It's June. It's Mango Season, But it's Also Pest Season
Better Feed Your TreesWith everything growing so quickly, it is really important to feed your plants. I believe that whatever you can feed your plants is good because here in the tropics, the organic matter gets eaten up no matter what kind you use. So I'll spread mulch from the dump, I'll get whatever manure I can find (including Humanure!), I'll chop & drop junk trees and grasses before they go to seed, I'll make compost piles and have worm compost bins, and so on, and so on. To build soil in the tropics, you need to give it EVERYTHING you can find! Psst...Ninja Tip Coming You should already be composting, why not stack functions by locating that compost pile where it can also feed something while it breaks down? Fermented Plant Juice: Liquid Fertilizer For The Win One of my favorite liquid fertilizers is fermented plant juice, which I learned about through research into Korean Natural Farming. Essentially you are distilling the qualities you want for your plants from the ones you harvest to make this concoction. Here's how it's done: STEP 1: Harvest young tips from fast growing plants such as sweet potato vines, purslane, seaweed, hinahina grass, bamboo shoots and more. Do not wash. Step 2: Mix equal parts brown sugar with the harvested plant tips by weight. Mix really well in a bucket to draw out the juices. Step 3: Cover with a towel and let it sit for 3-5 days until it smells fermented. Step 4: Separate the liquid from the plant material and store in a mason dry in a dark, dry place. Step 5: To use, dilute FPJ 500:1 with water and spray on your plants. Just 5 steps to homemade fertilizer! Pests Love Summer Too!Fast Growing plants are a magnet for insects. They just LOVE new, fresh growth. I'll find aphids on my citrus, whiteflies on my peppers, and lace bugs on my avocados. The pests are everywhere! But there is hope! Recently I visited Tony at Mayan World Farm and he showed me how his product, Mayan Healing Rain, is able to protect plants from pests and disease. You can watch the Video here: What To Plant & Harvest This MonthIf you're curious what to plant or harvest this month, then you need to pick up the eBook below. |
Homesteadinʻ Hawaii
November In The Tropical Garden Homesteadinʻ Hawaii The Abundance of November The abundance of the garden here in Hawaii never seems to stop. Here we are, deep into fall and the garden is filled with squash, beans, chard, kale, green onions, pac choi, kalo, sweet potato, and SO many other crops. But how do you get a garden started? It's really not that hard. Just play the long game. In year 1, you can prepare your soil by smothering the ground with mulch and growing cover crops. While you...
September In The Tropical Garden Homesteadinʻ Hawaii Starting A Garden When All You Have Is Rock The question I get asked most has to be this one, "How do you start a garden when all you have is rock?" I figure that I may as well take a moment and try and explain how to do it. You see, much of Hawaii Island has shallow soils, in fact, a lot of it is just rock. (If you're one of those blessed by soil, you can snicker and move on) So how do you grow in soils that are so rocky? There are a few...
September In The Tropical Garden Homesteadinʻ Hawaii Cool Season Crops are IN this Time of Year You may not think Hawaii has seasons, but it does. The daylight hours are getting shorter, rains are picking up and the temperature is just a little bit cooler.Last month I mentioned you could start some cool season annuals such as beans, peas, Kale, chard, and more.Now is an even BETTER time to do it. So start sowing some seeds.Hawaii Seed Growers Network is a great place to find locally adapted...