Ask Kaviraj – Issue 4

Kaviraj is our resident expert in using homeopathy for plant, soil, and pest problems. From Hippy to Homeopath: the Story of Vaikunthanath das Kaviraj.

Homeopathy has been used extensively in the treatment of people and animals for over 200 years but its use with plants (agrohomeopathy) is still in its infancy. Vaikunthanath das Kaviraj is one of its pioneers and a leading authority in this emerging area of agrohomeopathy. A young girl is inspecting a garden, which perhaps needs some homeopathic help!

If you would like help with your garden or farm problem, email Kaviraj your question at: editor@homeopathyplus.com.au

For best results, attach a photograph of the problem with your email and we will publish your question and Kaviraj’s answer in our next newsletter.

Contents

  • Bindis
  • Onion weed
  • Cherry slugs
  • Ants in kitchen and bathroom
  • Gall wasp
  • Spiders
  • Cat poo in vegetable garden
  • Instructions for storage and use of remedies
  • Ask Kaviraj your questions
  • Looking for More Information?
A patch of bindis that need some homeopathic attention

Q1: Bindis. What can I use for bindi’s in our lawn? Thankyou. Adele.

Hi Adele. Ah yes, I remember that little pesky weed from my time in Australia – very small, spreads through the grass in spring, has little prickles that embed in bare feet and are very hard to remove – ouch! It should be done with Juglans nigra which inhibits the seeds of weeds for up to 5 months. Just water into bindi infested areas at the beginning of spring.
 
 
Q2: Onion weed. I think its amazing that homeopathy works with plants. I hope Kaviraj can help with our problem. We have onion weed shooting up all through our garden and pulling it up doesn’t help. We don’t want to use chemicals but nothing else seems to work. Digging the little bulbs out takes forever! Does Kaviraj have an answer for this? Dierdre.

A2. Hi Dierdre. Onion weed is actually known as Kalonji in India. The seeds are edible and make a good spice for the kitchen. I use it as the Indians do and so it ceased to be a weed and became a useful plant. It gives you a free spice with an onion flavour, without the negative effects of bad smelling flatulence, associated with onions. The solution is thus to make the plant useful and change the perspective a little. If you still want to get rid of it anyway, try Abies nigra.

 

A cherry slug that needs some helix tosta to send it on its way

Q3: Cherry slugs. What can be done to deter or eliminate cherry slug from fruit trees? Jan and Ian

Hi Jan and Ian. That’s an easy one to answer – Helix tosta of course! Just water the remedy into the roots and you will quickly see the results.

 

Q4: Ants in kitchen and bathroom. Can you please help me to find a remedy to rid my kitchen/bathroom of ants. The kitchen is cleaned every night etc. but, the ants are there in the morning. I have tried many natural substances with no result. jbishton.

Hi jbishton. Ants in the home can be deterred with Calendula tincture mixed in a little oil or liquid soap. Just be careful not to use so much oil or soap that the smell of the Calendula is neutralised.


 Q5: Gall wasp and black fungi. Hi Kaviraj. Sorry not able to have a picture. Suddenly got these yellow bubble things attaching to green leaves of a climbing plant I have that yields white flowers. Seems to do this each time every year and causes the plant to die before picking up again in the summer. Hate to see it go toruin again. What is best to spray on plants for this? Noticed on my Gardenia too. It seems to have a black like fungi happening along with the yellow at back of leaves. Hope this makes sense. Tks so much, Fiona

Hi Fiona. This sounds very much like gall wasp. I suggest you use a dose of Thuja occidentalis which gets rid of them in 48 hours. Thuja will also help your gardenia problem.

 

Q6: Cats pooing in vegetable garden.Do you know what we could use to deter cats from pooing through our vegetable garden?  We have moved to a new property and seem to have an entire neighbourhood of cats competing for loo space – to the point that they are actually using the lawn as well (which is rather unusual in our experience).  Thanks, Amy

Hi Amy. Hmmm, cats – my first reaction is, get a Rotti (Rottweiler dog). But that will not help you at night and is not really a solution. You will then have the problem of the dog using the garden for a loo. To be honest, I am stumped. How to deter cats…… How about an electric fence? you can buy a unit that runs on solar power, has the possibility of being set up anywhere and is strong enough to even deter horses. If you put it low enough so they cannot creep underneath with a second wire high enough that they can’t step in between the wires, then I think your cat problem will be 99% solved.

Instructions for Agrohomeopathy Remedy Use and Storage

Just add one 6X or 6C potency pill to each 200 ml of water, shake vigorously, and then spray on the leaves of your plant or water into its roots. If using the remedy for household pests, spray where the pests normally gather or run.

Store pills and liquid away from light, moisture, and high temperatures (normal household temperatures are fine). Close range mobile phone and microwave oven emissions have been shown to affect homeopathic remedies. Keep your pills and liquid away from these appliances.

1 x vial of 100 pills from the Homeopathy Plus Shop makes 20 litres of remedy.

Note about Kaviraj

Vaikunthanath Kaviraj passed away in March 2013 but left an enormous legacy of how to safely manage plant pests and diseases with homeopathy.
Onwards and upwards, Kaviraj – the world is a better place for you being in it. Its now time for others to pick up and continue the good work.