You are talking about companion plantings. I don't grow stuff but I know about it. You plant something right next to it that will attract the pests mortal enemy.
What I actually do is use essential oils. It's expensive but well worth it.
We only have a hobby garden, and essential oils are a horrible idea, unless you like literally burning money.
We garden 1200- 2500 sq feet every year and even for that size E.O. are way too expensive. Companion planting is the way to go if you don't want to use pesticides. Cheap, easy, effective. Only reason you wouldn't is too lazy to research, and if that is the case, why are you gardening?
You grow marigolds, for example, intercropped with brassicas and it will keep both nematodes in the soil and aphids from destroying your crops.
Aphids show up during dry spells and they multiply into mass numbers overnight, they target flowers and new leaves over old leaves, which means they destroy cauliflower and broccoli more readily as these are young flower heads; and they suck juices out of the plant like vampires until its all wrinkly and dessicated and dead. And just killing them isn't enough, you leave their mushy slimey dead bodies over your crop. Once you get them, basically that plant is toast.
They say "spray them off" yea but that doesn't fix the problem. The problem is it's dry, the plant is dry, and the plant has a comrpomised immune system.
Also, its why they call brassicas (cabbage, brussels, broccoli, kale, etc) a 'cole' drop, cole as in cole slaw but also cole as in "COLD" they like spring winter fall but not summer, and have to be protected in summer
Marigolds also protect onions from black aphids versus the gray/white ones of brassicas. Nasturtium is a trap plant for them; and chamomile also is another flower that can protect from aphids as it draws hoverflies, which look like yellow jackets but they make incredible amounts of noise and stay completely static in one place, hence hover. They are actually very curious about people, and they will just hang out with you. Never hurt a hoverfly, or try, they're as fast as a dragonfly so good luck
source i am a subsistence farmer and master grower and try not to use weird ass digusting plasto-chemicals on food I'm going to eat later in the month
Not to be unnecessarily argumentative, but you said you use essential oils. "It's expensive but well worth it" (direct quote). The response was that it's too expensive to work at scale, even for a small to mid-sized home garden. You need a more cost effective method, and that's important feedback. If you ever start reading about organic home gardening, you hear a lot of what you just suggested, but the real-world experience of it from someone who's not a very wealthy hobby gardener is that it's not cost-effective.
For those of us interested in self-reliable, or having a back-up food supply, or wanting healthier food we know where it comes from, or wanting to teach our kids about work ethic... whatever our motivation, this is a worthy discussion to be having so we learn (or relearn) how to do it right.
I do not know if they are available, I have had this patent bookmarked since 2013. Its now owned by Turtle Bear Holdings LLC under the name of the patentee, Paul Edward Stamets who is a well respected mycologist.
I should think it could be feasible on a large scale as it grows on wood. A few trees spread out on a huge agro field would hopefully spread this and with careful maintenance it would last for quite some time
Here are some more of his patents if anyone's interested? Wreckheads should like it as psilocybins get a mention.
This is quite true, I was stupid enough to take them a long time ago and they just about destroyed me, they closed my eyes and its taken over 30 years for me to get rid of their effects. There are a LOT like me around, belive it.
Lasers to kill weeds my arse. Myceliums have been developed years ago that attract pests to them and kill them, here is the patent.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US7122176
You are talking about companion plantings. I don't grow stuff but I know about it. You plant something right next to it that will attract the pests mortal enemy.
What I actually do is use essential oils. It's expensive but well worth it.
We only have a hobby garden, and essential oils are a horrible idea, unless you like literally burning money.
We garden 1200- 2500 sq feet every year and even for that size E.O. are way too expensive. Companion planting is the way to go if you don't want to use pesticides. Cheap, easy, effective. Only reason you wouldn't is too lazy to research, and if that is the case, why are you gardening?
I don't grow much of anything. I know about companion planting.
You grow marigolds, for example, intercropped with brassicas and it will keep both nematodes in the soil and aphids from destroying your crops.
Aphids show up during dry spells and they multiply into mass numbers overnight, they target flowers and new leaves over old leaves, which means they destroy cauliflower and broccoli more readily as these are young flower heads; and they suck juices out of the plant like vampires until its all wrinkly and dessicated and dead. And just killing them isn't enough, you leave their mushy slimey dead bodies over your crop. Once you get them, basically that plant is toast.
They say "spray them off" yea but that doesn't fix the problem. The problem is it's dry, the plant is dry, and the plant has a comrpomised immune system.
Also, its why they call brassicas (cabbage, brussels, broccoli, kale, etc) a 'cole' drop, cole as in cole slaw but also cole as in "COLD" they like spring winter fall but not summer, and have to be protected in summer
Marigolds also protect onions from black aphids versus the gray/white ones of brassicas. Nasturtium is a trap plant for them; and chamomile also is another flower that can protect from aphids as it draws hoverflies, which look like yellow jackets but they make incredible amounts of noise and stay completely static in one place, hence hover. They are actually very curious about people, and they will just hang out with you. Never hurt a hoverfly, or try, they're as fast as a dragonfly so good luck
source i am a subsistence farmer and master grower and try not to use weird ass digusting plasto-chemicals on food I'm going to eat later in the month
Not to be unnecessarily argumentative, but you said you use essential oils. "It's expensive but well worth it" (direct quote). The response was that it's too expensive to work at scale, even for a small to mid-sized home garden. You need a more cost effective method, and that's important feedback. If you ever start reading about organic home gardening, you hear a lot of what you just suggested, but the real-world experience of it from someone who's not a very wealthy hobby gardener is that it's not cost-effective.
For those of us interested in self-reliable, or having a back-up food supply, or wanting healthier food we know where it comes from, or wanting to teach our kids about work ethic... whatever our motivation, this is a worthy discussion to be having so we learn (or relearn) how to do it right.
Not really B_D, the mycelium itself is their mortal enemy. But as you say essential oils are good. Neem Oil.
Is there any commercial brand you know that could help?
I prefer your method.
Yes , lasers … hmmmm, what could go wrong????
I like this but are they being used effectively anywhere? Is it feasible on a large scale?
I do not know if they are available, I have had this patent bookmarked since 2013. Its now owned by Turtle Bear Holdings LLC under the name of the patentee, Paul Edward Stamets who is a well respected mycologist.
I should think it could be feasible on a large scale as it grows on wood. A few trees spread out on a huge agro field would hopefully spread this and with careful maintenance it would last for quite some time
Here are some more of his patents if anyone's interested? Wreckheads should like it as psilocybins get a mention.
https://patents.google.com/?inventor=Paul+Edward+Stamets
Hm! Must have never had your eyes opened with psychedelics.
This is quite true, I was stupid enough to take them a long time ago and they just about destroyed me, they closed my eyes and its taken over 30 years for me to get rid of their effects. There are a LOT like me around, belive it.