UPDATE ON HUGH IN OZ?
Can anyone fill us in on this past weekend's events? Thanks -Allan
Re: Organizing the Work on the Weed Project
To Tony, Gil, Steve D., Frank, Lloyd Allan (from past posts) and others, Thank you for all your help with conceptualizing for our road IPM project. I'm going to call Brad, the Weed Supervisor, today and have a talk about this year's work. The help you have given me is invaluable. I have gathered all the posts on my word processor and will print them out to have them together. Best, Merla Rambler Flowers LTD wrote: Tony - Nice integration of BD preps with a mulching technique to achieve vegetation control, worm action, soil biology and a clean bed to transplant into. also getting the muck and magic benefits of the BD preps all at the same time. Steve Diver Thanks Steve the worm activity is amazing. I have been thinking of developing this further as i have a particularly dirty block that i want to plant into in about 18 months. After a soil test I am going to sheet compost with grasses, sawdust, lime , animal manure , Steve Storchs sequential spray programme using Glens Potentised preps and what ever organic fertilisers i need to balance the soil according to Albrecht and Reams ie 60-70% Calcium, 12%Magesium 3-5% Potash, 1-2% sodium aiming to achieve a CEC level of 25% and a pH of between 6-7, and then cover with weed mat until worms have done their magic.I will follow with a quick green crop and repeat as above missing out the soil test this will take 12 months to next autumn. Before it becomes too wet final raised beds will be set up . Aftera further check of nutrient levels, the beds will be mulched with compost and covered with weed mat, every 6-8 weeks weed mat will be removed for 10 days to encourage weed seed germination weed mat is then replaced until spring planting I will also be monitering brix pH and erg levels and making any adjustments as i see fit. The aim is have well balanced soil that is pest, disease and weed free for a crop of gentians that will be planted for 5-6 years. Thanks Steve for your inspirational reply it triggered off the above idea siutable for intensive cropping . The area covered will be 50 by 7 metres and will be planted with 2000 plants. I will also do a similar area next door with out the weed mat to compare results .
Thanks to Bob and Roger
As soon as a sent my last post I realized I had left out Bob and Roger, and probably other people too. It's hard to thank everybody when so many people have given of their experience. Best, Merla
Re: Organizing the Work on the Weed Project | Weed Barrier extravaganza
Tony - That's a nice system you have in mind. It is practical, it integrates, and it links the fundamental practices of Steiner, Albrecht, and Reams along with your own farm-ready insight. One of your ideas is worth repeating. Let the weeds come up, then put them back down under the weed mat. Worms like to feed on decaying organic matter, they stir the soil, and they excrete their castings, soil-binding glues, and growth-promoting enzymes, nutrients, and bioactive substances. Weeds function like a cover crop. The roots and leaves provide living biomass; the rhizosphere and phyllosphere serve as a brief home for microorganisms, the weeds further the cycle of life, and then they decompose and release their plant-available nutrients and provide food and shelter for soil microorganisms. Yet, you create a clean and weed-free bed to raise your vegetables, flowers, and herbs. One of the remarkable aspects of the weed barrier method, is the realization that you are spending time enjoying the garden. walking around, smelling fragrant flowers, observing Nature, hand-picking a few bugs, harvesting and tending to your plants instead of dealing with weeds, weeds, and more weeds on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Once you plant your transplants into the weed barrier, you more or less just walk away. The BD preps have their work and their influence. How do I find out the details on Steve Storch's recipe for sequential spraying? There is a grower who used the weed barrier method in market farming with permanent raised beds, tractors, spading equipment, composting, BD preps, and the works. It seems to me worth repeating, it serves as an example of the weed barrier in action. Paul Sansone, a biodynamic flower grower in Oregon, used the DeWitt Pro-5 Weed Barrier on 5-15 acres of raised bed production. His farm has been featured in Growing for Market and one of the greenhouse trade magazines, like Greenhouse Grower. As I recall from the Growing for Market article: *Permanent raised beds *Tractor straddles the bed *Cover crop established in the fall *Mow and incorporate cover crop in spring *Tractor with fertilizer buggy straddles bed and lays down compost + organic fertilizer blend *Drip irrigation tape set out on bed *DeWitt Pro-5 Weed Barrier laid down and tucked in *Weed barrier has pre-burned holes for 6 and 12 transplant spacings, other spacings as neeed *Hand transplant and water in *Turn on drip irrigation *Watch plants grow, tend to plants, irrigate plants -- *But no fuss over weeds, mechanical cultivation, wheel hoes, or hand hoeing -- I'm not sure how the BD preps were integrated into the Sansone system, but you get the idea from the summary above how the sequence works. OrganicBoquet.com is Paul Sansone's web page OrganicBoquet.com http://www.organicbouquet.com/sansone.shtml Of particular interest is the sub-section on biodynamics Secular Biodynamics - Agriculture Beyond the Organic By Paul Sansone http://www.organicbouquet.com/biodynamics.shtml And further within... The Seven Essential Elements of the Biodynamic Method By Paul Sansone http://www.organicbouquet.com/biodynamics4.shtml Interestingly, Paul Sansone and Susan Vosburg have this website, Here Now Garden Here Now Garden http://www.hereandnowgarden.com/ Especially see Grower's Corner: Grower's Corner http://www.hereandnowgarden.com/growerscorner.html It has useful notes on BD practices for fungus and botrytis control, fertilization, soil and cover crops, tillage. . Perennial plants should be top dressed each spring with 1/4 - 1/2 of ripened Biodynamic compost. An organic plant food is banded into the bed under where the cut flower plants will be planted when the bed is being shaped or it is worked into each planting hole for the plants as they are being planted. This balanced plant food is 4 parts seed meal, 1 part rock phosphate, 1/2 part kelp, and 1 part greensand. The Green Beam website is the online gateway for Branch-Smith Publishing. Branch-Smith publishes Greenhouse Manager-Pro (GM-Pro), as well as Nursery Manager-Pro (NM-Pro) and related trade magazines. The following online article features Paul Sansone. The Dynamics of Biodynamic Growing: Lean how Here Now Garden Uses Sustainable Agriculture to Produce Fresh Cut Flowers http://www.greenbeam.com/features/tour062899.stm Now, I switch to the work of the late Dan Wofford who influenced me in relation to weed barrier production methods. It is a long story to relay all the integrated approaches we took in our various plantings: weed barrier, hydrogels, organic fertilizers, composts, mycorrhizae, special plug trays, Booth tube plugs, Chapin bucket irrigation kits (gravity-flow) in remote sites, etc. Allow me to post the library where Dan Wofford's work resides. HydroSource @ Castle International Resources http://www.hydrosource.com/ Library on
FW: [ Senator Byrd's Speech 12 Feb 03]
Title: FW: [ Senator Byrd's Speech 12 Feb 03] PLEASE READ THIS Original Message Subject: Fw: Senator Byrd's Speech 12 Feb 03 Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2003 17:05:34 -0500 : I didn't see this anywhere: a friend, a former student, who is married to a German guy, and lives in Germany, sent this on to me. Did I miss it because I was lax, or wasn't it spoken of in the media? - Original Message - From: Bernadette Scheerer mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2003 4:42 PMSubject: Senator Byrd's Speech 12 Feb 03 Subject: Senator Byrd's Speech 12 Feb 03 Lest you think those of us in Germany aren't paying attention and/or are merely attending to frivolous things, lest anyone think it's only those pesky old Europeans who are raising questions about the current course being charted by This Administration, I want to bring to your attention Senator Robert Byrd's recent speech on the floor of the Senate in Washington. It's some relief to hear the sentiments I feel here in the distance being expressed in a significant place by a significant figure. I think, after the developments of last week in the UN and the peace marches around the world on the weekend, it's becoming clear that while it may have been possible to fiddle things in Florida it's less easy to fiddle things in the whole wide world! I find it wonderful to know there are some politicians in Washington with the insight to give this type of speech. Read and reflect Reckless Administration May Reap Disastrous Consequences by US Senator Robert Byrd Senate Floor Speech - Wednesday, February 12, 2003 To contemplate war is to think about the most horrible of human experiences. On this February day, as this nation stands at the brink of battle, every American on some level must be contemplating the horrors of war. Yet, this Chamber is, for the most part, silent -- ominously, dreadfully silent. There is no debate, no discussion, no attempt to lay out for the nation the pros and cons of this particular war. There is nothing. We stand passively mute in the United States Senate, paralyzed by our own uncertainty, seemingly stunned by the sheer turmoil of events. Only on the editorial pages of our newspapers is there much substantive discussion of the prudence or imprudence of engaging in this particular war. And this is no small conflagration we contemplate. This is no simple attempt to defang a villain. No. This coming battle, if it materializes, represents a turning point in U.S. foreign policy and possibly a turning point in the recent history of the world. This nation is about to embark upon the first test of a revolutionary doctrine applied in an extraordinary way at an unfortunate time. The doctrine of preemption -- the idea that the United States or any other nation can legitimately attack a nation that is not imminently threatening but may be threatening in the future -- is a radical new twist on the traditional idea of self defense. It appears to be in contravention of international law and the UN Charter. And it is being tested at a time of world-wide terrorism, making many countries around the globe wonder if they will soon be on our -- or some other nation's -- hit list. High level Administration figures recently refused to take nuclear weapons off of the table when discussing a possible attack against Iraq. What could be more destabilizing and unwise than this type of uncertainty, particularly in a world where globalism has tied the vital economic and security interests of many nations so closely together? There are huge cracks emerging in our time-honored alliances, and U.S. intentions are suddenly subject to damaging worldwide speculation. Anti-Americanism based on mistrust, misinformation, suspicion, and alarming rhetoric from U.S. leaders is fracturing the once solid alliance against global terrorism which existed after September 11. Here at home, people are warned of imminent terrorist attacks with little guidance as to when or where such attacks might occur. Family members are being called to active military duty, with no idea of the duration of their stay or what horrors they may face. Communities are being left with less than adequate police and fire protection. Other essential services are also short-staffed. The mood of the nation is grim. The economy is stumbling. Fuel prices are rising and may soon spike higher. This Administration, now in power for a little over two years, must be judged on its record. I believe that that record is dismal. In that scant two years, this Administration has squandered a large projected surplus of some $5.6 trillion over the next decade and taken us to projected deficits as far as the eye can see. This Administration's domestic policy has put many of our states in dire financial condition, under funding scores of essential programs for our people. This Administration has fostered
Re: UPDATE ON HUGH IN OZ?
on 20/2/03 11:49 PM, Allan Balliett at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Can anyone fill us in on this past weekend's events? Thanks -Allan Hi Allan all It was a great weekend, which was made even better through the connections made on this link. Meeting Lloyd, Roger, Barbara, Tobias and so many other wonderful people was one of the best parts of the gathering. The conference seemed a perfect mixture of topics, that complimented one another and aided a greater understanding. Cheryl Hamish were both a wealth of knowledge and inspiration. Hugh's knowledge coupled with his stories were entertaining, interesting and informative. Brian Keats talking about the Antipodean calendar and the heavens was helpful, inspiring and left me realising there is so much to be learnt. Peter Ruehmkorff is an amazing man who shared much on dowsing and broadcasting. His charts of remedies and his paper broadcaster are wonderful tools. The dowsing and the radionics really clicked with all that Peter taught. Returning home from Albury my labrador was very unwell, to the point where I made an appointment with the vet. This is something I rarely do, always raising my dogs on a natural diet I have dealt with some of the deadliest canine diseases in Australia and not failed. I soon stopped and thought immediately that I was turning my back on everything I had just learnt in Albury. So I sat and dowsed the problems and soon the answer came to me Mag. Phos. which was confirmed. I then dowsed for potencies and length of time. Not having that particular potency on hand I wrote this other words in the octagon card which Peter gave us, and placed it on the paper broadcaster. Meg was shaking uncontrollably and unable to move her very large body. I made her comfortable and left for 1 1/2 hrs, and returned to find her standing at the door wagging her tail. She's still not completely herself but well on the road to recovery. Radionics is a wonderful tool, but I do have some concerns with regards to the ecology and the balance. We did manage to get a few drops of rain one day, but the atmosphere in the area needs a lot of work. Unsure how the rest of the state is going, but I am now getting rain like I have not seen/heard in a very long time. A group broadcast is to begin tomorrow morning, but the way it is coming down here at the moment, I'd be interested to hear how others are going. LL Liz
Re: UPDATE ON HUGH IN OZ?
Hi, I am with you Liz. I thought the conference was great. The lectures, discussions, and even coffee break conversations were great. Good to make new connections and catch up with some old friends. For me, now its a matter of revising the notes and digesting and reconciling all that I heard and learnt (AND getting out there and actually doing it!). Its been raining here in Canberra since about 2:30am, a welcomed gentle rain. Regards, Dom Liz Davis [EMAIL PROTECTED]@envirolink.org on 21/02/2003 07:20:14 Please respond to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent by:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To:[EMAIL PROTECTED] cc: Subject:Re: UPDATE ON HUGH IN OZ? on 20/2/03 11:49 PM, Allan Balliett at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Can anyone fill us in on this past weekend's events? Thanks -Allan Hi Allan all It was a great weekend, which was made even better through the connections made on this link. Meeting Lloyd, Roger, Barbara, Tobias and so many other wonderful people was one of the best parts of the gathering. The conference seemed a perfect mixture of topics, that complimented one another and aided a greater understanding. Cheryl Hamish were both a wealth of knowledge and inspiration. Hugh's knowledge coupled with his stories were entertaining, interesting and informative. Brian Keats talking about the Antipodean calendar and the heavens was helpful, inspiring and left me realising there is so much to be learnt. Peter Ruehmkorff is an amazing man who shared much on dowsing and broadcasting. His charts of remedies and his paper broadcaster are wonderful tools. The dowsing and the radionics really clicked with all that Peter taught. Returning home from Albury my labrador was very unwell, to the point where I made an appointment with the vet. This is something I rarely do, always raising my dogs on a natural diet I have dealt with some of the deadliest canine diseases in Australia and not failed. I soon stopped and thought immediately that I was turning my back on everything I had just learnt in Albury. So I sat and dowsed the problems and soon the answer came to me Mag. Phos. which was confirmed. I then dowsed for potencies and length of time. Not having that particular potency on hand I wrote this other words in the octagon card which Peter gave us, and placed it on the paper broadcaster. Meg was shaking uncontrollably and unable to move her very large body. I made her comfortable and left for 1 1/2 hrs, and returned to find her standing at the door wagging her tail. She's still not completely herself but well on the road to recovery. Radionics is a wonderful tool, but I do have some concerns with regards to the ecology and the balance. We did manage to get a few drops of rain one day, but the atmosphere in the area needs a lot of work. Unsure how the rest of the state is going, but I am now getting rain like I have not seen/heard in a very long time. A group broadcast is to begin tomorrow morning, but the way it is coming down here at the moment, I'd be interested to hear how others are going. LL Liz NOTICE - This message is intended only for the use of the addressee named above and may contain privileged and confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient of this message you are hereby notified that you must not disseminate, copy or take any action based upon it. If you received this message in error please notify HIC immediately. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except where the sender specifically states them to be the views of HIC.
rain in Tx, update on intelligent guineas
I'm going to have to revise my statement about no intelligent life found in guineas. These two are pretty savvy. They quit all that loud screeching yesterday and strolled about their new acreage, seemingly approving all that they found. At dusk, I was in the hay barn getting ready to haul hay to the mares and one (guinea hen, not mare) had gone to roost with my older flock of hens. I tried not to spook her off the perch since I didn't know if she'd be able to find it later. When I hauled hay out back, the other one came to 'chick chick chick' so I led her around to the field light in front of the henhouse/haybarn. She darted here and there a moment and hopped up onto the rafters to join her new flock. Mission accomplished. Today it's been raining, oh how it's been raining! I know I gripe when it's so dry nothing will grow but the grasshoppers, but I PROMISE I didn't do any raindances, so where did this stuff come from? My yard is a lake and driving back to the house is a thing of the past. Guineas wisely stood in the hay barn and pleaded with me to get out in the rain and come feed them. Of course I did.
Re: Organizing the Work on the Weed Project | Weed Barrier extravaganza
How do I find out the details on Steve Storch's recipe for sequential spraying? Hi Steve Diver The following are post i have kept from S Storch, the one i used i have lost due to a computer failure. I have it on hard copy it should be in BDNOW archives as SFW Compost Tea for Fertility dated Wed Jan 16 2002 I am not as advanced as SS in prep making so i have adjusted the ingredients a little to what is available to me . All the evening sprays I add worm pee [aka Worm leachate] The worm farms get alll the BD preps and organic fertilisers, molasses etc this gives me a smell free material that i can safly use on flowers , since we pick 6 days a week this is an important factor. I start my spraying the week of full moon and spray every 2 months Cheers Tony R North American Barrel Compost Recipe 1. 501 2. Barrel Compost 3. 508 4. 505 5. horn clay 6. 500 7. 501 / 508 This is my spray sequence that I feel is most suitable for the North American continent. I start it off with a silica based barrel compost, I then proceed through the sprays asap, any questions??? This is a freebee that took me years to develope, use it or lose it. Stephen Storch In a message dated 6/2/01 7:36:08 AM, SBruno75 writes: From mid April to the third week in May we had zero rain. Our new planting of strawberries looked fantastic with no irrigation. Cloudy weather and rainy the last two weeks, a few sunny days. Our strawberries have ripened and we are already picking a week. Fantastic color, luster, and flavour. So good the birds risk stealing them from the trays at the back of the store. I spoke to a chemical farmer yesterday, they won't have strawberries for two more weeks. Do you think they will catch on??? spray program 1. My silica barrel compost recipe (previously posted)...sprayed end of March, mid April 2. followed by 501 - basalt spray 3. 500 first week of May 4. Silica bc - basalt - clay second week of May 5. 501- basalt - clay 6. pickin' strawberries, boy I wish you guys were here!!! 7. raining today, 501 - basalt spray this morning Try it. SStorch
Re: chicken feed
Martha-- I've been reading about feeding hens lately. Recommendations include: yogurt, greens, buttermilk, kelp and Fertrell. Also a little Heinz apple cider vinegar in the water to increase their calcium absorption. If, as Per says,that the chickens know what's good for them, yogurt is great for them. They gobble it like crazy and sing whenever they see me in hopes of more yogurt. I am using homemade yogurt, which I made using a recipe off the internet. Dorothy __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/
Re: UPDATE ON HUGH IN OZ?
Dear Allan, The quote that a prophet has no honour in their own country is still valid. It seems that there is some scepticism with the concept that it may be possible to manipulate atmospheric congestion to influence precipitation. Hugh gave us all some very pertinent insights into the problems which can occur in areas where congestion in the atmosphere can cause rainfall problems. There was not a cook book type of presentation given by any of the speakers with Hugh, Brian and Peter sharing their own particular skills with the participants. When Barbara and I arrived home, it was to the usual promising clouds but no action. Dowsed up what needed to be broadcast (rose pink No. 54 and sea water) to ionise the atmosphere.Within 2 hours a mist developed, followed by gentle rain, which has turned into heavy rain, 2overnight and still going strong. Water tanks are filling and the dams are starting to replenish. Rain is coming in from the east which is unusual for our area, what is amazing is that it is also coming in from the NW.- The two cells seem to have combined and formed into one super cell. The rain which has come from the NW has swept right across Australia from one side to the other giving a respite from drought conditions. It may seem difficult to claim that the ideas promoted in Hugh's Workshops have anything to do with the rain, however the effect of 300 people going home from the workshops and cleaning up the atmospheric congestion on their own properties, must have a major effect in starting the ethers flowing again. Wherever Hugh and entourage have gone it has rained, the Toowoomba workshop developed into a 20 in 6 hour deluge up the coast. It flooded most of the coast of Queensland, then the entourage shifted to Coffs Harbour, where someone must have told Hugh to turn the energy down as it has only been heavy rain since then. Next they shifted on to Albury, the home of Hume Weir which when full contains 5 times the volume of water of Sydney Harbour. Hume Weir is down to 5 %, an indication of the conditions right across the eastern half of Australia. True to form it has started to rain there, so I reckon that 3 out of 3 is pretty good. If the American farmers dont support Hugh I think that it may be easy to get him to return to Australia and stay here. I will keep you informed Regards James Original Message - From: Allan Balliett [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2003 11:49 PM Subject: UPDATE ON HUGH IN OZ? Can anyone fill us in on this past weekend's events? Thanks -Allan
