If you spend a lot of time in front of screens (computer, tablet, phone, etc.), these eye exercises can help keep your vision healthy.
Category: Permaculture & Sustainable Living
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Say No To Manure Pits Near Coconut Trees
Manure pits near Coconut trees are the most preferred habitat for Rhinoceros Beetles. This is why manure pits are to be avoided near Coconut trees.
Rhinoceros Beetles usually prefer to lay eggs near decaying organic matter. They lay about 140 – 150 eggs, which when hatched cause severe harm to Coconut trees.
References
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How To Maintain Mango Trees?
There are a few Mango tress in our farm that are probably three years old. These trees were lacking care and maintenance. Under proper maintenance, these trees should begin flowering late December or early January.
Mr. Britto Raj, Agricultural engineer often remind in his videos that the care and maintenance during the months of October, November & December shall be fruitful even if the trees weren’t maintained throughout the year.
Therefore, I’m sharing a few important maintenance factors that Mr. Britto Raj listed for your Mango trees that you can consider doing in the months of October – December.
- During October: Begin by spraying Pseudomonas fluorescens in the following ratio — 50 ml mixed with 10 litres of water. Spray twice with a span of 7-8 days in between.
- Before flowering: Spray Panchagavya or diluted E.M solution, in the following ratio — 200-300 ml mixed with 10 litres of water, 2-3 days after the second spray listed in the #1. Spray during the evening hours (ideally after 4 PM). Spray thrice with a span of 7 days in between.
- During flowering: When the tree starts flowering, stop irrigating the trees until the fruits grow to the size of your pinkie (little finger).
- During flowering: Spray Calotropis Procera (எருக்கு கரைசல்) in the following ratio — no dilution required with water. Spray every 12 days when the tree begins flowering.
How To Prepare Colotropis Procera solution?
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Lower Immunity & Depression: Consequence Of Urbanization
What comes to your mind when you hear the word “urban”? Malls, eateries, theaters, etc.? Well, a research states that urban people have lower immunity and are more likely prone to disorders like depression than their rural counterparts.
Less immune activation following social stress in rural vs. urban participants raised with regular or no animal contact, respectively
— https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1719866115Takeaway
- Lack of long-term and early exposure to farm animals and farm milk promotes chronic inflammatory disorders.
- Microbial bio-diversity is progressively diminishing in urban areas, leading to lower immunity and is mainly because of sanitation, drinking water treatments, excessive use of antibiotics, replacing breast milk with formulated milk, and a few other factors.
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New To Permaculture Farming? Start By Doing This…
If you recently purchased a land or exploring Permaculture in your existing farmland, it is important to track your farm’s yields with time. The better your soil fertility the better your farm’s yields shall be. But, “how do we determine the fertility of the soil?”, might you ask.
Well, before you begin cultivation, get your soil and water tested. The test report will help you learn whether your soil is acidic or alkaline in nature. You will also get to know the list of all minerals that your soil lacks and your soil is rich in.
“How will this data help”, might you ask.
Let’s say your soil is acidic and you are planning to use an organic input to feed your soil. You can avoid or dilute all organic inputs that are acidic in nature before you feed your soil. This way, you can keep your soil pH in check.
If you’re in India, you can google “KVK {Your district’s name} soil testing” to get your soil and water tested. For example, my distrcit is Salem and I would look for “KVK salem soil testing”. While at the time of writing this post, the cost of testing is INR 100 /- per sample.
Today, I’m grateful to the Almighty for blessing me with a contended life.
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Trench, Berm, Swale, Channel — What The Heck?
If you’re new to permaculture design, you may feel intrigued hearing the terms like trench, berm, swale, channel, etc. My aim in this post is to help you learn the differences amongst these jargons.
Trench
A trench is a pit in the ground. A trench is dug to harvest rain water.
Ditch
A ditch is very similar to the trench but differs in a way that the ditch is usually used to move water from one place to the other, usually run away water from the road.
Berm
A berm is a mound usually put up on a contour to contain water. Berms are usually planted with grass or other vegetation to prevent soil erosion.
Swale
A swale is a combination of a trench (the pit) and a berm (the mound). A swale must be located on the contour line for maximum efficiency. When in case of a swale, downhill plantation reduces erosion. Swale helps to recharge the ground water by letting the water seep through the ground.
Channel
Channel, unlike swale, would be located slightly off the contour. The main purpose of a channel is not just catch water but to help the water flow from one place to the other. This differs from ditch by slowing the flow of water. A channel is put to its best use when used to irrigate drier areas.
Today, I’m grateful to the Almighty for leading me in my life.