If you’re planning a valentine’s day with a difference, red and pink are so yesterday. This year green is in. Here are 5 easy ways to be impress your honey by being a honey! 1. Valentine’s day is the second largest event in the year that consumes the most amount of paper after xmas – [...]
Home veggie gardens are great but in reality they can be a hassle, thus lead to failure and disappointment. Follow these tips and the hassles will be removed, thus leading you to be a successful gardener. The hurdles of a veggie garden include : Monkey, Bird, moles and other pest invasions and feeding on your [...]
It seems that ants are a hot topic at the moment, and if you are living in and around the KZN North Coast, you may think we are under siege with the possibility that ants and other creepy-crawlies are trying to take over the world! Due to the extreme heat and lack of rain which [...]
The massive demand for water due to the busy holiday season and hot weather, exceeded the current dam and reservoir supply, and coupled with poor infrastructure capabilities resulted in the recent water cuts experienced in the Ballito and surrounding North Coast areas. This came as a big wake-up call to residents and visitors, who were [...]
If you’re planning a valentine’s day with a difference, red and pink are so yesterday. This year green is in. Here are 5 easy ways to be impress your honey by being a honey!
1. Valentine’s day is the second largest event in the year that consumes the most amount of paper after xmas – so why not save our precious trees and send an e-card instead try www.smilebox.com or http://www.care2.com/ecards/ Its FREE and generates donations to great organisations.
2. Chose local, organic pampering gifts that mean what they stand for over mass produced, overpriced commercial products that contain tons of toxins
3. Light an organic soy based candle that doesn’t let off harmful chemicals and that once lit can be used as a massage oil
4. Plan a candlelit dinner at home with specially selected organic products and ditch the hassle of getting to fully booked restaurants
5. Most importantly do some selfless service with your sweetie that way the two of you are sure to connect on a higher level and that blissful feeling of making a difference to others will last even after the flowers have wilted and the guilt from eating all those chocolates has settled.
Sent in by: Ruksha Maharaj, from Bliss Divine www.blissdivine.co.za
Home veggie gardens are great but in reality they can be a hassle, thus lead to failure and disappointment. Follow these tips and the hassles will be removed, thus leading you to be a successful gardener.
The hurdles of a veggie garden include :
How to overcome the hurdles:
Choose a location
Put in a simple automatic water timer so that you don’t need to stand there every time. If you miss a day or 2, no harm done as the timer will take care of it.
With these hurdles and hassles removed you will be left with minimum maintenance and can focus your energy on the actual plants instead.
Soil:
Planting:
Feeding you plants:
Watering:
Pests & Disease
Now that really is it. This is more than enough to get you started.
Yes you will still have a few failures but that is part of the fun and you’ll learn from it. So get started and get those green thumbs going.
Good Luck
Andrew
Article by: Andrew Donkin, Home Organic http://www.go2natural.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=40:home-organic&catid=15:organic-gardening
It seems that ants are a hot topic at the moment, and if you are living in and around the KZN North Coast, you may think we are under siege with the possibility that ants and other creepy-crawlies are trying to take over the world!
Due to the extreme heat and lack of rain which we have experienced over the past few weeks, ants in all varieties seem to be in and around our homes and gardens, in their droves!
It’s easy to grab that can of ‘doom’ and kill them all, but just consider all the toxic chemicals which you are spraying in and around your home (especially in the kitchen where you store and prepare food), not to mention that you inhale in the process. Just try reading the labeling on the back of the spray can and take note of the list of harmful and dangerous chemicals and warning signs!
Here are 2 ‘greener’ options, which really work, you can make it at home, it’s pretty safe and costs a fraction of the price of toxic commercial pesticides.
CAUTION: Borax, is a naturally occurring mineral compound, and a strong alkali which is poisonous to plants and insects (and humans too if ingested in large quantities). It is however much safer and more environmentally friendly than commercial pesticides. If you have small children or pets, make sure you keep it out of their reach and instead of using an open bottle top/lid rather place the ant bait in a sealed container with small holes in the lid that only the ants can get to it.
P.S. You can find Borax in most supermarkets. Look in the laundry detergent aisle, you should find it there. Its great for removal of stains too!
So, give these options a try, and rest assured that the ants will not be plotting to carry your home away whilst you are asleep!
The massive demand for water due to the busy holiday season and hot weather, exceeded the current dam and reservoir supply, and coupled with poor infrastructure capabilities resulted in the recent water cuts experienced in the Ballito and surrounding North Coast areas. This came as a big wake-up call to residents and visitors, who were hugely inconvenienced, and also to local businesses who in some cases had to turn clientelle away or close up shop. A big blow from Balllito all round!
According to the report in The North Coast Courier dated January 6th 2012, the local government together with Sembcorp Siza Water and Umgeni water have put together short, medium and long term plans to improve the situation, but as also stated in this article, the financing of the proposed projects still has to be obtained from government, and like most things relating to government, this could mean a long wait…
Perhaps the crisis could have been averted with better planning and management, but in the end all the shouting and finger-pointing is not going to do much about a problem which is escalating on a global scale – ie. an extreme shortage of clean, fresh water!
With research showing South Africa is using 98 percent of its available water supply, UASA president Costa Raftaploulos has been quoted by The Star newspaper in Johannesburg as saying, “South Africa sits on a water time bomb which will affect each and every person within its borders. Enough has been said to confirm that we are dealing with a problem of gigantic proportions.”
Let’s look at just a few of the factors influencing water in our area; 1) Ballito & North Coast development is soaring, placing a further burden on an already stressed infrastructure and supply; 2) unpredictable weather patterns due by global warming resulting in flooding or droughts which affect the supply and quality of our water; 3) over-use and abuse of our waterways have lead to dangerous pollution levels requiring huge amounts of chemicals and expensive equipment to purify the water for safe use.
Is this enough to convince you that each and every one of us needs to start taking responsibility for our actions and plan ahead for our future?
By adopting water-wise habits and making some minor adjustments to your plumbing, its possible to halve your water consumption. In a series of articles on Water-Wise Living, I will be exploring ways in which we can help save water, save the environment and save money at the same time.
First we need to look at our water consumption to see how much we use and where it is used. The average monthly consumption for a middle-upper income household consisting of 2 adults and 3 children is 37500 litres (or 37.5KL).
This diagram represents a typical household with the areas of usage. Its difficult to swallow that we flush approx 10 875 litres of precious water down the toilet each month!
Considering that gardens and outdoor areas represent the greatest usage, I think this would be a good place to start. Here are some water-wise ideas for these areas:
1) Collect Rainwater
The average annual rainfall for Ballito is approx 820 mm. If you collected rainwater from a roof surface area of approx 100 square metres, you can gather up to 82 000 litres of water a year which would be more than half of your garden water usage. There are various options suitable options for rainwater collection and storage, from simple but effective Rain Chains to water tanks and systems which harvest your rainwater and re-direct it to your garden, toilets, etc. Contact your local experts and service providers for advice on the best solution for your garden.
2) Check for Leaking Taps
Up to 31000 litres can we wasted during a year through a leaking tap – that’s enough to fill half of your swimming pool! To check for underground leaks, turn off all taps and machines that use water. Write down the reading on your water metre. Check it again half and hour later. If it has gone up you have a leak. Call a plumber if you can’t find the leak yourself.
3) Water Wise Gardening
Water your garden in the early morning or late afternoon to lessen evaporation. Avoid watering on windy days when evaporation is also high. If you have an irrigation system on a timer, make sure it is switched off during/after rainfall. Drip irrigation is the best watering system as it delivers water directly to the plants routes and avoids surface evaporation. Mulching can also prevent upto 70% water loss. There are many beautiful plants which are naturally drought resistant and require little watering once established. Check with your local garden landscaper or nursery for expert advice on water wise gardening and irrigation.
4) Check the Weather Forecast
Before deciding to water your garden, check the 4 day weather forecast. You may water the entire garden and wash your car one day, and it rains the next!
5) Redirect your pool backwash onto your lawn
Backwashing swimming pools uses a lot of water, and when fed into the municipal drains, it causes a huge stress on the already over-burdened municipal treatment works. You can redirect your backwash to your lawns or install a system which catches your back wash water and over a 24 hours process, treats it so that you can pump it back into your pool.
6) Wash your car with a bucket and not the hose
Using a hose pipe to wash your car can consumes approx 250 litres of water. Using a bucket can save up to 90% of the water used. If possible, wash your car on the lawn so that the run-off can go into the lawn and not the storm water drain. Using a high-pressure cleaner also uses considerably less water that your hose pipe.
7) Re-use Grey Water
Grey water is wastewater from sources such as the bath, shower, washing machine and sink. Grey water systems recycle this water which is then treated and redirected to use on your gardens or to fill your pool.
In our next article Water-Wise Living article we will look at water use in our homes. So until then, remember that EVERY DROP COUNTS!
I would love to hear your comments, ideas, tips and suggestions on how we can save water and protect the most valuable natural resource we have!
