Mitigating & Surviving DROUGHT

Originally Posted: May 1, 2011

About four years ago, I began planting fruit trees in an old coconut grove in Magdalena, Laguna to fulfill a life-long dream to become a farmer & to help with much needed food production efforts. A long drought-like summer in 2010 severely affected my young fruit trees that were a year or two away from fruiting.

To prevent dehydration, I had water transported on horseback from a river about ˝ kilometers downhill. It was an expensive & almost futile effort. Some trees died & many were stunted.

Since weather patterns continue to be uncertain and will most likely worsen, I implemented measures to Catch & Keep Rain. I also devised the Plant ROOT Injector. Both aim to help lessen (mitigate & survive) the effects of drought.

Even before actual perfomance & effectiveness on fruit trees are determined, it was obvious the Plant ROOT Injector can also be used to grow high value vegetable crops more economically & profitably in lieu of costly technologies & alternatives like drip irrigation, hydrophonics, etc. See:

http://www.biofuelswork.com/Rain/Rain.htm and

http://www.biofuelswork.com/Injector/Injector.htm

This year’s summer will reportedly be Delayed and Short & Wet Summer.

See:

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/214715/pagasa-summer-not-quite-here-yet and

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/210739/pagasa-expect-short-wet-summer

However, even as these reports are happening in Laguna where I have been planting, these pictures tell a different story.

One of 2 water retention pond built by author in June & July 2010 (before the onset of Wet Season) for the purpose of Collecting & Storing RAIN.

As designed, the water retention pond shown above filled & absorbed rainwater several times in the 2010 wet season. As a result, the pond depth is shallower due to silting. However, notice severe cracks despite reports of a Delayed and Short & Wet Summer. (Pictures were taken on April 20, 2011.)

The problem is serious. While this pond filled & refilled with rainwater several times during last year’s wet season as evidenced by flourishing grass & weeds and despite being surrounded by tall trees that provide shade to keep direct sunlight from bearing-down/heating-up the pond surface, the ground (even 12+ inches below the surface) was bone dry.

Even gardens equipped with costly drip irrigation systems will be adversely affected especially if their systems are inoperational due to poor maintenance, lack of funds, etc.

The Plant ROOT Injector is a simple & cheap tool that can deliver water & nutrients effectively to root systems (like costly Drip Irrigation & Hydrophonic systems.) It can be very useful when water is scarce. Likewise, it can be very effective when minute amounts of expensive fertilizers are available to achieve optimum results.

Although the Plant ROOT Injector was primarily designed & used for young fruit trees planted in upland areas, its effectiveness & performance will also be determined & assessed. To expedite tests & produce timely “initial data” the above plots planted to corn will be observed & evaluated. Half will be watered & fertilized in the usual manner & half will be watered using the Plant ROOT Injector. For the latter, only 50% water & 50% fertilization will be used. (These pictures were taken on April 20, 2011. They will be updated regularly until the corn is harvested. )

In addition to the banana trunk mulch (to keep the soil around these lanzones seedlings from getting scorched by hot sunlight) Plant ROOT Injectors will be installed to revive & keep them alive.

Hopefully, by using the Plant ROOT Injector young plants like these coffee trees that are starting to flower & bear fruits will become hardier, healthier & more productive.

Please check out these relevant topics also:

Overcoming DROUGHT with the Plant ROOT Injector at http://www.biofuelswork.com/INJECTOR/Injector.htm (March 24, 2011)

Mitigating DROUGHT at http://www.biofuelswork.com/DROUGHT/Drought.htm (May 1, 2011)

Harvesting RAIN at http://www.biofuelswork.com/RAIN/Harvesting.htm (June 18, 2011)

Storing RAIN at http://www.biofuelswork.com/RAIN/Storing.htm (July 2, 2011)

Plant ROOT Injector Tests at http://www.biofuelswork.com/INJECTOR/Tests.htm (July 2, 2011)

Or visit our homepage at http://www.biofuelswork.com for other interesting topics. Thank you.