This month you will get to know our gardener planer who is taking care of the coconut trees and of the garden at Jiwa Damai.
Fendi our garden planer is feeding the roots of our coco palms to strengthen them against the Rhinoceros beetle. He inserts bamboo pipes into the earth about 1 1/2 m away from the trunk and fills it with compost tea to directly nourish the trees.
fendi
Find out more about our work in the garden here!
There are probably no other insects against which the United States military had to intervene except for the Rhinoceros coconut beetle. It happened just recently, in the Autumn of last year when the U.S. Navy had to respond to the “invasion” of these insects at the military base in Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The invasion left 175 trees infested and the military had to remove them.
The news made the headlines and got some good coverage but the infestation provoked by the Rhinoceros beetle was already creating important disturbance in many ecosystem in most of the subtropical and tropical of the planet.
The Asiatic rhinoceros beetle, known better as the Coconut rhinoceros beetle and scientifically as Oryctes rhinoceros, is a species of rhinoceros beetle belonging to the Scarabaeidae family according to Wikipedia.org. The rhinoceros beetle attacks the developing fronds of coconut, oil, and other palms in tropical Asia and a number of Pacific islands.
The damaged fronds show typical triangular cuts and the beetle kills the palms (particularly newly planted ones) when the growing point is destroyed during feeding. The larvae of the rhinoceros beetle, however, do not damage crops, but instead grow in dead, decaying trunks and other organic matter.
This beetle’s favorite habitats for breeding sites are dead, standing coconut trees and fallen coconut logs, but they can survive on many different types of decaying vegetation.
The eggs are laid in manure pits or other organic matter and hatch in 8-12 days according to recent studies. Larvae take another 82-207 days before entering an 8-13 day non feeding pre-pupal stage. The pupal stage goes between 17-28 days. The larvae is usually yellowish-white and can grow quite long, reaching almost 4 inches or more. Adults remain in the pupal cell for 17-22 days before emerging and flying to palm crowns to feed. The beetles are active at night and hide in feeding or breeding sites during the day. Mostly mating takes place at the breeding sites. Adults may live for 4-9 months and each female lays 50-100 eggs during her lifetime.
Coconut rhinoceros beetles favor downed trees as breeding sites, so the mortality of young trees may be the first stage of a developing positive feedback cycle that would be essentially impossible to contain once initiated. To prevent this from happening young trees must be protected and dead ones must be cleared in areas of infestation.
Here at Jiwa Damai, being located in the island of Bali in Indonesia, we are also struggling to support the healthy growth of our coconut trees that have been in some cases infested by the rhinoceros beetle.
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In tackling this difficult issue for which there is no known cure at the moment we have developed by our own means and experience and collaborating with specialist from local and abroad a system in ten easy steps to help to coconut trees in our garden survive the invasion of the rhinoceros beetle.
The first step was identifying the problem and symptoms and ascertaining the presence of the rhinoceros beetle. We had found holes in the coconut tree trunk and the leaves of the coconut tree started to look brown and dead. That led us to believe that the Rhinoceros beetle had infected the coconut trees.
The second step was verifying the existence of the rhinoceros beetle in the coconut trees here at Jiwa Damai. There for we sent coconut climbers in the trees to check if the rhinoceros beetles have gone inside the coconut tree leaves. We also had to cut down some trees to see if the larva had infected the bottom part of their trunks. We found the Rhinoceros beetles and larvae from the trees thus ascertaining the infestation of our coconut trees with this insect.
In step three of the plan we went on by cleaning the infected leaves. The coconut climbers cleaned the part of the leaves that were infected. They were very thorough in eliminating only the infested leaves and not make any other additional damage to the trees. They also added salt and Effective Micro organisms (EM) a the top of the trees to help them fight the infestation with the rhinoceros beetle.
In the fourth phase of our program we proceeded in insuring that compost we use for the trees and garden is clean. The larvae of the Rhinoceros beetle are usually hatching in the compost because it has a lot of nutrients. We moved on to filtering our entire compost and found several Rhinoceros beetles and larvae from the compost soil.
Step five meant continuing in eliminating the infected tree parts and compost. We therefore burned the trunks and leaves of the trees that were cut down together with the Rhinoceros beetles and larvae found in the compost, to make sure that these beetles can’t spread to other trees.
In the sixth step of the program we went on analyzing the soil. This was necessary in order to know what kind of nutrition we should feed to the coconut trees.
We then next went ahead and provided the coconut trees with good nutrition in step seven. We digged and changed the soil around the coconut trees into compost soil and added effective micro organisms into the compost soil. This process was done without damaging the roots of the trees and only through digging a surface of around 1,5 meters around them and changing the soil with fresh compost.
After taking care of the material part of the trees we wanted to help also the coconut trees living energy in the eighth phase of our plan. We decided on sending some positive energy from ourselves to help cure them. We started a program where the volunteers and employees of Jiwa Damai hugged each coconut tree personally while sending positive thoughts and vibrations for the trees.
Step nine consisted in playing classical music for the trees. We started playing Mozart’s compositions for the trees to continue giving them even more positive life energy.
Finally, the tenth step was to set in motion a multi-year plan for the support of the healthy growth of the coconut trees and contrast the infestation with the rhinoceros beetle. We involved in the elaboration of this plan specialists in the matter from other places in the world with which we collaborate and exchange information about the progress, results and new perspectives in supporting the coconut trees to resist the rhinoceros beetle infestation. Here we are applying each tree with fungus which has proven to be noninvasive for bees and other insects.
At Jiwa Damai we take great care of our coconut trees because we realize and respect their importance and contribution to the ecosystem and the lives of other plants, animals and us the humans. Not only they provide us with fresh air and shadow but also stabilize the ground, feed the soil and us with their delicious coconuts. We use also use the coconuts from our tree to make oil, soap and other products that can be purchased by our clients and guests.
The coconut oil has so many healing powers that there is an actual coconut research center documenting them. The smell of the cold pressed coconut oil we produce at Jiwa Damai is filling our kitchen every time we are preparing the food for our guests. We believe that the smell itself is enough to make your day brighter.
It used to be believed that the coconut oil is unhealthy because of its high saturated fat content. However, now it is known that the fat in coconut oil is a unique and different from almost all other fats and possesses many health giving properties.
Here are just a few of the benefits which have been medically proven according to the coconut research center.
Did you know that the name of the coconut comes from “coco” which means monkey face or “grin” and it was how the Spanish explorers first called it? The scientific name for coconut is Cocos nucifera. The coconut is a plant which favorably grows on the shorelines, it prospers on sandy soils. It prefers rainy and sunny weather, it can’t resist low temperatures. For a propitious growth coconuts also require an area of high humidity.
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On many islands coconut is a staple in the diet and provides the majority of the food eaten. Nearly one third of the world's population depends on coconut to some degree for their food and their economy. Among these cultures the coconut has a long and respected history.
Jiwa Damai was awarded the Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence 2015 as a direct result of its consistently great reviews from its guests, being one of the 9% places in Indonesia receiving this award in a highly competitive market.
Jiwa Damai Organic Garden & Retreat is more than a hospitality business. It offers sanctuary in an idyllic, powerful environment, in the heart of Bali where the guests can reconnect to the life-giving qualities of the earth. Travelers can experience tranquility by taking part in yoga classes in the morning and evening meditation.
Jiwa Damai is also a place of personal development and of learning by doing. The garden is opened for the Permaculture Design Courses through the Heart which are organized in October. Through the Lagu Damai Bali Foundation, Jiwa Damai hosts interns who develop personalized projects in various fields under academically qualified supervision.
TripAdvisor used a complex algorithm in order to determine the Certificate of Excellence winners, taking into account the quality, quantity and recency of the reviews offered by the travelers, as well as their rating. The aim of the Certificate of Excellence is to reveal exceptional spots of happiness as recognized by travelers.
One of the basic things we learn in permaculture is to be self-sustainable. Therefore, finding out how to make a compost is a must. This way one can reduce waste and create a nutritional soil for plants.
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The compost is created layering carbon, our dried leaves, nitrogen, green grass and ash and fruit scraps several times. It has to be turned every two days. Take care, it develops a great heat! On the 18th day the compost is done and exudes a pleasant soil like odor, ready to be used.
Compost at Jiwa Damai
Join us on the October 2015, Permaculture Design Course Through the Heart in order to learn by doing!
Nata I Ketut is smiling. He is always smiling but he was smiling even more when we told him about an interview for the Jiwa Damai blog. “We want people to meet you”, we told him! His eyes were big and full of light. “Ya?, he said. But which people?”.“Friends of Jiwa Damai who are reading our newsletter, our blog, our Facebook page”, we replied. He was not really sure why we were asking him all these questions but he wanted to help. The way he always does around Jiwa Damai. Nata received a scholarship from Lagu Damai Bali foundation in order to pursue his interest in studying law at Universitas Warmadewa. He is also coming for two hours a week at Jiwa Damai to learn about permaculture and to help our gardener and volunteers.
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The discussion was a mix of English and Bahasa Indonesia. We started by asking him about his studies.
“I am studying civil law at Universitas Warmadewa in Bali. I started three years ago and I still have three years to go. I am really interested in the land law because I want to help the poor people of the village to organize better the community.
My dream was to study law and Lagu Damai Bali helped me to pursue it. It is a challenge (he really used the Indonesian word tantangan) but I think I can help other people by learning it and this motivates me”.
We also asked him about his work at Jiwa Damai.
“I like the way we are taking care of the plants at Jiwa Damai. I am still learning a lot about permaculture. I like the green of the leaves, the green of the trees, the green of the garden, it makes me happy.
In Bahasa Indonesia we say: “menanam banyak tanaman membuat keindahan didalam diri saya” which means, “creating a green space brings beauty inside my soul”.
At Jiwa Damai we are taking care both of our land, of our garden, of our plants and of our people and we do this whole-heartedly and we get all this love back. Come and feel it for yourself!
This month we are celebrating 13 years of activity through the heart at Lagu Damai Bali Foundation. Have you seen our video?
Some studies conclude even that the Moringa leaves are a potential solution as natural anti cancer nutrient. Further investigation is, however, necessary to confirm for its use in the cases of clinical anticancer activity. Other studies have also showed that the Moringa leave extract have a positive effect on treating human breast cancer.
The Moringa leaf is believed in fact to contain twice the protein of yogurt, four times the calcium of milk, three times the potassium of bananas, four times the vitamin A of carrots, and seven times the vitamin C of oranges.
These nutrients can contribute to improvements in:
Moriinga leaves
The seedpods, flowers, seeds, oil, roots, leaves, and dried leaf powder can be used in different ways for consumption.
Moringa can grow several feet in a short timeframe and this is due mostly to the effects of Zeatin, a plant hormones that induces cell division, growth, and delay aging of cells. Zeatin is also linked to anti-aging or the slowing down of aging processes in the human body therefore being through the consumption of the Moringa a more natural way to support skin health by regenerating new skin cells.
At Jiwa Damaiwe offer the Moringa leaves. Have a look at our products here.
Or read more about the powerful benefits of Moringa here and here.
Much of the Moringa plant is edible by humans or by farm animals. The leaves are rich in protein, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and minerals according to recent studies. A 100-g portion of fresh Moringa leaves has 9.3 g protein, 434 mg calcium, 404 mg potassium, 738 mg vitamin A, and 164 mg vitamin C.
Moringa oleifera has all essential amino acids, beneficial fats and omega oils. Moringa is rich in calcium, iron and many other minerals, as well as a variety of vitamins, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substances in big quantities but very few calories attached to it.
Also, the Moringa extract, thanks to it’s high antioxidant activity can be a potent cancer cell anti-proliferation. This has been shown by recent medical research, indicating the potential medical value of the Moringa in treatments of cancer as chemotherapy and chemoprevention.
At Jiwa Damai we offer the Moringa leaves. Have a look at our products here.
The name Moringa is derived from murungai, the Tamil/ Muringa Malayalam word for drumstick. In Africa is also known as Kpashima or Argentinga, in South America and Caribbean as Liberdad or Mawonga and in Asia as Saisam or Mulungai. Most commonly is known as Moringa Oleifera.
The Moringa tree is native to the tropical and subtropical parts of Africa and Asia and is the sole genus in the flowering plant family Moringaceae.
Adaptation: Moringa grows in tropical and subtropical regions, from cuttings or from seed, the ones coming from the local trees having a better chance of propagating. The Moringa plants can be grown as a monoculture, multi-cropping or as hedgerow in farm. It is suitable for urban garden in warm climates due to having distinctive flower colors, white and yellow. The plant can produce leaves and flowers for consumption in short time, from eight to twelve months. The seeds have no dormancy periods and can be planted as soon as they are mature.
At Jiwa Damai we offer the Moringa leaves. Have a look at our products here.
Jiwa Damai is a hands-on, socially responsible organic garden and retreat center.
We are located amidst lush tropical vegetation in the heart of Bali (20 mins from Ubud).
