Know How Diatomaceous Earth Works And Uses Diatomaceous Earth or DE is a natural occurring mineral compound. It forms from the skeletons remains of the tiny and microscopic, aquatic algae organisms called the diatoms. It is also known as diatomite. This natural product is very tiny and ranges from less than 3 micrometers to about 1 millimetre. It is normally in the size of about 20 micrometers to 200 micrometers. These soft and silicon rich sedimentary rocks undergo crumbling to make a fine off white or white powder. The diatoms get sedimented in the rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans. The mining of these silicone deposits will help to make many useful products. The main use of the Diatomaceous Earth is it helps in killing the mites and insects. What Is DE Made Of? The Diatomaceous Earth’s main ingredient is silica. The diatom skeletons are made from a mixture of silica and oxygen and the mixing of these two forms silicon dioxide. About 26% of the earth’s crust is made up of silica. There are two forms of silicon dioxide: amorphous
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Egg Shells – Are Eggshells Good For Gardening And Why? Every plant needs some nutrients for their proper growth, flowering, and fruit bearing. Low amount of these nutrients or lack of these nutrients in the soil can result in different nutrient deficiency diseases in plants. Some of the problems caused by the low nutrient content in plants are chlorosis, blossom end rot, and lowered fruit production. Gardeners who want to use organic fertilisers in the garden can use egg shells for preparing compost or can add it to the garden soil to improve the nutrient content. Here are a small number of ideas of how to use eggs and eggshells skilfully in your garden. Using Eggs as Fertiliser Though some people use egg as the fertiliser by placing the uncracked egg in planting holes, this has many drawbacks as the nitrogen in the egg prevents the uptake of calcium present in the eggshell, which is needed, for the growth of certain plants. Calcium is needed for the development of the cell wall in plants. Egg shells contain calcium carbonate and
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Is Coffee Grounds Good For Gardening And Why? We want to avoid the use of chemical fertilisers in our garden, especially if it is a vegetable garden. We can use different organic items to fertilise the plants in the garden. People use egg shells, tea leaves, coffee ground and other reuse soil enhancers to make the soil fertile. As a rule, but not to the so serious gardener coffee grounds would be usually going to waste and thrown away. The coffee is used in different ways in the garden. The used coffee ground can increase the nitrogen content of the soil and can make the soil acidic. It also improves the texture and fertility of the soil, thus promoting plant growth. Different Ways to Use Coffee As A Fertiliser The coffee grounds contain about 2% nitrogen and less than 1% of magnesium, potassium, calcium, and some trace minerals. These minerals can affect the plant growth when coffee grounds are added to the soil. They make the soil acidic, and most plants require slightly acidic soil up to neutral to grow
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Using Flat Beer As A Fertiliser Plant Food Many people claim that they use beer as a fertiliser for plants in their garden. There is a different opinion among gardeners about using beer as plant food. Though there are no scientific studies to prove that beer provides the nutrients to the plants, nevertheless many people still use the stale beer to water the plants. Beer contains 90 percent of water and carbohydrates in the form of simple sugars. Yeast is used in the preparation of beer and when poured on the soil, fungus growth can cause a stench in the garden. It is necessary to use beer diluted with enough water in the garden to evenly distribute the sugars and to prevent the stench due to yeast growth. Did it ever occur to you that, by using the beer in the garden in such a way it may attract ants and other insects to the plant which will ultimately cause damage to the plant. Nutrients for Plants It is not advisable to use brand new unopened beer as fertiliser as
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Help Stop Global Warming: Are You Doing Your Little Bit To Keep Plants Looking Lively? Global warming causes and increased environmental temperature and it can affect plants and animal life. There are positive as well as negative effects but the negative effects are more. Warmer temperatures, as well as stronger winds, are caused by global warming and it is helpful in the dispersal of pollen and seeds. This will help in the better survival of the plants. However, a higher temperature can cause drought and climatic changes caused by global warming result in reduced rain and water availability to plants. Causes of Global Warming The important causes of global warming include burning of fossil fuels such as coal, petrol, diesel and large scale deforestation. The burning of fossil fuels releases a large amount of carbon dioxide which is known as a “greenhouse gas”. Accumulation of CO2 results in holding the heat radiations within earth’s atmosphere and causing “greenhouse effect” or increased atmospheric temperature. Deforestation reduces the level of oxygen released into the atmosphere by plants and this also increases the
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Coke For Gardens – What Does The Use Of Coke Do For Gardens? We all know that coke is a popular fizzy drink. In the recent years, it has proven that this chemical cocktail is bad for the human body and people are finding various new uses for this drink. The new uses of the fizzy poison which contain carbonic and phosphoric acid include cleaning the toilet, removing stains from clothes, cleaning windows, spark plugs in cars, cleans dirty coins etc. Coke has various uses in the garden as well. Here is what coke does for your garden. Better Composting Of Garden Waste Adding coke to your garden compost pile can make the composting process faster. The sugar present in the drink will attract the microorganisms that will break down the organic matter in the compost pile. The acids present in the drink will assist in breaking down and boost the process of composting. Adding this compost to your lawn or flowerbed will make them grow healthy and produce more blooms. Reducing Soil pH The acid loving plants in your
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Know About Bindi Weed – How And When To Control Bindis Naturally Bindi Weed or Solivasessilis or Bindi Eye is a weedy plant seen in lawns with carrot top like leaves. This is a low–growing weed and it produces a single flower which matures to prickly seed pod that shows three spines. This weed is such a nuisance especially when the dried Bindi seed will splinter or puncture more than one tiny hole at once into the tube of a pram or bike tires or gets attached to our feet, soft soled shoes or clothes and even pet hair. The seed heads and flowers of this weed usually are very low and grow flat along side the soil. Because the Bindi is so short it cannot be mowed down using the lawn mower. This plant is native to South America but has now established in many other parts of the world including Australia. Once the plant produces flowers and seeds it is difficult to control their spread. The presence of Bindi on your lawn indicates the need for better lawn
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Why Do We Have Moss In Lawns And How To Get Rid Of Them? Mosses are small nonvascular plants which grow as dense green coloured clumps in the damp or shady areas. The plant has tiny green leaves which absorb water and nutrients and thread like stem. These plants are easy to spot. They can appear as green mats on rocks, wood, bare soil or on any surface with moist and shady conditions. Moss is seen more so in the winter months. If Moss starts to appear in your lawn, it is an indication of poor growing conditions for the grass in the lawn. The common Causes The common causes of the appearance of Moss in lawn includes Lack of proper nutrients in the soil. Inadequate site preparation. Low level of soil pH. Shady conditions. Poor water drainage. Excessive watering. Poor lawn maintenance. Close mowing of lawn. Overuse of walkways and play areas, resulting in worn areas. Compacted soil. Acidic soil conditions. It is necessary to understand the cause and take care of the causes in order to control or
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What Is Organic Fertilisers And What’s In Them? Organic fertilisers are produced from naturally occurring plant and animal substances. Different organic fertilisers help to add different nutrients required by the plants or crops in to the soil. Depending on the type of plants and depending on the type of soil you may need different fertilisers. Most of the manure derived from animal faeces and decomposed plants are good organic fertilisers. These fertilisers condition the soil, provide nutrients and improve water retention. Types of manures There are three main types of organic fertilisers or manures Green manure- Fresh plants like peas, grasses, mucuna, calapagonium, etc., are added to the soil by ploughing. Leguminous plants are often used for this purpose as the root nodules of the plants contain nitrogen fixing bacteria. Seaweeds and spent grain from brewing industry are also used as green manure. Farmyard manure – This manure mainly consists of faeces of cattle, sheep, horses, pigs, poultry, etc. Farm yard manure also contains the urine of farm animals and plant parts used as food and bedding for the animals.
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Praying Mantis Information and Pest Control Insects in the Garden Praying mantises are one of the common creatures found in any garden. They are carnivorous creatures and feeds on insects, insect eggs, mites, caterpillars, beetles, aphids. They do not eat plants. So, praying mantises are beneficial to certain extent to the gardeners. When at rest, praying mantis keeps its front legs in folded praying position and this is how the praying mantis gets its name. They measure about 2-4 inches and are usually green or brown in colour. It has a triangular head, neck and a long thorax. They can easily camouflage by attaching them to green plants, bark or wood. Mantis can lay hundreds of eggs at a time in the egg case. It can turn its head in 180 degrees. Praying mantis waits for their prey and when the prey reaches near, it snaps the prey at lightning speed using front legs. Using Praying Mantis for Pest Control The appetite of praying mantis for the insects makes it a good biological control for harmful insects in your garden.
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