Strengthening a plants immune system to resist botrytis

[Gimps]

56 minutes ago, Phillybonker said:

Yes grey mold is tough to beat, it wiped out half my plants last season.  But there are lots of things I can improve on - lollipopping, topping twice to reduce the size of the colas, heavily pruning the centre of the plants, stretching the plants wide to allow air flow to the centre, pruning when the sun is on the plants to allow the pruning wounds to heal up etc.  

In our maritime climate, the first bits of botrytis occurred where I’d supercropped, a good month earlier, so would have thought they’d have healed by then. The bits I’d LST’d were fine, so maybe it was cackhandedness on my part..

Most successful, generally speaking from my own limited experience of trying to combat mold, has been landraces, with hundreds, if not thousands of years of selection for mold hardiness. PCK, Durban, Thai, all have excellent resistance.

Good luck with it all, and please keep us posted.

[Slippy One]

It would make sense to keep the tree a natural shape. Topping just makes them unsteady, won't always reduce the size of the colas and will almost certainly require some support netting. Natural shape is better defense against strong winds come harvest. As for climate, I'd forgotten how changable the days are, yes there's the sun and warm but the humidity is off the scale, especially the further north you go. Probably why Coromandel was so popular in the 80's, it's on the sunny Kaimai ranges but not so far north that it wasn't like Fiji! If I was based in Chch, I'd consider Blenheim but it's hard enough to find somewhere remote and a good micro-climate. Those farmers know every inch of their land, plus there's the deer/wild pig hunters to compete with... We're gonna need a bigger ute!

 

 

 

Edited November 7, 2021 by Slippy One

[KC]

Is no one wondering why @BilgePump is collecting badger skulls? 

 

[BilgePump]

@KC I don't collect them as such , some end up coming home and they're dotted around the garden these days (when Mrs Pump moved it I had to move them out of the loo )

 

Mostly I hang them in obvious places to creep out dog walkers/deter folk from my mushroom spots

 

[DutchFox]

On 6-11-2021 at 10:37 PM, Phillybonker said:

I know crab meal/chitin is best for strengthening a plants immune system to resist botrytis but unfortunately crab meal/chitin is not available in my country.  My question is; what is the next best alternative for strengthening a plants immune system using organic inputs?

 

 

shrimp excoscelloton is also made of chitin.....as wel as  insects...

 

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

 

strong plants will grow from organic vertiliser....thats why i prefer dried chicken manure....

 

 

 

this manure atrracts worms.....the casting of worms contain the enzym chitinase....

this enzyme is capeble of breaking down chitine.

plants take this enzyme and they are capeble of deterring insects....the insects will taste this chintinase and they know this will solve their exoscellet, made of chitine.

it wont kill them...but insects stop eating the plant more....and will look for plants with less chitinase.....

 

so plants with chemical vertilier.....will be a easy and good target.........

 

so grow organic !!!!

 

so the plant stays strong !   ....and have the best defence against naural pests... 

 

...........................................

 

ps so a few plants feed on chem vertiliser in nature with surrounding organic plants are a big target.

ofcouse if you do this...you can help nature by spraying all sorts of poisen and deterrents...but....worms can do a better job and for FREE !!.... 

[Phillybonker]

1 hour ago, Slippy One said:

It would make sense to keep the tree a natural shape. Topping just makes them unsteady, won't always reduce the size of the colas and will almost certainly require some support netting. Natural shape is better defense against strong winds come harvest.

I've come well prepared. I'm using chicken fencing to support the plants, one metre high by two metres diameter and the caging also doubles as protection against hungry possums when the plants are young.

 

 

Quote

As for climate, I'd forgotten how changable the days are, yes there's the sun and warm but the humidity is off the scale, especially the further north you go. Probably why Coromandel was so popular in the 80's, it's on the sunny Kaimai ranges but not so far north that it wasn't like Fiji! If I was based in Chch, I'd consider Blenheim but it's hard enough to find somewhere remote and a good micro-climate. Those farmers know every inch of their land, plus there's the deer/wild pig hunters to compete with... We're gonna need a bigger ute!

 

My grow area is in a forest reserve that is not visited by hunters so I'm lucky in that regard, otherwise deer/wild pig hunters would be a big issue.

Edited November 8, 2021 by Phillybonker

[Phillybonker]

1 hour ago, DutchFox said:

 

 

 

 

 

this manure atrracts worms.....the casting of worms contain the enzym chitinase....

this enzyme is capeble of breaking down chitine.

plants take this enzyme and they are capeble of deterring insects....the insects will taste this chintinase and they know this will solve their exoscellet, made of chitine.

it wont kill them...but insects stop eating the plant more....and will look for plants with less chitinase.....

 

so plants with chemical vertilier.....will be a easy and good target.........

 

so grow organic !!!!

 

so the plant stays strong !   ....and have the best defence against naural pests... 

 

...........................................

 

ps so a few plants feed on chem vertiliser in nature with surrounding organic plants are a big target.

ofcouse if you do this...you can help nature by spraying all sorts of poisen and deterrents...but....worms can do a better job and for FREE !!.... 

That is very informative.  Especially when you compare chemical fertilizer to organically grown plants.  Another good reason to grow organically.