FAQ
How To Make An Artificial Crow Nest?
You will have to find a craft store that carries many fake branches or leaves etc etc with the items I give you it may be easy to find and make what you want.
Crows nest consist of Many thing such as,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
small twigs,straw/hay,animal hairs,small soft bark,grasses green and brown,pine needles.
The nest size is about 6-19 inches across and 6-14 inches for the inner cup area, and 4-15 inches deep.
Could take some fake leaves grind up to make for a mash to hold all the twigs together and pieces of bark as the outside for support and pine needles for the comfort zone , (inside) Your project Good Luck sounds like fun 
What Is An Eco Friendly Home Environment?
Looking For Detailed Information Particularly With Reference To India. Links To Web Sites Giving Details Are Welcome
Do you mean growing your own food ,supplying your own Energy and using your own wastes and by products in a positive manner ??
if yoiu do here is an extensive answer
and the philosiphy wich teaches that with drawings examples and relevant facts is called Permaculture.Also check out on the Internet EARTHSHIPS buiding eco friendly homes from wast material ,and check the link straw revolution.
ORGANIC VEGETABLES
At home you can grow vegetables intensively and quite cheaply using your own wastes and by products and plantig for mulch
MULCH
The best in the world is the manure that comes from earth worms,if you mulch your garden you will get worms automatically
All manure is good to add ,cow,rabbit, and horse is the mildest and you can put it on directly.
Chicken is more acidy and is best to mix with saw dust or earth ,
You cannot put too much manure in your garden,it will just get richer and richer,
But to prevent smell mix it well with the ground or with something else before you put it on, like sand or earth or sawdust
Uric acid or nitrogen is good ,this is animal urine,
Farmers now put gutters in their stables to collect it and put it on the land especially for the grassy type species.
Cut down the weeds before they produce seeds and leave them where they fall,they will cover the ground and put even more organic matter on top,
You can use saw dust,leaves green or dry,and when you plant make a little space and plant in the mulch.this is the easiest quickest and by far most benificial way,for the quality of you soil.
To prevent weeds from coming all you have to do it turn out the lights,you can even use cardboard or black plastic(this is good for strawberries because they will rot if they touch humid ground,and the bugs can get to them).
What you do is to cover the ground with mulch which is the same principal as compost but it includes the whole garden surface
The top part of the soil where the topsoil is being produced houses a world or microbiotic life.
Mulch is organic material green or dry that covers the ground,the thicker the better the composting process will turn it in to black topsoil
The humidity is preserved underneath and promotes the devellopment of worms(their exists no better compost than their excrements)and a variety of micro biotic life which together with the mulch produce more topsoil.
The mulch also keeps the ground temperature even and guards against the impact of the rain ,which would other wise brings salt to the surfave if on unprotected land
Mulch also prevents the soil from drying out because of the sun and, lay it open to wind erosian.
do not use chemicals because the water will wash them into the ground and if enough people did that, you would be guilty of helping to contaminate subteranean water suplies that other people could be pumping up to drink
COMPOST
make a compost heap to accomodate al the organic rubbish that you end up with ,both from the garden and the house,all organic material is good for compost,eggshells,wood,
paper,bones,leaves,pine needles
sawdust,old clothes ,the dead cat,toilet paper
etc.
70 %of contamination comes from organic wastes that are mixed with the plastics etc.
HOW
Dig a shallow hole ,bowel shaped about 2 or 3 square meters ,have it in a shady place,like under a tree or built a little roof.
Keep the compost moist,have it near a sprinkler or regularly wet it with a garden hose ,dont saturate with water because the worms will leave
or die.
You can add a little lime at times,cover it with leaves or plastic to keep the moisture in.
We add red earth worms(californiana)which are surface eaters,the more worms, the quicker the decomposition and the richer the compost.
ORGANIC PESTCONTROL
IN AFRICA we had camelions in the kitchen to keep down the flies
In Mexico we got a sort of small lizard that lives on the wall ,and sit near the lamps ,and eat mosquitos all night,
In the mango orchards we release laboratory bred wasps to attack and kill the caterpillars that go for the mangos
There are small chickens, called a silky or bantom or chaparito which are all small chickens that do not scratch ,but run after ,jumping and walking insects,they take care of about 70 percent of all garden pests.
Feasants,guinyfowel,partridge will do the same work
Iguanas kill grashoppers and all kinds of flying insects
Birds we also dont kill
when the passion fruit is ripe ,a little black caterpiller comes and wants to destroy them,luckely a little finch type bird turns up and eats the black caterpillars.
In Mexico we have let mazacoas,which are, python type snakes in to the garden to take care of the rats.
In Africa we released mole snakes into the garden and field to combat the plagues of Norwegian rats that were destroying the fields
Ant eaters and armadillos take care of leafcutting ants that can destroy a large tree in a week.and eat beatles and such
Potbelly pigs and deer and normal pigs are good in an orchard because they eat fallen rotting fruit which breeds a lot of small flies.
In our water reservoirs we put fish to eat the mosquito larvas.
Ihave bred tree frogs from eggs and released them in the garden to eat mosquitos and horse flies.
You can keep a barrel of water and throw in everybodies sigarette buts
this can be used for getting rid of ants
A mixture of green liquid soap with garlic and terpentine also gets rid of a lot of leaf eating pests
Lavendal is good for moulds
and there is a great variety of weeds that acts as pest repellents when ground up (such as Khki boss in South africa )
Marigolds and similar looking flowers around vegetable keep bugs a way
So does garlic ,mint ,spring onions ,oregano ,thyme
when planted near Tomatoes
WATERHARVESTING
In Permaculture the rule is to harvest rain water to the point of Zero runoff.
This means that all of the rain that falls on an area is absorbed by the terrain and not a drop leaves it.
By building dams,ponds or swales, with interconecting ditches,
If there are enough of these ;the places ,where before the rain water ran over the ground into the rivers and on to the sea ,(in a matter of hours or days),
It now runs into absorbant dams or swales and saturates the ground and eventually reaches subteranean water deposits ,taking many months to do so.
Or it fills up ponds that can be used for Aquaculture.
And so a convex situation that repels water is transformed in a concave ,absorbant one and turning the area in to a sponge.
In Spain and Portugal ,which still display many examples of the conquering Moorish influence,One can find many remnants of Waterharvesting,such as aquaducts and tanks underneath the patios ,which collect the rain water from the roofs ,to be used in dryer times.
In Arabia ,on a large scale ,land has been shaped to catch and lead,rain water into sandy areas or to agricultural lands.sand is almost as good as dams because it absorbs water and holds it.(swales)
EFFICIENT WATER USE
IN THE HOUSE
one can connect the sink straight to the toilet sistern and so use the water twice ,first to have a shave and then to flush the toilet
also if you bend the ball valve you can regulate the level of the sistern
and always have your grey water and black water seperate
so that the sink and shower water goes directly into the garden saving on irregation and at the same time ,making the sewage smaller and easier to deal with ,this also goes and iregates the garden but via a sitern of two compartments and a french drain ,on which you plant trees,
PERMACULTURE
Permaculture means permanent agriculture
a concept put forward by Bill Mollisson in the 60`s
which is a complete hand book for environmental design.
With practical solutions for energy systems ,infratructure ,housing,
animal shelter ,water systems and sustainable agricultural practises.
With the world and it`s history as it`s source
From the chinampas of Mexico to the teraced gardens of the Andes.
From the dessert whadis to the steppes of Russia.
Covering all climatic conditions temporal, dessert, humid and dry tropics.
with chapters on soil ,Water harvesting and land design,
Earth working ,Spirals in nature,Trees and water ,utilising energy flows,
Strategy for an alternative nation
this book also has many gardening tips,bio-gas,companion planting and ideas for structures ,how to cool down houses in hot climates ,how to warm up houses in cold climates with out using technology but rather by design.
The Permaculture designers manual by Bill Mollison,which cost about 40 dollars.
and is the best all round book you can get,on Environmental design,.(tagiari publishing, [email protected])
Some other writers that are on the internet are
david Holmgren
Larry Santoyo
Kirk Hanson
Masanobu Fukuaka has written ,
One-Straw Revolution
The Road Back to Nature
The Natural Way of Farming
http://www.context.org/iclib/ic14/fukuok...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/masanobu_fu...
Simon Henderson
and Bill Molisson.
a representitive of the concept in USA is
Dan Hemenway at [email protected]
[email protected]
http://barkingfrogspc.tripod.com/frames....
http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/ypc_catalo... Source(s) Until recently I was a permaculture consultant for the department of Ecology for the regional government of Guerrero in Mexico
rbyderule yahoo 360, which has some stuff in English as well as this spaces
http://spaces.msn.com/byderule
How Much Water Do I Give A Japanese White Pine(Bonsai Tree) And How Often?
Please Only Answer If You Know What You Are Talking About I Really Don'T Want Kill My Bonsai Tree. Thank You
Pines are difficult bonsai subjects in that they display few symptoms of distress. By the time most people notice somwthing is wrong, it is already too late to save the tree. Overwatering and insufficient light are the two most probable causes of pine Bonsai problems.
Look closely for slight yellowing of needles, a sign of insufficient sunlight. Brown needle tips can mean too much water.
Keep the plant outside in sunlight when conditions permit, in a south facing windowsill other times. When outside monitor soil moisture closely.
Water when the pot feels light or the subsurface soil feels dry. Stick your finger in the soil. Immerse the entire pot in room-temperature water once every week or ten days.
Do not fertilize. Decomposition of the bonsai compost will provide sufficient nutrition (provided you're using soil specifically formulated for bonsai).
I Have Rooted Some Blueberry Shoots. Do I Set Them Out Now Or Wait Till Spring?
I Cut And Rooted Quite A Few Blueberries From Soft Wood Cuttings In Late Summer. I Have Them In Pots Right Now Behind My Barn In A Protected Area. The Leaves Have All Fallen Off, But It'S Easy To Tell The Ones That Did Root. The Stalks Are Green And Buds For Next Year'S Growth Have Formed. My Question Is, Really Cold Weather Is Nearing. Do I Set Them Out Now In The Place They Will Be, Or Do I Need To Overwinter Them Somehow In A Protected Place? If So, How Much Protection Will They Need? We Are In A Zone 6 Area With Winter Temps Sometimes Reaching The Teens. Thanks For Any Info!
I recommend waiting until spring to plant them. Keep them protected during the winter as well as you can and don't forget to give them a little water during the winter. It shouldn't take much since they are dormant but you don't want the roots to dry out and die.
In the mean time, prepare the area they will be planted in. If your soil isn't acidic now would be a good time to add peat moss, coffee grounds and pine straw. Incorporate them into the top 1 foot or so of soil. The pine straw will begin breaking down during the winter and release its acid into the soil. The peat moss will take quite a while to break down, often several years, and releases its contribution more slowly. The coffee grounds seem to be the first part that decomposes and add a quick burst of acid, but it doesn't last long. Add more at planting time and a handful or so every couple of weeks during the growing season. Add a little fertilizer (about 1/2 pound or so) to each planting hole. You can add another 1/2 pound at planting time, but don't overdo it; blueberries don't need much fertilizer if planted in well-conditioned soil. You can also substitute rabbit manure for the fertilizer; it will provide all they need and will not burn them. It also doesn't have to be composted prior to use so it saves a lot of time and effort on your part.
Good luck and enjoy!
How Do You Start A Compost Pile And What Do You Do With It?
I Want To Do More Than Recycle So Im Wanting Ta Start A Compost Pile. Do They Smell? What Goes In One And What Do You Do With The Stuff Once Its Filled Up?
The basics are simple but it is a bit of an art to get one to heat fast and finish quickly. However there is evidence that a slow pile produces more humus, which is the goal.
The pile is effectively built out of two elements, carbon- C and nitrogen -N. It is the balance between these two in the presence of invertebrates, fungi, and bacteria that allows an exothermic reaction to occur and produce the final decomposition.
Yard and kitchen scraps are layered with manures or dirt to achieve a ratio that is close to 30:1 C:N. Ideally one uses a thermometer with readings from 0 degrees to 200 degrees F and is long enough to read well into the pile to determine when to turn the pile. If you have layered the carbon to nitrogen to the ideal 30:1 the pile will shortly begin to heat up. There will be a steady rise in temperature for a day or two. Normally the pile will continue to rise until it reaches 120 to 149 degrees F, at which point it may suddenly stop rising. Keep on monitoring the temperature. If it stays up, fine. If it drops, turn again. Once it no longer rises in temp after being turned it is complete. Note this is predicated on being able to balance the carbon or 'browns' to the nitrogen or 'greens'. Also the particle sizes being added matter. If possible all material should be run through a chipper to mix and reduce the size. This makes turning much easier, too.
http://www.compostguide.com/ C:N ratios
Green ingredients (grass clippings, weeds, kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, seeds, soft green prunings, seaweed, animal manure (sheep, poultry, horse, rabbit & cow))
Brown ingredients (dead leaves, straw, hay, wood shavings or chips, egg cartons, newspaper)
Particle size also affects the availability of carbon and nitrogen. Large wood chips, for example, provide a good bulking agent that helps to ensure aeration through the pile, but they provide less available carbon per mass than they would in the form of wood shavings or sawdust. To much carbon prevents the pile from heating.
As to smells, that is the best method of managing a pile if you do not use a thermometer. If it smells fresh like turned soil it is working properly.
If you get it to wet it will begin to decompose anaerobically and produce hydrogen sulfide, the rotten egg smell. The best thing is to turn it and get air in.
If the pile has an ammonia odor, you have too much green material (grass clippings, food scraps, green plant material) and not enough brown (dry leaves, woody prunings, pine needles, dried out plants, saw dust). Add more brown material or a shovel of soil and turn it.
If you see ants then the pile must be to dry. Everything should be moist but there should be nothing dripping. If you piled it to dry, its own heat dried it or the summer did then you must turn it rewetting the layers as you go.
If it just sits there and wont heat up you have to many browns. To much carbon prevents the pile from heating. Go to a coffee shop and get some coffee grounds, any grain, seed or meal is a good source of nitrogen. Add some grass clippings in thin layers or get a neighbor to donate kitchen scraps.
Use compost as a mulch or top dressing. Work it into new beds and amend holes dug for new plants. Mix it with vermiculite and sand to make your own potting mix. Last, make compost tea. http://www.simplici-tea.com/
The reason we need to add organics to soil is to create humus. Good soil is equal parts sand, silt, & clay. These give soil its texture and are about 95% of soil. Organics give it structure and should be 5-7%. How the soil aggregates or forms crumbs affects how air and water move through the soil. The organic portion of the soil determines this. Basically it is almost impossible to add to much compost to existing soil.
During the early stages of the composting process, flies provide ideal airborne transportation for bacteria on their way to the pile. Flies spend their larval phase in compost as maggots, which do not survive thermophilic temperatures the bacteria and fungi digestion creates . Adult flies feed upon organic vegetation. If flies become a problem cover food scraps with a little soil from the garden.
In small-scale backyard compost piles, soil invertebrates aid the decomposition process. Together with bacteria, fungi, and other microbes, these organisms make up a complex food web or energy pyramid with primary, secondary, and tertiary level consumers. The base of the pyramid, or energy source, is made up of your organic matter including plant and animal residues.
Meat and dairy products are high in fat. They can cause an unpleasant odor if added to a passive pile or poorly-managed active compost pile. For a hot, well-turned compost pile, meat and dairy wastes are not a problem. However, it is better to run the wastes through a blender or food processor to reduce their size and speed their decomposition.
Fat, oil, & grease, known as FOG, can be added at 1% of the compost’s mass.
'An application rate, limited to a concentration of fat at 1% of the soil mass was reported as being the most desirable rate in that no negative effects were observed.'
Fat, oil, and grease have a high C/N ratio (90:1), if applied to compost they may affect the availability of N, due to N immobilization during its decomposition by nitrifying bacteria. The same is true of any high carbon ingredient like wood chips. Particle size also affects the availability of carbon and nitrogen. Large wood chips, for example, provide a good bulking agent that helps to ensure aeration through the pile, but they provide less available carbon per mass than they would in the form of wood shavings or sawdust. To much carbon prevents the pile from heating.
http://www.compostguide.com/ C:N ratios
What should never be added are;
Feces either from your pet or human - They carry diseases and parasites, as well as cause an unpleasant odor
Diseased garden plants - They can infect the compost pile and influence the finished product.
Invasive weeds - Spores and seeds of invasive weeds (buttercups, morning glory, quack grass) can survive the decomposition process and spread to your desired plants when you use the finished compost.
Wood ashes - highly alkaline (high pH), and rich in potassium salts so it is good for sandy, acidic soils (low pH). However, the fine particle size of ash tends to plug the pores of clay soils leading to water penetration and drainage problems.
Glossy, colored paper - The inks are toxic to the soil microorganisms.
Pesticide-treated plant material - These are harmful to the compost foodweb organisms, and pesticides may survive into the finished compost..
Eucalyptus leaves and bark - allelopathic effects impact nutrient cycling and prevents some seed germination
Treated lumber - Will not break down.
Poison Ivy - It is a potent source of urushiol even after a year and a half (to sensitive individuals).
Walnut shells - Juglone, a naturally occurring chemical released by all parts of black walnut trees, can have a toxic effect on many vegetables and landscape plants.
Slugs and snails generally feed on living plant material but will attack fresh garbage and plant debris and will therefore appear in the compost heap. (Better there where you can find and kill them than in the garden. I dump them in soapy water til dead then compost them. Soap is a phosphorus source.)
http://www.primalseeds.org/compost.htm...
http://compost.css.cornell.edu/compostin...
http://ohioline.osu.edu/com-fact/0001.ht...
The compost should have many kinds of worms, including earthworms, nematodes, red worms and potworms. They will invade the pile from the soil or through drain holes if you have an enclosed bin.
Besides worms you will see many other creatures like sow bugs or springtails. All the creatures that move in are there because they like dead stuff. Bugs, big and little, are what make the decomposition happen.
Biomass briquettes in India | Global Ideas
Visit Our Local Pine Straw City for information on delivery & installation
Charlestonfrom
http://pinestrawlandscaping.com/biomass-briquettes-in-india-global-ideas/
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