Natural Fertilizer! Moringa-Fed Golden Kuhol To Boost Organic Farming

The hated snail, Golden Kuhol which destroys rice farms, fed with Malunggay or Moringa could produce natural nitrates needed in Organic Farming.

Filipino-American farmer Rocky French, who operates a Tilapia farm in the middle of the desert in Coachella Valley, Southern California, has succeeded in producing huge volumes of concentrated liquid nitrates by feeding the snails with Malunggay.

On Oct. 17, I visited French, originally from Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat, en route to Texas to attend a Sorghum Harvest Festival in Hereford Oct. 20.

When I was Agriculture Secretary, French and his crew helped me build the Solar-Powered Irrigation Prototype which was inaugurated by President Rody Duterte in March 2017.

He also trained Fisheries officers and technicians in the breeding of Tilapia and hatchery operations.

French said his experiment in producing natural nitrates by feeding the Golden Kuhol with Malunggay leaves and twigs started a few years ago because of his desire to produce organic and healthy vegetables for his family.

Fed with amino acid-rich Malunggay, the Golden Kuhol releases wastes in the water in the tub which, after laboratory analysis, in turn produced Nitrates, French said.

Nitrates is one of the nutrients needed by plants in their early growing stages.

It is the “N” in the N-P-K which in chemical fertilizer is Urea.

The two other elements are Phosporous and Potassium.

Most organic fertilizers contain low amount of Nitrates critical to plant growth and vigor before flowering.

French said he drains the tub with Nitrates-filled water and transfers this to a tank.

The Nitrates are so concentrated that French had to dilute it five times by mixing it with fresh water.

French said the diluted Nitrates could be mixed with water for plant watering or sprayed on plants.

Plants and vegetables which French has in his farm had been given the diluted Nitrates and were growing more vigorously.

French’s discovery on how to produce Nitrates naturally in huge volumes could help boost Organic farming.

In the Philippines, this innovation could be easily replicated because of the abundance of Golden Kuhol and Malunggay.

#FarmIsBestClassroom!

#WisfomOfFarmers!

(I first posted this article on Oct. 17 but the video quality was very poor. This new video was taken by Ariane Laus using a Go Pro Max.)