How to plant a tree?

• Select the right time of year for planting the tree. Do not plant in late spring or summer because the heat will stress the plant and may cause it to die. The best time to plant a tree is fall (autumn) or early spring.

• Check to see if there are any local requirements concerning digging deep holes if you need to dig near telephone and other cables (for example, in urban areas). We have already contacted Miss Utility and have been cleared to dig.

• Choose a suitable tree for the region, climate, and space.

• Research local cultivars of species native to your area. If you are willing plant a non-native species, consider carefully why. We have chosen all native trees which will do well in our area.

• Prepare the hole. Take a suitable shovel and dig a hole that is 4-5 times the width of the root ball, more than enough so it will fit, and give room for the fresh roots to grow without stress. This lets the roots ease in more easily and begin to grow outwards into the soil. No need to cut off the wire root basket if there is one, the roots will grow through and it will prevent damaging the root ball during planting.

What is the proper solution for global warming?

There is no single solution to global warming, starting from people at home. Adapting to changes already underway: As the Climate Hot Map demonstrates, the impacts of a warming world are already being felt by people around the globe. If climate change continues unchecked, these impacts are almost certain to get worse

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

• Do your part to reduce waste by choosing reusable products instead of disposables. Buying products with minimal packaging (including the economy size when that makes sense for you) will help to reduce waste. And whenever you can, recycle paper, plastic, newspaper, glass and aluminum cans. If there isn't a recycling program at your workplace, school, or in your community, ask about starting one.

• Wrapping heat and cooling ducts with duct wrap or mastic sealant, insure all ventilation ducts from leeks and wasting more energy.

• Unplugging every electrical device that's not being used, you free yourself of being the victim of vampire energy, in which appliances still consume energy while still being turned off.

• Checking window frames and doors for leeks and installing weatherstrips help keep your home well heated while lessening the consumption of energy.

VAAL RIVER

The Vaal River is found in South Africa. The river has its source near Breyten in Mpumalanga province, east of Johannesburg and about 30 km north of Ermelo and only about 240 km from the Indian Ocean. It 1,120 km in length.

Water is drawn from the Vaal river to meet the to supply the whole of Gauteng  Area and a large part of the Free State. As a part of the Vaal-Hartz Scheme it is a major source of water for irrigation. Water drawn from the Vaal supports 12 million consumers in Gauteng and surrounding areas

Metrorail warns pedestrians

Metrorail has warned the public not to walk along the railway line after three tourists from overseas were injured when a train hit one of them on the tracks near St James station on Saturday.

Metrorail was formed as a business unit of Transnet and was transferred to the South African Rail Commuter Corporation (SARCC), the predecessor of PRASA. In the early 1990s Metrorail was placed under Spoornet, another business unit of Transnet but on 1 January 1997, Metrorail became an independent business within Transnet and the Metrorail regions were formed. In 2006 Metrorail was transferred back into the SARCC; in 2008 the SARCC became PRASA.

madagascar island

Madagascar is an island country in the Indian Ocean, off the southeastern coast of Africa. The nation comprises the island of Madagascar, it is the fourth-largest island in the world, as well as numerous smaller peripheral islands. The island's diverse ecosystems and unique wildlife are threatened by the encroachment of the rapidly growing human population. 

Until the late 18th century, the island of Madagascar was ruled by a fragmented assortment of shifting socio-political alliances. Beginning in the early 19th century, most of the island was united and ruled as the Kingdom of Madagascar by a series of Merina nobles. The monarchy collapsed in 1897 when the island was absorbed into the French colonial empire, from which the island gained independence in 1960.

What to eat for Breakfast

Beacon and Eggs

Breakfast is the first meal taken after rising from a night's sleep, most often eaten in the early morning before undertaking the day's work.  Among English speakers, "breakfast" can be used to refer to this meal or to refer to a meal composed of traditional breakfast foods served at any time of day. The word literally refers to breaking the fasting period of the prior night.

Eating yoghurt may ease anxiety and stress

Snacking on yoghurt twice a day could relieve anxiety and stress by reducing activity in the part of the brain linked to emotion and pain, according to new research.

Researchers have suggested that bacteria found in the gut send signals to the brain that can change over time depending on the person’s diet.

Previous studies showed that beneficial gut bacteria affected the brains of rats but no research has confirmed that the same effect happened in human brains.

Scientists had already found that the brain sends signals to the gut, which is why stress and other emotions can contribute to gastrointestinal symptoms. The new study of 36 women show that the signals also travel the opposite way.

The participants, all of healthy weight and aged between 18 and 53, were split into three groups, with one eating a yoghurt with live bacterial cultures twice a day for a month, another group eating a dairy product with no living bacteria, while the third group was given no dairy products at all.

taproot system

A taproot system is where the primary root system becomes the main root of the plant with only a secondary root system coming off, it the root that grows downwards.  The taproot is larger in diamater than the lateral roots. Lateral roots. The taproot system contrasts with the fibrous root system with many branched roots.

Dicots, one of the two divisions of angiosperms, start with a taproot, which is one main root forming from the enlarging radicle of the seed. The tap root can be persistent throughout the life of the plant but is most often replaced later in the plant's development by a fibrous root system.  A persistent taproot system forms when the radicle keeps growing and smaller lateral roots form along the taproot. The shape of taproots can vary but the typical shapes include

making a backyard vegetable garden

the size you choose for your vegetable garden will be determined by the amount of available space you have in your backyard.

Orientation to sun - the plants in your garden will want to face south, and will require a minimum of 5 hours of direct sunlight per day, The area of maximum continuous light will likely be the best location for your garden.

          

in-ground garden beds

- easiest way to get a bed established; nothing to build

- cheaper than buying lumber for raised beds

- pathway weeds can creep into the bed

- more likely that pets and children will walk on the beds

- you have to reach further down to tend the plants

     

          

raised garden beds

- provide the best drainage and prevent soil compaction

- soil warms up more quickly in the spring

- the bed sides prevent weeds from creeping into the bed

- easier to tend the plants because the soil level is raised

- serve as a barrier to pests such as slugs and snails

- for more information, including how to build.