For many years I associated homeopathy with the treatment of illness in people, and animals. I had not even thought that it might be useful in the garden, with plants. Fortunately, other people had connected to two.
In my garden I have an Olive Tree, in a pot. Olive plants are able to survive the British climate, but they do not like extreme cold, and they need protection against long periods of cold weather. When I failed to do this with my lovely plant I was annoyed at myself. So for a time I nurtured the plant, with my very best care I could muster, but as the weather warmed up, I decided that the plant was clearly dead.
So I had given up on it when I read an article by Valkunathanath das Kaviraj on homeopathy and plants. I researched more into his work that he was doing, and quickly bought his book ‘Homeopathy for Farm and Garden’, published in 2006. I also contacted him by email. Kaviraj told me that he had accidentally stumbled on the idea but quickly discovered that it worked. He had studied the subject in considerable depth, and had a brilliant knowledge of remedies. I mentioned my Olive tree to him, and said how annoyed I was about it. He suggested that I tried the remedy Carbo Veg, made from charcoal. Immediately his suggestion made sense to me. I knew the remedy, applied to humans and animals, as 'the great reviver' something that would work with people whose energy was low. In his book Kaviraj described the remedy.
"Charcoal is, both in crude form and potencies...... (indicated by) the signs of decay and putrefaction are leading indications. Carbo vegetables may also be much more than a rescuer of near-death plants...."
So I tried it, adding the remedy in liquid form to the pot. Kaviraj told me to do it just once. I did it every day for several days! Nothing happened for a week or so, but then a bud appeared, then gradually more, and the Olive returned to life. I now call it our Lazarus Olive, before having to explain that that was not a type of olive, but a description of my plant's history. It had returned to life. And after more than 10 years it is thriving.
Since that time Kaviraj has died, but his work continues. A German homeopath, Christiane Maute, published her book, ‘Homeopathy for Plants’ in 2010. She says that she has used homeopathy with plants for many years, has studied their application in her own garden, indoor and balcony plants.
There is, of course, no reason to believe that homeopathy should not work on plants. Remedies are made from highly diluted substances that have the capacity to cure when the known energy characteristics of the remedy corresponds closely to the energy of the patient. And this applies regardless of whether the patient is human, animal or plant! The principles apply equally to all forms of life, each remedy having qualities that work with living organisms regardless of their type.
So now I use homeopathy in my garden, regularly. It saves me money (it's inexpensive). It saves me time (it's very easy to apply remedies in water), and it is effective in many different ways.
There are many more useful things that homeopathy can do in the garden. I found this information on this website, https://madmimi.com/p/8258a7/preview. As it says, it's not the whole thing but it is a great start for any home gardener.
* Aconite napellus* – light rust
* Allium cepa* – onion and carrot fly, weevils
* Belladonna* – red-brown rust
* Bombyx processionea* – caterpillars
* Bufo rana* – pests
* Bovista* – spider mites
* Calendula* – mechanical damage, repotting
* Camphora* – ants
* Carbo vegetabilis* – strengthening weak plants
* Coccinella septempunctata* – aphids
* Cuprum metallicum* – mildew
* Helix tosta* – snails
* Manganum* – monilia, chlorosis
* Mentha* – pests of cruciferous plants
* Natrum sulphuricum* – fungus in rainy weather, brown rot
* Ocymum* – to keep tomatoes healthy
* Ricinus communis* – pests in viticulture
* Salicylic acidum* – aphids, fungus
* Sambucus nigra* – prevention of pests
* Silicea terra* – strengthening resistance, healthy soil
* Tanacetum vulgare* – pests, black vine weevil
* Thuja occidentalis* – leaf curl, scale insects, spider mites
* Zincum metallicum* - nematodes
My hope is that farmers will increasingly use homeopathy for their crops, just as many farmers are now using it for their animals.
For anyone who is interested in developing the use of homeopathy in their gardens, or on their farms, the two books I have mentioned above are essential reading. They come highly recommended, and I certainly would not want to garden without them now!
In my garden I have an Olive Tree, in a pot. Olive plants are able to survive the British climate, but they do not like extreme cold, and they need protection against long periods of cold weather. When I failed to do this with my lovely plant I was annoyed at myself. So for a time I nurtured the plant, with my very best care I could muster, but as the weather warmed up, I decided that the plant was clearly dead.
So I had given up on it when I read an article by Valkunathanath das Kaviraj on homeopathy and plants. I researched more into his work that he was doing, and quickly bought his book ‘Homeopathy for Farm and Garden’, published in 2006. I also contacted him by email. Kaviraj told me that he had accidentally stumbled on the idea but quickly discovered that it worked. He had studied the subject in considerable depth, and had a brilliant knowledge of remedies. I mentioned my Olive tree to him, and said how annoyed I was about it. He suggested that I tried the remedy Carbo Veg, made from charcoal. Immediately his suggestion made sense to me. I knew the remedy, applied to humans and animals, as 'the great reviver' something that would work with people whose energy was low. In his book Kaviraj described the remedy.
"Charcoal is, both in crude form and potencies...... (indicated by) the signs of decay and putrefaction are leading indications. Carbo vegetables may also be much more than a rescuer of near-death plants...."
So I tried it, adding the remedy in liquid form to the pot. Kaviraj told me to do it just once. I did it every day for several days! Nothing happened for a week or so, but then a bud appeared, then gradually more, and the Olive returned to life. I now call it our Lazarus Olive, before having to explain that that was not a type of olive, but a description of my plant's history. It had returned to life. And after more than 10 years it is thriving.
Since that time Kaviraj has died, but his work continues. A German homeopath, Christiane Maute, published her book, ‘Homeopathy for Plants’ in 2010. She says that she has used homeopathy with plants for many years, has studied their application in her own garden, indoor and balcony plants.
There is, of course, no reason to believe that homeopathy should not work on plants. Remedies are made from highly diluted substances that have the capacity to cure when the known energy characteristics of the remedy corresponds closely to the energy of the patient. And this applies regardless of whether the patient is human, animal or plant! The principles apply equally to all forms of life, each remedy having qualities that work with living organisms regardless of their type.
So now I use homeopathy in my garden, regularly. It saves me money (it's inexpensive). It saves me time (it's very easy to apply remedies in water), and it is effective in many different ways.
- So now I never grow any plant from seed without using water that contains the remedy Nat Mur 6x.
- I use Calendula 6x to treat salad seedlings after transplanting, to help them recover from the trauma, and grew more quickly and strongly.
- And I treat the once abundant black spot on my roses with Silica 6x, watering as the plants begin to re-emerge back to life in the Spring, and thereafter whenever necessary.
- I also have an Ash tree in my garden, and to prevent it contracting Ash Die Back disease, I water it with Silica 6c each spring, a Kaviraj recommendation as a preventative for the disease.
- And in the wood opposite my house (where many Ash trees with Die Back), I have a favourite Horse Chestnut that suffers badly from Leaf Miner. I water it with a couple of pints of Thuja 30c each spring -another Kaviraj recommendation.
There are many more useful things that homeopathy can do in the garden. I found this information on this website, https://madmimi.com/p/8258a7/preview. As it says, it's not the whole thing but it is a great start for any home gardener.
* Aconite napellus* – light rust
* Allium cepa* – onion and carrot fly, weevils
* Belladonna* – red-brown rust
* Bombyx processionea* – caterpillars
* Bufo rana* – pests
* Bovista* – spider mites
* Calendula* – mechanical damage, repotting
* Camphora* – ants
* Carbo vegetabilis* – strengthening weak plants
* Coccinella septempunctata* – aphids
* Cuprum metallicum* – mildew
* Helix tosta* – snails
* Manganum* – monilia, chlorosis
* Mentha* – pests of cruciferous plants
* Natrum sulphuricum* – fungus in rainy weather, brown rot
* Ocymum* – to keep tomatoes healthy
* Ricinus communis* – pests in viticulture
* Salicylic acidum* – aphids, fungus
* Sambucus nigra* – prevention of pests
* Silicea terra* – strengthening resistance, healthy soil
* Tanacetum vulgare* – pests, black vine weevil
* Thuja occidentalis* – leaf curl, scale insects, spider mites
* Zincum metallicum* - nematodes
For anyone who is interested in developing the use of homeopathy in their gardens, or on their farms, the two books I have mentioned above are essential reading. They come highly recommended, and I certainly would not want to garden without them now!