MSN_020719

malibusurfsidenews.com SOUND OFF
Malibu surfside news | February 7, 2019 | 17
Poet’s Corner
A Lesson
Ann Buxie, Malibu resident
He sits next to me
Ernie, a World War II vet
he served in an armored
tank division
was part of the Normandy
landing
his wife is with another
who helps her walk
they wait, we all wait
for the eye doctor
Don’t Panic, It’s Organic
Waging war against whiteflies here and now
Andy Lopez
Contributing Columnist
Invisible Gardener
Should I tell the others?
OK, OK.
Trace mineral deficiency.
Simple, huh?
Spraying for any pest or
disease does not deal with
the cause, and this is all
about the law of cause and
effect. Just like humans
are dealing with the effects
of climate change
and not with the cause.
So, what should you
be doing now? Well,
you should be applying
pelletized rock dust and
compost organic fertilizers
with microbial and mulch.
All my readers know that
by now.
The rock dust should
be a blend of different
sources of rock dust. By
using pelletized rock dust,
you can apply it much
easier than using the dust
form. You should try to
blend as many as you can.
The blend helps to ensure
you are getting as many
different minerals as possible.
There are 96 trace
minerals needed by all living
things, and especially
plants.
Humans have a long
way to go in correcting
what we eat. I see TV ads
that say eat what you want
and just take these pills!
We have a trillion-dollar
health industry based on
keeping folks sick. The
same is true with the
agricultural sector: keep
the plants sick, make more
He is from new york
and explains the five
boroughs While it is extremely
cold in
Manhattan
where’s Harlem, I ask
most parts of the
Harlem is part of Manhattan
enough to freeze here in
USA, it is still not severe
he continues Malibu.
the Bronx
That’s one of the advantages
of living by the
Brooklyn
Staten Island coast. One of the disadvantages,
however, is that
and Queens
he and his wife it doesn’t freeze. This is
have been together over about whitefly control,
60 years
since freezing destroys
we all wait. their eggs and a mild
he’s a good talker. winter does not only not
he describes the landing bother the whiteflies, but
on Normandy, the causes them to hatch earlier.
That is the case here,
slaughter
senseless and I am starting to find
and the conversation
whiteflies around town.
wanders
So, here is what you
buying our first television,
he says,
should be doing now.
First, you must realize
that just spraying for
biggest mistake I ever
made
whiteflies is not dealing
why? I ask.
with the real problem. Ask
the conversation died,
yourself why these whiteflies
are attacking certain
he said.
plants in the first place. If
Want to submit a poem to you have been following
the Surfside? Email Editor my column, then you are
Lauren Coughlin at lauren@ already jumping up and
malibusurfsidenews.com. down with the answer.
Advertise
money.
Actually, they keep the
soil sick. Chemical fertilizers
destroy the health
of the soil and in turn
destroy the health of the
plants but, because we are
trained to react, we spray.
I have found from
experience (I have been
in business since 1970)
that whiteflies respond to
stressed plants. All pests
and diseases react in the
same way, and it is their
job to do so, It is in their
genes to do so. They have
evolved to be nature’s
janitors. They remove the
sick and allow the healthy
to grow.
Just understand that
whatever you do to the
soil will not be available
immediately. In fact,
it won’t be available
until next season or even
longer, depending on the
health of the soil. So, if
you have been dumping
chemical fertilizers for
years and years, do not expect
the soil and the plants
to rebound right away. If
you apply what I said every
year during this time
of year, you will see results
more and more every
year as the soil restores its
biological foundations and
starts to feed the plants. It
is the soil that feeds that
plants and not the fertilizers,
organic or otherwise.
So, what do you do during
that time?
You should be foliar
your rental property in the paper Malibu turns to first.
fertilizing your plants.
You can make a good
trace mineral foliar liquid
by buying rock dust in
a powdered form and
then adding 1 cup of this
blend into a pantyhose
to create a “tea” bag.
Place it into 5 gallons of
clean, filtered water. Do
not use city water, as it
will kill the microbes you
are also applying. There
are many such products
on the market. Green
Thumb in Ventura carries
a variety of these microbial
products, as well as
several sources of rock
dust. Anawalt Lumber carries
rock dust powder and
some microbes.
Let it sit overnight.
You also can increase the
microbial activity by buying
a small fish pump that
pumps air and running it
overnight inside the 5 gallons
of clean water. Then,
spray the leaves. If you
have whiteflies, add cold
brew coffee, which will
kill the whiteflies and not
damage the little army you
have in the water.
You should also learn
how to make compost tea
and spray that. Make the
compost tea in the same
way, by adding 1 cup of
the best compost you can
find or make the mixture
in a pantyhose and allow
it to sit overnight with the
aerator.
Foliar spraying needs
to be done every month.
Change what you spray
according to the season.
Next week, I will cover
the different types of
sprays you can make and
how to use them.
To be sure of the condition
of the soil, I recommend
doing a lab test of it.
I would do a soil chemistry
test which shows
pH, texture, soluble salts,
organic matter, nitrates,
ammonium, phosphorus,
potassium, sulfur, calcium,
magnesium, sodium, zinc,
iron, manganese, copper,
boron, cation exchange capacity,
percentage of base
saturation, and the amount
of nitrogen per acre. This
will give you a good idea
of what you have to work
with.
I would also do an essential
biology test which
shows the total amount
of active bacteria, total
amount of active fungi and
protozoa 20 grams. This
will show what is alive.
Unfortunately, this does
not test for toxins from,
say, a burned home or
property.
There are many ways
to clean up the soil and
help it recover. Stay tuned
for more in an upcoming
column.
Any questions? Email me at
andylopez@invisiblegardener
.com.
Call Malibu Classifieds
708-326-9170
MALIBU SURFSIDE NEWS