You spend a lot of time tending your fruit trees. If you don’t want your fruit to taste like chemical pesticides, try these organic pest control tips.
By Clint Sidney
So you have luscious fruit growing on your fruit trees and are looking forward to having a good crop. But you seem to be worried? Is it the thought of keeping Aphids, fruit flies and coddling moths at bay that is giving you sleepless nights? Sure these thoughts must be troubling you as they do every gardener, having an orchard. The surest and simplest cure for your troubles lies in organic gardening pest control, which is nothing but a bunch of healthy recipes to keep pests under control.
These organic gardening pest control solutions are easily available, extremely beneficial and easy to prepare as these employ things that we commonly use in our daily routine. Being organic in nature these are extremely beneficial for the fruit trees and can in no way harm them like the synthetic pest control remedies often tend to do.
1. Baits and Horticultural Oil – Coddling moths are best tackled with the help of sticky traps and corrugated cardboard. If facing this problem, you can use pheromone baits. Horticultural oil can be sprayed on the leaves of fruit trees for dealing with their larvae. This also proves beneficial in dealing with thrips, which are another common pest bothering fruit trees.
2. Organic Soap Solution – Sprayed in the evenings, this is another way to tackle the annoying thrips and spider mites that infest the fruit trees during late summer season. Apart from this one can also spay neem oil, which again works wonders.
3. Natural Predators – Aphids are best tackled when left to the mercy of natural predators. Make sure that you have plenty of these around to help you deal with this problem. Lacewings and lady bugs are some of the good natural predators that can help fruit farmers.
4. Borers are another variety of pests that attack fruit trees. To protect your trees from their onslaught it is advisable to cover up their trunk. However, if they have already been infected, which would be evident from tell-tale signs as wilted stems and stiff bark, inject the stems with nematodes. This helps kill the remaining larvae. It is advisable to pull off the badly affected stems.
5. Oriental fruit moths are another nuisance that fruit growers often face. To expose their larvae and deal with them it is advisable to till the soil around the affected trees.
The best way to protect your fruit trees from pests is to do it organically. You’ll be surprised with the results.
About the Author
Clint Sidney is a gardening enthusiast and enjoys giving information about Organic Gardening Pest Control. You can learn more about gardening at GreatGardener.eHelpshome.com.
Turtles are great fun to raise and a wonderful way for kids to start learning about being responsible for animals. Everyone loves watching their heads and legs pop out and later shrink back in. But, beware the snapping turtles!
By Thomas Roberson
If you are someone who loves turtles, you might be interested to know that there are numerous small pet turtles which are available. Some of them will prove to be handy, easy to care for and feed especially within a terrarium or probably an area with an aquarium although others can require more spacious area for them to swim and roam.
For you to know more about the different breeds of small pet turtles you can bring home with you, here are some pieces of information about a few varieties. With them, you will surely find one which will make an amazing addition to your family. Among the common and popular types of the pet turtles which are available in pet stores are the red eared sliders. They are tiny turtles that are usually sold in sizes below four inches. They make a great pet although there are some things an owner should keep in mind when choosing them.
The sale of red eared slider turtles and other small pet turtles below four inches in length in different parts of the United States was prohibited because of the salmonella outbreak believed to have originated from this type of turtle. Yes, they are still marketed in a lot of pet shops, nonetheless, and it is absolutely legal to buy one, only that the sale is permitted for scientific researches and exhibitions. Though they are utterly adorable, you might as well prefer to keep your health in mind first and the possibility of acquiring salmonella before opting for these small pet turtles.
Should you still choose to pet a small turtle, the box turtles are better alternative to the sliders. They are also very popular and you can even find one in the wild, along marshy areas. They can be found in almost any part of the world especially in areas close to water bodies. If you prefer smaller pet turtles over the bigger ones and yet you do not have a standby water supply available, the box turtle is ideal for you.
Raising small pet turtles need you to care for them properly and a little bit more knowledge in order to learn how to make them live healthily and happily. A lot of people end up with smaller pet turtles even without proper feeding knowledge. Though it can vary from a species to another, a lot of turtles can eat a combination of meat, berries, fruits and vegetables.
Be able to provide a container for the turtle’s food which is readily available in pet shops. Nutritional and balanced supplements must be included in the diet of small pet turtles too. And certainly, consider their habitat. Most pet turtles are happy in an area that imitates their environment in the wild. Though they can move very slowly, they enjoy moving around and hiding in places.
About the Author
Do You Want To Know How To Take Care Of Your Pet Turtle? Discover more information about Small Pet Turtles, visit Pet Turtle Care.
Ex-game ranger David Meisel shares with us another great article about the wild animals of Africa – this time being the Zebra.
By: David Meisel
Burchell’s Zebra
Latin name: Equus burchellii
Lifespan: Both the males and the females live up to 35 years of age
Weight: 300 to 320 kg for both sexes (661 to 705 pounds)
Sexual differentiation
The male and female are similar in size. The male’s genitals are not always visible, making it very difficult to see the difference. One clear difference is the black vertical stripe between the buttocks. The male has a very narrow stripe about 1 inch wide and the female has a stripe about 2 or 3 inches wide.
Social grouping
The collective name used for a group of zebras is called a “dazzle”. There are two different groupings that zebra live in. The first is the harem. A harem consists of 1 dominant male, 5 or 10, sometimes more females and their young.
The second social grouping is the bachelor herd which varies in size from 3 individuals and up. The bachelor herd consists of only males which often follow the different harems around at a safe distance. Males will occasionally leave their bachelor herds to join up with the harem to challenge the dominant male for his females.
Fighting between the males involves a lot of kicking and biting until the one or the other gives up. Once the previous male is forced out the new dominant male will often kill all young foals that are still dependent on their mother’s milk by kicking and biting them too death.
The reason for the male doing this is that the females that are still suckling young will not be on “heat”, but soon after losing its youngster will be ready to mate with.
After a successful mating the female is pregnant for 12 months. After giving birth the newborn foal will be dependent on its mother’s milk for almost 1 year before totally weaning. The females can give birth at any time of the year.
Feeding
Zebras are grazers, often feedings along with wildebeest. Wildebeest prefer to feed of the shorter grasses whereas zebra prefer the longer grasses. After the zebra has chewed off the long grass tufts, the wildebeest will often follow after the zebra to chew off the shorter tufts left behind.
Many other herbivores such as giraffe, impala and even warthog can be seen feeding close to zebra. Besides also feeding off grass, this may be a form of safety as zebra have a very keen sense of smell, hearing, sight and are extremely alert of their surroundings which makes it rather difficult for predators to get close to them without been seen. The more other animals there are, the safer it is for the zebra as there is a lesser chance of a predator picking them out in a hunt.
The zebra’s closest relative
Besides horses being direct relatives of zebra, the next close relative strange enough is the rhino. They have the same dentitional formula, a similar bone structure and at one stage in their lives had similar shaped feet, the rhino having more horse-like shaped feet.
Health
It is rather difficult to see if a zebra is in a good condition or not as they always have round bellies as a result of all the gasses bloating their stomachs. When there is a shortage of grass or even a drought, zebra still look well fed with their large gas-filled bellies.
A clear sign of bad health is to look at the mane-hair on the zebra’s neck. If the mane-hair is stiff and upright, then the zebra is generally in good condition. If the mane-hair flops, then there might be something wrong with the animal. When a zebra falls ill it starts to lose the fat around its neck first. The fat in the neck holds the mane-hair up and if it burns away the mane starts to flop.
Domestication of zebra
It is possible to domesticate zebra and through the years zebra have been used by farmers for pulling carts and farm machinery as well as for pulling coaches and carriages. It is also possible to ride zebra like one would ride a horse. It is not possible to race on a zebra as there would be a risk of breaking its back. The backs of most horses have a very deep arch making a comfortable fit for the saddle where as the zebra’s back is more level. The horse’s back bones are loser fitting into one another, makings its back more flexible to allow for more impact on the back while running fast. The zebra’s back bones are tighter fitting thus less flexible making it risky to ride hard without breaking its back.
I am an ex-game ranger from South Africa. I have 2 awesome blogs packed with information on all sorts of wildlife in Africa. I also talk about encounters with dangerous game while doing bush walks. Visit my Blogs to find out more: www.safari-stories.blogspot.com and www.southafrican-wildlife.blogspot.com
Dessert can make or a break or meal, since it’s the last thing someone might eat. Don’t let your good meal turn to bust with a bad dessert!
By Mary Schulte
Healthy desserts definitely do not need to be boring. Take this one. An amazingly delicious pecan pie recipe that has been in our family for decades. It’s super-easy. Besides the Yum Factor, it happens to be a really healthy dessert too! (You may know that pecans are very high in all kinds of nutrition food values, so when included, they create very nutritious recipes. Plus – take a look at the flavorful sweetener we use).
You just can’t go wrong with this pecan pie recipe, which is continually raved about whenever we make it. I can’t even begin to tell you how many people over the years have said it’s the best pecan pie they’ve had. So I just had to share this specialty which has been passed down from my grandma, so this recipe is definitely tried and true. And it’s not just for the holidays (for some reason people associate pecan pie with Thanksgiving and Winter holidays, in the U.S. But make it any time! It’s also perfect for the Fourth of July! Or parties and receptions. You can use either a regular pie crust, or the mini party-style pie shells.
It only takes about 15 minutes to put together.
You will need
1 to 1 ½ cups pecan halves
1 deep pie shell, unbaked (or mini pie shells)
3 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup pure maple syrup
1/3 melted butter
2 teaspoons molasses
Beat the above ingredients thoroughly, until mixed well.
Then add in the pecan halves and stir well.
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Put the pie shell (in its pie pan) onto a cookie sheet as a protection, so the pie mixture will not dribble onto your oven rack and burn while baking. Then pour the above mixture into the pie shell. The mixture will be soupy and can spill. Carefully put into oven. Bake about 50 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
This fantastic pecan pie recipe is pretty much a no-brainer. Like I said, it takes about 15 minutes to make, but then of course allow for the baking time. You’re sure to get compliments. So try it out!
We’ve got lots more healthy dessert ideas on our Delicious Healthy Dessert Recipes page at Delicious Healthy Dessert Recipes .
There’s a killer strawberry pie (not the gelatinous kind!) and an apple crisp with a truly luscious topping – the best. Both have been in the family for decades, too. So check them out. Plus, we’ve got a really good dessert Forum going where you can get more yummy ideas – and share yours!. So be sure to also visit our Share Your Dessert Forum!
About the Author
Mary Schulte is the founder of ElderOneStop, LLC and www.elder-one-stop.com specializing in one-stop resources and information for seniors and baby boomers — including health, caregiving, nutrition, activities, gifts, retirement, housing, travel, and more. A free newsletter is available, as well as a web site subscription. And be sure to check out our Forums to see what others are sharing!
