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Gooq question Antonis: I put it to KGI's facebook fans and had the following feedback: -Try something else. Keep learning. Keep trying. -Accept the loss. I know it's something that I did not act on early enough or was oblivious to. My fault and I choose not to punish the environment for it but learn and move on. I guess gardening is a little like parenting for me. LOL -Definitely a teachable moment! Never chemical warfare. Look for ways nature might help. -Try, try again, then give up. Three years of late blight in my tomatoes. That's it - I tell myself I'll just buy my tomatoes from a farmer who doesn't get hit this year. But, who knows, I'll probably end up planting a few, just in case... -Research like a madwoman until I find an answer. Which is how I learned to control Brassica aphids. -I write it off, hope it won't happen again next year and possibly switch to a variety less prone to the pest or disease. -I have tried both and decided that while chemicals solve the problem of the moment they cause even more problems over time. So... I use it as an excuse to do a bit more research and experimentation then pass what I have learned along to others so maybe they won't have those problems.

So far, the only time I've had to use chemical warfare is on our peach tree. It had peach tree borers and these will kill the tree. They got the other one. I've had to apply chemicals (Sevin), but very judiciously, and only on the lower portion of the trunk, painting it on with a brush, and then only after the blossoms were gone so no bees would have reason to be near the tree. I know of no other solution to the problem. I've never needed chemicals for the vegetable garden. You will probably need to accept some loss, how much is up to you. One third would not be too much. We are not marketing vegetables, so no big deal. And often, the crops are perfectly edible though not marketable. Row covers are very helpful on greens, cabbage, spinach, etc. If you use it over cucumbers, remember to remove it when the plants begin to blossom so proper pollination can take place. Companion planting is very helpful . . . mix it up to confuse them. I credit this with almost eliminating any bug issue. I plant lots of marigolds from seed and plant them among the various crops all over the garden . . . and I plant onions throughout. I once planted two varieties of kale, side by side. The bugs liked one and not the other . . . so I harvested one and conceded the other. After a couple of weeks they gave it back to me, they simply left . . . so I took it over again. If you use overhead watering, I would suggest using soaker hoses to keep the leaves from getting wet. I hope these few comments are helpful. Generally, with sound organic practices, pests are not a big problem. Good luck!

Work to achieve a healthy soil. Add lots of compost, beneficial bacteria and fungi. Unhealthy plants are the first and most attacked by harmful pests. Rotate crop areas if possible. You may even have to skip planting a certain crop for a while. Just try not to succumb to the chemical giants' lobby. Their way creates more problems than they solve, but it seems you know that. By the way. that is a marvelous photograph. Is it your creation? Stay natural, David

Sometimes natural solutions take time. The theory is *when there is a pest prey the predator will show up.* One year thrips appeared & rolled all the leaves on my two beautiful, already 5" caliper Green Gage Plum trees. I researched sprays & decided I just couldn't spray those toxins. So the Plums looked brownish-ragged all season & had a measly crop. The next year & all following years they were back to normal beauty & heavy production. I don't even really know what predator appeared. I did not see any changes in the insects & birds in the garden landscape.

The answers are all in the soil. In nature, only the weak are attacked by pests and disease. In our gardens we often force plants to grow, using unnatural amounts of fertiliser, whether it be chemical or organic. Consequently imbalance occurs and plants cannot access what they need because they are suffocated with too much nitrogen, for example, making plants weak and subject to attack. Seek knowledge about your soil and soil health in general. Use kelp if possible. Try to avoid one off solutions, as you will spend a lot of money and never achieve total success. Sorry this is not more specific but life never is that easy!

Hi antonis - thanks for the info above, we don't see the lighter food-grade Linseed oil here, so I wasn't aware of it. A spray with a horticultural oil added might be good for fungal blight. For years I have used a light oil spray to cure powdery mildew in various plantings. The Aster Laevis I use for my profile photo is very susceptible to pm & I have used lots of it in big gardens, since it blooms until the snow flies & makes a great, late bee plant. Oil spray would work on berry bushes that get mildew as well, without applying a toxin you don't want to eat. One spray cures it & it may have to be repeated a couple of times during the season.

As we become familiar with the new kgi website - there is quite a lot of prior discussion about *compost tea* in SEARCH.

Hello, In the Czech Republic they sell liquid used for improving plants´ health. It is also good for curing or preventing mildew and blight. It consists of rape plant oil (55percent) and lecitin (2percent). You make 0,5 to 3 percent solution with water and add about 15 drops of washing liquid per liter (to make the plant leaves thoroughly wet). Should not spray when the temperature is hot or the sun is strong (do it in the evening or when cloudy). This year I am going to try it for the first time. Do you know also something like Pythium mushroom? It is supposed to coexist with the plant and make it stronger too.

Very interesting for multiple reasons! (1) Do you live in the Czech Republic? (2) The preparation you describe is what I have used for many years to stop Powdery Mildew on plants such as Aster Laevis, seen in my profile photo, or sometimes currant bushes. The oil simply interrupts the PM-fungal-parasite connection with the host plant. This treatment is inexpensive & effective. (3) William Brinton, the compost scientist at Woods End Labs in Maine, USA, has noted in a paper that Canola oil is a natural *adjuvant* & when applied in such plant sprays it enhances the health & interactions of beneficial bacteria on the plants. (4) I noted then that *most* north American Canola oil is now GMO & as a commodity field crop, it carries the RR Roundup Ready gene, which is from a bacteria. We know from historic experience with vaccine manufacture & use that taking in a foreign bacteria stimulates an ongoing human immune system reaction. (5) The other day I searched online for *organic source for Canola oil.* One USA organic product manufacturer met there has written me that they have to source organic Canola oil from the Netherlands because north & south American Canola is either GMO or contaminated. Further, the advancement of GMO contamination is such that they have to test each batch afresh to ensure that it is GMO-free. (6) I wonder if you know the status of GMO regulation and/or labeling in the Czech Republic, with respect to their Canola?