Are we lucky or what? The cost of compost is quite cheap here and as such is not sterilized or "cooked" just mixed and left for the worms and nature with some mechanical help. Good compost most times.
Have used some local and some of my own compost to grow grape vines, 8 vines, of different sorts. The vines are now doing extremely well and have formed a shade over a walk way. The shade in the last few days has been decreasing through voluntary addition of some real fat bugs of the multi legged type nibbling away at my prized grape vines. Never thought that grape vines would grow here. High humidity, very hot and very wet in the wet season and very dry in the dry season. However for some reason this is my first spot of luck with growing grape vines as shade. What such a benefit if by some freak twist the vines might produce some grapes this will be the ultimate in my many years of grape sagas. Never ever eaten one of my own home grown grapes as never seem to be able to have grown them before. I would like to get rid of the bugs, like compost them or some such. Any one know of a non chemical way of dislodging such unwelcome lodgers/habitants or encouraging them to migrate/immigrate to other sources of fattening away from my precious grape vines? My Norfolk pines are doing real well on local compost as are many other plants/trees. Have had zero luck at this level with radiata pine no matter what soils, I think this is more due to the heat and humidity changes. Doug ----- Original Message ----- From: "robert and benita rabello" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <biofuel@sustainablelists.org> Sent: Monday, June 19, 2006 5:18 AM Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Lawn question off topic > Chris Lloyd wrote: > > >Some compost has virtually no ability to fertilise anything, I got caught > >out this year with the half ton I got for growing tomatoes in. It was > >supposed to be composted household waste and tree leaves, looked good, smelt > >good and will probably make a good soil improver but I had to start adding > >chicken poo to save the tomatoes. Perhaps the nutrients got washed out of it > >but I'm going back to rotted horse manure next year. Chris > > > > > > I've found that the commercial composts are sterilized with heat to > kill weed seeds. This also kills all of the soil fauna, which is > responsible for fertility. I made that mistake once, and since then > I've relied on my own compost. My trees are happier (though I'm STILL > have insect and fruit problems) and look far more lush than they have in > the past. > > > robert luis rabello > "The Edge of Justice" > Adventure for Your Mind > http://www.newadventure.ca > > Ranger Supercharger Project Page > http://www.members.shaw.ca/rabello/ > > > _______________________________________________ > Biofuel mailing list > Biofuel@sustainablelists.org > http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): > http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ > > > > ________ Information from NOD32 ________ > This message was checked by NOD32 Antivirus System for Linux Mail Servers. > part000.txt - is OK > http://www.eset.com ________ Information from NOD32 ________ This message was checked by NOD32 Antivirus System for Linux Mail Servers. part000.txt - is OK http://www.eset.com _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
