GrayRiver Farms

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

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 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

Thank you for your business!

What Does Potassium Do?

Recently a customer asked me what does potassium do for my plants?  In the rush of the moment, I failed to answer his question adequately, so I am going to try to do better now.

Actually, Potassium, the K listed as the third macro-nutrient on a fertilizer container, never enters the the plant structure.  It works as a catalyst, but is crucial to the survival of the plant because it activates about 60 different enzyme processes.  It changes the physical shape of some molecules so that the appropriate chemical sites are available for reaction.  It also neutralizes some compounds within a plant to stabilize pH.  Some chemical reactions are controlled by the amount of potassium within the cell and the rate that K enters a cell.  It contributes to the exchange of gases, carbon dioxide and oxygen, and water between the air and plant.  It helps in water intake by the roots and water conservation by the leaves.  And it can even change the direction of leaves so that they are better exposed to the sun!

Potassium is an essential catalyst in photosynthesis and the production and transport of sugars, especially ATP, the first energy product of the plant.  It also is important in the transport of water, nitrates, phosphates, calcium, magnesium,  amino acids, and growth hormones.  It is required for the transcription of DNA to produce proteins for photosynthesis and for the synthesis and movement of vital starches to storage organs.

Silica, which is accumulated in larger quantities when potassium is adequate, results in stronger, thicker cell walls creating a barrier to pathogens and thus a reduction in disease. 

Potassium deficiency makes leaves take a blue hue or yellowing between leaf veins and/or scorching of the outside of the leaves that may lead one to think that the plant needs more water. 

Prevention and cure is effected by simply adding this essential potassium or potash (K₂CO₃) to the soil.  Potash is easily obtained from wood ash which should be used in very small amounts or first composted.  In Panama, another good source is decayed banana peels, comfrey, or other organic fertilizers.  This writer will not recommend inorganic potassium sources.

Please do ask questions if there are points that are unclear.  In the meantime, I wish you Happy Growing.

GrayRiver Farms would like a working dog for our farm.  We have a great sheltered place for living and we will provide medical care, bought dog food, as well as farm-produced cooked meat, for food.  The dog will receive affection from the staff, but it needs to work.  Work means it has to bark when intruders come near.  We will take a puppy or a young dog.  We prefer a Beagle or similar hound breed, it can be a mixture.  If you have such a dog, please call Eric Nunez, 6949 1555.

GrayRiver Farms Plant Sale on Feb 7th will be at Chiriqui Storage Flea Market Sale, 1.5km passed the Dolega Y going from Dolega to Boquete, from 10:00am until 12:30pm.

We have sweet potatoes!  $2/lb.

This month we have our own totally natural insecticide (Greenacide) made from forest toxic plants.  One liter bottle can be diluted with 3 liters water to make a generous gallon to either use as a foliar spray or soil drench.  It is effective against all ants and most other insects. $10.

Get your plants off to a good start with these:
Our 10 Kilogram bag of biochar infused with our own effective micro-organism solution is $10.
Five liters of GR effective micro-organism solution is $15 each.

PLEASE PRE-ORDER if possible:  grayriverfarms@yahoo.com   
Trees                                         price
JOY PERFUME TREE (Rare)    $100
Hass Avocado Trees (grafted)    $16
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
Ruby Red Grapefruit    $10
Calamondin Orange Trees varigated leaves    $30
Kumquat Trees (grafted)    $20
Cinnamon trees ( 4ft. Tall)    $10
Closed Fan Palms    $30
Open Fan Palms    $25
Phoenix Palms    $25
Foxtail Palms    $40
Sealing Wax Palm    $30
African Tulip Trees  5 ft. tall    $10
Crape Myrtle Tree pink 4 ft. tall    $10
Bauhinia varigata  purple    $15
_Bushes   
Jasminum officinale    $6
Japanese Mock Orange (fragrant)    $15
Jasmine vines    $6
Perennials   
Canna dwarf red, bronze-leaf red, white,pink ,             each stem $2
Canna tall orange, each stem is    $2
Ground covers   
Dichondra silver falls    $4
English Ivy    $4
Annuals   
Dwarf licorce (Helichrysum silver falls)    $3
 Dill large plants    $4
Rosemary large plants    $4
Sage large plants    $4

Below are the instructions that my lawyer provided for me and which worked perfectly.

EL RETIRO FUNERAL ASSOCIATION
What to do in case of death.
1. To call the doctor, who moves to the place, to do the clinical report of the death
2. If it occurs during office hours from (8:00 to 12:00 or 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm)   call the number 774-7165 so the personnel of the association will come up to the house and pick the corpse up and go to the Funeral Association Place.  
3. If it happens out of the office schedule. Call any of these numbers:
• 6510-1823   Mrs. Elma
• 772-3715 or 6696-0314   Mr. Daniel
• 6226-5035   Mrs. Marisol.
• These people will show up in order to pick the corpse up.
4. The funeral association will be responsible for transporting the corpse to Panama for the cremation.   Important to have:
• Copy of the personal I.D (cedula) or passport of the deceased person.
• Copy of the personal I.D or passport of the person who allows the cremation.
5. The corpse will be taken to Panama City on a metal tray in the funeral vehicle.
 If you want you can rent a coffin so that the corpse does not go on a metal tray. (The rent of a coffin would cost 150 dollars).  This is up to you.
6. If you do not want to move the corpse to Panama the same day because you want to wait for something in particular you have to pay 45 dollars per day for the use of the morgue.
7. The cost of transporting the corpse from Palmira to Panama City and cremation is of 1583 dollars.
TRANSPORTATION OF THE ASHES.
In COPA Airlines and if someone takes the ashes.
• No cost and can be carried as hand luggage or in the hold of the aircraft.
• The urn must allow seeing the content.
• It must be made of wood or plastic. (due to the x rays)
• It must be packed with something to cushion the blows.

Below are the instructions that my lawyer provided for me and which worked perfectly.

EL RETIRO FUNERAL ASSOCIATION 
What to do in case of death.
1.	To call the doctor, who moves to the place, to do the clinical report of the death
2.	If it occurs during office hours from (8:00 to 12:00 or 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm)   call the number 774-7165 so the personnel of the association will come up to the house and pick the corpse up and go to the Funeral Association Place.   
3.	If it happens out of the office schedule. Call any of these numbers:
•	6510-1823   Mrs. Elma
•	772-3715 or 6696-0314   Mr. Daniel
•	6226-5035   Mrs. Marisol.
•	These people will show up in order to pick the corpse up. 
4.	The funeral association will be responsible for transporting the corpse to Panama for the cremation.   Important to have:
•	Copy of the personal I.D (cedula) or passport of the deceased person.
•	Copy of the personal I.D or passport of the person who allows the cremation.
5.	The corpse will be taken to Panama City on a metal tray in the funeral vehicle.
	If you want you can rent a coffin so that the corpse does not go on a metal tray. (The rent of a coffin would cost 150 dollars).  This is up to you.
6.	If you do not want to move the corpse to Panama the same day because you want to wait for something in particular you have to pay 45 dollars per day for the use of the morgue.
7.	The cost of transporting the corpse from Palmira to Panama City and cremation is of 1583 dollars.
TRANSPORTATION OF THE ASHES.
In COPA Airlines and if someone takes the ashes.
•	No cost and can be carried as hand luggage or in the hold of the aircraft.
•	The urn must allow seeing the content.
•	It must be made of wood or plastic. (due to the x rays)
•	It must be packed with something to cushion the blows.

Lt. Eric Nunez is still in Internal Affairs and will receive any report of police corruption.  6520 7083 Cell

HEALTH WATCH: Sweet potato, best nutrient bang for a buck

Posted on November 20, 2015 in Nutrition

By Michael Greger MD Sweet potatoes can be considered a superfood. They are one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet. (And one day, perhaps, even off the planet, as NASA has chosen the sweet potato for space missions.)

A study out of the University of Washington aimed to identify which vegetables provided the most nutrients per dollar. The healthiest foods, like dark green leafy vegetables, may also be the cheapest, and the highest nutrient-rich food scores per dollar were obtained for sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes are not just packed with nutrition but may also have special cancer-fighting properties. In 1931, a unique protein was discovered in sweet potatoes. It turns out that 80% of the protein in sweet potatoes is a type of protease inhibitor with potential anticancer effects. These proteins were originally tested against leukemia and appeared to suppress the growth of leukemia cells in a petri dish.

But how would a sweet potato protein ever get into our bloodstream? As soon as most proteins hit our stomach, they start getting digested. To get around the digestion issue, researchers tried sweet potato protein against tongue cancer cells (sweet potato proteins certainly come in contact with our mouth!). Tongue cancer is often treated with chemotherapy, and most of the chemo drugs for tongue cancer have adverse effects; so, it is indispensable for us to find other therapeutic strategies. Sweet potato protein rapidly diminished viability of the cancer in vitro within a matter of days, leading the researchers to propose that sweet potatoes may be useful for human tongue cancer. But could they possibly help with other cancers as well?

Remarkably, this special class of proteins doesn’t just survive digestion, but may also be absorbed into the bloodstream intact (in at least two of the nine women with advanced cervical cancer researchers tried giving them to).

Most recently, sweet potato proteins were tried on colorectal cancer cells, one of our most common and deadly cancers. Normally, we just surgically remove the colon, but that only works in the early stages since there are often “micrometastases” outside the colon that can subsequently lead to cancer recurrence and death; so, we’ve been searching for anti-metastatic agents. Not only does sweet potato protein slow down the growth of colon cancer cells, but it may also decrease cancer cell migration and invasion.

Sweet potato consumption has also been associated with lower gallbladder cancer rates, but it has never been directly put to the test, but what’s the downside?

GrayRiver Farms has sweet potatoes!

One of the most salient problems with driving in Panama is that the driving education is poor.  I know one person who received their license this year by paying a fee instead of taking the driver's test.  I have another friend who has had a license for 20 years and does not know how to drive!  She just renews and never drives.  

A solution might be to give tickets and then excuse the ticket if a driving course is completed.  At least then, perhaps more drivers would know the rules.

I think taxi drivers should have to take an annual test. 

How many drivers do you see signaling for a lane change?  Or signaling at all?  It is difficult to avoid an accident if you have no idea what the other driver is going to do.

I am sure that there would be many who would really appreciate the mayor and other government people if they would even them up.  The situation is not people friendly at all, especially for older people.

GrayRiver Farms Plant Sale on Saturday, November 21st at Chiriqui Storage Flea Market.  North from Dolega Y, 1.5km From 10:00am until 12:30pm

Specials:  Sweet potatoes $2 per pound.    Free range organic hens 6.5-7 pounds at $2.50 per pound by pre-order.                                                                                                             We also have Mirto, a wonderful privacy hedge with intoxicatingly fragrant small white flowers, can be trimmed low or will grow to ten feet.  $3.00 each                                                                    See photo below:                                                                  Email:   grayriverfarms@yahoo.com

Plant List: Trees: