04/07/2013 - Research On How do the plants and recipes work?

Actual Temperature
14 degrees Celsius
Humidity : 85%
Rainfall : 0.00mm
Wind : Calm

The plants and recipes fall into four categories:-

• Those that can be used to mask the scent of plants that  are targeted by pests
• Those that will actively repel pests
• those that will kill pests
• those that will kill or control fungi and bacteria.

Many plants and recipes fall into more than one category while a few fall into all four, depending on how they are used. Some of the plants described are declared noxious weeds in some parts of the country so, if in any doubt, err on the side of caution and don't grow them - they can always be collected from the wild. 

Masking - many herbs have strong scents that stop pests from attacking them. When they are inter-planted with vegetables and other vulnerable plants these strong scents confuse pests by masking the scents of the plants the pests want to eat. Just planting lots of different vegetables all jumbled up together instead of in near rows can sometimes confuse pest sufficiently so that they do not do much damage.  

Repelling - Often it is not necessary or even desirable to kill  a pest - just to repel it from the area where it can cause damage may be sufficient. Some are effective just grown in the garden, while others can be picked and used fresh or dried. Oil extracted from some can be rubbed on the skin or through pests' costs to repel pests or a spray can be made to keep pests from a certain plant or place. 

Biomass and the Pyramid of Nutrition

The total weight or mass of living material in any given volume of soil or water is termed its biomass. The biomass of a solution of chemical fertiliser is nil and the biomass of soils continually treated with chemical fertilisers and pesticides may also be very low, whereas the biomass of organic fertilisers and soils under a regime of organic husbandry is extremely high.

The total biomass of the earth, including every form of life from bacteria to elephants, is contained in or on what is often termed the "pyramid of nutrition". In terms of biomass , the base of that pyramid should (when nature is working at optimum level) be in earth itself. When the biomass of the soil from the surface downwards greatly exceeds the biomass above the surface, then the pyramid of nutrition might seen as stable. The only possible means by which the earth's pyramid of nutrition can be maintained the right way up (in stable equilibrium) is by the ecologically sound approach of biological agriculture which, when applied to the mini-environment of the backyard, is called "organic gardening".

One of the essential differences between humans and other animals is that any animal confronted with a set of rapidly changing environmental conditions will perish and become extinct if it is not able to adapt quickly enough, while humans, when confronted with environmental conditions that may not be compatible with the needs, can immediately set about re-orgnising the environment to suit their requirements.