Cosmic Farm Technology System

Crop Plan

1. Crop Rotation – to regenerate the soil and breaking pest life cycle.
2. Intercropping – yacon to brocolli, beans to used the space when the yacon has not yet fully grown.
3. To produce organic seed, as of now we have organic seed – yacon, bush beans, cherry tomatoes.
4. To used treated seed that permitted in Philippine National Standard Specification for Organic Agriculture. (treat by soaking and washing the seed)

Soil Management

1. Sheet composting

* Spreading of compost
* Tillage
* Application of IMO
* Sow green manure
* Cut GM when initial show of flowering
* Plant

Green Manure – Bush Beans, IMO – Fermented Preparation.

2. Underground Green Manure Sheet Composting

* Spread of compost
* Tillage
* IMO application
* Allow weeds to grow/sow GM crop (plant GM that has long root)
* Cut the GM when initial show of flowering
* Initial tillage
* Plant

Green Manure – terigo, kalunay, wiregrass IMO – Fermented Preparation

3. Plant trees, grass and other source that had nitrogen fixing and insecticide properties to the boundaries serve as buffer zone and windbreaker (alnus, banana, lemon grass, rice bean, wild sunflower, herb, and others).

Plant Protection

1. Soil improvements, good drainage, balance soil nutritional status, presence of beneficial fungi, is the basis for pest and diseases reduction by planting trees that are nitrogen fixing and insecticide properties to the surrounding boundaries and to prevent contamination and used as windbreaker.
2. To intercrop medicinal plant that have insect repellant properties.
3. To encourage predator species of insect by making a house for them (ex. Making pond for the frog to control slug).
4. Use of botanical formulation as pest and diseases control spray that permitted in PNS.
5. Use only process animal’s manure to prevent insect coming to the farm.

More Tips

* The use of environment-friendly soap, and dishwashing paste – used as spray. Use of carbonizes rice hull to prevent ants and cutworms.
* Planting trees and shrubs that are insecticide properties.
* Handpicking and stepping of insects that destroys the plant.
* Crop rotation.
* Use the formulated fermentation of Natural Farming.
* Use the kitchen remedies. (Sugar, corn oil, soaps, dishwashing paste, yogurt and etc.)
* Seaweed extract.
* Planting or intercrop of aromatic herb.
* Surround the garden with a thick hedge to attract birds, which will eat up slugs and insects.
* Making pond for frogs and toads, they will also keep down the slug population.
* Leaving a pile of logs to shelter beetles, which will prey on pests.

A mulching material made of natural bark or wood chipping suppresses weeds and also contains nutrients that benefit the soil.

Fertilizers

Use the formulated fermentation of Natural Farming

* NPK – source
* Nitrogen – wild sunflower, yacon leaves and others weeds
* Phosphorus – banana trunk, raw sugar and other source
* Potassium – banana trunk and other source Indigenous Microorganisms (IMO) – fermented rice.
* Micro-element – weeds, sayote leaves, yacon leaves and other source.

Seaweed extract – use as compost activator, pesticide, fungicide and foliar fertilizer Yacon/wild sunflower leaves extract

Carbonize rice hull Vermi culture – the traditional way Liquid compost – compost tea use as fertigation Compost

Use the kitchen remedies. (Sugar, corn oil, soaps, dishwashing paste, yogurt and etc.)

1. To formulate foliar, compost and compost tea that came from indigenous materials as of now we have compost tea that made of wild sunflower, banana trunk, leaves, and raw sugar and it complete fertilizer NPK.
2. To use only animal’s manure that are process that permitted in PNS.
3. To use commercial organic foliar and organic fertilizer as long as specified by PNS.

Weed Control

* Just manual weeding by deep tillage, mulching and close spacing of crop.
* Tillage – light tilling
* Mulching – use material made of natural bark or leaves suppresses weeds and also contains nutrients that benefit the soil, (dry alnos leaves)
* Thermal remedy – solarization.

Method of Harvesting

We use manual method, harvest in the morning or late in the evening so that the nutrient of the vegetables are in the leaves. Then sorting, washing, packing and labeling.

source: www.trc.dost.gov.ph