GROWING GARLIC

GROWING GARLIC

 

Garlic grows well in clay, alluvial and sandy loam soils. Sandy loam, properly  applied with fertilizer, generally produces big, compact and heavy bulbs of good quality. Heavier soils such as clay loam also give profitable yields if they are cultivated and fertilized properly. Garlic requires cool weather during the early stage of growth thus it is best to plant them on the months of October and November.

Prepare the pieces of cloves in the afternoon, the day before planting. Carefully separate the cloves from each other, taking care not to injure them. Choose only the big pieces for planting. Soak the cloves for two minutes in a solution of Malathion (prepared by mixing three tablespoonfuls in five gallons of water). Treating the cloves with Malathion would kill the microscopic mites that cause “tangle top,” a common garlic disease. Drain off the solution and put the cloves in a clean container for planting.

 

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RECYCLE EGGSHELLS AS FERTILIZERS

RECYCLE EGGSHELLS AS FERTILIZERS

 

Eggshells can be used as fertilizers, cement and tile binder and paste ingredient after grinding them finely. They contain calcium, phosphorus, potassium and sulfur which makes plants robust and vigorous.

Ground eggshells can also be used as a reinforcing ingredient in pastes. Mixed with starch, the sticky substance can bind paper effectively. When used as a cement binder, the mixture dries easily and as tile binder, it gives a hard but smooth finish. One part white cement is mixed with every two parts ground

shell.

 

Source: Phil. Farmer’s Journal March 1981

BIO-CONTROL OF CROP DISEASES

BIO-CONTROL OF CROP DISEASES

 

Many of our local plants contain helpful chemicals, particularly alkaloids, that are effective against fungal and bacterial diseases of other plants. Thus, they are mixed with the soil to control the fungus that causes the diseases of seedlings. Allow the leaves to decompose for about one week before transplanting the seedlings. Some of these leaves are as follows:

 

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SAWDUST FOR ANIMAL FEEDS

SAWDUST FOR ANIMAL FEEDS

 

Sawdust contains 50 to 60% cellulose and about 30% lignin. Cellulose is an important component in animal feeds as a source of energy while lignin acts as a barrier to the digestibility of cellulose. Thus, the animals can hardly digest the sawdust. The lignin can be removed or reduced by first treating the sawdust before it is fed to the animals.

 

Raw materials:

 

Sawdust, nitric acid, sodium hydroxide

 

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