shaded after planting something in a pot in full sun. The amount of sun can make do differing things to a variety of plants. It's not just the soil, biology or nutrition.
What will White Moth indicate in my garden? thank you
I’ve got a video coming up soon that will give you a likely solution.
I am confronted with an abundance of flea beetles this year... and I have never seen a damage like this - all - and I mean each and every one of them. is literally eaten to death. I hav no idea how to get this equation equalized.... we start at a new cleared property in the maritimes and those bugs seem to have been waiting for us :P ...
mint, mugsworth (artemisia vulgaris), hot pepper seeds, tobacco, garlic and coffee, infused makes a great insecticide to spray, a good field drink too if you omit tobacco, maybe garlic. note that mint rots, and does not preserve, omit if you want to keep longer than 2 days.
Probably too fungal for the crops you’re growing. Cleared land usually needs one or two intermediate crops to make it less fungal and more bacterial. Your soil is quite ready for fruit and berries.
I would contend that moles are a problem 😅
My garden was trying to tell me that I’m not a good gardener lol. Just kidding. But I did try your approach once, then I realized I’ll never have the time to study that specific thing to learn how to counter it. I’d have to quit my job, leave my family, forgo my hobbies.. it’s just easier to spray soap water on the aphids then get back to my life.
I was told copper for apple scab?
It can depend on what was applied in the past, some products were used and their residuals still remain in the soil.
Professors, pointing to where your observations should work on the what, where and why...
... but don't give up the day job, for a 'singing' job. : )))))
Can you use sea salt water
Depends on your soil and climate. Dry climate or close to the ocean likely not beneficial. Rainy climate it can be useful, but go lightly salt is beneficial to a point then its not, like most nutrients.
👍
Find the remedy
Pas de problème de pucerons ou déséquilibre dans le sol : j'utilise du fumier de cheval et autres matières riches en carbone. Mon problème, pour mes 200 fruitiers, se sont les mouches du fruits. Quoi faire, alors que dans mon secteur de production de fruits, et de jardins, des gens ne traitent pas, laissent les fruits se faire infectés et font proliférer les mouches. Le traitement doit être fait par tous les voisins, et le geste simple, c'est au minimum de retirer les fruits infectés, ne pas laisser de fruits au sol, et les détruire.
Une vidéo avec une solution par fertilisation sen vient cet automne.
🌱👍
👍🇬🇬
Jesus Christ. GET TO THE POINT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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