a silver lining to faltering memory, also BMSB and IPM

I find that my memory does not work as well as in the past.  As a student I could easily memorize hundreds of law cases, now the labels I read one day are gone the next.  So where is the silver lining consolation?

I believe we have different skill sets and we compensate for those we lack.  The kid who can analytically unravel and reassemble complicated concepts  tends to be independent and does not require and consequently does not develop, good social skills.  The ambitious kid, who does not have this intellectual firepower, develops intuitive and empathy skills and thus can effectively recruit others to assist with or perform the tasks he/she finds difficult.  Perhaps it is our innate intellectual and physical abilities that fashion to a large extent our personalities?

So I am now more interested in how and why things happen than in the fact of their happening.  If I can link causation with result then my mind can re-navigate the route without having to remember the start or end point or even the directions taken.  An example from the recent GO conference (see previous post) was the excellent session on organic insect control by two entomologists from Auburn university.  I was particularly interested in their comments on the BMSB (brown marmorated stink bug) which is becoming the organic growers nightmare.  Not all stink bugs are pests and there are predatory stink bugs which are beneficial and whose prey are the pests we wish to eliminate.  You can google and find descriptions of the difference between the good and the bad stink bugs perhaps the shape of their shield or certain colorations.  But these are facts which must be memorized, not my strong point.  Much more helpful was the comment by one of the entomologists – look at their jaws/mandibles.  A powerful apparatus is for munching prey, a pointed beak type is for piercing and sucking out plant nutrients.  Now that logic I can recall without having to memorize.  As for eliminating this pesky pest they advocate trap crops and perhaps a vacuuming device tonguetwister titled “backpac bug vac”.  Worth pondering as I await the onslaught in late summer.

IPM (integrated pest management) was mentioned in several sessions and I found the schematic in the session on organic management of diseases easy to follow and remember.  At the base of the triangle are “preplant considerations” which includes soil fertility; site selection (for sun exposure, soil drainage); site preparation; rotation; using disease free seed and disease free planting material, timing of planting, spacing of plantings, plant selection (if a disease is blighting your crops then choose a disease resistant variety) and diversity of plantings. These are all logical first steps for before and at the time of planting.

Next level up are the biological controls which includes beneficials (this pm I transferred more lady beetles from the bathroom to the cold frames), Bt, and other ecologically sustainable techniques.

Another level includes physical and cultural controls such as row covers, lure traps, cultivation of weeds, sanitation,  and adequate irrigation (but not overhead spraying because of  foliar disease, especially in the hot humid Southeast).

And all the while observing and monitoring and if a certain threshold of pest/disease invasion is reached, then resorting as a last resort to nastier remedies which, while organic, will impact not only the bad guys but the good guys as well.  The basic premise is that healthy strong plants, which are not stressed (lack of watering is a big culprit) or injured, will be able to resist pests and diseases adequately.  If you grow organic you should be prepared to share, but not too much.

So this is all logical and dovetails with my growing experiences and this is one reason why I enjoy growing.  I sense that among sports enthusiasts recalling and recounting the details of past games and greats and scores is part of the pleasure.  Or the opera enthusiast who happily describes to those unfortunates within earshot how this particular aria though well delivered, does not compare with soprano A, in opera house B, in year C.  These feats are beyond me and I settle for the simple pleasure of trying to better understand, without committing labels to memory, what is going on in the outside spaces.

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