Agro-homeopathy — crop disease & remedy index
The plant problems of the field, orchard and store-room: recognition signs for orientation, first remedies in a single line, from the tradition of homeopathic agriculture.
Before the remedies. This index reflects the tradition of agro-homeopathy — a practice with a devoted following and thin evidence. Crop diagnosis and protection rest on agronomy: resistant varieties, rotation, drainage, biological controls and integrated pest management. Use these tables as the tradition's own record, and let a plant pathologist or agronomist's diagnosis lead.
| Problem | Recognition signs | First remedies — single line |
|---|---|---|
| Powdery mildew | White powdery patches on leaves, shoots and fruit surfaces | Sulphur — the classic mildew and rust remedy of field tradition; Silicea — strengthening the plant's own resistance; Kali sulph — the yellow, weeping stage |
| Downy mildew & leaf blight | Yellow angular spots above, grey fuzz beneath; spreading in damp | Cuprum — blight-spread of the agro tradition; Belladonna — sudden spreading spots; Sulphur — hot dry field states |
| Rust | Orange-brown pustules on leaves and stems | Sulphur — the field standard; Ferrum met — with chlorotic, pale growth |
| Damping-off & seedling rot | Seedlings collapse at the soil line in wet trays | Carbo veg — sour, wet, collapsing trays; Silicea — weak, slow seedlings; Thuja — greasy damping of the old garden books |
| Aphids & sucking pests | Curled young leaves, sticky honeydew, clusters of greenfly | Staphysagria — the insect-repelling seed of the old gardens; Calendula — spray tradition for soft-bodied pests; Sulphur — hot dry infestation pressure |
| Caterpillars & leaf-eaters | Chewed leaves, droppings, visible larvae | Cantharis — the blister beetle of the agro tradition; Ledum — repellent spray tradition; Calendula — companion-spray tradition |
| Whitefly & thrips | Clouds from disturbed leaves; silvered, speckled foliage | Sulphur — greenhouse hot dryness; Staphysagria — seed-soak tradition; Tabacum — the nicotine-family keynote, used with great caution |
| Soil vitality & weak growth | Pale, stunted growth; poor germination; tired ground | Silicea — the soil strengthener of agro practice; Calc carb — chalky soil balance; Carbo animalis — the spent-soil remedy of the tradition |
| Transplant shock | Wilting, drooping after transplanting seedlings and trees | Arnica — the transplant shock standard; Ignatia — shock from the move; Calendula — watering-in tradition for roots |
| Pruning wounds & tree surgery | Large cuts, torn bark, canker risk after pruning | Calendula — wound dressing tradition; Thuja — canker and fig-wart of bark; Hypericum — torn, nerve-rich bark edges |
| Fruit rot & storage losses | Brown rot on fruit, mould in stored grain and tubers | Carbo veg — the storage and mould remedy; Sulphur — hot rotting of fruit; Kreosotum — offensive rotting of the stored crop |
| Hail & weather damage | Torn, bruised foliage after hail or storm | Arnica — the bruised crop; Belladonna — sudden storm stress; Calendula — torn leaves and stems |
Working rules of the agro-homeopathic tradition
- Prevention over cure — strengthen the plant (Silicea, soil vitality) before the pest arrives, as the tradition's first principle.
- Small and frequent — the tradition sprays in high dilutions, repeated weekly, rather than in single heavy doses.
- Early morning or evening — the tradition sprays when the stomata are open and the sun is off the leaf.
- The soil is half the plant — compost, drainage and rotation come first; the remedies accompany, never replace, good husbandry.
- Observe the field — the agro-homeopath's art is walking the crop daily, reading the leaf before the pest counts rise.