Just for the record, whether or not a product is suitable for
organically certified farms and therefore, in most cases, possibly
suitable for the higher standards of biodynamic farms, is not a
matter of 'reasonableness.' Acceptable commercial products that have
been approved for use on organic farms are listed in the ORMI
publication which is on-line at httpL//www.omri.org.
Thomas, I wasn't setting you up when I asked the question. I assumed
that the product was OMRI-approved or 'should be' and thought that
you might expand on it's natural origins. Instead, it sounds like the
sort of chemical concoction that most BD growers wouldn't allow into
their gardenseven if it is still in a closed container!
I welcome the many new people who have joined the list in the past
few months. Learning the sensibilities of biodynamic farming and
gardening from this list can be a very slow affair. If you do not
have a background in biodynamics, I would strongly urge you to read
at least one good introductory book on biodynamics before posting to
this list in order to keep your contributions within the range of
acceptable and sensible BD approaches. (Or consider taking an
internship at a biodynamic farm this coming season.)
I wonder how many currently reading the list are clueless as to why
Virginia would be burning deer skins to repell deer? If you are, you
should raise the question.
I do appreciate everyone's willingness to contribute to the
conversation. I think a little more background reading and a little
assimilation of the biodynamic worldview will help us keep comments
within the range of appropriate discussion.
Thank you,
-Allan Balliett
moderator, BD Now!
Hi Allan,
Tree Guard is not in a pesticide / fertilizer category. Although I've
looked at what it takes to register repellents with the EPA and they do fall
under pesticide rules for some goofy reason even though they don't kill
anything.
I sent an email to the manufacturer of Tree Guard to find out what they say
about the product being Organic or not. I'll post their reply if and when
they send it.
Most Tree Guard applications are not on food producing plants because you
can't spray it on anything you are going to eat. It coats the surface and
makes leaves and twigs taste really bitter to deer. I did look at what it
was made of, but don't remember the exact details. It seems like it was a
natural source, but I'm just not sure, so it needs to be checked out.
I think you might get away with spraying fruit trees with the product in the
fall after harvest and in the spring before fruit sets. That should not
bother developing fruit. Since it doesn't wash off, it should not travel to
the fruit... famous last words. I have limited experience working with the
product and I think one should check with the manufacturer before using it
on fruit trees.
Best Regards,
Thomas Giannou
http://www.tandjenterprises.com
- Original Message -
From: Allan Balliett [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2001 2:36 PM
Subject: Re: deer problem
There's a product called Tree Guard that can be sprayed on new growth
Thomas, is this product approved for use on organically certified
crops? -Allan
