A NEW WAY TO CONTROL SOIL DISEASE!
(Page 2 of 4)
May/June 1986
By Greg and Pat Williams
If you wish to experiment with formulating your own S-H, try to follow the original mixture as closely as possible. In case you lack sources of exotic ingredients such as rice husks, bagasse, and oyster shell powder, we suggest combining organic materials that are resistant to breakdown (such as corn stalks) with a calcium source (such as lime). Then apply your "pseudo S-H"—work it into the soil if possible—at a rate of 30 to 50 pounds per 1,000 square feet.
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RESEARCH BRIEFS
Not too sweet, please! Egyptian scientists have reported that adding sugar to the biological insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis can aid its effectiveness in killing caterpillar pests. But the concentration of sugar is critical: A mixture with 0.25% sugar acted as a feeding stimulant, but one with 0.5% sugar did not.
Baby those 'coons! The University of Illinois Extension Service says that sprinkling baby powder on corn stalks and leaves as the ears start to ripen will deter raiding raccoons. But be sure to reapply the powder after every rain.
Low-pest trees and shrubs. An extensive analysis of pest and disease reports in Maryland has shown that some common landscape trees and shrubs tend to be bothered much more than others-at least in the humid East. According to the Maryland findings, homeowners wishing to minimize pest problems should plant maples, hemlocks, arborvitae, privets, forsythias, hollies, yews, and arrowwoods. They should not plant crab apples, fire thorns, dogwoods, stone fruits, or roses. (Rhododendrons, azaleas, pines, oaks, spruces, boxwoods, and junipers show intermediate susceptibility to pest problems.)
DI with IV? Those plastic intravenous sets that hospitals throw away may be a good resource for urban gardeners. Researchers in India have gotten good results recycling discarded IVs as individual drip irrigation systems for cauliflowers!
A cool tomato. Sure, tomatoes keep longer if they're stored in the refrigerator. But what if your harvest is large and your fridge space scarce? Then pay heed to the recent Dutch experiments which show that refrigerating green or red tomatoes just one to three days prior to storing them at room temperature can significantly lengthen their storage life!
BHT ain't TLC. Think twice before you compost those stale corn chips . . . or any other food containing BHT, an antioxidant commonly used to stabilize fats and oils. A Polish researcher recently discovered that the preservative can alter plant growth profoundly. Application of very small amounts of BHT (in water solution) to the tips of pea and apple seedlings and to germinating lettuce seeds resulted in sudden cessation of growth for two to five weeks! Growth then proceeded abnormally: The pea and apple seedlings produced new shoots, and the lettuce developed malformed leaves.
