Agro Homeopathy

Jan 2015 Plant Doctors

plant doctors

Our Plant Doctors answer questions about houseplants and crops. January 2015.

This month, our plant doctors Radko Tichavshy, Mark Moodie and Dr. Ahsan Waris weigh in on your plant problems. Send your questions to: [email protected] 

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 [email protected] escribió

plant-doctors


 

Your questions are answered below, but first Mark Moodie has a message about how to approach plant problems:

Mark Moodie: Agrohomeopaths would do well to approach problems in our farms and garden from at least two directions. The first is comparing our situation with precedents, and copying what has worked in the past when others have had a similar problem. The second is understanding why the problem has become manifest and using that insight to address the problem.

Initially we may learn by imitation and by adopting dogmas from teachers and friends, but we really grow up when we understand why something is done so that we can be creative and forge our own answers. I assume that we are all in different stages along this continuum, working with a mixture of assumption and insight, experience and hope.

Although a lot of my work has been to make it possible to imitate others through the material medica and repertory at www.considera.org my main interest is to squeeze our common discipline towards understanding and away from unquestioning repetition so that we can be increasingly effective, even when faced with new situations.

In practice these two approaches are bridged and mediated into one if and when we have a full picture of the situation. What does one need to know to make a valid diagnosis? One prescriber will may feel confident just knowing the pathologist’s title for the complaint. For that person as soon as s/he hears there are, for example, slugs, the prescription ‘helix tosta’ will leap to mind. Job, sometimes, done. Another prescriber may want to know more: what is the plant that is troubled by slugs and what has been the weather in the last days, and is this a problem for the region or just this garden? Is this slug-infested plant the only host for the slugs? What is the soil like? In what continent are these plants? Are they raised on soluble fertiliser or humus? What other issues are manifest? If one puts this into the language of the Organon we are asking to appreciate the totality of the symptoms.

It is my experience that we are sometimes fortunate to select an effective remedy just knowing the single symptom – ie slug – but I assume we will increase our success rate when we have that bigger picture and can orientate ourselves within that fuller totality. This helps us chose the best remedy but it also guides us to address the underlying problem in other ways if they are ore effective: it may be a soil amendment or a change in irrigation practice and so forth. Knowing when not to prescribe a remedy is a good tool in the bag.

Agrohomeopathy is a very young discipline. It is a tiny little baby, nursed by a few unfunded boffins. Although it has had great successes and shows greater potential, there are differing opinions about how this baby should be raised. Amongst the passionate debates, most agree that you can’t argue with evidence. It is a neutral arbiter. If something is tried and is found to be effective the debate falls into secondary importance. That is why I keep asking for stories of what has been found effective.

At the moment the materiamedica – www.considera.org/matmed – is more complete than the repertory – www.considera.org/rep. Both are designed so that everyone can consult them and add to them for free. Anyone can add their experiences on-line or by post. It is also the first place to try if you have a question.

Of course, if the material medica isn’t forthcoming, ask.

Applying the remedies:

Kavi suggested this: “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.”

Christiane Mautehas used remedies on pillules and says this in her book “Homeopathy for plants”: for your garden: Crush 6-8 globules in 150 ml or water using a plastic or wooden spoon. This mixture will be divided into 3 parts and used to make 30l of “medicinal water” in all.” (The three parts are because 10 litres is enough to carry but you can add the 150 ml to the 30 litres in one go.)

Mark Moodie says: try the above. As agrohomeopathy is so young please do take these as no more than initial suggestions. In biodynamics we make a distinction between remedies that irrigate a plant and those that are sprayed in the air. Kavi often said you don’t take a shower in the remedy, you drink it and because a plant drinks through its roots that’s why you apply in there. But the stoma on the underside of the leaves are also paths into the plant so I would argue with Kavi. There you have it – a difference of opinion. Perhaps frustrating but I hope you will sigh and take it as a permission to experiment – AND REPORT BACK! (Thanks)

 

Dear Sir,

I have two queries:

  1. Of late my curry plant leaves have started curling and growth is stinted. I see small black powder like granules on the back side of the leaf.  The same is the case with my ficus plant.
  2. Many of my plants are affected by this white mildew on several of my plants.

I live in Bengaluru, India.  The climate is moderate but it is the cold season now. Temperature ranging between 20 to 28 degrees.

nageshjan2015img1                                               nageshjan2015img2

 With regards,

K S Nagesh  

 

Radko Tichavsky:   

Remedy for curry plant :    Urtica urens 6 CH

Equisetum arvense 6 CH with a little vegetable oil as adjuvant.

…or Silicea terra 6 CH. Repeat the treatment as necessary

…or Cocos nucífera 6 CH with little of bit of Opuntia ficus-indica as adjuvant.


Greetings,

I have some beautiful hollyhocks which have grown over 3 metres. However they have suffered badly with rust. I sprayed each leaf each day on the top and underneath with a mixture containing Neem oil. This has helped but I would like to know which homeopathy remedy I could use please. Some of the leaves have now gone variegated and some have started to curl. I would like to have healthy hollyhocks next year. All of the leaves up to 1 metre have fallen off. I live on the south coast of Australia on the eastern side. The climate is mild temperate. Temp range at the moment is about 14-30 degrees.

 theresejan2015img1  theresejan2015img2

 Many thanks

Thérèse Vahland  

Radko Tichavsky:

Hi Thérése,

Before any homeopathic treatment, be sure to use these good practices:

  1. Always irrigate at the base of the plants (not on the leaves).
  2. Space plants farther apart to ensure good air circulation.
  3. Don´t compost infected leaves, as this perpetuates the problem. It’s better to burn those infected leaves.

Homeopathic remedies:

Sulphur 12 CH

Cuprum metallicum 6 CH

Ganoderma applanatum (australe) 12 CH

Ganoderma lucidum 12 CH

Ganoderma can be found in you region parasitizing dying trees. They grow on hardwood stumps and logs of Oak, Elms, Beech, Maples and others.


Dear sir,
Please suggest a remedy for brown plant hoppers (bph), green plant hoppers leaf hoppers and jassids.
Bhanu Varshini –  India

 

Radko Tichavsky:

Dear Bhanu,

The agrohomeopathic remedies have to be repertorized depending on which plants insects are found on. For example,the green plant hoppers in roses will need a different remedy from green plant hoppers in chards, because we heal plants, (not pests or diseases). Even if the result looks the same, the difference is that if you focus your cure to eliminate insects, fungus or bacteria, even with homeopathy, these will be reconfigured and will return again and again. But if you heal plants homeopathically, they will not need any medicines in the future, since they will grow vigorously and will have sufficient defenses. As general advice: decrease the amount of nitrogen and increase calcium in your plants. Eg. dissolve eggshells in vinegar, mix with ash and apply in proportion 1:20 in the irrigation water.


Hi Plant Doctors.  I wish you Merry Xmas & Happy New Year. Here is a picture of a pomegranate potted plant which just started yielding fruit. Do you have any advice to help maintain healthy growth of the fruit?

aspyjan2015img1

Thank you

Aspy   – Pune India 

 

Radko Tichavsky:

Hi Aspy,

You can apply Taraxacum officinalis 6 CH once a week, which is the constitutional remedy for pomegranate, Taraxacum helps the performance of the plant in general and assists in good fruit development. You can also apply the remedies Hamamelis virginiana 30 CH and Calcarea phosphorica 30 CH.


Dear Doctor,

We grow peas in soil where it is infested with Fusarium which rots many seeds and the seeds which grow dry up and the root dies.  Also, if we grow peas in the rainy season the pods get green spots. Could you suggest remedies? I live in Kenya.

Thank you

Ramnathan Kalyanam  – Kenya   

 

Radko Tichavsky:

Hi Ramnathan,

The easiest solution to your problem is to inoculate the soil with Trichoderma fungus. Fusarium is very resistant to many treatments. You can also try an extract of Toddalia asiatica (very common in your region). Prepare methanolic tincture from the root and bark; prepare it homeopatically to 6 CH and mix it into the irrigation water of your peas.


Hello sir,
Recently I bought a flowering plant. It was in a plastic bag which I transplanted in a bigger container.  It is not thriving and recently I noticed black coloured tiny insects (see picture below). Could you kindly suggest a solution?  Are these insects harmful. It is cold winter in India and the temperature sometime drops to 11°c in my town.

ravindrajan2015img1

Thank you                                                                                                            

Ravindra  Awasarkar    

 

Radko Tichavsky:

Hi Ravindra,

You can simply apply water with a little vegetable oil and spray it over the plant. Also neem extract can easily solve this problem. You can also use the homeopathic remedies Staphysagria 6 CH or Ledum palustre 6 CH

About the author

Radko Tichavsky

Radko Tichavsky was born in the Czech republic. He has lived in Mexico for more than 25 years and is one of the most important agrohomeopaths in Latin America. He is the author of the book "Manual de Agrohomeopatia", a homeopathy book on plants. Radko teaches agrohomeopathy in several countries and regularly publishes articles in special journals and internet portals. He works as a researcher and teacher at the university and has already taught agrohomeopathy to many students. He is the director of the Comenius Institute (comenius.edu.mx). More details can be found in the following interview: http://hpathy.com/homeopathic-interviews/radko-tichavsky/

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.

7 Comments

  • Many many thanks Radko Techavsky sir for your kind advice. I used oil spray and will use homoeopathic medicines as per your suggestions.
    Sir kindly give the name of insect just to have learning experience.

  • Dear Radko,
    I live in north Florida, USA near the coast in St. Augustine, Florida. I too have a pomegranate tree that is about 3-4 years old but has never blossomed and set fruit. The soil here is sandy, the temperatures warm and humid most of the year. I think the tree needs more nutrient and preparing to treat with a quality organic fertilizer however I was curious if you could speak in more detail about why Taraxicum officinalis is the constitutional remedy for Pomegranate. Why is that the case and how did you make that finding? Thanks very much for your input each month I look forward to all of your comments. Also, is your book available in English?
    Thanks,
    Hugh

  • Dear Hugh,

    Thanks for your comment. Many concepts in the holo-homeopathy are really new. An example is the constitutional remedy in plants. The determination of constitutional remedies is based on the precepts coined by Hahnemann in the Organon. People generally assume that the similarity between two plants is determined by the botanical families and taxonomy.

    I made it my task to investigate all secondary metabolites in the Pomegranate tree and then develop a list of other plants that have the same metabolites. Each secondary metabolite of Pomegranate generates a list of about 20 to 30 plants. They contain different amounts of the secondary metabolites, and many of the plants actually come from different plant families than Lythraceae.

    I then created a whole list of plants related by common secondary metabolites. It was one big list of approximately 2000-3000 plants, and then it became clear that some plants were repeated many times, and some only once, twice or three times. Plants with many common metabolites are repeated many times, and they present a high degree of similarity with Pomegranate.

    After this search I found some plants with a high degree of similarity. For example, Taraxacum officinalis (sharing lots of secondary metabolites with pomegranate). Following the above research leads to finally selecting the constitutional remedy for the Pomegranate in a particular holon. This will depend on the availability of the constitutional plant in the particular climate. The rule is that if you have to decide between two constitutional remedies in equal circumstances, you should select the constitutional remedy that is present in the holon in a natural way.

    I’m sorry, my book “Homeopatía para las plantas” is published only in Spanish at the moment.

    Saludos Radko

  • Dear Radko,
    Thank you for such a detailed reply. I really appreciative that you took such lengths to explain. My other question that arises from this discussion is whether you have identified the constitutional remedies of other plants in your research. This is information that I as an amateur homeopath I would like to learn about. For example, I have many citrus and fig trees in my yard. Knowing the constitutional remedies for lemon, grapefruit, orange would be very helpful. Is there a source that I can go to learn these? If this is something you have covered in your book “Homeopathy for plants” then maybe I need to learn Spanish! I ordered the Taraxicum today and plant to treat the Pomegranate tree. Will keep you posted on its progress.

    Many thanks,
    Hugh
    St. Augustine, FL USA

  • I thoroughly enjoy this column and I think about the vast possibilities if Agro homeopathy were realized on a large scale. It could create healthy foods, affordable foods, and a healthier planet. It’s something to give one hope.

    • Dear Martin,
      thank you for your comment! Although my website under construction is only in German, I invite you to visit it: http://www.pflanzenretter.com “Pflanzenretter” means plant savior. Under “Materia medica” you find pictures of plants/leaves with different symptoms. At the moment I go deeper in the subjects of astrology, anthroposophy (Rudolf Steiner) etc. My ivy at home for example show some equal symptoms like the wild ivy-plants. I think, it is the influence of astrology, too. I test each case energetic with a pendule and get within seconds the remedy, potence, dates, quantity. It works very well. A treated horse chestnut tree (Aurum, Mag. met. and Germ. met.) is much more vital then the other trees. The spring will show more. Another horse chestnut tree needed Aurum, Mag. met and Ferrum met. in different potences.
      Regards from Adelsheim, Germany, Sabine

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