Go Green ForeverGo Green Initiative – Helping the World Go Green

In the field of agriculture, water is of great importance because no plantation can live without it. For keeping the garden vegetations and plants to grow gradually, right sort of water supply and irrigation method has to be adopted. There is a variety of irrigation systems developed for the watering task. It is always preferred to have irrigation systems made that use as little water as possible. It is not simply because water is precious and that cannot be wasted, but because the right amount of water supply only benefits the plantation. Too much watering can harm them and little watering also can offer malnutrition. Normally, the common one is flood irrigation which is somewhat old and out-of-date watering method that offers irregular irrigation supply. On the contrary, the modern systems and techniques are developed for your watering purpose. Some of them are sprinkler systems and the most recommended drip irrigation systems. With sprinkler systems, you can water your plants and garden vegetation from the top through hose. But this sprinkling method has some disadvantages. By spraying water, some amount of water gets evaporated in the air. Moreover, the water being sprayed wets the soil and does not necessarily go to the root level. Drip irrigation system, compared to sprinklers is more beneficial. The method of drip irrigation involves uniform watering which directly goes to the root level without making water evaporated in the air and also maintains the moisture level in the soil which is quite important for the growth of the garden plants and other vegetations. Now lets think about how drip irrigation system or method came into existence and became so popular. Previously, in the past, people used clay pots as watering device. There were little holes in the pots and water came dripping slowly and steadily on the plants. It was in 1866 in Afghanistan, where some researchers experimented with clay pipes and made irrigation and drainage systems. Later on this irrigation method took fine shape and drip irrigation method was developed. But the fine and perfect concept of drip irrigation method was developed in 1959 by Simcha Blass in Israel. With Kibbutz Hatzerim, very first time he made surface drip irrigation emitters. Drip irrigation is sometimes refereed to as trickle or micro irrigation. Some spell it as drip irragation. This irrigation system consists of pipes, tubing, and emitters. You can make your system on the surface or beneath the soil. There are varieties o drip irrigation supplies such as drip emitters, tubing and pipes, soaker hose, hose connectors, pressure regulator, valve, filter, timers, etc. available in the market to making your system. If you really feel that drip irrigation can suit your irrigation task for your garden plants, then get it installed in your garden. Buy polyethylene tubing/hose so that you can prepare the main lines. Then, using connectors, you can join the lines. You need to install pressure regulator to offer the water required force. And also install filter to prevent remnants that may smother the way of your water. You have to install emitters to distribute water to your plants. Lastly, fix timers to facilitate putting your system so that you can on and off easily. Surface level drip irrigation is most often recommended. It is so, because, the system on the surface can be carried or shifted to where your garden plants are. In future, if you happen to make your garden bigger, you can shift or move your hoses easily to reach your new plants. Therefore, which irrigation method you use depends on the watering requirements of your plant types. Make wise choice of the watering method and make your garden healthy and ever green!

We get pleasure from our gardens in many ways. Perhaps you like the simple life with simply flowers to look at, a table and chairs and lawn space for the kids to play. You may get pleasure from breeding your own plants and flowers and maybe even passing these onto friends and family or even selling some at local markets etc. However, one of the pleasures that a lot of people get from their gardens is through growing their own vegetables. There is something quite rewarding about making Sunday dinner in the full knowledge that some or maybe even all the vegetables on your plate were taken fresh from the garden that morning. Just going outside on a Sunday morning into your own garden and picking your own carrots, peas, cauliflowers, brussels sprouts and potatoes can leave you with a great sense of satisfaction. Certainly if you go to the shops to buy your vegetables they will never be as fresh as the ones you pick yourself from your own garden. Many of the vegetables you pick ready for including in your Sunday dinner are also very tasty to eat in their natural state. In fact I have often found myself nibbling on peas while I have been picking them for dinner. They taste great fresh out of the pod. If you have a greenhouse, why not have a go at growing your own tomatoes and other things like peppers and chillies. In fact, it’s great to be able to wander outside and just pick yourself a fresh tomato to eat whenever you like. There is another advantage to growing your own vegetables too and that is that you know exactly what went in to creating them. You can be 100% certain whether or not pesticides and other chemicals were used on your crop. This is great knowledge to have, especially if you have children and want to be careful about exactly what you are feeding them. No matter what the labels say in the shops, this is something you may never be 100% sure about when you buy vegetables from the shop. There are some sprays you may want to use to keep pests and diseases at bay but even so, you are in control. Make sure you read the labels and you can be sure exactly what you are spraying on your plants. Wherever possible though, try and go for a natural solution. For example, when growing tomatoes one of the most common problems is white fly. You can reduce their impact quite a lot though by growing French Marigolds close by. This is because the Marigold’s pungent odour will mask the scent of the tomato plants and therefore they will not as easily attract the pest. There are other companion plants you can use to keep different pests away from your other vegetables as well. If you are concerned about disease then it is within your control to select the variety of vegetable to grow that will flourish in your environment and also be resistant to disease. It is this control that allows you to do anything you want in your garden. So, if you have a spare piece of ground in your garden, why not consider growing a few vegetables for yourself. You will be rewarded time and again if you do.

With the great trends toward using your yard as part of your house, more and more people are discovering how to best utilise their patios, decks, and gardens as dining or living rooms. These outdoor living spaces can be usable all year long in many areas. One of the challenges to using your outdoor spaces in this manner is lighting them. There are many elements in a well designed outdoor living space. A good arrangement of furniture, clear access to the inside of your house, noise levels from surrounding streets or properties, all of these things help determine how useable your outdoor space will be. But, even the best designed outdoor living space can be ruined if there isn’t appropriate lighting. There are myriad types of lighting that you can use in your garden depending on the effect that you want to achieve. You can use spotlights directed at particular areas of the garden that you want to highlight to give the area a magical feel. Hanging lanterns are a nice option to string across a space or between trees. Strings of lights can be wrapped around tree trunks to create a unique effect. Pathways can be lit with lights that you spike into the ground alongside your walkways. Even ponds can be lit with submersible lights if your fish don’t mind. The other major choice in backyard lighting is that of energy sources. If you want your lights to come on automatically when darkness falls and you don’t want to have to pay for the electricity to run the lights, solar lighting may be just what you need. Most solar systems work well even when the days are overcast as well. Another method for outdoor lighting is using candles or groups of candles to provide a warm flickering glow. The downside to using candles is that they need to be supervised as they can be a fire hazard, especially in the hot dry summer months. The nice thing about candles is that you can set them out single in jars or cluster them for more intense light. There are many kinds of lanterns available for myriad different looks. If you have well-placed electrical sockets in your backyard then you may want to opt for electrical lighting. Most strings of lights require a plug in, though some types are available with battery power. There are even outdoor lamps akin to living room lamps that are designed for outdoor use. Take a good look at the parts of your garden that you might like to highlight with your lighting and also how much lighting that you will need to best utilise your outdoor living space. If you make your lighting decisions based on your needs, then you will end up with a space that is usable instead of a dim uninviting space.

Missing a Garden in the Home? While a nice house with a picket fence looks nice, not everyone can get that. Many people live in apartments and condominiums that provide little to no space for having a garden. Unlike in suburban areas where gardens are present in almost any home, there are actually a lot of places that prevents people of having a garden. This is why there are many alternative to having plants inside the house. If you miss having a garden to come home to, then read along and see how you can manage your own personal indoor garden. Making the Size Count The size of an actual garden is too cramped for the indoors, which is why you should set aside your visual interpretations of the old gardens you are used to. Indoor gardens rely on innovate potting solutions when it comes to providing plants with that they need to start working better. From crystal soils to sponges there are many different technologies that are applicable in providing you with various methods to grow and water your plants. In order to determine the most effective method, consult with your local botanical expert. They will give you the best ways to take care of your plants inside the hose. Allocate a sufficient amount of space for the garden in your home. You could integrate the garden into other rooms such as the study or in the kitchen hall. What ever decision you choose, make sure that the garden plants get a sufficient amount of water. The good thing about indoor plants is that they do not remain rooted to where they are. However, take care not to knockdown fragile pots since they can be hard to replace. Study their different watering needs as some plants cannot be watered too much but at the same time, need more than one watering per day. It would be in the plant’s best interests if you study each kind. Bring the Sun Indoors Water is not the only resource you need for your indoor garden, you also need sunlight. And sunlight does not naturally enter the indoors, you should situate the plants in such a way that they are reached by direct sunlight. If you have a penthouse sunroof, simply placing your plants underneath it may be more than enough. However, this is not a commonly applicable solution. Usually, a large window or even a large glass door helps bring lots of sunlight in. The important thing is to let the plants have direct sunlight. When all else fails, you can bring plants out to your patio or over the window railing in order for them to get the right amount of sunlight. Do not leave the plants outside as indoor plants usually are not able to handle heavy rains or prolonged exposure to the sun. So whether you have a nice flat fifteen floors up or a quiet rented apartment in a four story walk up, you do not have to feel like you have been deprived of the pleasure of having your own garden. Whether you put them in individual pots or let them hang from the ceiling, you can enjoy living in the presence of plants that help keep the air clean and your home beautiful. GP