7 responses |
peter starts with ... i have some young pawpaws about one metre tall. when i bend over and look up into the underneath of the canopy there are small white blobs on the trunk and leaf stems. they look just like individual sugar grains. if you try to pick them up they just squash and disapear. there is no sign of any bugs apart from the odd ant. about a week ago i brushed them all away but now they have returned. the plants are in a glass house. does anybody know what it might be. | About the Author peter30001 adelaide 9th April 2008 8:32pm #UserID: 593 Posts: 293 View All peter30001's Edible Fruit Trees |
recher says... if it ain't insectoid, then it might well be dried exudant of papain: white blob sounds like papain but rest hmmmm... cut the stem and watch what happens w thee exudant papain is an enzyme used in meat tenderizing. one scientific study confirmed Sri Lankan pharmacopeia. Papain works as a birth control agent by dissolving the protein the fertilized egg uses to attach itself to the uterine wall. Dissolve this attachment and away baby goes. Of course this research was never followed up underscoring the current problem with research financing. Since the companies have morning after chemicals that make them profit there is no point developing a better one that generates no profits as one could not patent papain. | About the Author recher1 12th April 2008 4:42pm #UserID: 11 Posts: 26 View All recher1's Edible Fruit Trees |
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peter says... recher thanks for your resonse. these little blobs definately arent being extruded from the plant, if careful you can move them around on the surface of the plant. the plant and the surface that these blobs are sitting are very healthy. also they are not insects. the few i have managed to gather on my finger taste a little bit sweet. | About the Author peter30001 adelaide 12th April 2008 5:27pm #UserID: 593 Posts: 293 View All peter30001's Edible Fruit Trees |
| About the Author recher1 13th April 2008 12:02pm #UserID: 11 Posts: 26 View All recher1's Edible Fruit Trees |
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| About the Author peter30001 adelaide 13th April 2008 4:27pm #UserID: 593 Posts: 293 View All peter30001's Edible Fruit Trees |
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| About the Author peter30001 adelaide 13th April 2008 4:32pm #UserID: 593 Posts: 293 View All peter30001's Edible Fruit Trees |
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| About the Author Scott G The Gold Coast 14th April 2008 7:40pm #UserID: 44 Posts: 117 View All Scott G's Edible Fruit Trees |
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Anonymous says... hi scott, i know what you mean but these plants do not show any signs of bug sucking what so ever. they are looking and growing really, really well. also these 100s of blobs are only lightly sitting on the surface and can be brushed or blown off. if they were being secreted i would think they would stick to the surface. they look like and are the size of small sugar grains. i have noticed that they consist of a really thin outside skin with moisture inside, hence very difficult to pick up. as i have said if you brush them all away they would be back in about a week although curiouly enough they dont seem to multiply noticably if left on. i have plants inside and outside and all of them have them, exceot the out side ones dont have anywhere near as many. will hopefully have some photos up soon. | About the Author 15th April 2008 4:40pm #UserID: 0 Posts: View All 's Edible Fruit Trees |