HURRICANE
BY Jeff Frank
 
Many years ago the Nile River would flood twice a year and cover the Nile Valley in a rich, thick cover of silt from the highlands of Africa. Egypt fed the ancient world and clothed it in the cotton it grew with the rhythm of the water. An Egyptian Farmer needed no fertilizers; the soil was rich in organic matter, microbes and minerals. The farmer did not even need a plow; he would simply sow his seeds and then let his pigs out to the fields and the pigs feet pushed the seed into contact with the soil. The crops would grow, the desert sands were held back, the Mediterranean Ocean had plenty of fish to feed the countries bordering the Great SEA.
Then modern Scientists and geo-political folk decided to harness the Nile with the biggest dam in world history up to that time. Cheap power, jobs and a relief from the floods that were not as regular as man wanted them to be were the goals.
However, things have not worked out as planned and the consequences of the Aswan High Dam are now becoming evident, especially when its seen in relation to world weather patterns like the El Nino and La Nina.
NO more fish in the Mediterranean, it’s a dead sea according to the late Jacque Cousteau. The plankton that spawned in the silt of the Nile Estuary are gone, they in turn fed the larger fish which are gone, no rich silt with minerals, no plankton, no fish, no fishermen.
A reliance on chemicals to bring in the crops has made their farmers go into debt to pay for chemicals, destroyed their rich soils and Egypt now imports much of their food. Scientists thought chemicals could take the place of Nature’s Finest. WRONG!
A more startling discovery through satellite technology sees the dramatic rise in Silica in our world atmosphere. It seems that as the wind storms of the Sahara Desert cross over the moisture of the Nile floating upwards which makes an invisible barrier to the silica particles and make them heavy so the fall instead of getting finer and rising higher in the atmosphere. With the loss of the Nile flooding and its restricted size, it lost its effect on the silica and the silica rises higher and higher, becoming finer and finer which reflects sunlight. This has caused weather problems worldwide and it can stay up in the atmosphere for a long time. This has a negative effect on the green house gases also the wobble of our planet is affected by the weight of the water behind the dam.
In Africa the heat build up has become great because of the sand in the atmosphere and this in turn spawns more violent storms on the equator. These Vortexes of wind and water are designed by Nature to help distribute heat to other area and works very well. The Earth is alive and has a consciousness and knows how to take care of its problems and has been doing so for many eons of time.On the Pacific the Vortex is called a Cyclone and on the Atlantic side it’s a Hurricane, with winds always spinning in a clockwise direction. Both types of storms are dangerous to all life, except sea life but try and go fishing after a hurricane and you won’t catch any thing, so it scares the fish too! The storms start as tropical depressions and end up as Hurricanes depending on how strong their Vortex winds are above 73mph. Mostly these storms are above the equator not below it.
Now off the coast of Africa’s the spawning ground for these incredible gigantic storms pulling up warm moist air and rotating towards the islands of the Caribbean and North America. A great Vortex covering thousands of square miles. With our modern forecasting and statistics, radar and satellites we can track a storm from its inception to its end several weeks and thousands of miles later amid a path of destruction, we as humans, find hard to believe.
In the hurricane of 1938, which came ashore with no warning and devastated Long Island and New England. Many folk died from a lack of warning and preparation. IN THE 1950’S AND 1960’S we got better at forecasting and warning these storms to save lives but little else. In the 1880’s several Hurricanes hit Long Island and the toll was incredible agricultural and horticultural losses. Water, wind, salt and insect damage destroyed everything it came in contact with, from farmer’s crops to specimen trees. We all know what happened to Central America last year!
In the 80’s I was working with Fox Hollow Farms in Calverton on organics and after a hurricane Jacob Rottkamp was showing me his losses and made an interesting comment. He said He never saw the types and quantity of insects that were now attacking his crops, they came from the Deep South. The Hurricane had carried the insects for thousands of miles in its winds and deposited them on Long Island and New England, attacking thestressed plants.
What can we do in the Horticulture industry to prepare for the distinct possibility that this will be the busiest hurricane year to date? We know the only silver bullet we have in our arsenal is an organic response to this calamity. Organic treatment of the soils, Trees, and Crops will definitely help them overcome the effects of salt, wind, water and insects. Organic soilwill process the extra water and hold it’s own with erosion problem. The microbial action of the soil will buffer the salts out of the soil. With better soils, rich in organic matter, the healthy plants will be able to survive the evaporation of the leaves from high winds and salt damage.
By applying liquid organic soil conditioners like Feed back to soils and plants before the crisis comes will go along way in their protection. After the storm applications of organic liquid soil conditioners and organic products will help the plants respond to the invigorating health. The plants will be super stressed out, lose their leaves and attempt to grow more leaves for photosynthesis. Chemical fertilizers will only cause more damage by pushing growth, salt in the fertilizer will affect the soils negatively and actually the plants health will decline further.
We need Natural Solutions to Natures fury not man made chemicals.
By starting now, preventive applications of organic products such as, compost, manure’s, liquid soil conditioners, organic fertilizers, rock dust minerals and lime, you will prepare your customers properties In the best possible way to handle Natures worst.
By using organics after the storm, the health of your properties will be restored faster than any other means.
If your soils are Healthy then your plants will be healthy and they will be able to resist the pests and disease, salt, erosion, waterlogged soils and dehydrating wind.
We can’t change Nature much, we can only work in partnership with her and we have the products, know how, education and the abilities to respond to this hurricane season in a PROACTIVE way. Don’t wait until the storm is over to save the plants, start now. Your customers will be thankful you did! Vaya con dios