April 2015 Plant Doctors

Our plant doctors Radko Tichavshy, Mark Moodie and Pawan Singhania weigh in on your plant problems.

Radko TIchavsky           Mark Moodie            Pawan Singhania

Radko Tichavsky is a Czech born Mexican Agrohomeopath. He is the former director of Instituto Comenius at Mexico, author of Handbook of Agrohomeopathy, 2007 (Spanish) and Homepathy for Plants, 2009 (Spanish) and creator and teacher of Holohomeopathy. www.icomenius.edu.mx   El 04/12/2014, a las 15:36, Radko Tichavsky institutocomenius@gmail.com escribió

Mark Moodie hosts the website Considera which provides a growing M.M and Repertory for plants and discusses resources for biodynamics and Agrohomeopathy The website allows the world community to contribute their experiences in planting.

Dear Plant Doctors,

I am an agriculture graduate from Andhra pradesh, India. At present I am working in a seed company as General Manager – Production. I impressed by seeing this Agriculture Homeopathy. I would like to gain knowledge on this and I would like to serve our Farmers.  Do you know remedies or a treatment for the Brown plant Hopper(BPH)? It is common pest in Paddy cultivation. It is rice crop only.  I am located In Hyderabad, A.P state, India. This state is known as the Paddy bowel for India. No other crop nearby, completely covered with Paddy.  Summer started here. Now the temperature is between 36 to 40 degree centigrade. At present no rain fall. If you give remedy for other common pest and deciese On paddy will be appreciated. Can you suggest any books or e books for detailed information on agriculture Homeopathy (all agriculture crops).

Thank you

Varada Charyulu  D V

Radko Tichavsky:

Dear Varada,

Persistent BPH infestations and subsequent infection with different virus transmitted by this vector are the best example of iatrogeny in agriculture (disease caused by deliberate actions of man and chemical applications). The holon is in perpetual movement, and repeated insecticide applications markedly decrease plant resistance to viruses and facilitate attacks Nilaparvata lugen (BHP). The solution is: stop applying pesticides, convert to organic crops (even best: agrohomeopathic one) and return to the rice varieties resistant to BHP. These pest attacks are not the cause but the consecquence of disharmonies in the holon. In case of acute, application of Belladonna 3CH can be used ,which disables nymphs of N. lugen, sensitive to temperature variations. But it is also necessary for treatment to apply a background remedy: soil nosode 6 CH (specific to each holon) Staphysagria 100 CH and in the case of heavy pollution with pesticides a drainage remedy such as Berberis vulgaris 30 CH and chelating remedy Opuntia ficus-indica 6 CH.

Mark Moodie:   

Dear Varada Charyulu

Greetings to the rice bowel from the UK. I don’t know this problematic creature but I suspect that when it comes it is a problem throughout the region. Such monocrops are efficient when they work but prone to such plagues. Therefore, the remedy, if we could find one, would need to be widely used. The nearest example of which I am aware was work done in New Zealand on a vine hopper with potencies of the hopper itself (http://garudabd.org/sites/garudabd.org/files/Peppers%20MSD_0.pdf). The experience of the users is that the insects from the immediate region were effective but that insects from other regions were not. So you would be doing original research and it is most likely to be effective if used over a wide area.

If you can do this work please let us know how you get on.

Dear Plant Doctors,

We live in the north eastern U.S. and plant vegetable in our garden. Aphids have infested our peppers, broccoli, cabbage etc. It there a non- toxic way to handle this?

Thank you

Howard

Radko Tichavsky:

Dear Howard,

Infestation with aphids generally corresponds to the excessive application and consequent toxicity of nitrogen in the soil (either in the form of synthetic fertilizers or fertilizers made from animal wastes, blood derivates, cow dung or chicken manure etc.).  Increase the presence of calcium and it will rapidly fix the problem.
You can apply Carbo vegetabilis 6 CH on the soil and Calcarea sulfurica 6 CH in the soil and in plants.  As a preventive remedy you can apply nosode of aphids 6 CH, and as a corrective and emergency remedy diatomea powder, or homeopathic preparation of purin of Urtica at 3 CH potency with a little of vegetable oil as coadjuvant.  Be sure of proper alternation of plants, and mantain enough space between plants interspersed with complementary plants (eg: Peppers-Ocimum basilicum, gabbage and carrot), avoid monocultures.

Pawan Singhania:

Howard, practice Allelopathy, also known as Companion Planting. Sprinkle mustard seeds amongst your cabbage, cauliflowers, etc. and the aphids will get attracted to it, sparing your main crop. Also work towards developing your soil fertility and vitality by using aerobically made compost made of green vegetation, a bit of cow dung, etc. Also, insert in it the Biodynamic Compost preparations, as advised. As the vital forces and the quality of health of soil improve, there will be gradual reduction not only of aphids but from almost all pest and diseases.  Please go through the literatures on Biodynamic Agriculture.

Mark Moodie :

Hi Howard.

As usual, in the absence of insight into the reasons these creatures are problematic for you, I can only point to precedent and hope that the same remedy will be useful in your situation. The way to find this is to put ‘aphid’ into the search box at  You will then get the following list of remedies and you should then check through to see if any of these are close to your own situation. I hope that this works.

Dear Sirs,

Last year our crop of cucumbers was ravaged by mosaic virus.  We’re planting again this year and wondered if there was a way to prevent the problem. We get average rainfall and the summers are around 80-90⁰ F.  We also grow tomatoes, peppers and zucchini.

Many thanks

Michael O’Hara

Radko Tichavsky:

Dear Michael,

Once symptoms of the virus appear, spray Arsenicum album 200 CH. But it is very important to prevent it. Make sure seeds and plants used are certified (virus-free), do not allow any smoking near cultivation or when handling plants; if using cutting tools it is important they be sterilized before and after use, by alcohol. Applying Calcarea carbonica 6 CH once a week will increase the resistance of plants to insects that are often mosaic virus vectors. Alternate it with Ruta graveolens 3 CH.

Mark Moodie

Hi Michael

As with the answer above I would suggest that you look for precedents in the collection at  but use mosaic as the search term. This beings up:

I hope one of these remedies can assist.

Hi Plant Doctors,

My cherry and peach trees have developed brown rot (Monilinia fructicola) in past seasons. Brown spots and light gray areas of spores spread on the fruit. I am in California, U.S.  The temperature is warm most of the year and there has been much less rain than in the past. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

William Taylor

Radko Tichavsky:

Dear William,

Predisposition to moniliasis increases with alternating drought and humidity, you can apply homeopathic preparations on the flowering trees and during the fructification period. Use these remedies against Monilia, but as always, you must repertorize (select) them, depending on the specific symptoms of each holon.

Argemone mexicana

Berberis trifoliolata

Calendula

Chelidonium

Equisetum arvense

Hydrastis canadiensis

Nicotiana glauca

Podophyllum

Schizophyllum commune

For Fusarium spp. in tomatoes and eggplants it’s important to do soil solarization previous to seeding: cover the soil with black plastic and leave it two weeks in the strong sun.

You can use:

Arsenicum album

Phosphorus

Sulphur

Chamomilla

Lantana camara

Larrea tridentata

Origanum vulgare

Sepia succus

Thuja occidentalis

You can also induce resistance in your plants using Salix babylonica 6 CH, Ganoderma applanatum 100 CH or Coriolus versicolor 100 CH.

Mark Moodie:

Hi William

I associate rots with excess moisture, so it is interesting that rot is occurring when there is drought set in. Do the trees receive any irrigation? I guess that you can either treat for stress from lack of water – and there are remedies like China in the human materia medica which address this issue – or consider a remedy that has shown itself able to address rots. From the search box we get a long list so do try there –

Hello Plant Doctors,

Is there a treatment for, or a way to prevent, the fungus Fusarium wilt on tomatoes and eggplants? The shoots wilt or the leaves turn yellow and die.  Our crop is in northern New Jersey (U.S.) and the weather is moderate.

Thank you ,

Theresa

Pawan Singhania:

Hi Theresa. Try to grow your crops in a clean soil. The best way you could achieve this is by using aerobically fermented compost, treated with Biodynamic compost preparations and also using Trichoderma viridii, a biological agent

Mark Moodie:

Hello Theresa,

Fusarium in brings up:

See if any of these are helpful.

Dear Plant Doctors ,

Attached is a picture of my plant, I have researched all I can, and I think it might be part of the “Aglaonema” family? This was taken about 7 years ago. Now the plant is down to just a couple of leaves. I fear the last time I trimmed it, I might have killed it. I am guilty of watering it the wrong way, I feared it root rotted, so I transplanted it with 1/2 sand 1/2 potting soil. Well I fear I am doomed, this plant is dying. Please help guide me to how I might be able to save it, thank you ED

Thank you

Eric 

Radko Tichavsky:

Dear Eric,

Silicea terra 200 CH is indicated in this case.

Pawan Singhania:

Eric, treat your soil with good quality compost that has been subjected to 65 deg. Celsius during the composting process. I have often found that the compost would rejuvenate the dying plant. It should be treated as a lifeline for all plants. Meanwhile, control watering to keep your soil simply moist, never wet, never dry. This should however, be the practice for almost all your plants.

Mark Moodie:

Hi Eric

I hope it goes without saying that there are many things plants need  – food light water and so forth – and a remedy will not assist a plant that is starved of these. However, there is the ‘corpse reviver’ – carbo veg – which might tide you over until you can get all these other things in place.

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