This is the time to bag our
Jackfruit.
When they are small we will hide them in big bags, and they will actually grow to the size of the bags. This is done in order to avoid insects from hosting inside. The next photo shows the grown jackfruit. When green we use it as a vegetable, when ripe, it is juicy insides and can be dried and also eaten as a fruit.
jiwa damai fruits
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At Jiwa Damai we offer different products. You can see more
Final fire ceremony of our participants of the 24th days sadhana yoga teacher training in the gardens at the fireplace at JiwaDamai. On this occasion the Certificats were adhered out as well as celebrating, chanting and dancing took place.
Yoga training at Jiwa Damai
We loved to have you here. For more information on further courses go on the website of Jiwa Damai, here.
The 24 day yoga teacher training has come to its final day. The lovely participants expressed their gratitude by making a gift basket for the Jiwa Damai Team which took care of them and tried to make Jiwa Damai the home away from home during the 24 days.
Our team will share the gifts equally, for kitchen and garden since each was involved hosting and providing for the really great group and their teachers.
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Find out more about our workshops at Jiwa Damai here.
The last two days of the
Sadhana Yoga
teaching training. Quite a few tears flowed, leaving this intense time behind and moving into their respective worlds again. Blacky, our
Jiwa
Damai
balinese dog has to be in the picture as well.
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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.
coconut lemon energy snack
This month we are bringing you a delicious and healthy recipe which contains both coconut and lemon, two ingredients which we love.
1 lemon, zest
2 lemons, juice
¼ c. chia seeds
1 ½ c. raw almonds
8 dates, pitted & chopped
½ c. unsweetened shredded coconut (plus for more garnish, if desired)
¼ t. sea salt
3 T. virgin coconut oil
Directions:
Zest 1 lemon and set it aside. Juice 2 lemons into a small bowl. Add the chia and mix well.
Combine almonds and dates in the bowl of a large food processor. Process until finely ground, about 60 seconds. Add shredded coconut, sea salt, coconut oil, reserved zest, and chia/lemon juice mixture. Process until the mixture is lumpy and moist, about 60 seconds. Read more below.
We found this receipe here, along many other delicious recipes here.
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.
Last night prior to the departure of our lovely French - Swiss group celebrating in the Indus restaurant and dancing Salsa. The group spent 10 days at JiwaDamai, morning sessions with the organizer Karene and afternoons with Margret for introduction to permaculture and much hands on work.
Guests at Jiwa Damai
Guests at Jiwa Damai
Guests at Jiwa Damai
Join us in October for a complete Permaculture Design Course Through the Heart!
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).
