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The fight against fruitflies starts in mid-winter |
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Mediterranean Fruitfly
Picture courtesy Ronald Beer
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There are several eco friendly ways to control fruitfly in summer;
starting in mid-winter. Now you can fight them effectively and safely
with just a little bit of hard work!
Fruitflies attack many species of fruiting plants like peaches,
apricots, papaya, litchi, raspberry, mango, avocado, pear, quince, plum,
apricot, fig and even citrus and coffee. Usually farmers spray
insecticides to kill fruit flies, but this damages the environment and
is costly. Traps have been in development since the 1960s but they have
limited success.
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Did you know that roses date back to prehistory ? |
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Norita - Picture courtesy De Leeuw Roses
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Roses date back to prehistory and fossilized remains have been
found in
Europe, Asia and America that are over 30 million years old.
The
oldest written records were discovered in the royal tombs in Ur,
following the era of King Sargen I (2684 – 2630 B.C.) The rose has
played an important role in religion, literature, music, art, politics
and economics until the present day.
“Who can resist pausing to admire
their exquisite beauty and inhaling their sweet fragrance?”
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The Sweet Daphne is hardy to frost and begins flowering in mid-July when scarcely another plant is in bloom |
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Winter Daphne, Sweet Daphne -
Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata'
This beautiful Daphne from China and Japan brings colour and scent to
the winter landscape. Daphne odora is probably the most fragrant shrub
you can find and a single sprig is sufficient to perfume a room. It
begins flowering in mid-July when scarcely another plant is in leaf,
much less in flower, maintaining this show for several weeks, until
early spring. The flower buds are reddish purple, opening to pink or
white flowers.
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These easy to grow orchids flower for many months from July to December |
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The genus Cymbidium in the Orchid family consists of about 50
species, from which many thousands of hybrids have been bred over
the past century.
These easy to grow orchids from southern and eastern Asia and Australia
flower for many months from July to December. Their voluptuous blooms
come in many shades of pink, maroon, yellow,
orange, green and copper and are grown worldwide as cut flowers. In
their natural habitat they often attach themselves to trees.
Cymbidiums are easy to grow and a
good choice for the amateur grower. Light and water are the most important factors in growing healthy
plants that flower well. Feed them with a specialist orchid food as
prescribed.
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Healthy Soil = Healthy Plants
Every so often I discover a new gardening product that really excites
me. MYCOROOT is one of them.
All good gardeners know the value of looking after their soil.
Healthy soil has a high content of humus and is full of earthworms and
other beneficial creatures.
Once your soil is in perfect condition it will not be necessary to
dig it over, this is vital if you want to practice organic gardening.
Digging the soil can destroy the texture of the soil and many beneficial
micro organisms. |
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