Use Palmolive detergent on powdery mildew

Palmolive Detergent vs. Powdery Mildew on Fruit Plants

Here’s a tip you might find interesting. Researchers in Canada have discovered that household Palmolive detergent both prevents and fights powdery mildew symptoms on fruit.

It was as good as the registered chemical product for commercial control with one important exception. It caused fruit damage at the rates tested (russeting on apples and grapes, premature dropping of cherries).

If you want to test this – start with .05% of detergent in water and increase the concentration until you see control or damage. There are simply too many variables here to judge what’s going to work and what’s going to damage plants.

There are reports that some gardeners have combined sodium bicarbonate (baking soda which is often recommended for pm control) with the detergent to give a broader spectrum of control at lower doses. Again, this is a test and trial kind of thing.

What is clear is that if you go and spray at heavier concentrations, you run the risk of burning or damaging plants.

There is room here for experimentation but like all things, do take precautions to avoid breathing the small droplets of spray (wear appropriate masks)

Reference: Peter L. Sholberg (Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Summerland, British Columbia, CANADA V0H 1Z0), Palmolive Detergent Controls Apple, Cherry, and Grape Powdery Milidew,Canadian Journal of Plant Science 89(6), November 2009, 1139-1147.

Related Posts:

• Landscaping

What Does Nitrogen Do For Your Lawn

If you want your lawn to be green, then you need to give it nitrogen. In fact, nitrogen is the primary element found in most lawn fertilizers. Keep in mind that lawn fertilizer is NOT lawn food. Grass and other plants make their own food (in the form of sugars) through the process of photosynthesis.

Lawn nutrients like potassium, phosphorus and, yes, nitrogen, support the process of photosynthesis.

In short, nitrogen is what makes your grass green, and the greener the grass, the more photosynthesis can occur and the thicker the lawn gets. But be careful!

Too much nitrogen can create big problems for your lawn.

First off, too much nitrogen causes the lawn to overgrow, meaning you may have to cut it two or three times per week. If you don’t, then the turf gets too long and when you do cut, you stress it out. That’s not good.

In addition, with too much nitrogen and too much top growth, the lawn’s root system cannot support the vigor of the plants. If the roots cannot support the top, they get stressed and thin out even more. It’s like a child who eats too much candy and then crashes out to sleep after a couple hours of frenzied energy.

How much nitrogen?

As a basic rule, I recommend 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn in the spring, and another pound in the fall. During the summer you can apply very slow release organics to your grass just to give it a nice, long feeding. Simple!

Related Posts:

• How to seed and fill in bare and thin spots in your lawn
• Lawn Care
• Techniques To A Great Looking, Low Maintenance Lawn Connecticut

Preparing for Winter Storms and Blizzards

Blizzards are the most dangerous of winter storms. They produce high winds and heavy snow throughout much of the United States from December to March.

They are most common in the northern Great Plains states — South Dakota is sometimes called “the Blizzard State” — but they also occur as far south as Texas and as far east as Maine.

Many blizzard-related deaths involve people who die of hypothermia in their cars, on the street or in wilderness areas. Sadly, most of these deaths could have been avoided with proper preparation. Blizzards also cause countless cases of frostbite, as well as damage to unsupported structures and homes.

Winter Storm Watches and Warnings
If you live in a snow-prone area, pay close attention to weather forecasts and listen for watches and warnings like these:

WINTER STORM WATCH: Severe winter conditions, such as heavy snow or ice, are possible within the next day or two. Prepare now!

WINTER STORM WARNING: Severe winter conditions have begun or are about to begin in your area. Seek shelter!

BLIZZARD WARNING : Snow and strong winds will combine to produce a blinding snow (near zero visibility), deep drifts, and life-threatening wind chill. Seek refuge immediately!

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY: Winter weather conditions are expected and may be hazardous, especially for motorists.

FROST/FREEZE WARNING : Below freezing temperatures are expected and may cause significant damage to plants, crops, or fruit trees. In areas unaccustomed to freezing temperatures, people who have homes without heat need to take added precautions.

You can check the current weather forecast for your area.

Plan Ahead for Winter Storms

Play it safe by preparing ahead for winter storms and blizzards. Be sure to winterize your manufactured home by following all the tips in our winterizing section.

Remember, these storms can cause loss of electricity, heat, and telephone service and can trap you in your home for a few days. It’s important to have ample supplies on hand in your home:

• Flashlight and extra batteries.
• Battery-powered NOAA weather radio and portable radio to receive emergency information. These may be your only links to the outside.
• Extra food and bottled water. High energy food, such as dried fruit or candy, and canned food requiring no cooking or refrigeration is best.
• Manual can opener.
• Extra medicine and baby items.
• First-aid supplies.
• Heating fuel. Fuel carriers may not reach you for days after a severe winter storm.
• Back-up heating source, such as a fireplace, wood stove, space heater, etc.
• Fire extinguisher and smoke detector.
• Brush up on your fire safety knowledge by visiting our fire safety section.

Be sure to carry a survival kit in your car that contains:

• Cell phone
• Blankets/sleeping bags
• Flashlight with extra batteries
• Knife
• High calorie, non-perishable food
• A can and waterproof matches to melt snow for drinking water
• Sand or cat litter
• Shovel
• Windshield scraper
• Tool kit
• Tow rope
• Jumper cables
• Water container
• Compass
• Road maps
• Extra winter clothes and boots

Also, keep your vehicle’s gas tank full in case you get stranded and to keep the fuel line from freezing.

How to Dress for Winter Weather:

• Wear several layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing rather than one layer of heavy clothing.
• Remove a layer or two if necessary to avoid overheating, perspiration, and subsequent chill.
• Make sure outer garments are tightly woven and water-repellent.
• Wear mittens — they are warmer than gloves.
• Wear a hat.
• Cover your mouth with a scarf to protect your lungs from extremely cold air.
• Wear sturdy, waterproof boots in snow or flooding conditions.

If You’re Away From Home When the Storm Hits:

If you’re outside:

• Find a shelter out of the wind. Try to stay dry and cover all exposed parts of your body.
• If you can’t find shelter, prepare a lean-to, windbreak or snow cave for protection from the wind. Build a fire for heat and to attract attention. Place rocks around the fire to absorb and reflect heat.
• Don’t eat snow – it will lower your body temperature. Melt the snow first.

If you’re in a car or truck:

• Pull off the road and turn on your hazard lights.
• Stay inside your vehicle. It’s easy to become disoriented in the wind and snow. Do not set out on foot unless you see a building close by where you know you can take shelter.
• Run the motor about ten minutes each hour for heat.
• Open the window a crack to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Make sure the exhaust pipe is not blocked by snow.
• Exercise frequently to keep blood circulating and to keep warm, but don’t overexert.
• Huddle with other passengers and use your coat as a blanket.
• In extreme cold, use road maps, seat covers, floor mats, newspapers or extra clothing for covering–anything to provide additional insulation and warmth.

Make yourself visible to rescuers:

• Turn on your dome light at night, but only when running the engine. You don’t want to wear down your battery.
• Tie a distress flag (preferably red) to your antenna or window.
• Raise the hood to indicate trouble after snow stops falling.

Once the blizzard is over, you may need to leave your vehicle and proceed on foot. Follow the road if possible. If you need to walk across open country, use distant points as landmarks to help maintain your sense of direction.

If you’re in your home or a building:

• Stay inside.
• If you must travel, do so during daylight. Don’t travel alone. Stay on main roads, and tell others about your route and schedule.
• Conserve fuel, if necessary, by keeping your house cooler than normal. Temporarily shut off heat to less-used rooms.
• When using alternative heat from a fireplace, wood stove, or space heater, use fire safeguards and properly ventilate.
• If using kerosene heaters, maintain ventilation to avoid buildup of toxic fumes. Keep heaters at least three feet from flammable objects. Refuel kerosene heaters outside.

If there’s no heat:

• Close off unneeded rooms.
• Stuff towels or rags in cracks under doors.
• Cover windows at night.
• Stay nourished:
  • Eat food to provide your body with energy so it can produce its own heat.
  • Keep your body replenished with fluids to prevent dehydration.

After the Blizzard has Passed:

• Look for any damage that may have occurred to your home and make sure water pipes are functioning. Check out the freezing pipes information on this site for help. If there are no other problems, wait for streets and roads to be plowed before you drive anywhere.
• Check on neighbors to see if they need help.
• Pace yourself and rest frequently when shoveling snow — don’t overexert. Shoveling causes many heart attacks, especially in very cold temperatures.

With a little planning and know-how, you can make this winter a safe and warm one for you and your family.

Related Posts:

• Winter Care Tips and Precautions for Pets, People, Plants, and Possessions: Less Money, More Safety
• Spring / Fall Clean Ups
• Winterize Your Second Home or Vacation Home Checklist

LEARN TO GROW ORGANIC FOOD NOW How To Make An Organic Garden – Proper Plans and Seasonal Plants The last frost date for your area will be the last spring day when you might have a killing frost. How to Make an Organic Garden – Step #2 After you have determined your local climate, it is time to choose a location on your

Related Posts:

• Preparing for Winter Storms and Blizzards
• Growing Herbs : How to Grow an Herb Garden Indoors
• Simple Landscaping Ideas

How To Landscape To Attract Birds

Many of us enjoy the sounds of birds singing and chirping in our gardens or yards. Not only are birds beautiful to look at, they also provide many with a real appreciation of nature. There are clearly many benefits associated with attracting birds to the landscape, however in order to experience these benefits, we first need to attract the birds to our gardens! It is quite easy to attract birds to your property by following a few simple design principles, and by choosing plants for your landscape that naturally attract birds.

Birdfeeders are old staples for those who wish to see birds in their yards. When using feeders, they should be placed conveniently, and they should also be large enough to hold two to three days worth of food. Placing birdfeeders in various parts of the garden can be a great help in attracting more birds into your landscape. However, the birdfeeders should serve as supplements to the various plants in your yard that provide food and shelter to encourage the birds to think of your garden or yard as home.

The first thing to remember when designing a landscape to attract birds is that your design should provide shelter to protect birds from the elements or from predators. Evergreens are great in this role, as they often provide plenty of space for a bird to disappear crawl into, but they are very difficult for predators to penetrate. Additionally, they can be thick enough to provide adequate shelter against the elements. Evergreen trees and bushes, moreover, can look both attractive and appropriate with just about any home. They are also fairly hardy and easy to take care of. In general the type of plants that provide good shelter to birds include other woody plants. Features like decks and birdhouses also provide great places for birds to shelter.

The next thing that should be done in designing your landscape to attract birds is to provide plants that offer a consistent food supply. These plantings should offer a great deal of food, and produce enough food to meet the bird’s needs, with the help or addition of birdfeeders. In addition, there should be a variety of plants that offer seeds and fruits at various times so that the food supply lasts for an extended period of time. Holly plants (if you use blue holly, you will need both a blue boy and a blue girl in order for there to be any berries), crabapple trees, sunflowers, and other plants that produce berries and seed are excellent choices. Many of these plants are very attractive and can be made to look good in any design, alongside being an excellent source of food for our winged friends.

Another landscape principle to keep in mind while selecting plants that attract birds is to select plants that attract insects. Most scented flowers attract insects, and this means that your yard will attract birds that eat insects. Not only are there many beautiful flowers, like the roses, that attract insects, but these also in turn smell very pleasant. You can have a fragrant garden or yard, as well as one that is really attractive to the birds. Among your choices for insect-attracting flowers, choose some that bloom during the spring migration periods. Then you will be sure to get birds on their way through town, headed north.

Finally, there are landscape features that are not plant-related. These features, other than birdfeeders and birdhouses, can also mean the difference between a garden or yard bursting with birdsong and one that is depressingly quiet. These features are water features. Birds like to have places where they can bathe and drink. There is no need for a big water feature; a small birdbath or basin is often more than sufficient. Birds do prefer moving water, so small features that circulate water, like garden fountains or even water in gently sloping basins or troughs can be very attractive to birds.

It does not need to cost a lot of extra money to attract birds to your landscape. There are plenty of discount stores that offer great birdhouses, birdfeeders, windchimes, and garden fountains at low costs.

Birds do not require anything really special. For the most, part you just need to keep them in mind if you want them to be part of your landscape. Much of the time attractive plants and features that you would have been likely to have purchased anyway can be incorporated to make your landscape more pleasing to the ear.

Related Posts:

• Simple Japanese Style Landscaping Ideas
• Techniques To A Great Looking, Low Maintenance Lawn Connecticut
• Preparing for Winter Storms and Blizzards