Katie Kerschner

I've got a growing problem in my yard with powdery mildew, largely due I think to the ever-increasing lupin population (I broadcast some a few years back and they seem to be particularly susceptible "carriers" without really suffering much as far as their numbers go).

My brother suggested reading Mycelium Running by Paul Stamets in the hope that something in there might address it, but I can't yet find mention of powdery mildew. However, the idea of mitigating fungal disease with beneficial fungus (or rhizobacteria, or other natural agents) intrigues me.

Any thoughts on this or suggestions for further places to look? Thank you for any help you can offer. Last year I about had it when it got all over my cucurbits, and I don't want a repeat this year.

Travis Johnson wrote:

Roberto pokachinni wrote:The term silage comes from the word silo...

This is a common misconception. Sileage does NOT come from the word silo, but rather "to ensile", which means "to prepare and store (fodder) so as to induce conversion to silage". The modern day silo was named due to the purpose it was intended for..."to ensile fodder". It is interesting to note that in other countries that ensile fodder, they do so not in silos, but rather in "clamps".

All this is pretty much just splitting hairs I know, but it sure mucks up the waters in terms of terminology.

Myself I am not a big fan of baleage because of the plastic wrap. It is used only once and 9 out of 10 farms that use it have streams of it flapping in the breeze when heavy winds carried it to their fences where it got caught and is flapping away. I prefer instead grass and corn silage for a lot of reasons; and while it is true a bunker style type of ensiling uses plastic too, it is reusable for several years.

I guess my biggest question is, considering how easy silage is to put up (corn or grass silage), why more homesteaders seem to be stuck on the notion that you have to feed hay to livestock? It would save many farms a lot of money every year.

"Silo" came before "silage." "Silo" is a loanword from Spanish, probably coming from the ancient Greek "siros" or Latin "sirum," both meaning a pit for storing corn/grain. "Ensile" comes from the French "ensiler" (to put in a silo; they have that loanword from Spanish as well), and then you have the derivative "ensilage" (both English and French) and its respective alteration "silage."