How we deal with pests/disease the organic way
It was bound to happen. Sooner or later on any farm, the pests come knocking. For us, with our deep commitment to 100% natural and organic farming, reaching for a chemical spray was never an option. So, how do we prepare for the inevitable?
The answer came from a conversation that completely changed how we see our trees. Early in our journey, we met a fellow farmer who asked us a simple question: “When do you or your family get sick?”
“When our immune system is weak,” we answered.
“Exactly,” he said. “And how do you strengthen it?”
“By eating healthy, exercising, and resting,” we replied.
He smiled. “It’s the exact same for trees. Stop thinking about killing pests and start thinking about building the tree’s own immune system. Give it great nutrition and a healthy environment, and it will learn to defend itself.”
That conversation was a lightning bolt. We have seen endless cycle of chemical treatments in conventional farming. In a typical mango orchard: chemical is sprayed when the flowers appear, another when the fruit sets, another to fight fungus, and yet another to ripen or preserve it. You get a huge harvest, sure, but is that what you really want to feed your kids?
We didn't. So we got to work building our farm's "immune system." We developed a health regimen for our trees based on their age:
For the "toddlers" (< 2 years): A nourishing dose of Jeevamruth and organic manure every two weeks.
For the "teenagers" (2-8 years): A booster shot of organic manure every two months.
For the "adults" (> 8 years): An annual health check-up and a shot of organic manure.
To ward off infections, especially during the wet monsoon months, we spread neem cake powder around their bases every six months. We also gave the younger trees a protective spray of neem oil every month or two based on age.
But nature always has a test for you. Despite our best efforts, we got an infestation of the formidable-sounding Rhinoceros Beetle. These pests can devastate young trees with alarming speed. While our neem oil routine was helping, we needed to be more aggressive.
Instead of declaring chemical warfare, we deployed special pheromone traps that lure the beetles in, preventing them from ever reaching our precious trees. This strategy has already dramatically reduced the damage, and we’re confident we can get it under control in the coming months. It’s a constant process of learning and adapting, but one that lets us sleep at night.
The traps need to be replaced every three months, and we're carefully monitoring the results. Stay tuned to see how our battle of wits against the beetle goes!