You can take organic gardening as a hobby, or as a science. With these tips, you should become a very successful organic gardener.
Water infused with aspirin is great for combating plant disease. To add the aspirin to the plant, dissolve about one tablet and a half into approximately two gallons of fresh water. Then spray your plants with this mixture to stave off diseases. Use this method to spray your plants every three weeks.
You must consider how much light is available when starting your plants indoors. If your dwelling does not enjoy a great deal of natural sunlight, it makes sense to grow only those varieties meant to thrive in such environments. Otherwise, you could simply use your own lights.
When your seeds sprout, they will not be in need of the warmth they needed to germinate. Remove plants from the heated environment once they begin growing. Additionally, remove any plastic films that were on your containers. This will keep out warmth and humidity. Observe your seeds carefully so that you can make these changes as soon as they start sprouting.
Organic material piled three inches deep is an effective mulch in your flower gardens. Mulching helps to hold moisture in the soil, enhance the soil quality, and slow down the growth of weeds. Also, the flower beds will look beautifully maintained at all times.
Pine is a surprisingly good source of mulch. Some plants are more acidic, and prefer soil that contains higher acidic levels. When you have plants like this, nothing is easier than to gather pine needles for your beds. Cover up your beds with a few inches of needles. As they start to decompose, they'll spread out acid onto the ground and soil.
Be aware of spacing considerations when you are first planting your organic garden. When the garden is bare, it is sometimes hard to envision how much space a mature plant actually needs. Space is vital for your plants not only due to their literal physical size requirements but also because of how much room your garden needs for air circulation. Think ahead and give each plant room for expansion, by properly spacing the seeds.
When composting lawn clippings, leaves, and other materials, it is best to add the same amount of green, freshly-cut material as you do dried material. "Green" material refers to things like wilted flowers, weeds, leaves from your yard, and grass clippings. Dried plant material consists of sawdust, shredded paper, cardboard, straw, and cut-up and dried wood material. Avoid ashes, meat, charcoal and diseased plants in your compost.
When planting seeds in containers, remember that the depth should be at least three times bigger than the seed. There are some seeds, however, that you should not cover at all, since they need sunlight to germinate. Some common examples include ageratum and petunias. If you are not sure whether your seeds need to be exposed to sunlight, resources are usually provided with the seeds or can be found online.
One way to profitably sell products from your organic garden is to be a credible organic gardener. Get organically certified. Having this certification will create a lot of trust with customers. People who want to eat organically will purchase from you with full confidence.
Over-watering your plants can be harmful, because roots that are drowning in water cannot effectively pull nutrients out of the soil. Check the weather for the next couple of days to see if you actually need to water your plants. If rain is in the forecast, it is best not to water that day.
Rotate the plants that you grow each year by switching up where you plant them. When plants of the same family are planted in the same spot year after year, it can encourage the growth of fungus and disease. The fungus and bacteria will stay in the ground a whole year and attack your plants when the time is right. Change the design of your garden regularly to prevent diseases from spreading.
Organic gardening is a more involved form of gardening than is often realized. You may have to put in a fair amount of effort, but at the end of the day you will have a wonderful garden. The ideas presented above should help you hone your skills and reap a great harvest from your organic garden.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Monday, April 21, 2014
American Meb Keflezighi wins 2014 Boston Marathon
I created this blog to share my random finds for across the web. I hope you enjoy! :)
The 118th running of the Boston Marathon was a momentous occasion for the city, but it was also an important day for the world-class runners trying to win one of the world’s most revered races.
Meb Keflezighi won the Elite Men’s division, becoming the first American to win the Boston Marathon since 1983.
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The 118th running of the Boston Marathon was a momentous occasion for the city, but it was also an important day for the world-class runners trying to win one of the world’s most revered races.
Meb Keflezighi won the Elite Men’s division, becoming the first American to win the Boston Marathon since 1983.
Sharing is caring! If you like what you read, please share it with those you care about. :) http://www.delicious.com/donnawells305/runner
Meb Keflezighi carries victims in his heart during Boston Marathon win
I created this blog to share my random finds for across the web. I hope you enjoy! :)
BOSTON — Their names were written on the corners of his racing bib. Martin. Sean. Krystle. Lingzi.
"They helped carry me through," Meb Keflezighi said after one of the most memorable victories in the Boston Marathon's 118-year history. Keflezighi became the first American man since 1983 to wear the laurel wreath. He did so when this city needed it the most.
With the backdrop of so much tragedy, in front of those gravely wounded in last year's attacks and in memory of the four killed last year, Keflezighi raised his arms in victory as he crossed the finish line at 2 hours, 8 minutes, 37 seconds. He looked up to the sky, then kissed the ground three times. He took a bow, then emotion won out as he put his hands over his face and broke into tears.
"As an athlete, you have dreams and today is where the dream and reality meet. I was just crying at the end," he said. "This is probably the most meaningful victory for an American, just because of what happened. It's Patriots Day."
2014 Boston Marathon Winner
Sharing is caring! If you like what you read, please share it with those you care about. :)
BOSTON — Their names were written on the corners of his racing bib. Martin. Sean. Krystle. Lingzi.
"They helped carry me through," Meb Keflezighi said after one of the most memorable victories in the Boston Marathon's 118-year history. Keflezighi became the first American man since 1983 to wear the laurel wreath. He did so when this city needed it the most.
With the backdrop of so much tragedy, in front of those gravely wounded in last year's attacks and in memory of the four killed last year, Keflezighi raised his arms in victory as he crossed the finish line at 2 hours, 8 minutes, 37 seconds. He looked up to the sky, then kissed the ground three times. He took a bow, then emotion won out as he put his hands over his face and broke into tears.
"As an athlete, you have dreams and today is where the dream and reality meet. I was just crying at the end," he said. "This is probably the most meaningful victory for an American, just because of what happened. It's Patriots Day."
2014 Boston Marathon Winner
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Friday, April 18, 2014
We Found a Cousin to Earth
I created this blog to share my random finds for across the web. I hope you enjoy! :)
Here is a great article I found on Yahoo about a Earth-like planet that may have water. Kinda cool
"For the first time, scientists have discovered an Earth-sized alien planet in the habitable zone of its host star, an "Earth cousin" that just might have liquid water and the right conditions for life.
Related Stories
NASA's Kepler Telescope Discovers First Earth-Size Planet in 'Habitable Zone' PR Newswire
Earth-Size Planet Where Water Could Exist Discovered The Wall Street Journal
'Earth Cousin' Discovery a Milestone in Search for Alien Life SPACE.com
5 Exoplanets Most Likely to Host Alien Life SPACE.com
Astronomers spot most Earth-like planet yet Associated Press
The newfound planet, called Kepler-186f, was first spotted by NASA's Kepler space telescope and circles a dim red dwarf star about 490 light-years from Earth. While the host star is dimmer than Earth's sun and the planet is slightly bigger than Earth, the positioning of the alien world coupled with its size suggests that Kepler-186f could have water on its surface, scientists say. You can learn more about the amazing alien planet find in a video produced by Space.com.
"One of the things we've been looking for is maybe an Earth twin, which is an Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone of a sunlike star," Tom Barclay, Kepler scientist and co-author of the new exoplanet research, told Space.com. "This [Kepler-186f] is an Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone of a cooler star. So, while it's not an Earth twin, it is perhaps an Earth cousin. It has similar characteristics, but a different parent." [9 Exoplanets That Could Host Alien Life]
Potentially habitable planet
Scientists think that Kepler-186f — the outermost of five planets found to be orbiting the star Kepler-186 — orbits at a distance of 32.5 million miles (52.4 million kilometers), theoretically within the habitable zone for a red dwarf.
Earth orbits the sun from an average distance of about 93 million miles (150 million km), but the sun is larger and brighter than the Kepler-186 star, meaning that the sun's habitable zone begins farther out from the star by comparison to Kepler-186.
View gallery
Found! First Earth-Size Planet That Could Support …
This artist illustration shows what it might be like to stand on the surface of the planet Kepler-18 …
"This is the first definitive Earth-sized planet found in the habitable zone around another star," Elisa Quintana, of the SETI Institute and NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author of a new study detailing the findings, said in a statement.
Other planets of various sizes have been found in the habitable zones of their stars. However, Kepler-186f is the first alien planet this close to Earth in size found orbiting in that potentially life-supporting area of an extrasolar system, according to exoplanet scientists.
'An historic discovery'
"This is an historic discovery of the first truly Earth-sized planet found in the habitable zone around its star," Geoff Marcy, an astronomer at the University of California, Berkeley, who is unaffiliated with the research, told Space.com via email. "This is the best case for a habitable planet yet found. The results are absolutely rock-solid. The planet itself may not be, but I'd bet my house on it. In any case, it's a gem."
The newly discovered planet measures about 1.1 Earth radii, making it slightly larger than Earth, but researchers still think the alien world may be rocky like Earth. Researchers still aren't sure what Kepler-186f's atmosphere is made of, a key element that could help scientists understand if the planet is hospitable to life. [Kepler-186f Earth-Size World Could Support Oceans, Maybe Life (Infographic)]
View gallery
Found! First Earth-Size Planet That Could Support …
This diagram shows the position of Kepler-186f in relation to Earth.
"What we've learned, just over the past few years, is that there is a definite transition which occurs around about 1.5 Earth radii," Quintana said in a statement. "What happens there is that for radii between 1.5 and 2 Earth radii, the planet becomes massive enough that it starts to accumulate a very thick hydrogen and helium atmosphere, so it starts to resemble the gas giants of our solar system rather than anything else that we see as terrestrial."
The edge of habitability
Kepler-186f actually lies at the edge of the Kepler-186 star's habitable zone, meaning that liquid water on the planet's surface could freeze, according to study co-author Stephen Kane of San Francisco State University.
Because of its position in the outer part of the habitable zone, the planet's larger size could actually help keep its water liquid, Kane said in a statement. Since it is slightly bigger than Earth, Kepler-186f could have a thicker atmosphere, which would insulate the planet and potentially keep its water in liquid form, Kane added.
"It [Kepler-186f] goes around its star over 130 days, but because its star is a lower mass than our sun, the planet orbits slightly inner of where Mercury orbits in our own solar system," Barclay said. "It's on the cooler edge of the habitable zone. It's still well within it, but it receives less energy than Earth receives. So, if you're on this planet [Kepler-186f], the star would appear dimmer."
Exoplanet hunting in the future
Kepler-186f could be too dim for follow-up studies that would probe the planet's atmosphere. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope — Hubble's successor, expected to launch to space in 2018 — is designed to image planets around relatively nearby stars; however, the Kepler-186 system might be too far off for the powerful telescope to investigate, Barclay said.
Scientists using the Kepler telescope discovered Kepler-186f using the transit method When the planet moved across the face of its star from the telescope's perspective, Kepler recorded a slight dip in the star's brightness, allowing researchers to learn more about the planet itself. Kepler suffered a major malfunction last year and is no longer working in the same fashion, but scientists are still going through the spacecraft's trove of data searching for new alien worlds.
"I find it simply awesome that we live in a time when finding potentially habitable planets is common, and the method to find them is standardized," MIT exoplanet hunter and astrophysicist Sara Seager, who is unaffiliated with the research, told Space.com via email."
Sharing is caring! If you like what you read, please share it with those you care about. :)
Here is a great article I found on Yahoo about a Earth-like planet that may have water. Kinda cool
"For the first time, scientists have discovered an Earth-sized alien planet in the habitable zone of its host star, an "Earth cousin" that just might have liquid water and the right conditions for life.
Related Stories
NASA's Kepler Telescope Discovers First Earth-Size Planet in 'Habitable Zone' PR Newswire
Earth-Size Planet Where Water Could Exist Discovered The Wall Street Journal
'Earth Cousin' Discovery a Milestone in Search for Alien Life SPACE.com
5 Exoplanets Most Likely to Host Alien Life SPACE.com
Astronomers spot most Earth-like planet yet Associated Press
The newfound planet, called Kepler-186f, was first spotted by NASA's Kepler space telescope and circles a dim red dwarf star about 490 light-years from Earth. While the host star is dimmer than Earth's sun and the planet is slightly bigger than Earth, the positioning of the alien world coupled with its size suggests that Kepler-186f could have water on its surface, scientists say. You can learn more about the amazing alien planet find in a video produced by Space.com.
"One of the things we've been looking for is maybe an Earth twin, which is an Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone of a sunlike star," Tom Barclay, Kepler scientist and co-author of the new exoplanet research, told Space.com. "This [Kepler-186f] is an Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone of a cooler star. So, while it's not an Earth twin, it is perhaps an Earth cousin. It has similar characteristics, but a different parent." [9 Exoplanets That Could Host Alien Life]
Potentially habitable planet
Scientists think that Kepler-186f — the outermost of five planets found to be orbiting the star Kepler-186 — orbits at a distance of 32.5 million miles (52.4 million kilometers), theoretically within the habitable zone for a red dwarf.
Earth orbits the sun from an average distance of about 93 million miles (150 million km), but the sun is larger and brighter than the Kepler-186 star, meaning that the sun's habitable zone begins farther out from the star by comparison to Kepler-186.
View gallery
Found! First Earth-Size Planet That Could Support …
This artist illustration shows what it might be like to stand on the surface of the planet Kepler-18 …
"This is the first definitive Earth-sized planet found in the habitable zone around another star," Elisa Quintana, of the SETI Institute and NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author of a new study detailing the findings, said in a statement.
Other planets of various sizes have been found in the habitable zones of their stars. However, Kepler-186f is the first alien planet this close to Earth in size found orbiting in that potentially life-supporting area of an extrasolar system, according to exoplanet scientists.
'An historic discovery'
"This is an historic discovery of the first truly Earth-sized planet found in the habitable zone around its star," Geoff Marcy, an astronomer at the University of California, Berkeley, who is unaffiliated with the research, told Space.com via email. "This is the best case for a habitable planet yet found. The results are absolutely rock-solid. The planet itself may not be, but I'd bet my house on it. In any case, it's a gem."
The newly discovered planet measures about 1.1 Earth radii, making it slightly larger than Earth, but researchers still think the alien world may be rocky like Earth. Researchers still aren't sure what Kepler-186f's atmosphere is made of, a key element that could help scientists understand if the planet is hospitable to life. [Kepler-186f Earth-Size World Could Support Oceans, Maybe Life (Infographic)]
View gallery
Found! First Earth-Size Planet That Could Support …
This diagram shows the position of Kepler-186f in relation to Earth.
"What we've learned, just over the past few years, is that there is a definite transition which occurs around about 1.5 Earth radii," Quintana said in a statement. "What happens there is that for radii between 1.5 and 2 Earth radii, the planet becomes massive enough that it starts to accumulate a very thick hydrogen and helium atmosphere, so it starts to resemble the gas giants of our solar system rather than anything else that we see as terrestrial."
The edge of habitability
Kepler-186f actually lies at the edge of the Kepler-186 star's habitable zone, meaning that liquid water on the planet's surface could freeze, according to study co-author Stephen Kane of San Francisco State University.
Because of its position in the outer part of the habitable zone, the planet's larger size could actually help keep its water liquid, Kane said in a statement. Since it is slightly bigger than Earth, Kepler-186f could have a thicker atmosphere, which would insulate the planet and potentially keep its water in liquid form, Kane added.
"It [Kepler-186f] goes around its star over 130 days, but because its star is a lower mass than our sun, the planet orbits slightly inner of where Mercury orbits in our own solar system," Barclay said. "It's on the cooler edge of the habitable zone. It's still well within it, but it receives less energy than Earth receives. So, if you're on this planet [Kepler-186f], the star would appear dimmer."
Exoplanet hunting in the future
Kepler-186f could be too dim for follow-up studies that would probe the planet's atmosphere. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope — Hubble's successor, expected to launch to space in 2018 — is designed to image planets around relatively nearby stars; however, the Kepler-186 system might be too far off for the powerful telescope to investigate, Barclay said.
Scientists using the Kepler telescope discovered Kepler-186f using the transit method When the planet moved across the face of its star from the telescope's perspective, Kepler recorded a slight dip in the star's brightness, allowing researchers to learn more about the planet itself. Kepler suffered a major malfunction last year and is no longer working in the same fashion, but scientists are still going through the spacecraft's trove of data searching for new alien worlds.
"I find it simply awesome that we live in a time when finding potentially habitable planets is common, and the method to find them is standardized," MIT exoplanet hunter and astrophysicist Sara Seager, who is unaffiliated with the research, told Space.com via email."
Sharing is caring! If you like what you read, please share it with those you care about. :)
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Organic Gardening Advice For A Better Garden
You wish to make a fresh and healthy organic garden. Your timing could not be better. Included in this article is advice that can assist you in your gardening endeavors.
If you're growing plants indoors, keep your thermostat around 65 or 75 degrees daily. It is important for them to be kept in this temperature range if they are to grow properly. If you are not willing to keep your house that warm during winter, you could always get the organic plants a heat lamp.
When growing organic plants indoors, it is important to consider the amount of light that is available to them. If your house or apartment doesn't get a lot of natural light, one option is to grow something that only requires medium or low light. You can also try using artificial lighting to help.
Have all of your tools available to you as you garden to increase efficiency. You could do this by using a big bucket, or just wear old pants that have some deep pockets. If you have your pruning shears, spade, trowel and gloves handy, you will be able to get your gardening chores done much more quickly.
When you are working in your garden, you will want to have all of your tools in a convenient location. Do not waste your time looking for tools. Prepare them all ahead of time and have them handy before you need to garden, and then put them back in their place when done. A good way to keep your tools at hand is to buy a tool belt or utility pants with many large pockets.
Make sure you consider adequate spacing when planting your garden, so that each plant is given room enough to grow and flourish. It's common to not think about how much space a plant will need once it's full grown, and you don't want to crowd your garden. Failure to provide adequate room will restrict growth because it forces plants to compete for valuable nutrients and oxygen. Because of this, you should always take the time to ensure that there's enough distance between all your seeds.
Old laundry baskets are handy tools at harvest time. It makes a great strainer for your vegetables. Doing this allows you to both rinse and drain your fresh produce.
Your compost pile should contain green plant materials and dry plant materials. Examples of green plant material are spent flowers, fruit and vegetable waste, grass clippings, weeds, and leaves. Dried plant materials are things like shredded newspaper, cardboard, sawdust, straw, and any cut up wood materials. Don't throw charcoal, meat or manure into your compost.
When planting seeds into a container, the depth of your planting should be three times bigger than the seed. There are some seeds, however, that you should not cover at all, since they need sunlight to germinate. These seeds include petunias and ageratum. If you are unsure about the specific needs of your seeds, you should consult your local garden center or conduct further research online. Important things to look for include water requirements, ideal soil type, and recommended sunlight exposure.
Ruffle the seedlings carefully with a piece of soft cardboard or your hands twice a day. That may sound like a silly thing to do, but it's been proven to help plants grow larger than they would otherwise.
Mulch is necessary for a healthy soil. Mulch can give your soil some additional protection and nourishment. Mulch will keep the soil at an ideal temperature and protect the roots. Additionally, moisture will not evaporate from the ground so quick when mulch is applied. It will also keep weeds under control.
Try to avoid over-watering your plants. Too much water will make it more difficult for the plants to absorb the nutrients they need from the soil. If you are going to water your plants outdoors, you should first check the weather for you area to see if any rain is coming that day. If it is going to be a wet day, you don't need to water the plants yourself.
At this point, you should feel more confident about your gardening skills. If you thought you knew a lot then, now you should be a professional. The different tips and methods you can use are endless, and as long as you can follow and implement the information correctly, you should have no trouble growing a fantastic garden this season.
If you're growing plants indoors, keep your thermostat around 65 or 75 degrees daily. It is important for them to be kept in this temperature range if they are to grow properly. If you are not willing to keep your house that warm during winter, you could always get the organic plants a heat lamp.
When growing organic plants indoors, it is important to consider the amount of light that is available to them. If your house or apartment doesn't get a lot of natural light, one option is to grow something that only requires medium or low light. You can also try using artificial lighting to help.
Have all of your tools available to you as you garden to increase efficiency. You could do this by using a big bucket, or just wear old pants that have some deep pockets. If you have your pruning shears, spade, trowel and gloves handy, you will be able to get your gardening chores done much more quickly.
When you are working in your garden, you will want to have all of your tools in a convenient location. Do not waste your time looking for tools. Prepare them all ahead of time and have them handy before you need to garden, and then put them back in their place when done. A good way to keep your tools at hand is to buy a tool belt or utility pants with many large pockets.
Make sure you consider adequate spacing when planting your garden, so that each plant is given room enough to grow and flourish. It's common to not think about how much space a plant will need once it's full grown, and you don't want to crowd your garden. Failure to provide adequate room will restrict growth because it forces plants to compete for valuable nutrients and oxygen. Because of this, you should always take the time to ensure that there's enough distance between all your seeds.
Old laundry baskets are handy tools at harvest time. It makes a great strainer for your vegetables. Doing this allows you to both rinse and drain your fresh produce.
Your compost pile should contain green plant materials and dry plant materials. Examples of green plant material are spent flowers, fruit and vegetable waste, grass clippings, weeds, and leaves. Dried plant materials are things like shredded newspaper, cardboard, sawdust, straw, and any cut up wood materials. Don't throw charcoal, meat or manure into your compost.
When planting seeds into a container, the depth of your planting should be three times bigger than the seed. There are some seeds, however, that you should not cover at all, since they need sunlight to germinate. These seeds include petunias and ageratum. If you are unsure about the specific needs of your seeds, you should consult your local garden center or conduct further research online. Important things to look for include water requirements, ideal soil type, and recommended sunlight exposure.
Ruffle the seedlings carefully with a piece of soft cardboard or your hands twice a day. That may sound like a silly thing to do, but it's been proven to help plants grow larger than they would otherwise.
Mulch is necessary for a healthy soil. Mulch can give your soil some additional protection and nourishment. Mulch will keep the soil at an ideal temperature and protect the roots. Additionally, moisture will not evaporate from the ground so quick when mulch is applied. It will also keep weeds under control.
Try to avoid over-watering your plants. Too much water will make it more difficult for the plants to absorb the nutrients they need from the soil. If you are going to water your plants outdoors, you should first check the weather for you area to see if any rain is coming that day. If it is going to be a wet day, you don't need to water the plants yourself.
At this point, you should feel more confident about your gardening skills. If you thought you knew a lot then, now you should be a professional. The different tips and methods you can use are endless, and as long as you can follow and implement the information correctly, you should have no trouble growing a fantastic garden this season.
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