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Showing posts from July, 2014

The Plum Moth - Grapholita funebrana

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You may have come across small pinkish maggots in a plum before. The maggots are often found near the stone accompanied by tiny parcels of dark coloured material. These are Grapholita funebrana , the Plum Moth and more specifically, the caterpillar (larva) of the Plum Moth. The dark coloured material is their droppings (frass). Larva of Grapholita funebrana (Plum Moth) observed  in early - mid summer During this post we'll look at the life cycle of the Plum moth and some ways to prevent them in the biological garden. Whilst picking plums in late August from a plum tree in our garden I noticed that the Plum Moth larvae so frequently found in the early ripening fruit from July - early August were absent from the later ripening fruits. I assumed it must have something to do with the organism's life cycle and so embarked upon a little research to find out more. G. funebrana (Plum Moth) emerges from a cocoon as an adult moth from late May - mid July. The adult moths mate ...

Nitrogen Fixing Species for Agroforestry Systems

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I am currently working on a  Regenerative Landscape Design for a site in Todorovo, Bulgaria. The plan is to establish an Agroforestry system known as Alley Cropping wherein rows of mixed species edible trees and shrubs are planted at intervals with spaces for herbs, forage and/or grain crops to be grown in between. It's a dynamic system which is inherently diverse, providing multiple yields and excellent habitat for wildlife while at the same time being relatively resilient to a changing climate. The site design - Paul Alfrey  An essential component of the design will be the Nitrogen fixing perennial plants within the community of fruit and nut trees. These plants will be pruned at regular intervals to provide biomass for surface mulch and to release a biological source of nitrogen to the surrounding productive plants and soil life by means of root shed associated with top pruning.  When selecting plants for the Nitrogen Fixing component of this design, I was looking f...