Chemical Free Weed Killer

All herbicides that are sprayed, or are mixed with water then sprinkled on lawns, golf course turf, or other large areas will pollute the air, water and soil. Garden stores sell all kinds of nasty chemicals that are guaranteed to get rid of weeks, and pests. These bottles of poison will probably be mixed and sprayed on plants, then the remainder of what is inside those bottles will sit in the garage for the next few years.

Herbicides have been the element that humans and animals take in accidentally by breathing in air around golf courses, parks, subdivision home lawns. The worst exposure comes from herbicides that are sprayed over large tracts of land using airplanes. Herbicides and pesticides that are sprayed in the air, or mixed with water and then sprinkled overhead are the causes of a host of diseases including cancer in people and their pets. Glyphosphate is the active ingredient in most herbicides. It is an enzyme inhibitor, which chokes off the enzyme that plants require in order to grow, killing the weed and only one of many questionable chemicals in pesticides marketed for lawn and garden care.

Glyphosphate related incidents are one of the highest reported of all accidental poisoning cases reported to doctors. Patients who have ingested, or been exposed to this chemical are often rushed to the emergency room for treatment.

Pesticides are the one toxic substance that can be bought over the counter in almost all the garden stores for use by ordinary people in their homes or gardens. According to the National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns of 30 top products, more than 50% of these are linked to cancer, a third are linked to birth defects, 70% related to reproductive effects, 80% with liver or kidney damage, 50% with neurotoxicity, and 31% with disruption of the endocrine (hormonal) system.

There is a better way! This completely free and non-toxic alternative is very effective and can be repeated as needed, without fear of toxic exposure.

Biodiversity is necessary in the garden. It’s healthy to have arachnids, earthworms, insects and live viruses in it since they aid in balancing the environment of the garden. Utilizing chemical-based pesticides place these creatures at menace of being damaged.If you are anxious on the pests, think on this. About 90 percent of the pests in garden aid in plant’s growth and are actually harmless. That’s why it is actually better to utilize organic pesticides with the plants. Using man-made or synthetic pesticides might carry threat to the soil, people, and plant alike.

The instant effect might not be understandable but believe it - these pesticides might cause danger to wildlife. Think about this; the pesticide could not recognize the precise organism to involve so either comes in contact by it in the plot might either gets ill or die because of the toxic content.Selecting synthetic pesticides on organic pesticides could also damage the top soil. There are these chemicals that could carry obnoxious effects on the plants like restraining their growth or exterminating them. Others might effect to growth sprays that could damage the quality and savor of the item for consumption.


The good thing on these pesticides is you could essentially make them at the home with the leftover components. You could in fact save since you do not have to use much for it, presently be ingenious making used the ingredients that you include:

1. Fill a teakettle with water, bring it to a boil, and simply pour the boiling water on each of the offending weeds. By the next day you will have a very dead, brown little weed that is easily pulled from the crack with just a little tug.

2. Blend 2 tbsp. dish washing liquid, 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp bleach to treat mildew or fungus growing on special plants like orchid leaves.

3. Spray a mix of 1 entire bulb of garlic mixed with 2 pints of water. This removes whatever pests on your vegetables or plants.

4. Get Tide or Breeze, detergents. Put enough water bottle and shake. Spray on plants.

5. Take about 30 pcs miniature hot chillies and mash. Use little water and spray on insects harming your plants.

6. Spray vegetable oil to rid your plants of pests.

One thing to remember, wash all vegetables and edible plants in a soak of water and vinegar to disinfect, and to rid the edible plants of dirt, grime, harmful germs.

STEVIA, a natural sugar substitute

The photo above is of the original stevia plant my friend Betty gave me.

STEVIA is a natural and organic sugar substitute. The plant looks like mint, but has no fragrance.  I have several pots growing now from that original plant.

Stevia leaf is sweeter than sugar, so you need much less in recipes. You can use the leaves of a stevia plant in your garden to make your own stevia liquid sweetener drops. While using whole, dried stevia leaves off of a plant to create homemade sweetener drops will not be as strong as the powdered stevia sugar substitutes sold in health food stores, but making your own stevia drops will be much cheaper.  You can get a clean old baby medicine bottle and dropper, or get one at the pharmacy. I prefer to use a glass bottle/dropper since I want to use the least amount of plastic for anything.

Anyway, the stevia plant will yield more sweet taste and at least you know if you grow it yourself, it is definately organic and fresh.

You will only need a a few homemade drops to sweeten your tea, coffee or cereal. The level of sweetness from your stevia plant will depend upon when you harvest the leaves, the age of the plant and the amount of drying time. Pick leaves early in the morning. Take the leaves and wash them. Dry the leaves on a clean towel, and then pound them or put them inbetween two sheets of  kraft paper, and use  a rolling pin to crush the leaves.

I tried it in making "Green Ice Tea" by crushing the leaves, and then adding water until the desired sweetness was achieved. This would be about 3 tablespoons of Stevia leaves, crushed and then add about 1/4 cup water, then taste it if the sweetness is sufficiently strong. I also boil 6 cups of water, add 4 green tea sachets, and cool it down in a glass pitcher, then add lemon juice, about 1/4 cup, the Stevia water and ice. Strain out any crushed leaves , and I have a cool, refreshing drink to sip all day! This green ice tea tastes just the same as the commercial, "LIPTON" brand green ice tea.



Aspartame, is being sold mainly under the brand called "  EQUAL." This is a chemical that gives soda , juice and many other confectionaries the taste of sweetness, without actually adding on any calories. Ants being feed aspartame will die because it can dupe the brain to believe it is actually sugar, and drive the body to crave more and more sugar.

There are  people on a sugar restricted diet who are taking EQUAL in larger amounts each time they use it.  who are overweight don't even lose weight if they seek to lower their intake of sugar calories. I know, I am one of those who started with 1 sachet of EQUAL per cup of coffee and now use 2 sachets. My husband started with 1 sachet and is using 4 to sweeten his coffee. Another brand, SLENDA, has the same effect.

STEVIA on the other hand is a natural herb that when crushed and powdered, actually tastes like sugar but is in fact helpful in regulating the craving for sugar.

SO CHEERS!

Eggplants Love Summer!

The one crop that will grow in a drought, even during El Nino, is the eggplant. This vegetable is easy to plant and can be grown in pots. Their leaves spread out like solar panels to capture the heat of the day and take the energy into these lovely purple fruit. When ripened, eggplants are a glossy, purple, and have a waxy texture. Do not pick if there are patches of green. Eggplants are edible but like tomatoes, the leaves , stems and roots are actually considered toxic.

 My family enjoys my "Eggplant Lasagne" without any noodles or pasta. You first make  a vegetable sauce made from crushed tomatoes, garlic, onions, celery and carrots. Just slice the eggplant and put in layers of mozzarella cheese, drizzle olive oil in between each layer and the insert vegetable sauce, top with bread crumbs and it makes a great side dish or main dish for summer.

Eggplant is an excellent source of  fiber. Full of vitamins and minerals, eggplant is high in the B1, B6 and potassium nutrients. Beneficial minerals we don't get from other foods in our main diet, are trace elements of copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, niacin, and folic acid.

Organically grown eggplants are also a source of a special natural anti-biotic that can root out radicals in our system.  This vegetable has enzymes that protect us from accumulating plaque in our arteries, and bad LDL -cholesterol.

Eating eggplant as part of a meal either as a side dish or main dish benefits diabetics by naturally regulating insulin levels.  Individuals who have high blood pressure should include 1 serving of eggplants every week to help keep their arteries healthy . Eggplant is also beneficial for those who are anemic and for cancer patients to inhibit the spread of the disease to the liver.

MAY 2010, A little rain gives my plants a boost!

Today, I woke to the scent of my jasmine bush all blooming after three days of rain that broke the dry spell of the El Nino climate on the Philippines.

This jasmine bush, "Brunfelsia paneaflora" or its common name  "Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow" that describes the phenomenonal change in colors of the  flowers that bloom white the first day, then turns purple the 2nd day, and yellow the 3rd day. This plant  has few leaves at this time but the flowers are profusely spread out all over the bush. 

"HAEMANTHUS  KATHERENINAE"

I call this the "Rain Puff Ball Lilly" that is dormant all year round. The bulbs break through the dry, parched earth right before the rainy season begins. The hurricane season usually starts in late May and ends in early November in the Philippines. You can observe the little shoots coming through the ground.

 Dendrobiums are starting to flower as the air cools off after the rain.

A Few Days Of Rain, May 8, 2010

 These are the "before EL NINO PHOTOS" and the "AFTER THE FEW DAYS OF RAIN" in May 2010

BEFORE / DURING EL NINO

These are the photos of my farm a few weeks ago between April 4 and April 30, 2010. 

The larger trees like eucalyptus, mahogany and coconut have deep roots that can draw water from the acquifers underground.

AFTER ONE DAY OF LIGHT RAIN

RAIN, AND MORE RAIN!

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Heavy downpour lasts about an hour

Monsoon Rains Arrive Late

THE MORNING AFTER RAIN FELL FOR 2 HOURS CONTINOUSLY.

GREEN PATCHES OF GRASS CAN BE SEEN BY THE 2nd

DAY  OF RAIN

THIS IS A PHOTO TAKEN AFTER THE THIRD DAY OF RAIN.

THE GREEN FIELDS ARE NOW SPROUTING NEW BLADES OF GRASS.

 

THE EVILS OF URBAN SPRAWL HAS COME TO MY NEIGHBORHOOD

I view this conversion of agricultural land and the government selling watershed rainforest to commercial, industrial and residential land, as evil. This is greed, plain and simple.

Urban developers are in this for the money. They could care less about Cavite. Whatever they do to carve out thousands of hectares into subdivisions and urban centers is depleting the lowlands of fresh water, and driving the rain towards the ocean instead of filling up the estuaries that supply the people with fresh fish, and flooding the rice fields that bring us our staple food.

Think of all those subdivisions around Tagaytay ridge, imagine how it will be once Lake Taal fills up with their pollution. This beautiful canyon is full of people all wanting to have that view of the volcano right outside the bedroom or living room windows. I wonder if one day when the lake turns into a putrid mess like all our rivers are beginning to look like will those who bought land there and built houses will find another pristine area to destroy?

One one side are brightly painted new houses. Across from those houses is the Biluso river and then the last remnants of the rainforest area which surrounds my farm. At the rate the property values are going up, I will need at least P6,000,000 pesos or $125,000 to buy the forest near my farm so I can preserve the habitat of the few native birds that live there.One person needs oxygen supplied by three large trees, or 1,000 square meters of green grass and shrubery, but birds and other animals need thousands of hectares of land to establish a breeding site where they can nest and raise their young.

Trees, and plants are treated as "decor" items for real estate developers who have decimated 500 hectares of forest lands next to my farm ( see photo above). The sales brochures of the neighboring subdivision have computer generated images and sketches of how this subdivision developer has planted a "park" of green trees. I went inside to visit the "park" and counted 5 mango trees on a hill. Eventually should anyone buy more land in the subdivision near my farm, they might find that the day this subdivision is full of houses, pollution will come from homes throwing out plastic, debris, chemical detergents, poisons, and human wastes into the rivers.   Developers  knows this would be "greenwashed" by claiming to retain a few trees for these parks or "green zone," or putting in a golf course. Urban developers do not tell buyers, that they had to kill the big trees, and poison the roots of hardwood trees, and keep golf courses green by spraying herbicides on the grass to keep the weeds from growing. If they don't, they know their investments will be useless. Big rainforest trees for a subdivision developer means blocked drainage pipes and ripped up cemented roads. Trees, and shrubs are a nuisance to a developer who will run down an entire forest with a bulldozer to get the lanscape "sculpted" to be as flat as possible, or level with the roads they will pave to be able sell lots to buyers.

I still pray I will win the lottery and buy the property being sold next door. This is the last section of rainforest left and I need $125,000 to make an offer to acquire this. My dream is to set up a botanical garden, and a small animal preserve/shelter with indigenous species of birds and  my collection of tropical plants for children to come and view the beauty of the natural flora and fauna that is being destroyed by the millions of hectares every day all over the Philippines.

MY FARM IS SURVIVING THE EL NINO, MARCH 2010

MARCH 6, 2010

El Nino has dried up almost everything around me. Sparse water resources are being directed to those plants that are in dire need of moisture like the vanilla orchid vines, grapes, and my flowering plants. Other plants may have to wait for the rain. 

My fruit trees are flowering and producing fruit too early.

The trees must sense the dry heat is going to deplete the ground water very quickly and its survival instrincts are stimulating the early flowering. Drawing from its roots, trees will direct moisture into propogating its species.










Early flowers will produce fruit very early in this summer heat.  Fruits will develop seeds and in a month or two, these fruit trees seeds will start falling on the ground during times of drought .

When rains come in mid June or July, the seeds that  fall,  will sprout a  new generation. 

I am observing everything, and Mother Nature is teaching me to understand how it will surive inspite of the El Nino. Much of the hot air and dry heat is also caused by mans overdevelopment of upland rainforests that protect the watersheds into subdivisions, golf courses, commercial and industrial land.

Here are some photos of my farm in this dry, and very hot summer month that is just beginning.

Covering seedlings with fish nets help conserve moisture. These bak-choy or pechay seedlings will not be able to survive the summer heat if these are not put into greenhouses where shade will prevent it from bolting.

Our cat HEART sniffs fish net and wonders where are the fish?

                                                                                                                                                               SANGUMAY ORCHIDS LOVE HEAT, AND THEIR LAVENDER FLOWERS ARE JUST IN TIME FOR THE LENTEN SEASON. THEIR FRAGRANCE IS CARRIED IN THE AIR FOR SEVERAL METERS.

GOLDEN SHOWER ORCHIDS DISPLAY THEIR YELLOW BLOOMS

VANILLA ORCHIDS BLOOM

ON CAREFULLY TENDED VINES.

POLLINATION BY BENEFICIAL INSECTS WILL RESULT IN FRAGRANT PODS THAT WILL BE PLACED TOGETHER WITH COFFEE TO CREATE  A NATURAL FLAVORED ICE COFFEE DRINK.

A REAL TREAT IN THIS SUMMER HEAT!

AND WHO CAN RESIST MANGA' HILAW WITH BAGOONG?

HARVEST OF ORGANICALLY GROWN MANGOS. GOOD TREES DON'T NEED CHEMICAL SPRAYS AND PESTICIDES. MANGOES HAVE A SAP THAT IS NATURALLY TOXIC TO INSECTS. THERE ARE NO ANTS GOING TO CRAWL ON THESE FRUITS!

THE ONCE GREEN FIELDS DRY OUT IN THE HEAT.

                                          

WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE? EL NINO TOOK THEM!

My farm is going to survive, but conserving water means I will have less produce, just like most of the farms around me who are holding on to their land and hoping for a better harvest next year.

COFFEE HARVESTED RIGHT BEFORE EL NINO ARRIVED THIS YEAR.

CORN CROP BOLTS IN THE HEAT

A LONE COW FEEDS HER CALF IN A FIELD