Gardening Michael Jordan – Page 5 – Contains about gardening Information

22
Dec
2018

Something Fungal This Way Comes…

The gardening headlines this week have been plastered with the threat of two new diseases that could potentially devastate Europes indigenous tree population.

In southern France, along the famous Canal du Midi, a plan has been in motion since last winter that will see the felling and destruction of 42,000 plane trees in the region. This is due to the arrival of Ceratocystis platani, a disease that, since the 1970s, has been blitzing across Europe, originating in Italy. It is believed the blight, endemic to North America, was brought across the ocean by U.S. soldiers in World War Two. While the Midi, perhaps due to its recently endowed world heritage title, is certainly the most noticeable among the losses, the disease has also become prevalent in Switzerland, Germany and Greece, where it now threatens a vast percentage of the original Plane population.
The Canal, a world renowned tourist attraction, was originally designed as an economic conduit that allowed the merchants of old to bypass the treacherous Atlantic Ocean en route to the Mediterranean Sea. However, in a somewhat ironic twist, the original species of Mississippi Plane that have successfully adapted to this affliction are being imported in great numbers in order to replace one of the Canals main attractions. Unfortunately, while Toulouse can cater to their favoured humid environment, it is unclear whether this species will be viable to supplement the depletion that chillier areas of the continent have suffered.
The threat does not stop in Toulouse however – given the virility of the affliction, tree pathologist Steve Woodward (University of Aberdeen) agrees that it poses a grave threat to the urban based Planes of cities like Paris and London. It is the Plane that so commonly and attractively lines our city streets.
“We are talking about a massive disaster here if it continues to spread,” he says.
The disease is a fungal infection that, once exposed to the roots of the organism, will completely overrun it within 3-5 years and due to the damage this causes to the plants integrity, it is imperative that it be removed, lest it should fall and endanger passers-by in doing so. The disease is characterized by cankerous sores appearing on the inner bark of the tree, as well as an accelerated decline in both the quality and density of the plants foliage. No wound to the outer bark is too great or small to escape it and contact equals instant infection.

In addition to this threat from abroad, a new menace has been identified in rural Devon as a potential watershed moment for the diminishment of our domestic Yews and Lawson Cypresses in the form of Phytophtora lateralis. Identifiable by the patchy colouring of its trunk, a tree will also often exhibit slightly lighter foliage in places followed by out of season autumn colours. The tree will succumb soon after, as this foliage deterioration signals that the tree has become totally infected. While certain soil drenches can be utilized in the earlier stages of the disease, these will likely prove ineffective once it has advanced past the root structure; aside from which, use of these drenches on a mass scale would likely cause further environmental concerns and prove something of a pyrrhic victory.

Due to this increasing encroachment of pests and diseases, a body has been established to specifically target incoming detriments to our native plant life. This group, known as the Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Action Plan, has been allocated seven million pounds with which, over the next three years, they will attempt to exert a tighter control on the intrusion of foreign fungi and pathogens that threaten the endemic population.
“If we don’t act now, we could end up with a similar situation to the 1970s when more than 30 million trees in the UK died [as a result of] Dutch elm disease.”
-Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman.
The key responsibilities of the plan will include the monitoring of exotic plants allowed to cross British borders, as well as increasing the knowledge and awareness of currently existing domestic threats.

19
Dec
2018

Principles Of Courtyard Garden Design

categories: Gardening

Courtyard garden design comes with an early back ground extending somewhere throughout the days of the Roman Empire on to past civilizations in the north part of Africa as well as other ancient civilizations. With all of that historical past, it might seem that new ideas just for courtyard design could well be difficult to find. Not really so. The very wonder of garden design or landscaping ideas is definitely the almost endless number of ways that you are able to express your ideas through it.

A particular plus most typically associated with a lot of courtyards is their feeling of intimacy. The area – generally not even a particularly big one – is often outlined with solid borders, quite often by using walls. This clearly defined extent of your courtyard plus the uncompromising character of its boundaries present opportunities youre able to turn to advantage.

A way to get started on courtyard design would be to take into consideration aspect. From where exactly is your courtyard area viewed, and also, what can be viewed from it? If the courtyard is not just looked at from your home, but as well as on to from an upper level, more design possibilities might be created. Are the courtyard design ideas a natural part of how your house will be accessed or could it be a private family region to the side or maybe back of the home? Can it get any decent sunshine, or will it be somewhat more shaded? It may possibly even happen to be that your courtyard garden may have one or two different element to consider — maybe that it is actually some sort of atrium, an outdoors location surrounded on all sides from the home; or maybe it can be a rooftop area over a town property, with still larger buildings close to it.

Yet another way of thinking up designing options with the family as well as your landscaping contractor could be to give some thought to how your courtyard garden shall be used. Concerns here are further having to do with, partly, to all of the issues we posed in the last paragraph. Is this courtyard design chiefly a entry, a leisure spot, or can it fulfill some other type of function? Will it need to be childproof? Does it need to cater for individuals with the kind of disabilities such as impaired eye-sight or limited mobility? Does your house have a pet that will also be taking advantage of this enclosed, private area?

It may be fruitful to look indepth at all the present materials inside of or affecting a courtyard. Are there present doorways or windows to take into consideration? Do services including pipes or wires conduct underneath the courtyard area? Do you have trees or plants you might be wanting to keep? In addition, it is a good idea to consider the foreseeable future to ensure that any management of the courtyard is not going to negatively impact any designs for foreseeable growth.

When these issues are looked over and solutions for the numerous issues have been reached, it is time to get started on planning. There are some limitations you must work with: the most crucial worth mentioning are actually weather, aspect together with size. Having a shaded courtyard in Oregon create way different decisions from the ones made for a sun soaked courtyard garden in a place like California. And possibilities suited to a good-sized courtyard in a rustic ranch setting probably won’t work in the dimensions of something like a six by eight courtyard in a big metropolis.

As soon as you realize the constraints, there are several general things that all courtyard plans work with: entrance and departure areas, horizontal areas, vertical areas as well as focals. The individual procedures may fluctuate according to the restrictions already mentioned, and personal preference and spending budget. Subject to where you are located, the amount you want to invest and just how you intend to utilize your courtyard garden, it is possible to create a useful and great looking spot designed to add appeal to your life-style as well as add more value to your property

16
Dec
2018

Hydroponic Gardening -the Pros And The Cons

categories: Gardening

When it comes to some of the problems we are facing in the world with regards to food production, hydroponic gardening offers some promising solutions. In the poorer countries where the terrain or climate is inhospitable to agriculture, hydroponics offers a means of growing healthy foods easily. Also, in those areas where the soil has lost its nutrients or fertile land is hard to come by, hydroponics can produce healthy foods using minimum space and resources.

As with all things though, it is not all good news. There are many pros and cons any grower should weigh before deciding to commit to hydroponic gardening.

First, the pros. In comparison to traditional farming, hydroponic growing can be more productive in two ways. For one, hydroponic gardening saves space. Plants can be placed much more closely together than in traditional fields because of the way nutrients are provided to them. As many as four times as many plants can be grown in same amount of space using hydroponic techniques! Secondly, hydroponics minimizes many of the problems associated with traditional farming which means less sickly, damaged, or wasted crops.

Because hydroponic growers customize their own nutrients mixes, it takes the guess work out of figuring out which field has the best soil and proper nutrition for which crop. The nutrient mix is the right one for the particular plant, in the right ratios, every time. Also, soil based diseases are virtually eliminated because there is no soil. These two factors alone make hydroponics an extremely efficient method for producing food.

Benefits accrue to the environment as well. The water consumption in hydroponic growing is significantly less than traditional methods. In many cases, hydroponic crops use just one tenth of the water! Also, the water that is used is used more effectively. For example weeds cannot come in and steal part of the crop’s water supply. And because the crops are in a controlled environment and not in a field, there is no pesticide run-off water to contaminate the surrounding ground.

The benefits are not without their costs however. The expense of hydroponic growing is an area where improvements need to be made. The nutrient mixtures and growing mediums used can be expensive.

Hydroponic growing also requires an increase in energy consumption. Much hydroponic growing happens in greenhouses, where significant amounts of electricity are used in order to give the hydroponic plants all the light they need.

While research is happening to try and bring the costs down (such as in the field of aquaponics), hydroponics can be financially prohibitive for those areas where it is most needed.

Research in the field of hydroponics is filled with promise and much research needs to be done. Many of the problems are being addressed however, and many farmers and amateur gardeners are eagerly awaiting new developments in this promising field.

11
Dec
2018

Shemya, The Black Pearl Of Th North Pacific

categories: Gardening

Shemya Island, is also referred to as the Black Pearl of the North Pacific Ocean, because of it’s black sandy beaches. This is a result of millions of years of volcanic activity. Shemya is located at the far western edge of the aleutian chain of islands and is part of what is known as the ring of fire. An area of active seismic/volcanic area that stretches from South America northward to California into Alaska and along the Pacific Rim of asia. My time spent on this tiny 2 miles by 4 miles was a weatherman’s dream. The daily climate was harsh with few exceptions. Annual temperatures are moderate for that far north of a latitude. Winter storms were violent, frequently accompanied by gale to hurricane force winds. It was difficult to measure snow because high winds would constantly blow it horizontally.

Late spring to early fall was a constant pea soup fog. And the sun was a rarity. On a few clear winter nights, we were treated to the Aurora Borealis. If your interested in reading on, below you will find more information on this tiny little island called SHEMYA. Historical temperatures as well as climate data can be found Climatic Data Center.

The following excerpt is a historical account from the army air corp during world war 2. The Alaskan Air Force was activated on Elmendorf Field 15 January 1942 to manage the buildup of the Army Air Forces in Alaska. It was redesignated the Eleventh Air Force on 5 February 1942.

Following the Japanese bombing of Dutch Harbor in the eastern Aleutian Islands and the occupation of Attu and Kiska in the western Aleutians in early June 1942, the Eleventh Air Force launched an air offensive against the Japanese on the two islands.

Missions were flown initially from Cape Field on Umnak Island in the eastern Aleutians and later from fields built on Adak and Amchitka. Headquarters Eleventh Air Force was moved to Davis Field, Adak in early 1943. Attu was retaken in May 1943, and the Japanese withdrew their garrison from Kiska in late July.

The Aleutian Campaign ended with the reoccupation of Kiska on 15 August 1943. Primarily an air war, it was the only World War II campaign fought on North American soil. The Eleventh Air Force flew 297 missions and dropped 3,662.00 tons of bombs. One hundred and fourteen men were killed in action, another forty-two were reported missing in action and forty-six died as a result of accidents.

Thirty-five aircraft were lost to combat and another 150 to operational accidents. It was the highest American combat-to-operational loss ratio of the war. Weather was the prime culprit, especially the Winter Climate.

The Eleventh Air Force accounted for approximately 60 Japanese aircraft, one destroyer, one submarine and seven transport ships destroyed by air operations.

Following the occupation of Kiska, the Eleventh Air Force declined from peak strength of 16,526 in August 1943 to 6,849 by the end of the war. For the remainder of the war, it flew bombing and reconnaissance missions against Japanese military installations in the northern Kurile Islands from Attu and Shemya Islands. The first land based bombing mission of the World War II against the Japanese home islands was launched from Attu on 10 July 1943.

The Eleventh Air Force was redesignated the Alaskan Air Command on 18 December 1945, and its headquarters was moved from Adak to Elmendorf AFB on 1 October 1946 to better manage Alaska’s emerging air defense system.

Alaska’s air defenses were greatly expanded during 1945-1955 period. An extensive aircraft control and warning (AC&W) system was constructed along Alaska’s coast and interior. The Alaskan segment of the DEW Line was built, and later the DEW Line was extended to the eastern Aleutian Islands.

By 1957, AAC had reached the height of its strength with over 200 fighter interceptors assigned to six squadrons. Early warning and fighter direction were provided by 18 aircraft control and warning and 12 DEW (defense early warning)Line sites tied together by the White Alice Communications System. Its assigned strength was 20,687. The forces were organized into two air divisions providing “Top Cover for America.”

The late 1950s and the 1960s saw a major reduction in AAC’s forces as Air Force air defense doctrine began changing, and emphasis shifted to a defense against a mixed threat of missile and bomber attacks. The number of fighter interceptor squadrons shrunk to one, the air divisions were inactivated, and the aircraft control and warning sites reduced to 13. The assigned strength dropped to 9,987 by 1969. The Aleutian DEW Line segment was dismantled. Emphasis shifted towards supporting other commands.

The manpower intensive, 1950s era aircraft control and warning system radars were replaced with minimum attended AN/FPS-117 minimally attended, long range radars. The system achieved its operational capability in October 1985. The outdated, semi-automated Alaskan NORAD Control Center was replaced with the fully automated Regional Operations Control Center.

Further improvements were made to the force structure with the arrival of F-15As in 1982, upgraded to “C” models during 1987-86. On 1 July 1986, the 962nd Airborne Warning and Control System Squadron was activated at Elmendorf AFB to operate two E-3 Sentry aircraft on rotational duty to Alaska. (The aircraft were later assigned to the squadron.) A second F-15C squadron was added the next year. The modern radar system, the F-15s and the E-3 resulted in a greater capability to protect the air sovereignty of North America. The number of Soviet aircraft intercepts increased dramatically from an average of ten a year during the first half of the 1980s to a record of 31 in 1987, after which the numbers began to decline dramatically following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Four Russian aircraft were intercepted in 1993.

One of the most singular events affecting AAC was the disestablishment of the Alaskan Command on 1 July 1975. The Commander, AAC assumed the additional responsibility of Commander, Joint Task Force-Alaska, a provisional joint command that could be activated in the event of an emergency, such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill in March 1989.

The Alaskan Command was reestablished on 7 July 1989, as a subordinate unified command under the U.S. Pacific Command in recognition of Alaska’s strategic importance to the defense of the Pacific.

With the activation of the Alaskan Command, the next logical step was to place its air component (AAC) under the Pacific Air Forces. On 9 August 1990, the Alaskan Air Command was redesignated the Eleventh Air Force. Finally, in keeping with Air Force Chief of Staff guidance to retain the most illustrious units, the 343rd Wing, a veteran of the Aleutian Campaign, was inactivated in August 1993. The 354th Fighter Wing was activated in its place.

The mission of the Eleventh Air Force shifted during the early 1990s from defending Alaska against the Soviet Union bomber threat to committing its forces to worldwide deployment and providing training opportunities for others.

07
Dec
2018

Top 10 Ways to Save Water

categories: Gardening

Up to 65% of the adult human body is made up of water. We use water to clean our bodies, clothes, and dishes. We gulp water down after a hard workout. We need water to survive.

The UN suggests that we each need 20-50 litres of water a day to use for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. In a world of over 7 billion people, conserving water is essential. But how can we do so on a daily basis, in our own homes?

While there are many ways to limit the waste of water, the following are the top 10 most effective ways to stop wasting and start saving this precious resource:

1. Wash right: When washing your dishes, brushing your teeth, or even taking a shower, dont allow the water to run more than necessary. During dishwashing, fill one sink with soapy water and one with rinse water, and dip dishes from one to the other. If you have only one sink, fill two small plastic containers with soapy and rinse water and do the same. When brushing your teeth, wet your brush and turn off the faucet while you scrub.

Many people enjoy taking long, hot showers. Start cutting back by shaving five minutes off your shower time or installing a water-conserving shower head. If you feel the need to luxuriate, run a bath and sit as long as you like.

2. Run washers less: Purchase a larger laundry basket and wait until you have a full load before running the washing machine. Do the same for dishes, making sure to fill the dishwasher completely before turning it on. Doing so could save you up to 1000 gallons per month.

3. Collect and reuse water: No need to swap one healthy practice for another. When washing fruits and vegetables, consider pooling the water in a bowl and using it to water houseplants.

4. Watering right: If the shower is leaking, we are apt to notice. However, outdoor faucets and sprinklers are more likely to have leaks that go unnoticed. Be sure to give all of your water hookups a once, twice, and even thrice-over to check for places where water may be escaping.

5. Adjust your dishwasher setting: Dishwashers are great timesavers, but dont disregard the settings that can help you save water while getting your cutlery sparkling clean. Check for an eco water saving mode and use it every time. Bonus: turn off the dryer setting for energy savings.

6. Reuse linens: Good hygiene is a must, but usually there is no need to wash your towels every day. Try using one towel for a week. Extend the life of your sheets by washing the pillowcases weekly and saving the rest of the set for big, twice-monthly washes.

7. Wash the car well: Think your hose is efficient? You can easily use up 60 gallons of water or more in five minutes of outdoor car wash fun (not including the spray-your-kids-when-they-arent- looking moments). Keep your vehicle sparkly and save water by using the WaterSavers program, popular with professional car washes, which uses 40 gallons or less per car and gives clean water back to Mother Earth.

8. Concentrate on cleaning: Using concentrated cleaning formulas not only gives you more cleaner for less, but uses less packaging and less production energy. This is a great example of convenience and water conservation combining forces, and you can take full advantage.

9. Keep cold water in a pitcher: Instead of running your tap water until it gets cold, chilling water in a pitcher allows you to keep water cold and ready, minus the waste.

10. Collect rainwater: Nature provides ample water for gardening purposes just by raining. By putting a barrel below your gutter, you can collect generous stores (more than half a gallon of water for every square foot of roof during a rainfall of one-inch) and use to grow those squash and tomato plants.

Saving water is as easy as you are creative. By considering the above tips and coming up with more of your own, you can limit water waste in your home and conserve energy. Want more tips? Contact your local plumber for professional water-conserving advice.