term 1
other projects
connecthort
Each Saturday morning some class mates and me are going to “Connecthort” in Barcelona to do volunteering. We are helping in different kind of fields: cleaning soil, removing stones from clay, building walls from bio-materials, cutting bamboo strips, mixing natural insulation and pressing bricks from clay. Also I start planting my own vegetables on my terrace and realise they grow much faster than in Germany. I bought seeds for tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, chili, melon, zucchini and pumpkin. In the next step I would like to make my own compost to reuse my food waste while preparing a biological fertilizer out of it. We built two different walls. One is made of straw and bamboo sticks. Cut first the bamboo sticks in the same sizes and then nail them tightly left and right to the frame in the front and the back. Then fill between a bundle of straw soaked in clay-water. Fill it and press it down so that it is compressed more. Until the end. The second wall is made out of biological bricks. First you mix clay (1 container), straw (1,5 container) and sand (2 container). The you add limestone (0,5 container) and water (until its wet but not liquid). If you put the limestone into the mixture it gets hard really fast. Mix everything to a nice consistence. And put the mass in the brick forms. Press the bricks outside the form and let them dry for a week.
planting vegetables
Also I start planting my own vegetables on my terrace and realise they grow much faster than in Germany. I bought seeds for tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, chili, melon, zucchini and pumpkin. In the next step I would like to make my own compost to reuse my food waste while preparing a biological fertilizer out of it.
plant diseases
You can have different kind of diseases. One of them is Rust fungus. Rust fungus is favoured by moisture. To prevent rust fungus sufficient space between plants is needed. Cutting off infested areas generously to combine the fungus. Grey mould is another diseases. Its one of the most widespread fungal diseases. It occurs on weakened and damaged plants. In damp conditions the fungus goes to the healthy tissue. To prevent it you can spread mulch over the soil. Another one is downy mildew. It comes from damp-cool weather and too much nitrogen and grows then in the leaf tissue. To control it you can spread garlic broth and remove infested leaves. Scab is also a common disease in orchards, it can be prevented by thorough removal of foliage or treated with a copper-based preparation, otherwise it has to be redone. Star sooty mildew belongs to the family of true tubular fungi, which causes black spot disease. It often affects indoor plants. It can be prevented by regular pruning and strengthening of the plants. Control by spreading a garlic broth, onion broth, baking soda, milk is possible. Leaf spot disease shows small holes in the leaves and yellow or red spots. The infestation is promoted by damp weather. To prevent it, infested plant parts should be removed and strengthened with, for example, nettle manure. They can be controlled by removing infested leaves. Blight is often seen on tomatoes or potatoes. To prevent it, constant control is necessary. The pathogens should be collected and destroyed. canopies help, as well as preventing air humidity and sufficient distance between the plants. it can be controlled with chemical pesticides.Also you have different kind of root diseases like: Wilt fungi, Phytophthora root rot, Phytophthora root rot and Verticillium wilt.
diseases prevention
You have different types of prevention to avoid illnesses from plants, because the growth depends on light, temperature, nutrition, water and air. An important one is the balanced nutrient supply. Avoid too much nitrogen as it softens the plant tissue and makes it susceptible to diseases. Mixed culture is important for diversity of plants and organisms. Also essential is the light and temperature. It need to be well tempered and the correct site conditions (full light, partial shade or shade).
Water is the third important point. Do not drown or leave the saucer full of water, as the roots will run out of air and root rot may occur. A dried out root ball can be saved by a full bath in a bucket of water. In general, always water all plants from the bottom, otherwise bacteria may splash upwards or the leaves may be burnt by the sun. never water over the leaves, always over the roots.
Weakened plants are easy prey for parasites. They can eat whole seedlings, leaves, stems and rootlets and can thus destroy entire stands. Slugs can be controlled by caffeine, beer and salt. fungus gnats can be controlled with nematodes and yellow stickers. Potato beetles can be controlled by collecting the beetles and larvae. Caterpillars: by collecting them and also by using soapy water, tobacco, ash and ichneumon wasps. grubs can be collected and brought into the forest, because they come to light in the rain. Voles can be prevented by sufficient water, vinegar and hair also deter them, because the smell is unpleasant for them.
natural fertiliser
Banana peels: Cut organic banana peels into small pieces and soak in water for about 10 hours. mix this fertiliser water with new water and then use. It contains magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. Compost or a worm bin brings soil and this serves as a superfood for all plants, containing calcium, magnesium, phospor and potassium. A Bokashi bucket which has a tap. The bucket contains effective microorganisms (EM) that ferment the contents in the absence of air, similar to making sauerkraut. This happens odourless. The tap is used for dehydrating the liquids produced by the fermentation process. Stale mineral water without carbon dioxide can also be used as a natural fertiliser. It contains trace elements, potassium and magnesium. Urine can also be used and contains 50 per cent nitrogen as well as other main nutrients and trace elements. Coffee grounds are dried and mixed into the potting soil. It provides phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen and minerals and attracts earthworms and microorganisms. Eggshells are another fertiliser. They are washed, dried and then crumbled and spread over the soil. It enables the uptake of micronutrients and creates optimal conditions for nutrient uptake. It also contains micronutrients such as fluorine, copper, iron, phosphorus and other nutrients. It can also be used to regulate the pH value if the sick water is not already calcareous enough. A liquid manure can be made from nettles. They are soaked in water, for example rainwater, and left to stand for twenty days. The manure should be diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10 before fertilising. Among other things, it drives away pests. Horse manure or other types of manure provide nutrients, o Balaststoffe and it corresponds to a N-P-K ratio of 0.6-0.3-0.5. These can be spread on the soil. Compost water or onion liquid manure also prevent fungal infestation.
compost
For me its important to separate your trash. I think it’s an easy way to help reusing materials and recycle products. That’s why also here in Barcelona I am separating my trash, paper, plastic and general trash. But here is no possibility to reuse the bio-trash, which comes from cooking food or leaver etc. That’s why I decided to make my own compost on my terrace. So I bought a big bucket, organic soil, a plate for under the bucket and around 100 worms. I collected some leaves from the forest and carton-paper from school. I made some holes inside the bucket so in the end the compost-water/natural-fertiliser can come out. Then I start creating the layers. The first layers I wheat paper, which I put around 10 min into a bowl full of water. The next layer were the leaves, they are also for the worms to be able to hide underneath. The next, soil layer is the basic for the compost and above it I already separated the worms with their soil content. Then I waited a day until the worms were more relaxed and settle in their new home. So from now on everyday a put a bid of different kind of food trash to feed them, like carrots, potatoes, coffee-rest, zucchini and so on. Its important not to put any cooked food and no oranges/citrons.
centre de materials de barcelona
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