Archive for December, 2008

Sonic Mycend Mushrooms

Wednesday, December 31st, 2008

Sonic Mycend species can be recognized by their smell and one of these is Mycena pure, which smells strongly of radishes. The size and colouring of this species varies tremendously. The most typical variety has a light purple to pink-purple cap, but can also be seen with a bluish tinge, brown or white. The colour intensity changes when the mushroom dries out: and is always lighter when moist. The tubular stipe is fragile, with a white woolly base. The sparse, deeply cut gills, which arc sharply lobed near the stipe, are transversely furrowed and pale purple in colour.

Mycena pure can be found in all types of woods. Individual specimens or colonies grow in humus or organic waste, in rotting leaves and needles in damp places. In the past it was considered edible, but recently it has been proved to be poisonous. Such poisoning, which occurs after consuming it in large quantities, follows a similar pattern to that caused by the Fly Agaric, also this mushroom probably contains a toxic alkaloid muscarine.

4 Tricks for Saving Money on Groceries

Tuesday, December 30th, 2008

If you are tired of seeing prices on food rising every time you shop, then fight back! While nobody is talking about the inflation in food prices, most consumers know that prices are way up.

If you are tired of paying way too much, then fight back with these strategies:

1. Know your prices and shop around. Money experts would advise you to keep track of the price of things you use the most in a price book. If you are to busy to invest in making a price book, then mentally keep track of prices on the items your use regularly. You will begin to notice where items are the least expensive.

2. Know that the warehouse stores like Sams and Costco usually have fair prices but are generally not lowest price you will ever find in town. Don’t get me wrong, I l love some of the bargains to be found in these stores and shop there myself. I do caution you to be selective in your purchases, because not every item is a good value. It is exceedingly easy to spend more than you planned on when you shop in this type of store. Check your unit prices to be sure you are getting a good price.

Pepper Varieties Information

Monday, December 29th, 2008

The common clone now grown in the Lampongs in southern Sumatra is ‘Belantung’ with large leaves and small fhiits; it shows some field resistance to foot rot; it is said to have taken over from `Djambi’ as the latter was very susceptible to foot rot in the Lampongs around 1930.

Man has selected cultivars which are mainly hermaphrodite and they are maintained by cuttings. The greatest number of cultivars occur in India. `Balarneotta’ is one of the most widely grown Malabar peppers, followed by `Kalluvalli’.

`Balamcotta’ has strong, vigorous growth; the leaves are large and light green in colour; the spikes are long and straight and are loosely packed with pale-green fruits; the flowers are bisexual; it has a reputation in India for high and regular yields. `Kalluvalli’ is said to be hardy, regular bearing, and drought- and wilt- resistant; the leaves are narrower and dark green in color; the flowers are bisexual; the spikes are long.

All cultivars showed great annual fluctuations in yield, but less in the Sarawak cultivar ‘Kuching’ and the Indonesian cultivars `Djambi’ and ‘Belantung’ than the Indian cultivars `Kalluvalli’, `Balameotta’, `Uthirincotta’ and `Cheriakaniakadan’. The Indian cultivars, despite their long spikes and large berries, were found to be less vigorous under intensive cultivation in Sarawak and appear to be more suitable for growing up trees.

Gardening with Seeds

Sunday, December 28th, 2008

Gardening can get expensive. When it comes to getting the plants in the ground, you can plant seedlings, plant large plants, or sow seeds. Sowing seeds is the cheapest route because all you have to do is buy a couple packets of seeds for a few dollars. Once your soil is prepped, you can start sowing.

One easy way to use seeds in your garden is to grow the seeds into seedlings first on your own and then transplant them. First, get some planter trays and fill them with soil. Pat down the soil lightly and then add a little bit of water to moisten it. Sprinkle some seeds over top and cover the seeds with a little bit more soil.

Eventually after a few days the seeds will begin to grow. After a few weeks and after the danger of frost, transplant the seedlings into your garden. This is a great way to sow the seeds because you are only planting the best seeds and they have already started growing so they have a better chance of survival.

Remedy for Dahlia Pests

Saturday, December 27th, 2008

The sucking insects, thrips and aphides, are without doubt the worst enemies of all plants, not only dahlias. They live by sucking the sap from the plant, causing great damage through excessive loss of sap, and, in addition, are the vector insects responsible for the transmission of virus.

They have not true stomachs, so that they inject a little of their digestive juices into the plant sap, together with the virus, and suck hack the pre-digested sap, greatly to their advantage, but also greatly to the dahlia’s detriment.

The main thing to bear in mind, whatever spray or dust is used, is that it must be given at regular intervals, say once every ten days, and more frequently than this if rain happens to fall within two days of application. The biting insects, capsid, the allied tarnished plant bug, earwigs and caterpillars, although they do not transmit virus in addition to their other misdeeds, are still capable of causing considerable damage if left to feed unchecked.