Tweet
Re: Anyone else into Permaculture?
I planted another sunflower (left), near the thriving one (right), and I've gotten interesting results. Not only is the growth of the left sunflower stunted, it's also infested with aphids.
My current theory for the difference is what's behind the fence. Behind the right sunflower is a raised bed that my mom used to throw all sorts of kitchen scraps into. Perhaps the nutrients from the bed are leaching out into the front. I guess one way to test this is to plant a line of sunflowers, which should grow taller when you go from left to right.
As for the aphids infesting only the left sunflower, I'm thinking about what a coffee farmer told me on the Big Island. I had asked her what they were doing about the coffee beetle outbreak. She said they're not using pesticides to fight the beetles, but rather they give the plants more fertilizer. Apparently the plants can fight off the beetles themselves and just need more nutrients to keep their "immune system" strong. This makes sense to me.
Another thing that seems to support the strengthened immune system theory is the mustard plant that's growing in front of the right sunflower. It's a huge juicy target for aphids, but it's bug free. It also suffers from no fungal diseases...except for right now, while it's flowering/seeding. Now the leaves are covered with dusty mildew and all droopy. I'm guessing since the plant is putting all it's energy into making seeds, its "immune system" has weakened. Perhaps like salmon who die after spawning.
Once again I left the red Coke can in the picture as a reference. This little garden has been fairly low maintenance, thanks to the thick layer of mulch and compost. Occasionally some nut grass pokes out, but they're really easy to pluck out, thanks to the soft compost. Runner type grasses/weeds love all this mulch, though. You need a barrier around the perimeter, to keep them out.
I planted another sunflower (left), near the thriving one (right), and I've gotten interesting results. Not only is the growth of the left sunflower stunted, it's also infested with aphids.
My current theory for the difference is what's behind the fence. Behind the right sunflower is a raised bed that my mom used to throw all sorts of kitchen scraps into. Perhaps the nutrients from the bed are leaching out into the front. I guess one way to test this is to plant a line of sunflowers, which should grow taller when you go from left to right.
As for the aphids infesting only the left sunflower, I'm thinking about what a coffee farmer told me on the Big Island. I had asked her what they were doing about the coffee beetle outbreak. She said they're not using pesticides to fight the beetles, but rather they give the plants more fertilizer. Apparently the plants can fight off the beetles themselves and just need more nutrients to keep their "immune system" strong. This makes sense to me.
Another thing that seems to support the strengthened immune system theory is the mustard plant that's growing in front of the right sunflower. It's a huge juicy target for aphids, but it's bug free. It also suffers from no fungal diseases...except for right now, while it's flowering/seeding. Now the leaves are covered with dusty mildew and all droopy. I'm guessing since the plant is putting all it's energy into making seeds, its "immune system" has weakened. Perhaps like salmon who die after spawning.
Once again I left the red Coke can in the picture as a reference. This little garden has been fairly low maintenance, thanks to the thick layer of mulch and compost. Occasionally some nut grass pokes out, but they're really easy to pluck out, thanks to the soft compost. Runner type grasses/weeds love all this mulch, though. You need a barrier around the perimeter, to keep them out.
Comment