Archive for December, 2009

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR KEEPING UP INTERESTING CONVERSATIONS DURING THE HOLIDAY PERIOD (PART II)

The other evening, at Aunt Lou’s Holiday supper, you were telling me about biopesticides, about nematodes. It was actually quite interesting. Do you have any other examples? Yup, ladybugs.

Ladybugs ? My 5 year old daughter loves ladybugs… but what do they have to do with biopesticides? Well, you should follow the biofloris blog. Everything was explained there last summer.

Can you just give me a short summary? Okay. Ladybugs are an efficient substitute for many chemical pesticides. They love eating insects that are harmful to many plants.

Tell me more !

While you (once again) feast on turkey during the holiday season, you will be happy to know details about ladybugs (posted in a biofloris blog last July) which can serve as an important ally in your garden… The info will also allow you to impress your know-it-all brother in law.

Read the rest of this entry »

My last blog recommended buying a live Christmas tree. Here’s a picture of what I got to celebrate the holidays this year:

It’s a “Norfolk Pine”. I love it. It takes up only a little space and I can either keep it as an indoor plant or put it outside once the warmer months arrive. It really is cute. It even came with a few decorations to which I added only a few of my own.

Fore more info, just click on
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norfolk_pine

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ENSURING INTERESTING CONVERSATIONS DURING THE HOLIDAY PERIOD (PART I)

So, how are you? How’s work? What have you been busy with this year ? Anything interesting? Yes, biopesticides.

Biopesticides? Yup.

Like what for example ? Well, like using nematodes to get rid of white grubs which destroy people’s lawns.

That rings a bell- white grubs which leave huge holes in people’s lawns. But I’ve never heard of nematodes!  Tell me more !

While you feast on turkey during the holiday period, you’ll be happy to know details about little microscopic predator worms that feast on white grubs in your lawn. It’ll also allow you to impress your know-it-all brother in law.
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Round worms or nematodes are unsegmented worms that are equipped with one single digestive tube that literally goes from one end to the other; they do not have any breathing or circulatory organs or muscular tissue.

There are many kinds of nematodes. The ones we are interested in are those that act as predators on white grubs and cutworms (those repulsive larva which graze on your lawn only to leave large stains of yellowish dead grass). By finding their way inside grubs, nematodes literally feed from the inside thereby protecting your lawn. Of course, the kinds of nematodes used on lawns are harmless to humans and pets.

Because these beneficial nematodes are microscopic, they must be spread over the lawn with some very basic tools. The easiest and simplest way to proceed is to buy nematodes (at Biofloris, for example) in a prepared paste imbibed into a sponge and placed in a hermetically sealed bag by the supplier. At the time of application, the sponge is mixed into a small container with water in it, which is then poured over the lawn with a gardening can or a hose.

All that’s left to do is let the nematodes feast on white grubs and cutworms like you feast on turkey with your brother in law!

For more info on nematodes, Wikipedia has a very interesting article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nematodes

In a recent blog post I talked about Christmas gifts for the gardeners on your shopping list. Yesterday, I received a call from someone who made a really good organic gift suggestion- a gift to yourself and to the environment: buying a live Christmas tree. I was told about how a live tree has the advantage of producing oxygen and filtering carbon dioxide, which we know is important for the environment. What’s cool about it too, is that it continues to live – after the holidays.

This sounds like a neat option if you live in a warm climate which allows you to plant the tree shortly after the holidays. But what to do if you reside in Canada or the Northeastern United-States? This question led me to call up an old buddy of mine, J.C. Éthier, who studied Forest Management. He confirmed that live trees were indeed a good idea. He also explained that Northern residents should, after the holidays, remove the tree from its burlap bag and plant it in a large pot containing a blend of good soil and peat moss. The important thing then is to keep the pot in a cool space (such as the basement) and water it frequently. Trees need lots of water. Then plant it outdoors in April or May, depending on where you live. If you don’t have an outdoor space, try donating it to a local park or school. It will certainly make someone happy.

If you live in a part of the world where you can plant in January, then move the tree in the “bag” outside for a few days (to allow it to get used to its new environment) making sure it gets enough water at all times and then plant it.

I would love to come up with a North-American list of places to buy live trees, so keep the names of good live tree vendors coming!

For more thoughts on live trees, here is a handful of Web site sources:

http://www.americanforests.org/news/display.php?id=125
http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/12/24/a-greener-christmas-tree/
http://gardening.about.com/od/winterinthegarden/a/ChristmasTrees.htm

Quite the challenge every year, what to buy? At this time of year, we are inundated every day with flyers full of electronic products, kitchenware, clothes, toys, perfumes, cosmetics, and the list goes on. But what can we give our gardening friends? Especially those who live in the northern parts of the United States or in Canada? It’s not gardening season in all part of the world so it is that much more difficult to find gardening items. I recently came across two very helpful articles that suggest various items that, in my view, would make very cool gardening gifts. In fact, some of them are so cool that they may incite non-gardeners to actually become gardeners! Other items are for giving to all folks, gardeners and non-gardeners alike. Check out the following websites.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/life/Gifts+gardeners+varieties/2265950/story.html

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2009/11/good-gadgets-for-the-garden.html

Of course, our own website offers some neat items year round. And, just thought I’d mention the fact that biofloris recently added some books to its product line- of course books about gardening, especially organic gardening – http://biofloris.com.

One example of these books is ECOLOGICAL GARDENING by Marjorie Harris (http://marjorieharris.com). As I write this, I am just finishing yet another cup of Cafézia^TMherbal coffee that I talked about in my last blog. Hey, it too would make a cool gift for gardeners and non-gardeners alike. http://biofloris.com/products_Cofee_Cafezia.html

Have fun shopping!

I have a friend who created a herbal coffee drink called Cafézia^TM. Having close to 20 years of experience in the coffee business, he was approached by a scientist who proposed combining the healing properties of herbs with the anti-oxidant properties of coffee to get the maximum benefits from both. By moderating the metabolism of caffeine and of the acidic compounds in coffee, the natural herbs enhance the quality and pleasure of drinking coffee as well as provide a boost to the immune system. I can’t argue with that! So I tried this herbal coffee, which by the way is organic and fair trade, and was very impressed by its smooth taste. I found no bitterness in the aftertaste and noticed the coffee still tasted great after it went cold (I was talking on the phone with a Biofloris customer).

But what also really impressed me about this herbal coffee was the earth-friendly packaging. Since this is a new product, my friend took advantage of innovative technology designed especially for premium coffees. The packaging is biodegradable and fully returns to the earth after four years – as opposed to current packaging which can take over a thousand years to disintegrate. As an ecological gardener, I am happy to know that I can sit down to enjoy a good cup of herbal coffee without leaving an imprint on the earth.

Unfortunately, my friend does not sell Cafézia^TM Herbal Coffee over the Web yet. Therefore, for a limited time only during the holidays, Biofloris has decided to offer this fabulous herbal coffee on its Web site for your own enjoyment or as a gift idea. Click here for more info or to order.