Pond Aeration And Algae
Friday, June 20th, 2008
There are a couple of things that helps to minimize algae growth. A good quality bio filter is important. The bio filter will have an ozone generator built into it. This will help to kill some of the algae.
One of the major problems with a lot of ponds is the water does not turn over fast enough. Water circulation is a key factor in controlling algae growth. The faster the water circulates, the harder it is for the algae to thrive. Most algae likes to grow in still water. There are some types of stringy algae that will grow in running water.
Algae grows best in sunshine. By shading your pond under trees or growing water plants in the shallow areas you can help control algae growth. Of course, under trees you will have a whole other set of problems to deal with.
Goldfish and koi feed on algae also.
Honeybee Pollination Almond Tree
Monday, June 16th, 2008
Bees are important to the agriculture industry. Bee pollination is a direct contributor to $15 billion worth of agriculture crops like vegetables, almonds and other nuts, fruits, and berries. During the first part of the almond bloom we had rain and cool weather this makes for a tough situation to get the bees out of their hives to get their pollination done. Almonds are the second-largest crop in California, next to milk.
Almonds are sold all over the world. To compound this there’s a shortage of bees. Where are the bees? There is an unexplained phenomenon.
There are a lot of theories about what may be causing Colony Collapse Disorder? The environmental factors and management practices are a few of the common factors that are shared by the beekeepers that have been experiencing Colony Collapse Disorder, but there are no common chemicals or environmental factors that stand out as a cause.
Researchers are looking into three possibilities that may be contributing to the problem. The three factors are migratory stress, a new parasite, and pesticides.
Planting Bulbs Right Side Up
Saturday, June 14th, 2008When planting bulbs it is necessary to make sure that you plant the root side of the bulb down and the growth side up. Sometimes it’s pretty hard to tell which end has the roots.
A lot of times if you look through a package of bulbs you’ll find roots on one or two or at least what appears to be some fine hairs. These would be the roots. That part of the bulb would go down. Compare the bulb you found in the bag to the one in your hand. The top end of the bulb is where new life and growth will emerge from the soil.
