Re: more on brix index and plant defenses

[Guest guest]

>. The

>relationship between destructive insects and high quality plants vs weaker

>lower quality plants is also an issue concerning a frequency given off by

>weak plants that can be seen by the destructive insects vs plants of higher

>quality not giving off that frequency and thus the destructive insects are

>not drawn to the high quality plants.

I think this is a good point. Our soil around here isn't particularly

good ... it is glacial, and it rains a lot which washes away the

nutrients. But the native plants do just fine in it, esp. the berries --

some of which are NOT native but they are well-adapated

for this climate and soil. Adding stuff to the soil makes the berries

less productive. They don't get pests noticably ... that is, we

DO have caterpillars etc. but you can't see any damage so

they must not be eating enough to count.

The plants that get damaged are the hybid high-producing ones

from the seed catalogs. Apple trees are the worst ... they

just can't fight the insects and fungi. My gardening philosophy

is " plant what wants to grow there " . Every climate and soil

type is different.

-- Heidi