[abe]

Originally Posted by DBursey

Weedy interlude: Want a nice, organic lawn with no weed or infestation problems, without those nasty, DNA-tweaking poisons? Not a problem! Here's how (without particular regard to temporal linearity):

Two applications of screened compost yearly. Well re-seeded bare spots in spring and late summer. A vigorous de-thatching in early spring. A deep watering two mornings weekly or so throughout as needed. A mower set to its highest position. Biennial aeration on average as per soil type. Pull out the odd dandelion or other perniciously perceived perennial that stakes a foothold.

Give it a season or two; you'll be inviting neighborhood kids to tuck and roll on the resulting grassy green goodness guaranteed to garner gapes and gasps from neighbors as well as penance by pausing passerby's with peeing poodles and piddling pups.

Ohhhhh, man! You've got me drooling!

[Weyland-Yutani]

Originally Posted by abe

Start
http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/8875/80ej.jpg


Midway
http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/7384/65hj.jpg


Finish
http://img454.imageshack.us/img454/5928/46hr.jpg

It is beautiful in the start, gets worse and completely sterile and yucky in the finish. <shivers>

W-Y

[abe]

Originally Posted by Weyland-Yutani

It is beautiful in the start, gets worse and completely sterile and yucky in the finish. <shivers>

W-Y

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...01#post2924801

[abe]

Africanized "Killer" Bees

If any kind of stinging flying insects are allowed to set up shop in an area close to human habitation, life isn't too pleasant. Let nature remain natural. But where people must live it is best to clean out and eliminate those places where pests and vermin dwell.

Killer bees earned their name by the characteristics of easily agitating and aggressively swarming, killing a victim by overpowering them with sheer numbers and hundreds of stings.

Unlike the common honey bee, it is not unusual for something as simple as a vibration, noise, or even the smell of fresh cut lawn to set off a swarm of killer bees. Once agitated, killer bees can chase a fleeing victim for up to a quarter of a mile (half a kilometer). If the victim jumps into a body of water, the bees will swarm over the surface, waiting for the victim to come up for air. Killer bees have killed both animals and people.

Killer bees look virtually identical to the common honey bee, which is not native to the United States but was imported from Europe by settlers for honey. European honey bees are comparatively docile, more discriminating than killer bees about where they choose to nest, and produce more honey.

In 1956 Brazilian scientist Warwick Estevam Kerr was tasked with discovering why the European honey bees in South America were not producing adequately. Suspecting the warm climate might be the problem, he crossbred bees from tropical Africa, known for being aggressive, with European honey bees. The new strain, known as Africanized bees, escaped quarantine before a selection process could be completed that would have curbed the aggressive nature of the new strain. Killer bees were born and in the wild.

The new bees colonized at a remarkable rate of about 300 miles per year, spreading throughout the tropics of South and Central America. The first recorded migration of killer bees to arrive in the United States was in Hidalgo, Texas in October 1990. For the next 5 years they continued their colonizing trek throughout southern portions of the United States.

Experts are split on the issue of how far north killer bees will colonize. Some believe their migration will hit a natural climactic boundary along the 34th parallel. Others believe they could eventually colonize all the way north into Canada.

The sting from a killer bee produces the same venom as a common honey bee. The difference is that killer bees are more likely to attack in higher numbers and with less provocation. The first recorded human attack in the United States was in Brownsville, Texas in May 1991. The first human fatality in the United States was in Harlingen Texas, in July 1993.

If you suspect killer bees have taken up residence nearby it is recommended that you bring pets inside and contact a professional service to remove the bees. Killer bees will attack cattle, horses and other livestock as well. As a precautionary measure, seal any external places in the home where bees might find entry and nest, such as roof vents.

If attacked by killer bees experts recommend running back the way you came, and covering your head and face which are the most aggressively attacked body parts. Find shelter in a building or car. A bee can only sting once, then it dies, but stingers left in the skin contain sacs that continue to pump venom for several minutes, so remove stingers promptly and seek medical attention. Dark clothes and dark hair are known to attract bees more than light colors.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-kil...0killer%20bees

[Weyland-Yutani]

Originally Posted by abe

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...01#post2924801

A golf course is not a well tended garden. This is more like it:



A golf course is for playing games. Is Iraq supposed to become a place to play recreational sports or a safe place where people can enjoy themselves and relax? With your previous analogy, I can't answer that question.

cheers

W-Y

[abe]

Originally Posted by Weyland-Yutani

A golf course is not a well tended garden. This is more like it:



A golf course is for playing games. Is Iraq supposed to become a place to play recreational sports or a safe place where people can enjoy themselves and relax? With your previous analogy, I can't answer that question.

cheers

W-Y

When weeding a lawn or garden or designing a beautiful horticultural landscape such as this, a primary essential is that the domain be made safe for human habitation. If you get rid of the poison ivy, the deadly snakes and the African Killer Bees then you can make the final vision according to your, or your constituent's taste.

No one should advocate leaving harmful or deadly hazardous elements within the living area.

As a responsible landscape designer you would certainly rid the immediate area of these pests or else your efforts to construct or build or landscape the area will take much longer to accomplish, be more costly in resources and be hazardous to your health as well as the health of your subcontractors.

It IS a LOVELY looking environ!

[Railroader]

I don't like that moss. It should be treated.

[abe]

Originally Posted by Railroader

I don't like that moss. It should be treated.

If you are the home owner or the one who decides these things, then moss can certainly be seen as undesirable. If you are a horticulturist and are working for a client, there are certain parts of a garden which must be present in order for the garden to remain viable.

If you accept the uninformed, inexperienced or emotion-based wishes of your clientele over your own knowledge, experience and good sense, you are not giving the client your best advice or services and you should find someone who can better serve them.

However, if moss offends them and it is not crucial to the landscape design, then it is a matter of taste to be decided by them and for you to execute.

I find it enchanting and perfectly in accordance with what I'd expect a traditional Japanese Koi pond setting should look like.

[Weyland-Yutani]

The moss is very pretty, I agree aberdeenwriter.

Not just because it is pleasing to the eye, but also because it is very difficult to grow and it takes decades to build up to the desired density. It is a slow and careful process, but leads to a balanced and beautiful garden!

Horticulture is an art I can appreciate.

cheers

W-Y

[abe]

Originally Posted by Weyland-Yutani

The moss is very pretty, I agree aberdeenwriter.

Not just because it is pleasing to the eye, but also because it is very difficult to grow and it takes decades to build up to the desired density. It is a slow and careful process, but leads to a balanced and beautiful garden!

Horticulture is an art I can appreciate.

cheers

W-Y

And so I am sure you can understand that as long as the visionaries who set out on a difficult path to transform a veritable desert wilderness full of hazards and dangers, as long as they remain true to their vision and steadfast in their efforts, a better outcome can be achieved than what once existed.

There is no thought of an exit strategy!

The thought is of this.



How can anyone suggest giving up before this vision is a certainty?

[andi*pandi]

with weed killer there is the possibility of wiping out innocent good plants near the weed. Friendly fire, so to speak.

And while poison ivy is vile, it has its uses... you can plant it in areas suffering from erosion, and its roots will hold back the erosion, while its leaves scare people away from walking in the protected area. I know that the national park system has used this method--a federal conspiracy to grow poison ivy! I wonder if the government is also planning to export this poison ivy, or transplant it in other climes.

(This is kinda fun.)

[abe]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi

with weed killer there is the possibility of wiping out innocent good plants near the weed. Friendly fire, so to speak.

And while poison ivy is vile, it has its uses... you can plant it in areas suffering from erosion, and its roots will hold back the erosion, while its leaves scare people away from walking in the protected area. I know that the national park system has used this method--a federal conspiracy to grow poison ivy! I wonder if the government is also planning to export this poison ivy, or transplant it in other climes.

(This is kinda fun.)

Dear andi*pandi,

Thank you so much for bringing to light an innovative use of a harmful element to achieve a desired goal! Hopefully the Park Service won't make use of the Maktab al-Khadamāt variety of Ivy as it has been known to grow in such a way that it will actually endanger buildings from quite a distance away!

Thousands of lives have actually been lost to this dangerous variety and eliminating IT as well as places and conditions where it thrives should be at the top of every gardener, homeowner, horticulturist or naturalist's list of priorities!

To eliminate the Maktab al-Khadamāt variety of hazardous growth is everyone's concern.

As for the use of weed killer, there are strict prohibitions governing the use of such sprays and chemicals and extreme care should be exercised in using these substances around children and pets. Hundreds of deaths occur annually as a result of poisoning and great caution should always be used with lethal materials.

[abe]

I was going through some old archives and ran across a statement by a man I admire who is known for growing BEAUTIFUL Bushes.

And though this isn't exactly a word perfect quote, I think you'll get the idea.

Here he's talking about two different kinds of unwanted or hazardous garden pests.

Both of them need to be dealt with. The war on GARDEN PESTS, you can't distinguish between CRABGRASS and DANDELIONS when you talk about the war on GARDEN PESTS. And so it's a comparison that is -- I can't make because I can't distinguish between the two, because they're both equally as bad, and equally as evil, and equally as destructive TO YOUR BEAUTIFUL GARDEN.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/relea...0020925-1.html

[Y3a]

PRE-Emergants! Put down in Feb, along with Moss Killer. Seed in April.

[Wiskedjak]

Originally Posted by abe

How can anyone suggest giving up before this vision is a certainty?

Because Iraq's climate cannot support your vision. You cannot always impose your vision of beauty on another place; your vision may be incompatible with the local environment.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak

Because Iraq's climate cannot support your vision.

There is ALWAYS room for improvement. And over time, things will change.

[Wiskedjak]

Originally Posted by Kevin

There is ALWAYS room for improvement. And over time, things will change.

It will take a very long time for Iraq's climate to change enough to support Abe's vision garden. It's a little too arid there right now.

[Kevin]

Israel was once a wasteland too.

[dcmacdaddy]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Israel was once a wasteland too.

Literally or metaphorically speaking?

[Kevin]

Both

[abe]

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak

It will take a very long time for Iraq's climate to change enough to support Abe's vision garden. It's a little too arid there right now.

Thanks for your observations!

There are some kinds of mindsets which, when dealing with a set of circumstances as those which you have accurately presented, would conclude:

Because it will take a long time and will require a great deal of effort, it should not be done.

But there are other mindsets which process those same circumstances differently:

Because it will take a long time and will require a great deal of effort, preparations should begin immediately!

Here's an example of how the Israeli settlers of the early 20th Century transformed a wasteland into productive farm land.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/...ure/agdes.html

Agriculture under Arid Conditions - An Historical Perspective

The Negev before 1948

Until 1948, the year of the establishment of the State of Israel, the southern part of the country, called the Negev, was inhabited mainly by nomadic Bedouin tribes. The Bedouin - who numbered some 65,000 at that time and were spread out over an area of about 10,000 sq. km. - subsisted principally on sheep, goat and camel herding. The Bedouin tribes moved around periodically in search of pasture and water. Being wholly dependent on erratic seasonal rains and floods, they were often short of food for themselves and for their flocks.

In certain areas - mainly the northern and western Negev - semi-nomadic Bedouin practiced a subsistence agriculture which relied wholly on the erratic rainfall. The crops grown were mainly barley and wheat, and farming was restricted to winter and early spring crops. Drought and crop failure were frequent events.

An additional type of farming practiced on a very small scale by the Bedouin was based on the stone dams erected by the ancient Nabateans and Byzantines. Such dams, supplemented by simple barriers made of dirt, were used to collect floodwaters and promote deep wetting of the ground. Under such conditions they were able to plant a small number of fruit trees, such as grape, almond and pomegranate and to cultivate vegetables during the summer.


First Modern Agricultural Settlements in the Negev

The officials of the Ottoman Empire who ruled Palestine until 1917, and later the British Mandatory authorities, saw the Negev as uninhabitable territory whose chief importance was strategic and political. Therefore, little effort was invested in developing the region and improving the standard of living of its inhabitants.

The Jewish community, on the other hand, showed particular interest in the vast uninhabited tracts of the Negev from the very inception of the agricultural settlement drive at the end of the 19th century. A small number of studies and surveys were carried out in the twenties. These pointed to a pessimistic conclusion - namely that scanty rains, lack of local sources of water and infertile soils precluded successful farming. Furthermore, the agrotechnologies available at the time did not offer ways of overcoming local environmental limitations. There is no doubt that the early surveyors were influenced by the meager, rain-fed agriculture practiced by the Bedouin.

At a later date, it was realized that the establishment of small communities to explore local conditions was essential to planning future settlement in the Negev. In 1943 three experimental settlements were established in the Negev, each roughly 30 km. distant from the others. The main aim was to explore soil conditions, availability of water (including data on annual precipitation), and the kind of crops that could be cultivated under the prevailing conditions. Another eleven settlements were founded in the Negev in 1946, equipped and financed by Jewish national institutions, and a further five settlements in 1947.

From the very beginning of this pioneering endeavor, it was apparent that the main limiting factor from the standpoint of agriculture was the scarcity of water. The recognition that the establishment of a modern and economically viable agriculture hinged on irrigation, which in turn called for a reliable supply of water, led to the launching of a series of exploratory studies. These included meteorological, geological and hydrological surveys. Attempts were made to drill wells and draw underground water; however, the quantities obtained were quite small, and the salinity of the water was often too high for agricultural use. Attempts to build dams and reservoirs to collect seasonal floodwaters failed because of the large fluctuations from year to year in quantity and intensity of the floods, as well as technical difficulties. Eventually it was concluded that the only way of securing a dependable and sufficiently large supply of water for agriculture was to transport fresh water from northern sources via pipes.

The first pipeline, installed in 1947, assured a reliable but limited supply of water to most of the settlements of the Negev - although several of them still needed to rely on local wells. This pipeline transported water from wells in the northern Negev. The first stage, installed and functioning in 1947, consisted of 190 km. of 6"-diameter pipelines supplying 1 million m3 (MCM) annually. Later on this line was converted to a 20" pipeline supplying 30 MCM annually. This pioneering endeavor was followed by two large-scale projects which will be described below. The significance of this pioneering pipeline was that the concept of transporting water from the north to sustain the southern arid section of the country had become firmly established.

[abe]

Originally Posted by Y3a

PRE-Emergants! Put down in Feb, along with Moss Killer. Seed in April.

After the mission of eliminating the widespread pests and weeds has been accomplished the next step is to carefully seed but at the same time continue to eliminate unwanted growth and hazardous elements.

[abe]

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak

Because Iraq's climate cannot support your vision. You cannot always impose your vision of beauty on another place; your vision may be incompatible with the local environment.

POISON IVY, AFRICANIZED KILLER BEES AND VENOMOUS SNAKES do have their role in nature. But when they take up residence in or near human habitats something must be done.

And if, in the case of the Killer Bees, they still pose a hazard even though they are far removed from my home, then their nests must be destroyed. Not only because they pose a hazard to me, but because they frighten and endanger those who are close to their nests.

What's more, these bees continually migrate! It is best to stop them now so they will not be able to terrorize any more populations or communities.

Don't you think?

[black bear theory]

Originally Posted by abe

What's more, these bees continually migrate! It is best to stop them now so they will not be able to terrorize any more populations or communities.

Don't you think?

lol. i remember hearing about this when i was like 5 (that was like early 80's) and it scared the bee-jezus out of me. i was sure the US was done for within 10 years (they were migrating en masse through mexico don't you know)... and how right i was. how many more do we need to lose to africanized killer bees before we finally do something about IT!

[abe]

Originally Posted by black bear theory

lol. i remember hearing about this when i was like 5 (that was like early 80's) and it scared the bee-jezus out of me. i was sure the US was done for within 10 years (they were migrating en masse through mexico don't you know)... and how right i was. how many more do we need to lose to africanized killer bees before we finally do something about IT!

There IS a positive aspect to these bees. They produce greater amounts of honey than their European counterparts. Some bee keepers actually interbreed the Africans and Europeans to produce, "Creole Honeys."*

If they didn't have some positive benefit, I think everyone would agree they'd (and any hazardous pest or species) have no reason to live and should be completely wiped out if they couldn't stay away from human populations.

http://www.factmonster.com/spot/killerbee2.html

Deadly Insects
Killer bees, termites wreak havoc in the U.S.

by David Johnson

Killer bees have killed an estimated 1,000 people in the Americas.
Perhaps the most feared and sensational of all foreign imports is the Africanized honeybee, better known as the 'killer' bee.

Brazilian scientists brought aggressive African bees to Brazil in 1956 in an effort to breed a better honeybee. Unfortunately, the experiment failed and some of the African bees escaped and bred with local species. The insects' offspring have gradually moved northward and killed an estimated 1,000 people.

Discovered in Hidalgo, Texas, in 1990, the bees are now established in most of Texas, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona and Southern California. Scientists say that while the Africanized bees are no more venomous than regular North American honeybees, they become agitated much more easily and stay angry longer, sometimes repeatedly stinging their victims for an entire day. They have been known to attack animals or people a quarter of a mile from their hives.

A Blanket of Stinging Bees

A Texas man died after being stung 40 times as he was attempting to remove a nest. Since January 2000, two serious attacks have been reported in Las Vegas. A 79-year-old man was stung 30 times, but survived. In March, a swarm blanketed a 77-year-old woman walking down the street, apparently attracted to something in the bag she was carrying. Firefighters wearing special equipment doused the woman with water to remove some 200 bees swarming over her. Stung more than 500 times, the woman nonetheless survived.

Termites Devour History

The gracious architecture of the French Quarter in New Orleans is considered as much of a cultural treasure as the city's jazz or Creole cooking. That priceless heritage is under threat from a new admirer that wants to do more than just look.

The Formosan subterranean termite, a Chinese native that flies, swarms in vast clouds, and munches through concrete, bricks, or mortar to reach wood, has arrived in New Orleans.

First discovered in the U.S. in a Houston shipyard in 1965, the aggressive termites had reached Charleston, South Carolina, within two years. But sultry New Orleans, with its near-tropical weather, is a favorite home.

Authorities blame the termites for causing $300 million a year in damage. In addition, as many as half of the city's 4,000 live oaks, some more than 100 years old, are infested.

The city and other groups are spending $100,000 per city block to rid the area of the persistent pests.

Chicago Battles Beetles

Arriving from China in wooden packing crates, the Asian long-horned beetle has destroyed thousands of maple trees in Chicago and in New York City. The beetles spread so rapidly that authorities try to cut down infected trees immediately. The wood is then quickly chipped. Crates from several East Asian countries must now be chemically treated or heated to kill the beetle before entering the U.S.

The zebra mussel has caused an estimated $5 billion in damage between the Great Lakes to Oklahoma, as it rapidly invades waterways. The aggressive mollusk arrived in the U.S. in the 1980s in the ballast water of ships.

In addition, non-native plants have plagued 100 million acres, upsetting agricultural production and driving out native species. One species, the purple loosestrife, has clogged America's waterways since it arrived in the east in the 1880s and gradually moved west.

The federal government is now studying ways to reduce the impact of non-native species.

* j/k

[abe]

I think I am guilty of believing that one application of weed control would be sufficient to prevent re-infestations.

The winds and hot air that would negate or un-do our efforts at weed control have returned and I think a new application is called for.

Bump.