A ten month permaculture experiment in Orlando, FL. Converting a bare lawn into an edible food forest.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
When to Plant Grass Seed?
In order to have the perfect growing grass, it is important to know the best time for planting grass seeds. There are a high percentage of lawn owners that simply get confused with the question of 'when to plant grass seed?' Due to the lack of knowledge, they take wrong decisions and plant the seeds in an unsuitable environment and season. It will be useless to take good care of soil preparation, terrain, pest control measures, etc unless the seeds are not planted in favorable conditions.
Seasons for Grass Plantation
Before taking up the job of planting grass seeds, it is important to know that seeds require constant watering for growth. During summers, it may sometimes become impossible to constant water the seeds due to high temperatures. Therefore, the best time to plant seeds is before or after summers. Moreover, there are greater chances of weed growth during summer planting. If you have no other option than to go for summer planting, make sure to give a small layer of peat moss on the plantation to prevent the seed from drying out.
You also have the option to go for planting seeds during early fall. At this time of the year, the temperature is comparatively moderate, and thus, it requires less watering. At the starting of the plantation, do not forget to apply fertilizer to the seeds. After around three to four weeks, apply more of it so that the lower younger roots are able to get the needed nutrients from the fertilizer. The weed control measures should only take when the grass is mowed for at least three times, and make sure the seeds germinate before the onset of freezing temperatures.
The grass seeds can also be planted during the spring season. Just take care to avoid the use of any type of weed control products, as this may prove harmful. It can be applied once the seed has been properly germinated and the grass is mowed for two to three times.
Calendar Schedules
Lawn owners residing in the area with whole year around sunny climate are fortunate enough to get the perfect seed plantation conditions. However, owners living in the four-season climate thoroughly research how and when to plant grass seeds. There are certain calendar schedules that help in making the activity fruitful. For the perfect grass seed plantation, it is advisable to take a sneak preview into the best months of the mentioned seasons.
During spring, the months of March and April are the best for grass plantation. Just make sure that the grass is able to well-establish the root before the high temperatures arrive in your area. During fall, the ideal time for grass planting is between August 15 and September 15. If you have missed the fall planting opportunity, then you also have the option of dormant grass planting, especially in Indian summer conditions. During autumn plantation, the seeds shall remain dormant all winter and start sprouting once spring approaches. The planting of grass seed is a well-researched process and thus, require a great deal of study; especially about the suitable time of the year it should be commenced.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Aromatherapy - Unwind with the Powerful Sense of Smell!
Aromatherapy - what is it anyway? In the dictionary, Aroma means: an odor arising from spices, plants, etc., esp. an agreeable odor; fragrance. The definition of Therapy is: the treatment of a disease or other disorder, as by some remedial or curative process. So, I guess, in layman's terms Aromatherapy is as follows - The treatment of a disease or disorder by the means of Fragrance! The treatment therefore using essential oils such as in massage therapy, where one gets the benefits of the essential oils through skin contact. You can also purchase Aromatherapy Mists to freshen the air around you or diffusers in which you place one or two drops of an essential oil onto, which then slowly releases the fragrance into the air. I love a massage, but I also like taking baths in products which contain essential oils. Along with soaking away muscle tension and body aches and pains, I also get the aromatherapy benefits of the essential oil fragrance being released into the moist air from the bath. My favorite products for aromatherapy come from Aura Cacia.
The sense of smell is a powerful thing. Have you ever gotten a whiff of something and a past memory kicked into gear? How about sitting next to someone wearing the wrong perfume; you want to get away as fast as you can! When I sit down by a lake, the smell of the water has a very soothing affect on me. You say how can she smell water? I think it has something to do with the combination of the sand, the moisture in the air, and everything that makes up water. There is more to the beach that sitting in the sun - which I don't do. I sit under an umbrella, read a good book, and enjoy the surrounding smells. However, I do not find enough time for this kind of relaxation!! This is where the art of Perfumery comes in. Looks like I may have to do some study on this; I can bring the smell of the beach to the perfume bottle. My findings on the art of Perfumery will be the topic of another article!!
How does one get therapy from fragrance? Again, the sense of smell is powerful, and I thank God for creating wonderful things of fragrance that can sooth, uplift, comfort, relax, and yes even promote feelings of sensuality. I know the guys will want to hear about the fragrances that enhance the qualities that describe an aphrodisiac. You men are such ROMANTICS!!
This is for the Men; these four exotic aromas deliver unique benefits, but also share one thing in common, they create an undeniably SENSUAL atmosphere. JASMINE sets a tranquil mood and helps restore vitality and anxiety related sexual problems, while ROSE promotes serenity and well-being. VANILLA calms, comforts, and promotes inner balance, and SANDALWOOD inspires confidence and promotes inner strength. In massage, Sandalwood is valued both as a sensuous fragrance and as a treatment for conditions related to stress. So guys - if you want to set the MOOD, you may want to purchase your wife some bath and body products which contain one or more of these exotic fragrances, and the more pure the product the better! I love Aura Cacia because they deliver pure aromatherapy products in their body care line. The more pure the essential oil the better, and organic means no pesticides, and Aura Cacia guarantees their customers that their essential oils are 100% pure and unadulterated!
Before I share the aromatherapy benefits to some of the oils and fragrances I know about, I thought I would explain the difference between Essential Oils and Fragrance Oils. Essential oils, absolutes and resins are volatile, fragrant materials extracted from a single botanical source, and if the oil is certified and organic this means no synthetic chemicals are used in growing or processing them. Fragrance Oils are generally blends of synthetic oils; they are formulated for aromatic purposes ONLY and are NOT for consumption. There are also Vegetable Oils such as sweet almond oil, grape seed oil, and jojoba, olive, and rosehip seed oils which are produced from nuts, seeds, grains, and beans. They are sometimes referred to as fixed oils because they are not volatile (Meaning easily evaporated) like essential oils. Vegetable oils make an excellent base in which to dilute essential oils for body care products.
Aromatherapy products can turn your home into a private spa - or maybe even a romantic hideaway! Let's start with LAVENDER. Lavender is probably my favorite fragrance and has very soothing properties. It is best known as being an herb for relaxation, but is used to relieve headaches as well. Research has shown that the fragrance of Lavender sends a calming message to the brain which counters adrenalin producing stress signals.
Next we will take a look at MINT. Some mints boost circulation, some improve energy while building up resistance to fatigue, while others have a cleansing action and aid the respiratory system. For example; sniffing a drop of Peppermint or Spearmint oil increases cheerfulness, clarity, optimism, and the sense of being fully alive. These oils are also used in subtle aromatherapy to encourage emotional regeneration and positive change.
Moving on to the Citrus Scents; for the most part this includes SWEET ORANGE, LEMON, GRAPEFRUIT, and LIME. The citrus fragrances are clean and crisp scents that will lift an individual from a depressed mood. The Citrus Scents are known for their calming influences for the person who needs to wind down from a stressful and busy day!!
PATCHOULI is one of those scents that you either love it or hate it. This is my conclusion from listening to people talk about this particular fragrance. I happen to LOVE it, especially when combined with Sweet Orange Oil. Aromatherapists use it to help deal with stress related problems, including reduced libido, and to promote new skin cells in the treatment of wrinkles, open pores, acne, eczema, cracked skin, and fungal infections such as athlete's foot.
ROSEMARY is not only good when added to your favorite roast, but is wonderful when used as aromatherapy oil. Rosemary helps to reduce blood cholesterol levels and in massage oil eases tense, tired, and overworked muscles.
CLARY SAGE is a very intense scent. It delivers an extremely high feel-good factor which can range from relaxing, mildly inebriating, or uplifting to an almost spiritual experience, and can result in vivid dreams. This fragrance is so relaxing the aromatherapists advise clients to avoid driving directly after a massage with it.
It is considered aphrodisiac and counters stress and tension from physical and emotional sources including asthmatic spasms, muscle pain, swollen legs from standing all day, migraines, sexual problems and depression during convalescence.
I myself enjoy a massage now and then. I have a friend who is a wonderful massage therapist and I trust her knowledge and expertise. When I have finished a massage session, I usually need to go home and lay down for about an hour. I feel totally wiped out - this is a good thing. After I rest I feel quite rejuvenated. My therapist also reminds me to drink plenty of water after a session. This helps cleanse the toxins from your body after a massage.
I believe that all the wonderful aromas out there to help reduce the tension plus exercise (which I am lacking in) and my faith in God, the Creator of all these wonderful fragrant gifts, is where TRUE stress release comes from. God tells us in His Scriptures to be 'anxious for nothing'. We need to rely totally on God for our daily needs. '...worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.' This is from What An Angel Might Say Perpetual Calendar.
Aromatherapy benefits can be achieved through massage therapy using select essential oils, or by walking through an herb garden and gliding your hands over certain herbs such as Lavender, Rosemary, or Lemon Balm. I love the fragrance left on my hands after touching Lavender, the fragrance remains for some time. Who needs perfume when you can grow a little herb garden!!
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Part 1 - The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (Chs 01-04)
Part 1. Classic Literature VideoBook with synchronized text, interactive transcript, and closed captions in multiple languages. Audio courtesy of Librivox. Read by Mark F. Smith. Playlist for The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: www.youtube.com
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