Agro Homeopathy

Ask the Plant Doctor – April 2013

moodie apr image
Written by Mark Moodie

The Plant Doctor column continues with Mark Moodie.

Editor’s Note:   Vaikunthanath Das Kaviraj, the Plant Doctor, passed away on on March 2nd in Northern France. His good friend Mark Moodie has generously agreed to take over the column.  Here he gives some opening remarks before answering your questions below.

Introduction:

This monthly column may well mark one of the least of the many holes left by Kaviraj’s death in March 2013, but I’d be delighted if we can set our collective sights on the same agrohomeopathic goals as Kavi, as a fitting tribute.I am somewhat daunted by the many questions submitted to Hpathy in the expectation of Kaviraj continuing to be here to address them, and I don’t have Kaviraj’s experience or confidence to make prescriptions. I don’t feel able to say to A – who I don’t know – in country B – where I’ve probably never been – that disease C – one I may never have seen – on crop D – that I’ve never grown or possibly even eaten or heard of – should be treated with remedy E at potency F. What I can offer is a coordinating role for a process that holds such a far off goal in mind. This is the same process that homeopathy for humans has used for 200 years, so I am quite confident in its potential. It is the open sharing and organizing process which has resulted in the pharmacopoeia, material medica and repertory for humans.Thanks to the work of Kaviraj and many others, this process has already started and is available at any time of day or night for free to all who have access to the net. It also has the benefit over Hahnemann and most of his successors that everyone can add their own experiences directly via the computer or by sending those experiences to me so I can add them. This is accessible at www.considera.org/matmed For this to work one need only grown some plants, observe well, try some remedies, keep records and be willing to share your experiences. No one needs to be an expert – just willing and diligent. This way the process can flower over many seasons and produce fruit for our children – and we will have honoured Kaviraj’s work.One more thing.  If I remember my Organon rightly there’s something about ‘maintaining causes’ that I’d like to have remembered. We can’t grow melons on subsoil in Mongolia in winter – yet, anyway – so I may bring this up now and again.Given all that, let’s get on with the questions and see what we can do together …

 

1. To Plant Doctor

It’s a big pleasure to read about your extensive research and study in Agrohomeopathy. To introduce myself, I am a practicing Architect from Nashik, India and have a hobby of Aquascaping. I am very much interested to know if the agro homeopathy can help me with the plants submerged in water? Since I am not from a medical background I am trying to gather some information about types of homeopathic medicines used for plants. How can I have healthy greener plants underwater. I am equipped with Co2 gas Cylinders and macro (KNO3, K2SO4, etc) & micro (Fe, B, N, etc) nutrients required. Also I want to develop one tank completely based on Homeopathic remedies with additional support of CO2 and lights.

Mark Moodie:  Dear Sir. I also have worked with water and plants for many years! However, not with chemical nutrients but to stabilise organic wastes. I know of just two experimenters who have done work. One is a company in Switzerland called BiPlantol who have a product called BiPlantol Aqua which has been used to clarify water, You can find a little about them here – http://biplantol.de/Produkte/Aqua – and here – . There is also a paper about phosphorus in waste waters and what occurred when homeopathic phosphorus was added in D30 and D200. I don’t know if that will be a fruitful route to pursue. Please let us know if you have some experiences to share.

 —————————————-

2. My daughter, who is 19 years old, is reading your book. She is interested in practicing agrohomeopathy as a career. Do you have any recommendations for what kind of schooling would give her the best start with this? Does she need to focus on plant biology, botany, homeopathy? Does she need to have a degree as well as studying homeopathy? This is such a new field that she is not sure how to proceed. She volunteers now at the Rodale Institute, an organic research farm near our home and is also helping out a friend with her farming. She is hoping to experiment a bit with the agrohomeopathy this growing season.

Thanks so much, Sandra Seaman

Mark Moodie :  Hello Sandra and daughter. Is your daughter primarily a head, heart or hands person? What does she love to do? Where does her enthusiasm lie? What’s her constitutional?

I would encourage the experimentation you mention because the doing of even one experiment reveals many of the traps that are best avoided. I would also encourage any discipline that lets her powers of observation blossom. The study of homeopathy for humans would be a good grounding as would any work and study with nature.

I assume you are in the USA because of the reference to the Rodale Institute. There are US apprenticeships (https://www.biodynamics.com/nabdap) in biodynamic agriculture which offer grounding in the practical aspects of working with nature as well as exploring the theory and practice of working with potentised materials for definite agricultural ends. There are similar programs in Europe. If there are others around the world I’d be interested to learn. Good luck.

—————————————-

3. Namasthe,

I am an organic farmer from southern part of Karnataka, india. My exact location is uppalli, village, madasurulingadahalli post, sagartaluk, shimoga district, 577434, karnataka, india.  My entire farm is organic and my entire family dependent on homoepathy. Recently we have started growing vegetables and flowers (gerbera and carnation) in polyhouse. there also I am not using chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The polyhouse is in an area of a quarter acre. Every day we are using 40 liters of cattle urine along with water through drip pipe to the plants which are in the polyhouse.  But, since last 7 days we have noticed mites on gerbera leaves. The plants have not yet started flowering. They are just three months old. We took one neem oil spray with 0.03% concentration. Initially I did not notice the mite menace after spraying. But now again it has appeared. What to spray and how to control is the major question. Please send some homeopathic remedies.

regards,

Dr. Anand, A.S.
Chairman, organic farming mission, government of Karnataka, India.

Mark Moodie:   Namasthe Dr. Anand

I would point you to my introduction for my excuses and limitations. However, a few things come to mind. To answer your question directly I have gone to the online material medica (which was seeded by Kaviraj’s experiences and considerations) and to its search page which can be found at  .There one can put in mites and out should come this list:

All-c. Allium Cepa
Sulph. Sulphur
Thuja ThujaOccidentalis
Salv Salvia Officinalis
Silicea Silicea
Psorinum Psorinum
Sim – Amb Amblyseius
Petroleum Petroleum
BD500 500

Like with the human material medica one would then follow the links to the remedies and see if any of the indications match your situation. Alternatively perhaps follow the recommendations / experiences of the researcher you trust the most. You could see if any of the filters at the base of the individual pages help you find situations in climates most like your own or with plants similar to gerbera.

The second thing that comes to mind is that urine is a source of unstabilised nitrogen. This means that the soluble urates, ammonian nitrites and nitrates cannot be actively selected by the plants. If the plants want to respire they have no choice but to take up the soluble nitrogen in the soil water. This can lead to bloated and dark or even blue-green plants with the attendant problems of over fertilised plants such as the mites you mention. Do you have a source of dry and carbon rich materials like straw which will complement the nitrogen-rich wet urine to make good compost? I would suggest that you experiment with this so that the nitrogen is neither wasted or forced on the plants but is available in that most interesting colloidal form of mature compost.

Some questions back to you please Dr.Anand. What is your soil like? Are the polyhouses ventilated well? What other conditions encourage the mites? What crops do well and what struggle in your area and soils?

Please do keep us in touch with the progress and observations you make, so we can all learn with you.

—————————————-

4. Hello Doc. I am from Pune and have a few potted plants like mint, peppermint, pomegranate,  small growing plants.  A few days past I have been noticing very tiny clusters of insects on the pomegranate plant on a few branches. What homeopathic meds should I use with what dilution and how many times to get rid of this. Thank you.

Aspy

Mark Moodie:  Hello Aspy

 There may be something useful for your instance in the discussion immediately above with Dr Anand. I would also ask about any stresses (‘maintaining causes’) that the plant has endured recently – over and under watering and so forth.

What kind of insects are these? Are they aphids? If one puts ‘insect’ into the material medica at    one gets this list:

Camph. CamphoraOfficinarum
Sambucus SambucusNigra
Thuja ThujaOccidentalis
Vib. Viburnum Opulus
Sat SatureiaHortensis
Hyss Of Hyssop Oficinalis
BD501 501
BD508 508
BDM – KP Kiwifruit Peppers
BiP – ros Biplantol roses
BiP – vit Biplantol vital NT
GW – 506 Dandelion 506
GW – WSPC Winter–Spring Premium Combo Field Spray
GW – SFPC Summer – Fall Premium Combo Field Spray
Carb-v. CarboVegetabilis
Kali-c. Kali Carbonicum
Silicea Silicea
Petroleum Petroleum
WS – RGRS Rigorous
Ledum LedumPalustre
Shellac Shellac
Sim – BT Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT)
Cuprum Cuprum Metallicum
China China Officinalis
BDM – E1 Etherics1000 or E1

If one searches for ‘aphid’ one gets this.

All-c. Allium Cepa
Am-c. Ammonium Carbonicum
Cocc-s. CoccinellaSeptempunctata
Ferr-p. FerrumPhosphoricum
Nat-c. NatrumCarbonicum
Natrum mur. NatrumMuriaticum
Nat-s. NatrumSulphuricum
Phosphorus Phosphorus
Sal-ac. SalicylicumAcidum
Sambucus SambucusNigra
Silicea Silicea
Tanac. TanacetumVulgare
Cori-s CoriandrumSativum
Kali-pm Kali Permanganicum
Ment MenthaViridis/ Piperita/Sativa spp.
Nast Nasturtium
Nat sal NatrumSalicylicum
Salv Salvia Officinalis
BD500 500
BiP – C2 Biplantol contra x2
Maj-AM Apple Majic
Staphysagria Staphysagria
BD508 508
WS – RGRS Rigorous
WS – BW Black Warrant
Aphis. Aphis ChenopodiiGlauci
Lat-m. LatrodectusMactans
Ledum LedumPalustre
Cimic. CimicifugaRacemosa
Psorinum Psorinum
Sulph. Sulphur

I hope from this that one can learn that the materia medica is somewhere along, but also that there is a long way to go and that one needs to know some other parameters before a confident prescription can be made. Five years ago I suspect that Kaviraj would have suggested Coccinella Septempunctata as a first ‘shot from the hip’ but perhaps his opinion has evolved with more experience and exposure to other research work. Does anyone know?

Again, please let us know what you try and whether it worked.

—————————————-

5.   Greetings, much earlier you replied to an email question on Black Sigatoa Disease in the Caribbean.  You suggested  I use Sulph 30.  Which I did with this result – sprayed it on the leaves on 14th January.  No result so – on the 25th Jan I watered the remedy around the roots.  At this time Feb 19th, I think there may be a very slight improvement.  New leaves are still coming in and the older leaves are still showing signs of the disease.  Any further recommendations?

Patricia Martini

Mark Moodie:  Hello Patricia

What are the new leaves like compared to the old ones? If the new ones are healthy, perhaps the plants have ‘turned the corner’ and are now able to look after themselves? Can you describe Black Sigatoa Disease – it’s not one with which I am familia?. Is this a typo of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_sigatoka  – a black spot disease? I’m also unfamiliar with it but one can search the material medica or the repertory (which is less complete and awaits time/finances tobring it up to date) at considera.org/rep

Start > Plants > Leaves > Spots > Brown > Circular elongating to streaks >

And up pops calc-phos. If we had used ‘dark and oblong’ at the end of the rubric trail above we could add ferr sulph and calc fluorata.

 Unfortunately we are building this discipline, so confidence is low but perhaps you can try one and report back.

—————————————-

6. Dear Sir,

I live in Alberta, Canada. My garden is in full sun and we have sandy soil. How do I control carrot rust fly and maggots in my onions?

I also have an apple tree with fire blight: any remedy for this?

Many Blessings,

Jean V

Mark Moodie:  Hello Jean

This is more the climate with which I am familiar – I’m in the UK – although full sun is something almost only in folk memory in recent seasons! Sandy soil sounds conducive to good carrots. In the UK growers almost all use woven fleece against the carrot fly and areas without sand and fleece rarely grow them any more. Do you have any idea about the maggots? They are a surprise for me. Are the onions soft?

Fire blight into the search – see posts above – offers these for consideration:

Anthracinum Anthracinum
Cantharis Cantharis
Causticum Causticum
Rhus-t. RhusToxicodendron

Do report back!

—————————————-

7. Dear Dr. Kaviraj,    Thank you very much for your previous replies to my questions about remedies for plum curculio, black knot on plums and rust.

As per your request in Dec.2012 issue of ATPD here is a brief information:

Climate: Temperate; Hardiness Zone 6

Location: City of Mississauga, SW Ontario, Canada

Weather: Wet and humid spring of 2012

Soil in the backyard: Soil Analysis enclosed

Fertilizer: Early spring 6-6-6 for turf but for garden and fruit trees composted cow and sheep manure.

Crop: a) Garden – lettuce, tomatoes, garlic, kale, collards, cucumbers, parsley, celery, spinach, red beet and herbs.

b) Fruit trees – cherries, plums, apples, pears (Asian and European types), grape vines (VitisLabrusca hybrids).

Problems:

Plums: Plum Curculio, Black Knot

Pears: Severe attack of pear rust that not only looks ugly at the end of season but it decimates the crop and causes die-backof twigs and branches. Based on varieties in my collection and my experience, the European varieties are very   susceptible and almost doomed to the extinction. Japanese varieties show less susceptibility. Chinese varieties are resistant, but stillaffected.  Korean varieties are the most resistant.

All of the fruit trees received the dormant spray (oil plus lime sulfur) in February.

HOMEOPATHIC APPLICATIONS:

May 3, 2012  Thuja 6DH used in accordance with the given procedure i.e. 20 drops in a liter of water , succussed 50 times and mixed with 19lof tap water and stirred and then applied to the roots of all the trees.

May 19,2012  Second application of Thuja.

May23,2012   Aconitum applied to pears.

May 27,2012   Belladona 6DH applied to pears. Rust was noticeable on the number of leaves.

May 27, 2012  SambucusNigra  applied to plums as some curculio damage was evident.

June22, 2012  Aconitum used again on pears as rust was severe.

June22,2012  SambucusNigra used on plums again as the severe fruit drop/loss was evident.

July 27, 2012  SprayedBelladona 6DH (prepared as recommended) on grape vines and pears severely affected by rust. 

Comments:

The attempts to control plum curculio and pear rust with the above procedures were not successful  for some reasons.There was small improvement on the apples. 

On the positive side, our friend used Thuja for Peach Leaf Curl on the peach and nectarine trees and had some crop after several fruitless years.

In my particular case, the presence of juniper trees (secondary rust host) and my neighbor’s neglected 2 pear trees do not help.

QUESTIONS:

1. Was the described situation the case of “ too little too late” or the wrong approach?

2.Do you have any suggestions or recommendations how can I get better results?

3.Do you suggest that I make my own 6X Thuja potency as  I have made  Thuja mother tincture (MT) using 95 % ethyl alcohol?

The process would be :

Step                1                    2                    3                    4                    5                    6

MT/Solution   1ml              10ml              100ml                  1ml              10ml            100ml

Water              9ml              90ml             900ml                 9ml              90ml            900ml

Total Volume  10ml          100ml            1000ml                   10ml            100ml          1000ml

Potency           1X               2X                  3X                       4X                  5X                  6X

 

100 succussions would be applied at each step. The fourth step is repetition of step 1 but with 3X potency solution. Is this logic correct?

4. Any suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. 

Regards,

Slavko Panezic

Mark Moodie:    Dear Slavko

Great report. Of course I would love there to have been more dramatic success but that is insignificant compared to honest reporting.

You asked four questions

1. Was the described situation the case of “ too little too late” or the wrong approach? 

I have no idea. These are the tangled knots we may never untangle. It could have been either of these, or a case of ‘when the well chosen remedy fails to act’ – one of my favourite homeopathic rubrics. But perhaps you have a hunch? What would you answer to your own question? 

2. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations how can I get better results?

In the absence of inspiration one is abandoned to logic and sweat. Let us assume that it was too little too late for last season. If you try the same remedy this year but earlier, you will have more experience to assist you to decide if that was the issue. If it was the wrong approach one would need to try another – such as another remedy (see the material medica and repertory suggestions above), or screening the trees from the secondary hosts, or looking to find out what has stressed the plants so that the disease symptoms are manifested and rectifying those maintaining causes.

3. Do you suggest that I make my own 6X Thuja potency as  I have made Thuja mother tincture (MT) using 95 % ethyl alcohol? 

The quality of remedies is a most interesting ‘black box’ I’d rather keep closed. We have to trust our pharmacies or find a different one. However (one of the sayings that made Kaviraj laugh was “Take my advice. I’m not using it!”), I make my own remedies and it is a wonderful process. I’d recommend everyone tries who is really interested. It is a little like saving ones own seed – a part of a cycle that we often delegate to others, and often for good reason. Seed breeding and prep making are real crafts. So please do have a go. 

Kaviraj had the theory that the impact or energy of a preparation was as much to do with the number of succussions as the potency used. One might make the analogy that it was like the turns on a spring in a clockwork mechanism – and that may turn out to be a terribly inapt analogy! But that was part of Kavi’s thinking and you can follow or not. 

I think your process is right for the D or X scale but you can start a succession with any volume and continue with any volume as long as the ratio remains 1:9 of previous potency to base solution.

4. Any suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

See the answer to 2 above and keep making observations and keeping records. Many many thanks.

—————————————-

8. Dear Dr. Kaviraj,
In Dutch greenhouses profuse root growth is more and more becoming a problem. It is a problem in tomatoes, eggplant and cucumber. Pepper also can have profuse root growth but it is not affecting the yield. The profuse roots are especially a problem where the plants need to root in rock wool substrate. Rock wool substrate is a bad environment for the population of soil microbials in general. This is caused by the absence of organic matter in the substrate. As soon as more organic matter is accumulated (from roots that died) microbials start to develop. The profuse root growth is connected with Agrobacterium thumefaciens. This bacterium transports some of its DNA into the plant roots that then start to grow profusely. When few other root zone inhabiting micro-organisms are present the Agrobacterium t. grows profusely as well because the bacterium sends chemical messages to sister bacteria that stimulate further growth. When other bacteria and fungi are present these will eat the messenger molecules and the Agrobacterium t. will be kept at bay.
When the roots are growing profusely because of this Agrobacterium they become a hard knot in the rock wool mat. The drip system that waters the plants gets stuck as well as the pipes for drain water. For many plants the profuse root growth means the production of flowers and fruits is limited. Understandably so because the root growth consumes all growing power and the irrigation is blocked.

The disease is “treated” by giving anti bacterials like chlorine, peroxide and colloidal silver. The chlorine “burns” the root lumps, the growers say. But of course it also damages the plants and of course the feable soil micro-organisms in the rock wool mat. The problem of profuse root growth can occur soon after planting the plantlets in the substrate and will last till the end of the production period. Once a nursery is contaminated with the Agrobacterium t. the problem with profuse root growth will be present in all subsequent production cycles. What would be your line of working if you would cure this problem?

Kind regards,
Karel Eigenraam.

Dear Karel

This is interesting. My first knee-jerk response is that the plants are telling you that they just aren’t content in rock wool and they are telling you this by growing deformed. This is the maintaining cause.

However, my second response is perhaps more useful and pragmatic. Your description reminded me of an experience from the biodynamic school. There is a great researcher in New Zealand called Glen Atkinson whose approach and tools come from biodynamics but who uses them in a potentised form. You can see his work at bdmax.co.nz . He met Kaviraj and they worked a little on the diseased chestnut trees in Holland. Glen’s approach does not rely on material medica and repertory so much as an unfashionable understanding of what a plant is. In extreme distillation, the understanding is that the activity that builds a plant is ever flowing and that the manifest plant is the outcome of the state of that flow at the time each leaf emerges. I hope that you can imagine that. With that image in mind one can guide the plant like a sculptor by the use of the remedies in the biodynamic tool bag and various other things. Glen was trying to increase the energy in the roots of kumara / sweet potato. Whilst this occurred (25% increase and earlier root crop) there was also a reduced activity in the flower and fruit, as you mention for tomatoes, eggplant and cucumber .(Interestingly not for peppers: an enigma for another time perhaps.) This was successful in an increased yield of the sweet potato but was even more successful by using the same potency for reducing fruit split. Fruit split is a huge problem for growers who can get twice the price at market for fruit that can be shown at the front of the shop compared to those that can only be pulped for juice. Even worse, split fruit opens itself to moulds and so forth! From googling around there seems to be nothing else that can deal with fruit split even in the chemical approach. 

So from that I take heart in the homeopathic/biodynamic method and feel that there is something in the way of understanding a plant that seems relevant to your situation. Perhaps one can find the complementary preparation to Glen’s (which he calls ZeroIn – ), ie one that sculpts the plant to emphasise the fruit and not the root. I would suggest that you talk to Glen and see if he can suggest something that would bring your plant back more towards a balanced form.

—————————————-

9. Respected Kaviraj

I am planning a terrace garden and I propose to sow seeds of tomatoes and green pepper (Chillies). Should I treat seed (before sowing) with homeopathic dose as prescribed by you, or should I sprinkle the homeopathic water on the soil? My trough size in which I propose to sow these seeds is 36 square feet.

Thank you,

P.D. Bhatt

—————————————-

Mark Moodie:      Dear P D Bhatt

There is some work with seed baths that has been encouraging. You can find links to that by putting ‘seed bath’ into the search box at Considera – see above. This gives: 

BD502 502
BD504 504
BD507 507
BD500 500
BDCompost Combined biodynamic compost preparations 502 – 507
E – S2 Seed II
E-S38 Seedbath Against Lodging
E-S06 Resistance to Drought Seedbath
BD501 501
BD506 506

Clearly the biodynamic people have been making use of the 60 year head-start on the agrohomeopathic school. What would you spray on the soil? Do you have a good idea for a balanced spray even before seeing how the plants grow? (There are some in the BD world, but I have not heard that claimed in the agrohomeopathic world.) I would concentrate on developing a good and balanced soil in your terrace.

Please let us know what you do and what occurs

—————————————-

10. Dear Kaviraj,

I am having a problem with a white fuzzy mold on my plants. I am in Puerto Rico. I’ve treated them with silicea to strengthen them since they are in a container garden. 

Elizabeth Edgerton

Mark Moodie:   Dear Elizabeth.

What plants, what soil and what feeding and watering schedule do you have? It would also be useful to hear a closer description on the white fuzzy mold. Mildew? Downey? All over the plant?Just one side of leaves??? Have you noticed any effect from the silicea so far?

—————————————-

 11. Respected sir, Namaskar. I am Dr. Basanta kumar Dashi (BHMS) want to know that, how to protect the flowers of a mango tree, during a mist environment and what will be the remedy and its dose.

 Basanta Kumar Dashj.

Dear Dr Basanta

I am unsure what you mean ‘during a mist environment’. Can you explain in other words please? What would happen to the mango flowers if they were left alone?

Basanta Kumar Dashj,

—————————————-

12  Dear Mr Kaviraj,

Thank you very much for your previous answer concerning our problem with “Botryosphaeriaobtusa” on our apple trees. You advise to apply Silicea. We read carefully your book about Silicea uses and we still have few questions:

1-     Which Silicea dilution should we use?

2-     When is it the best period of time to spray the apple trees?

From what we understand, we think we can use it 2 times

For example: apple tree stage E2/F (which correspond to first petals opened) and apple tree stage J (which correspond to fruit early stage)

It represents 2 spraying in 3 weeks in spring time.

3-     How many times should we spray Silicea as you say in your book that it should be used carefully?

4-     Should we be careful using homeopathy with insects life and especially with bees?

 

The fungus cycle is detailed in the link:

http://www.fredon-npdc.com/publication/fiche_black_rot_06102011_vdef_changement_logo_cpbio.pdf

We tried last year to apply Silicea 7CH (we used 10 granules) diluted in water and applied on young apple trees very attacked by the black rot, applied in summer time, 3 times with 2 weeks between each application. We saw young leaves formation.

 

For the last 2 years, we use on our orchard a product named “bactériosol” which act on ground degradation with more aluminium silicate present. The bacteriosol effects known are:

Increasing ground temperature +0.5°C

Roots developing more deeply 1.20m instead of 0.80m deep on soil profil

Humus more important

Will there be an effect between spraying silicea and having more aluminium siliciea in the ground?

Thank you for your help.

Best regards,

LE GAL Lénaïg

Mark Moodie:  When you say that you ‘saw young leaves formation’ do you mean that the tree set forth new healthy leaves?

You asked these questions:

1-     Which Silicea dilution should we use?

Kaviraj always suggested the 6th decimal dilution (6X or D6). He wrote at the top of his column: “Note: When I refer to treating plants with homeopathic remedies, this is the standard dosing procedure: Put 20 drops of a 6X potency in a litre of water. Succuss the bottle 50 times. Put this litre in the watering can,fill it up with 19 litres of tap water and stir. If the watering can is smaller, the amount of remedy put in must be proportionally smaller. Thus a 10 litre can needs only ½ litre and just 10 drops of the remedy. Apply the contents of the watering can to the roots of the plants to be treated. –V.D. Kaviraj”

If you can find the book Agriculture of Tomorrow – perhaps via you can see experiments with many different potencies undertaken by the remarkable Lili Kolisko. This work really needs to be done again but her work showed the 5th and 28th potencies were most effective.

2-     When is it the best period of time to spray the apple trees

From what we understand, we think we can use it 2 times

For example: apple tree stage E2/F (which correspond to first petals opened) and apple tree stage J (which correspond to fruit early stage)

It represents 2 spraying in 3 weeks in spring time.

The use of silicea/silica on plants goes back to the 1920’s with the BD preparation made of ground quartzand now know as horn silica or BD 501. If you look at the material medica for that preparation (www.considera.org/501) you will see a lot of experiences showing caution at the flowering stage. (Look at Effect on plants > flowers). Let me know if your experience supports that concern. The BD folk tend to use their silica when the first few leaves are through in the spring and a little prior to harvest to promote the maturity of the fruit. 

3-     How many times should we spray Silicea as you say in your book that it should be used carefully?

See above and the materiamedica. 

4-     Should we be careful using homeopathy with insects life and especially with bees?

Whilst there is no guarantee that there will not be effects that are not intended I have not heard of any. In the sunniest climates you can knock out flowering with injudicious use of silica and that will not please the bees but direct effects on the bees have not been reported as far as I am aware.

—————————————-

Dear Plant Doctor

I have a Snake Plant that I am concerned about.  I bought it several years ago as a 4-6″ plant and it did quite well on the first repotting.  Last Spring when I repotted it to a larger plant it seems to have stopped growing, maybe gone into shock?  I use self-watering pots, water no more than weekly and have used liquid Miracle Grow 3X since the repotting.  It used to be housed near the South facing window, then was moved into a corner, and back to the window for 6 months. 

The plant lives inside an office with a south facing window.  Temp is stable.  It lives in dry old Utah @ 6500 feet elevation.  The Areca Plam does fine, as do the two Dracanea Tricolor and the Dieffenbachia.  I hope you can get a idea of what is needed from the pix.

Donn Peters

Mark Moodie:  Hello Donn

If it were mine and if it is shock I’d leave it as undisturbed as possible. Consider arnica and do report back.

—————————————-

Dear Dr. Kaviraj

We live in the lovely sub-tropical Bay of Plenty in New Zealand.  We have a small vege garden at home – we have built up the clay base with lots of compost and use sheep pellets, comfrey and liquid manures as fertilizer (blood and bone and lime in our compost bins) – we use organic insect sprays made from neem oil, garlic, chili pepper and soft soap.  Unfortunately our resident passion vine hoppers just laugh at this and are more prolific than ever. The dying leaves are sticky. They migrate from our neighbourscoprosma hedge and go from our flax bushes via our rasbperry canes to our passion fruit vine – the dying leaves are sticky.  We have had good sunny weather for the past few weeks and I have watered the gardens in the mornings.  I see today the vine hoppers are all over our vege garden – blue borage, scarlet runner beans, tomatoes, courgettes….  Our main weeds are chickweed, buttercup, dandelion, bittercress,  fathen and creeping/horned oxalis.

The attached photos show the destruction of the passion fruit vine … please advise what we can do to rectify this problem.   SEE PICS BELOW

Many thanks.

Kind regards

Anne-Marie Mildren

Mark Moodie:   Dear Anne-Marie

You may be in luck. You have one of the great researchers living not too far from you in Te Puke. He has done various bits of research on the vine hoppers and has a special preparation ( ) that I would suggest as a first guess. But go look up Glen Atkinson at bdmax.co.nz, who is in the field, local and a nice guy.

—————————————-

Dear Mister Kaviraj,

Firstly I apologize for my English. I am very interested in your consulting on hpathy.com. I therefore appeal to you with the following problem. At my earlier vegetable garden I used Cultures fermentizing and avoided chemistry. But now I have a new house with his “garden” in the attached picture. The soil is clayey, impermeable. After the rain on her long are the pools. The soil has a pH of 7.4. Is there any possibility of such soil to help with homeopathy?  The garden is located near Prague, Czech Republic.

Thank you very much for your answer.

Josef Kunak, Prague

Mark Moodie  – Hi Josef

No worries with the English. The only Czech I know is obscene, badly pronounced, and comes from a Monty Python sketch! So I am very grateful that you make the effort so we can communicate. 

The ‘garden’ looks like a building site. Do you have any sources of organic matter that you can compost and add to what you already have? The alkaline soil is interesting. Is it typical or your nighbours’ land or has your garden been treated in some way? The compost will open up the clay a little if carefully nurtured but I don’t have a quick homeopathic fix. Consider some of the humus supporting sprays like BD 500 or ‘fladen’ – .

—————————————-

Hi Dr. Kaviraj,

So grateful that you have the agro – homeopathy too. So exciting!  Are there schools or classes that I can attend in English that teach agro-homeopathy?

Blessings!

Janet B.

Mark Moodie – Hello Janet

Not as such. I hope others will write in and prove me wrong. There is a university in Brazil that has a department for this work. I would point out that they are holding the second international agrohomeopathy conference there is September to which everyone is welcome. (Professor Bonato does not like the word agrohomeopathy so let us follow his bidding out of courtesy and call it homeopatia vegetal or homeopathy for plants. You can see details of the conference at .

However, there are various researchers who share their work in lectures and workshops, the most energetic of whom was our Kaviraj. Enzo Nastati will be teaching in North America towards the end of this year too – contact me for details. There are various books including Kavi’s and Christiane Maute’s at Narayana Press. Glen Atkinson’s books are mainly available for download via bdmax.co.nz and there is Hpathy and Considera.

 

Send your questions and comments for the Plant Doctor to:

[email protected]    Subject: Plant Doctor

About the author

Mark Moodie

For 25 years Mark Moodie has been fascinated by holistic approaches to tending the land. He hosts the website Considera which provides a growing M.M and Repertory for plants and discusses resources for biodynamics and Agrohomeopathy http://considera.org/hrxmatmed.html The website allows the world community to contribute their experiences in planting. He has also published books by V.D. Kaviraj and other cutting edge thinkers through Mark Moodie Publications http://www.moodie.biz/ . Mark Moodie lives in the Forest of Dean as a satellite / parasite of Oaklands Park Camphill Community. He is co-inventor of the ES4 and AirFlush water-saving sanitaryware. He would like to bring scientific rigor to the study of the spirit.

10 Comments

  • Thank you Mark! You’ve turned what could have been an ending, into a beginning. Your approach involves everyone in solving the answer. Viva Agrohomeopathy!

  • Respected Mr.Moodie,

    Always Welcome and continuing of Mr.Kaviraj Agro Homeo Poineer work………

  • Dear Plant doctor ,
    I’m Piyush Talele Homeopath(Human) from India
    want to try and experiment agro-homeopathy in my sugarcane farm
    here 45 degree centigrade temperature and power shutdown so my farm which is
    sand base water deficient and we use traditional way to watering it
    kindly suggest me remedy for it
    also book-provider for agro-homeopathy india maharastra
    Thank you

    • Dear Piyush Talele.

      I have no experience in such conditions. What does everyone else do with the same problem?

      There is some Italian work against drought. Anti siccita is the name of the remedy but I am sure you will not find it in any materia medica or repertory. The maker is Enzo Nastati who works in North Italy with eureka – try http://dimensione-eureka.it .

      Otherwise I guess you could try by analogy with the human materia medica and look at those remedies which reflect issues from loss of fluids such as china. If you try anything please let us know.

  • Hi there Mark – it is with sadness that it will not be kaviraj to answer this question – I met him when he was in Toronto Canada as I am a NA customer rep for Narayana Publishers and we had a few occasions to hang out at my community grd plot in downtown park and also at my house for tea or at his friends where he stayed when in town – a well versed Homeopath and human being – full of experiences and stories that were moving, funny and just really amazing! so, my question to you is this: what remedy would you recommend for this bug that is in creases of lettuce and really not even spraying them with tea tree oil and use of diatomaceous earth works – they are really a pest for the garden….so, would be totally appreciated by my patient who is attempted to learn on Homeopathy broadly and now knows of Agrohomeopathy but we could not seem to navigate the Farm and Garden book for this problem….best to you and let us know when you can…thank you for your continued work as this is certainly a great thing for humans/plants and all the planet, hooray for Agrohomeopathy!
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringlegged_earwig (earwigs are we call these bugs from Order of Dermaptera)

  • hi Mark,i am a Homoeopath from India…i was very close to Kavi and he stayed with me in his last days…i want to talk to you…kindly contact me on my email mentioned above… [email protected]

    thanks
    Nitin

  • Hi sir,

    i need some advice about my poor orange tree! orange drop suddenly by splitting after heavy rains.before the rain there is extreme summer days temp about 45 degree to 46 degree
    also about fruit scab distorted size

    The rind splits when water and sugars are transported from the roots of the tree to the
    ripening fruit and rind is unable to expand quickly enough to accommodate the added
    volume (Fig. 1-7)
    • Splitting seems to be caused by a combination of factors including extreme fluctuations
    in temperature, humidity, soil moisture and fertilizer levels
    • Splitting varies seasonally and is usually greatest where crop load is heavy
    • Split usually starts at the blossom end of the fruit (which is the weakest point in the rind)
    • Split can be short and shallow or deep and wide, exposing the segments of the juice
    vesicles (Fig. 1,2-4)
    • Fruit on young trees are more prone to fruit splitting than fruit on older trees
    • Splitting wastes the fruit, and creates a good breeding ground for fruit flies, so the split
    fruit should be removed and treated

  • I like agrohomeopathy; l used remides on pomegranate with the help of my brother Dr. Sandeep pawar. Last year l had problem dipping flowers in rainy season (August). Please advise me to control dipping of flowers. Also say remides for fangus ;thrips; root nimatods ;shot hole borer&zantomonas(bactrial blight)

  • Ram Krishna Hari,
    l like agrohomeopathy ,l used remedies on pomegranate with the help of my brother Dr. Sandeep.last year l faced problem dipping flowers. Please advise me to control dipping flowers in rainy season ,fungus, thrips, root nimatods, shot hole borer of stem, zantomonas(bactrial blight) .

Leave a Comment