Herbs and herb gardens have recently caught the fancy of the people worldwide. And more so, herbs are not restricted to be grown and enjoyed by a privileged few with large outdoor gardens or sprawling terraces. Herbs can be grown indoors in your balcony or on the window shelf in pots.
Generally speaking growing herbs is nothing short of an adventure. Right from the time you sow the seeds to watering them into saplings, herbs have caught the imagination of people where you can enjoy growing a plant and enjoy its produces in the form of leaves, barks, fruits or roots. Herbs are known since time immemorial for their culinary, medicinal and spiritual values amongst many.
It is not at all difficult to grow herbs by yourself. All you need are a few tips and general guidelines as to how to grow own herb garden; and you will find nothing can be more satisfying than sowing, harvesting and using herb plants from your own herb garden. All you must keep in mind is the conditions favorable for each particular herb.
While many herbs are most suitable when grown in an outdoor herb garden, there are also many herbs which can be grown in pots indoors. But make sure that they receive appropriate sir and sunlight. Just as it been seen in herb plants like parsley, basil and chervil which finds shade for one part of the day favorable for its growth; unlike, woody herbs such as rosemary thyme and sage which prefer a sunny location.
Growing herbs is a passion as well as an art. There were times when monks and nuns planted herbs in an attempt to induce spiritual and medicinal power of the herbs. Then there were the monastic herb gardens since Renaissance Europe, which later converted to botanical gardens with the advent of renaissance in medical and botanical sciences.
However, when we speak of modern herb gardens, we are referring to herb gardening which may be exclusively functional or may be ornamental. The impending trust of people in of alternative medicine is also encouraging people to grow and use fresh herbs – as the best sensitive medicine with the least side effect.
But before you start off growing herbs, make your priorities clear on why, which and how you wish to develop your own herb garden. Do you want to grow culinary herbs to indulge on its aromatic flavors in your recipes; or explore a business opportunity by growing medicinal herbs? But, all in all cultivating an herb garden is a great idea and an adventurous one too.
Have you decided to go all natural? All natural diet, all natural pet food, all natural medicines, natural insect control, and all natural gardening have become the wave of the present and future. Many people think something is new just because it hasn't been in the spotlight. But natural alternatives have been around for years. They just didn't receive their kudos because of the convenience people prefer from leading busy lives. Most have found, though, that convenience can be damaging to our environment.
Convenience has hurt our rivers and roadsides because of packaging being tossed away carelessly. Convenience has hurt our family time because of lost time preparing food, eating at the family dinner table, and gardening together. Convenience has hurt our ozone layer. This doesn't mean convenience is bad; it is what you make it. If you allow anything to take over your life it can turn into a negative.
Natural insecticides take a little more effort to use if you make them yourself. They take a little more time because they can require multiple uses and degrade quicker. But the rewards you reap from preparing your own natural insecticides can be great. It will give you something to discuss with others at family reunions, club events, and when traveling. You can join people in discussions on the internet about organic gardening and natural insecticides. You can increase awareness of the benefits so that others are prompted to engage in the use of natural insecticides. You can help promote a healthier world, a healthier family life, ways to make the most out of your garden and landscaping. You can even save money by making your own natural insecticides.
There are rules to follow, of course, like mixing properly. If you mix the wrong ingredients you could either cause more harm or even be wasting your time if the items use cancel out each other's effectiveness. You should understand how to use what you make, how much is safe, what plants or insects will be affected in a negative way so as not to harm the good ones, how to avoid foaming, how to store and for how long.
Prevention is always best. But because it isn't always possible, taking safe alternatives to treatment is the next best thing. People have become disgusted with rising prices, so they decide they can do better if they just make their own products. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. If you don't research and educate yourself, you could be doing more harm than good. Some mistakenly assume that natural means safe, and they neglect to learn about the effects and proper uses of natural insecticides.
Cooking is a way to kill harmful bacteria in some instances. But the heat from cooking can destroy the active ingredients of some of your homemade insecticides. Also, the water you use can destroy the effectiveness. If you have hard well water, there may be certain minerals that cause a problem. So, if you decide to make your own, know how to prepare them properly.
Filed under General by 
Ants can be a nuisance, a threat to those who are allergic to ant bites, and have been known as killers. It wouldn't seem possible of such a tiny creature, but their biggest defense seems to be their numbers. They multiply rapidly, easily, and quickly. They can take over a yard if left to themselves. A small child who accidentally falls into a fire ant bed and becomes quickly covered in them will be in misery and pain, sometimes having to be rushed to an emergency room. A dying animal can be overtaken by them and used as a food source.
Ants eat a wide variety of things. They're not nearly as picky as we humans when it comes to their dinner choices. They don't even need silverware! They can carry large weights in comparison to their body sizes.
It's human nature to immediately grab a can of ant spray or a bag of granules and begin walking the yard to search for their colonies. If you've lived in places like Texas and Louisiana, you know that ant beds can become huge. The fire ants are aggressive and dangerous. It's much better to control an infestation than to wake up one day and realize that your property now belongs more to the ants than to you.
Sometimes insects can become immune to the chemicals sold on the market. Ant bait and ant poisons can lose their effectiveness due to overuse and years of enduring the same poisons. The chemicals can also cause harm to other insects and animals. If you don't store them properly, your children could become poisoned by them.
While it's true that many natural insecticides can be dangerous as well, they are safer for our environment and safer overall than chemical poisons, especially if you know how to use, mix, and store them properly.
Natural or organic insecticides are those which come from natural resources. Boric acid, which is a form of the mineral boron, is used on ant beds. Sometimes it is mixed with other things like sugar and boiling water. It can also be mixed as borax soap with sugar and water and is safe to use around pets and small children. Many people sprinkle it along the entry points in their houses and apartments or campers.
Another natural insecticide to use as an ant control is cayenne pepper, made into a liquid and used as a spray. You can grow your own pepper plants just for this purpose. Hot peppers are also used to control or kill other insects. Just make sure you don't let your small child have access to your pepper plants. Hot peppers can sometimes cause blisters when eaten.
Corn meal can be used as ant control; it's a low-cost alternative to poisonous chemicals. If you grow your own corn, you may even know how to make your own corn meal. It's a food the ants like to eat, but can't digest.
There are many solutions for natural insecticides that can benefit your pocket book, your plants, and your environment. It's a way to treat insects that can help everyone win!
Filed under General by
