Magical Solar Lightings in the Garden

<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Home gardeners and landscape architects alike can now easily create a stylish yet sustainable yard by incorporating environmentally friendly <a href="http://www.eliossive.com/">solar outdoor lights</a>.<br> <br> These portable solar-powered light fixtures generate and store their own power in the day and release it at night. They are fitted with durable LED lamps that can last for years. Also these bulbs emit zero carbon hence won’t harm the planet.<br> <br> <a href="http://www.eliossive.com/"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVzeiw5NgU-LNguM5uhwh5sXDzr2Oa9nt8wKayr_P7g2vGMWkG5Pty0gR5sFZlA2DmUzEbr2AmwMzNrFeSMI-7b64z5j5upEo5GiPxPgbzZkk5awYr_NtNwFQdJJAaBntdHygyqP2sQbc/s1600/1-2+low.jpg" width="400"></a><br> </span></span><br>

Green-up Solution, News

Magical Solar Lightings in the Garden

Home gardeners and landscape architects alike can now easily create a stylish yet sustainable yard by incorporating environmentally friendly...

Happy World Environmental Day!

<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of the many ways we can do to help to reduce food waste is by turning our kitchen scraps into garden food. Those scraps make great fertilisers! The best part is that some of those scraps are so easy to be repurposed and by doing so, we are also helping to save the environment.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5HrnT8RvlqVom4ySjGjcP-JpAh6EVOThFK_taS8Cywq2nL3ErdSOjmI0dTiIg7-VE3BtTk_XwmguATxzYaS0bJUg-PnypCPpK1YWWpVpWd1a4JhQKAMFVZwbB-aFW__BLamelzlIifY/s1600/P1090810.jpg"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5HrnT8RvlqVom4ySjGjcP-JpAh6EVOThFK_taS8Cywq2nL3ErdSOjmI0dTiIg7-VE3BtTk_XwmguATxzYaS0bJUg-PnypCPpK1YWWpVpWd1a4JhQKAMFVZwbB-aFW__BLamelzlIifY/s320/P1090810.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /> <br /> <span class="fullpost"><b>Coffee grounds</b><br /> <br /> Coffee grounds contain nitrogen, magnesium and potassium that can enrich the soil. Periodically, sprinkle a handful of the grounds on the soil around the base of the plants and on your lawn for greener and healthier grass. Acid-loving plants like azalea, gardenia, rose, hibiscus, ixora, allamanda and citrus plants love coffee grounds.<br /> <br /> Fresh coffee grounds are too acidic for feeding the plants. If you get a large quantity from a coffee outlet, dry the grounds in the sun first before storing. Otherwise you can just spread a thin layer of the used coffee ground directly onto the soil.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7i9CuQG7H1UFEtWJGGvq0nCi10q4ZzifyudacFdACnUOHiGKOSW0pr0fSQUjjmfs0BPa0VXx-69HwfAnbjxvN0qLNVXNiNMjlnPcfngJkWwwJCV28jIxMos7sijuWuCnr3hwT7sODeSA/s1600/P1090544.jpg"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7i9CuQG7H1UFEtWJGGvq0nCi10q4ZzifyudacFdACnUOHiGKOSW0pr0fSQUjjmfs0BPa0VXx-69HwfAnbjxvN0qLNVXNiNMjlnPcfngJkWwwJCV28jIxMos7sijuWuCnr3hwT7sODeSA/s320/P1090544.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /> <br /> <b>Tea leaves</b><br /> <br /> Occasionally, re-brew tea leaves and use the cooled mild tea to water plants like orchids, ferns and acid-loving plants - like us, they love tea as well :-) You can also sprinkle new or used tea leaves on the soil or bury in the ground around a plant. When watered, minerals will be released and absorbed through its roots. Rose loves the tannic acid found in the tea.<br /> <br /> <b>Egg shells</b><br /> <br /> Rinse, dry and crush egg shells. Add the crushed shells into the planting hole. Grind them into powder for faster decomposing. Egg shells are high in calcium carbonate which helps control blossom-end rot disease. Even the calcium-rich water used for boiling eggs can be re-used for watering plants.<br /> <br /> <b>Banana peels</b><br /> <br /> The phosphorus-and-potassium-rich peels help plants to grow healthily, form flower buds and resist diseases. Many gardeners use the peel to feed their roses for more blooms. Flatten a banana peel and bury in the soil at the base of a plant. For potting up seedlings or young plants, cut or grind the peel before mixing into the soil.<br /> <br /> <b>Fruits and vegetables</b><br /> <br /> Like the rest, chopped vegetables and fruit are ideal for composting. Well-made compost have both macronutrients and micronutrients that improve soil quality to ensure delicious produce and bigger yields.<br /> <br /> When kitchen scraps end up in the landfills that is lack in oxygen, they generate methane which contributes to global warming. Every effort counts when it comes to maintaining the beautiful planet we all live in.<br /> <br /> This is an extract from my <a href="http://www.nib.my/archives/text/view/106966949?pos=66&hide_header=1&resultset=nstpec%3Awww/cross-search/search.php%3A_1402407712%3Aresultset" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">article</a> published in the New Straits Times on 1 June 2013.</span></span></span>

Green-up Solution, News

Happy World Environmental Day!

One of the many ways we can do to help to reduce food waste is by turning our kitchen scraps into garden food. Those scraps make great ferti...

Environmentally Friendly Chemicals for Your Lawn & Garden

<span style="font-size: 85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>There are many alternatives to harmful chemicals that we could use to fertilise plants in our green spaces, shares <b>Ivy Delfin</b>.</i><br /> <br /> Replacing chemical-based fertilisers with more environmentally-friendly products is a great way to be more protective of the environment around you. Gardeners are well-placed to lead the charge when it comes to the natural environment. Whether you like to grow gardenias, cultivate fruit trees or like to spend time looking after the lawn, choosing what you put on (and in) the soil is important.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQooe1JbR6irSgooDiyulIrqrSYB8p4ZGKLIy7pOopD1dUOfr3my4e5s-artcr-9uY4YEPkNJQlcQbg0t96iw0hjncUiuM1X_w-hPfHNjCthKO3UA2d2zTDgizO0gNQ8_t1On5R-YwFYI/s1600/pic_01.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQooe1JbR6irSgooDiyulIrqrSYB8p4ZGKLIy7pOopD1dUOfr3my4e5s-artcr-9uY4YEPkNJQlcQbg0t96iw0hjncUiuM1X_w-hPfHNjCthKO3UA2d2zTDgizO0gNQ8_t1On5R-YwFYI/s320/pic_01.png" width="320" /></a><br /> <br /> <span class="fullpost">Keeping your lawn aerated is vital to the health of your lawn as well as to the rest of your garden. The best lawns have a thick layer of topsoil and perfect drainage that limits soil loss over time. However, fine soil particles are gradually lost through fluctuations in the weather, creating an even thinner layer of topsoil. Protecting this soil is fundamental. Ensure that you aerate your lawn as this will allow water to seep into the soil rather than running off the top which means less soil loss, increased moisture levels and better root growth. Healthy soil is important for any lawn or garden.<br /> <br /> Environmentally friendly fertilisers can be used on your lawn like <a href="http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/airwaste/wm/recycle/tea/tea1.htm">compost tea</a> as it does not burn the grass or cause any chemical run-off that might infiltrate the soil. Building your own compost heap in the back garden or regularly using a mixture of manure on the garden and lawn will add healthy organic materials. You could also <a href="http://greenliving.nationalgeographic.com/compost-worms-indoors-2185.html">create your own worm farm</a> to breakdown the organic materials. Worms produce nutrient rich worm castings, a high quality, pH neutral soil conditioner which improves the physical qualities of soil.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_qvLZaI9txgn6jtNKPJ4p02IhdGycUarDcEGW576LvSDgd2FtCUa-eZBtSwvcvPkpRN-OE4Vjm3KohaZFI9GCwH2k2ouKH6BUeUOS1K0i-DX9gjHzMGVUkI1OA6VislYN_U4Vb5ZlxM/s1600/pic_02.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_qvLZaI9txgn6jtNKPJ4p02IhdGycUarDcEGW576LvSDgd2FtCUa-eZBtSwvcvPkpRN-OE4Vjm3KohaZFI9GCwH2k2ouKH6BUeUOS1K0i-DX9gjHzMGVUkI1OA6VislYN_U4Vb5ZlxM/s320/pic_02.png" /></a><br /> <br /> For the garden, permite from the <a href="http://www.exfoliators.com.au/">Exfoliators</a> is a natural mineral which comes in the form of siliceous rock, which improves the soil's physical qualities. Permite improves the soil's ability to provide nutrition for plants, as it has high permeability, low water retention and helps prevent soil compaction. And many gardeners use permite for growing plants, cuttings and seedlings as it can it is easy to dig into potting mix and will not rot or breakdown, making it safe for your garden plants. It is a lighter insulating growing medium for your plants and will help protect their root systems against extremes of weather.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifElLKYTU60u8-PnoEckHI9moGipl6ES_Pce4kx_5tZO4xruQbLehjRM0wk4u7VHpjoyJmYxSmUvMoVzw1SNHtYAyMZ739zJ3KtMiXFX50xQ7-br6J4q8W6DxFrp3kF1UPMlotPB4XXrc/s1600/pic_03.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifElLKYTU60u8-PnoEckHI9moGipl6ES_Pce4kx_5tZO4xruQbLehjRM0wk4u7VHpjoyJmYxSmUvMoVzw1SNHtYAyMZ739zJ3KtMiXFX50xQ7-br6J4q8W6DxFrp3kF1UPMlotPB4XXrc/s320/pic_03.png" width="320" /></a><br /> <br /> Coffee grounds are also good for your garden as they add nitrogen to the soil, increase the acidity for acid loving plants, and can protect your garden from creatures like slugs, snails and even your (or your neighbour's) cat.<br /> <br /> <i><span style="color: #666666;"><b>Ivy Delfin</b> is a copywriter working with Exfoliators, the leader in manufacturing Premium Perlite, Premium Vermiculite and Passive Fire Protection products used in a large range of applications such as lightweight plasters or hydroponics. When Ivy's not writing content she enjoys swimming, shopping and taking her Golden Retriever for a walk.</span></i></span></span></span>

Green-up Solution, Guest

Environmentally Friendly Chemicals for Your Lawn & Garden

There are many alternatives to harmful chemicals that we could use to fertilise plants in our green spaces, shares Ivy Delfin . Replacing ...