GrayRiver Farms

Expert and experienced gardener available for either part time or full time employment. Victorino Santos lives in Palmira Arriba and can easily work in that area as well as the Volcancito area. He will go further if you can help with transportation costs. Very honest. References on request. Please call or WhatsApp, Eric Nuñez, fluent in Spanish and English. 6131 8158 Jardinero experto y experimentado disponible para cualquiera empleo a tiempo parcial o completo. Victorino Santos vive en Palmira Arriba y también puede trabajar fácilmente en esa área como la zona del Volcancito. Él irá más lejos si puedes ayudar con costos de transporte. Muy honesto. Referencias a pedido. Por favor llame o WhatsApp, Eric Nuñez, con fluidez en español e inglés. 6131 8158

GrayRiver imported the Haas Avocados from Costa Rica. We did not graft them.

Avocado Trees Any time one chooses to grow a plant outside it's native zone, one takes a chance. If you prefer production over a particular flavor, then stick to whatever variety is commonly grown in the climate you live in. The Hass avocado was born in California along the coast, so that is the best climate for the tree. Panama's rainy season can be a problem! When you dig the hole for the tree, make it double wide and when you replace the soil around the tree, make sure that it is at least 1/3rd sand. Remember that the california soil is volcanic and sandy. While avocados like sufficient water, they need very good drainage. Planting on a slight slope is probably a good idea. The article below takes up the topic well. or How to Care for Hass Avocado Trees By Dale Devries; Updated September 21, 2017 There are over 500 varieties of avocados grown and the Hass is the most common now in the United States.. They have a dark green, almost black skin when ripe that is easily peeled to reveal the smooth green fruit. Care for these trees is minimal and the trees start bearing fruit as early as their second year. The root systems are quite extensive and will kill other plants within 20 feet of the tree. Water the tree, soaking the soil, and wait until the top of the soil is dry before watering again. The frequency will depend on the weather. Hot dry air may cause you to water every day, while you may not need to water at all during a rainy season. Place a top dressing of compost on the soil over the roots in the spring and summer of the first year. This will create a better draining soil plus place nutrients into the soil while the tree is too young for fertilizer. Apply a 2-inch deep layer of mulch over the soil in a 2-foot diameter around the trunk of the tree in the spring. Keep the mulch at least 6 inches away from the trunk itself. The mulch will not only help to retain moisture but will also keep the area weed and grass free. Begin to fertilize the tree in the second spring. Use a balanced fruit-tree fertilizer and apply in spring, early summer, late summer and late winter. Spray the tree with a chelated foliar spray of trace elements containing iron if the tree has yellow leaves. This is an iron deficiency that is common among avocado trees and is easily corrected. (Roher, up the street from Romero's, has some excellent foliar sprays.) Please always feel free to ask questions. I want your tree to produce! grayriverfarms@yahoo.com

Please share any contact information for a house painter that you might have. wog707@msn.com Thank you so much.

Why can there not be privileges for some over others? If there are no persons with special skills which are needed, then those persons with such skills would be preferred immigrants. If the country of Panamà does not want to accept Venezuelans on a humanitarian basis, then that is their political decision. Perhaps they think that a retiree who border hops does so because they lack funds to get a jubilado or E-Cedula. There have been several Americans who have come with minimal income ( in the past $500 per month was the minimum.) Then they get sick and depend on the government to absorb their medical bills. I am not sure what the minimum is now, but people with small pensions cannot spend too much and thus may not be considered an economic plus. One would think that a retiree who employs native workers would be desirable. If one cannot stay in the country and owns property, then at some point, the government might get the property. Money always talks, but in what language? Perhaps the politicos just woke up angry one day. Or perhaps the CIA is being intrusive and the problem is displaced anger. I do regret that some people get caught in the cracks. Perhaps things will relax again soon. Governments can be arbitrary and illogical!

KUMQUAT Trees A kumquat looks like a miniture orange and is eaten whole as one might eat a grape. The tree is small and grows well in a pot or in the ground. Kumquat has calorific value equivalent to that of grapes. 100 g of fresh fruits provide only 71 calories. Nonetheless, they are one of the incredible sources of health-benefiting phyto-nutrients such as dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins, and pigment anti-oxidants that contribute immensely to overall wellness. Its peel is rich in many essential oils, anti-oxidants, and fiber. 100 g whole kumquats provide 6.7 g or 17% of daily-recommended levels of fiber that is composed of tannins, pectin, hemi-cellulose, and other non-starch polysaccharides. Fresh kumquats are packed with numerous health benefiting poly-phenolic flavonoid anti-oxidants such as carotenes, lutein, zea-xanthin, tannins...etc. Kumquat peel composes many important essential oils, including limonene, pinene, a-bergamotene, caryophyllene, a-humulene, and a-muurolene. Together, these compounds impart special citrus aroma to the fruit. Our kumquats have been grafted onto a hardy root stock and are already bearing fruit! grayriverfarms@yahoo.com 6949 1555

Growing Pomegranates in Panama Some considerations regarding growing anything in Panama would be chill hours, length of day, soil Ph, and rainfall. Dan McLean, University of Georgia, states, “The majority of pomegranate varieties do not require winter chill hours, with the exception of a few cold- hardy cultivars. “ They require at least 6 hours of full sun each day and prefer a slightly alkaline, well drained soil. These delicious fruits probably originated in Iran, and grow well in a Mediterranean climate. So to grow them here, one would need to add some calcium to the soil and probably add some sand to good black soil to ensure good drainage. There are two reports of people in the Boquete area who are growing at least one plant each and the trees are fruiting. Pomegranates have especially good health benefits including protection against cancer, heart disease and diabetes. They contain punicalagins, found in the fruit skin, and punicic acid, found in the arials. These are the unique substances that are responsible for most of their health benefits. It takes from one to three years to get fruit. GrayRiver Farms is giving growing them a try. So, if you have questions about our progress, email us and we will share our progress. Grayriverfarms @yahoo.com

GrayRiver Farms Plant Sale Sunday, June 5, 2016 at Chiriqui Storage Flea Market 1.5km passed the Dolega Y toward Boquete. 10:00am until 12:30 pm Again this month, we will have Agapanthus in blue and white! If you have ant problems, our GR Greenacide is a really effective solution. There was a huge anthill beside Plamira Road where the ants were eating into the asphalt. One application of Greenacide killed them all! New this month is Caril, which makes a delicious drink! $5 each. Pomgranate Bushes (not dwarf) $20 each. Caladiams in green, white/green. $7 each. Please see the complete plant list attached GR plant sale June 5 2016.xlsx

Don't worry, Mark. Any time you might like to try our Greeacide, just let me know. We had ants eating our Gardenias and I thought my gardener had taken a weedeater to them. They were cut in straight lines. He told me that the ants were coming from a neighbors property so I sent him up there to kill them. So far our gardenias are doing a lot better. That was at least 6 months ago.

Well, at least they are gone. We saw a lot of dead ones. Somehow I don't think ants are immortal.

Please see below, the giant anthill on Palmira Abajo Road, where we put GR Greenacide in one application into this front hole. There were thousands of teeming ants there about a month ago. Please note that there is not one visible ant there today. The hill was much taller before the 5 inches of rain we have received this week. GR Greenacide is a blend of garlic and forest leaves-no chemicals!

GrayRiver Farms Plant Sale Sunday, May 1, 2016 at Chiriqui Storage Flea Market 1.5km passed the Dolega Y toward Boquete. 10:00am until 12:30 pm This month, we will have Agapanthus in blue and white! Also, if you have ant problems, our GR Greenacide is a really effective solution. There was a huge anthill beside Plamira Road where the ants were eating into the asphalt. One application of Greenacide killed them all! Please pre-order to ensure we have your plants. GRAYRIVER PLANTS FOR May 1 2016 grayriverfarms@yahoo.com 6949 1555 Trees JOY PERFUME TREE (Rare) $100 Perennials Moringa Trees $6 Cannas dwarf, white, red, , coral , each stem $2 Ylang ylang Trees $12 Cannas tall, orange, yellow each stem = $2 Dwarf Eureka Lemon Trees $40 Agapanthas white, blue $6 Eureka Lemon Trees (grafted) $25 Shrimp plant red $4 Persian Limes (grafted) $20 Annuals Meyer Lemons $20 Dwarf licorce (Helichrysum silver falls) $6 Calamondin Orange varigated leaves $25 Dill large plants $4 Washington Orange (navel) $10 Rosemary large plants $4 Cinnamon trees ( 4ft. Tall) $10 Sage large plants $4 Royal Palms $25 Basil $4 Closed Fan Palms (Lacuala grandis) $30 Oregano $4 Bismarck Palms $80 Solutions Phoenix Palms $25 Greenacide $10/liter Foxtail Palms $40 GR-Effective Microbes $ 10/liter Plumeria white large, fragrant $20 GR- Garlic Ginger Tonic $ 10/500ml African Tulip Trees 5 ft. tall $10 Ground covers Crape Myrtle Tree pink 4 ft. tall $10 Dichondra silver falls $3 Bauhinia varigata purple (orchid tree) $15 Purslane white ,yellow/pink $3 Bushes Moss Rose orange, white $3 Jasminum officinale (fragrant) $6 Japanese Mock Orange (fragrant) $15 Jasmine vines (fragrant) $6 Mirto ( similar to privet, but fragrant) $6

GrayRiver Farms will be at the Chiriqui Storage Flea Market this next Sunday, April 3rd, from 10:00am until 12:30pm. Go 1.5km passed the Dolega Y. It is on the right side of the road. After the recent winds, you might be interested in a windbreak. We have Mirto, a small-leafed fragrant shrub, that can grow to 12ft tall. When planted sufficiently apart so that the wind can flow through a row of it, the force of the breezes are diminished. GrayRiver Farms also has fermented a garlic/ginger solution that boots the immune system of your plants. Did you know that plants do have immune systems? There are two strategies: one that walls off the infected site and the other is a molecular response that causes the plant to resist the spread of a pathogen. As in the animal kingdom, pathogens then try to overcome these defenses with various strategies; thus, the plants under environmental stress sometimes need help. Our solution is our GR garlic and ginger tonic. Please do pre-order so that we can ensure that we get your order on our truck. grayriverfarms@yahoo.com 6949 1555 GRAYRIVER PLANTS FOR APRIL 2016 grayriverfarms@yahoo.com Trees JOY PERFUME TREE (Rare) $100 Moringa Trees $6 Ylang ylang Trees $12 Dwarf Eureka Lemon Trees with fruit $40 Eureka Lemon Trees (grafted) with fruit $25 Persian Limes (grafted) $20 Meyer Lemons $20 Calamondin Orange Trees varigated leaves $30 Cinnamon trees ( 4ft. Tall) $10 Royal Palms $25 Closed Fan Palms (Lacuala grandis) $30 Bismarck Palms $80 Phoenix Palms $25 Foxtail Palms $40 Sealing Wax Palm "Lipstick Palm" $30 African Tulip Trees 5 ft. tall $10 Crape Myrtle Tree pink 4 ft. tall $10 Bauhinia varigata purple (orchid tree) $15 Bushes Jasminum officinale (fragrant) $6 Japanese Mock Orange (fragrant) $15 Jasmine vines (fragrant) $6 Mirto ( similar to privet, but fragrant) $6 Ground covers Dichondra silver falls $3 Purslane white morning star $3 Annuals Dwarf licorce (Helichrysum silver falls) $6 Dill large plants $4 Rosemary large plants $4 Sage large plants $4 Solutions Greenacide $10/liter GR-Effective Microbes $ 10/liter GR- Garlic Ginger Tonic $ 10/500ml Thank you for your business!

A few years ago, I had a computer technician who has an office in central David, tell me that a computer that I owned could not be repaired. Julio Garcia repaired it with no new parts needed. Later a Boquete "computer expert" told me that my Apple computer was ruined, after he said he "washed" it, and charged me for a new keyboard, which he did not install. (Nor did he "wash" my computer. ) Julio Garcia did clean that computer and replace the keyboard, and I am still using that Apple today. In fact, I thought it might be time to buy a more recent one, but after going to both MultiMax and the Apple store, he concluded that the new computers are no better than my old one, which is early 2011. Therefore, I will continue to use my 5 year old Apple. He lives in David, but can come to your home in the highlands. Julio is very reasonable in his charges and does speak English. I urge you to give him a try. Julio Garcia Flores email: ju_ce_ga@hotmail.com Cell: 6609 2455