How, When and Why to Feed Your Bees; Wondering if your honey bees are going to starve or whether they have enough stores to make it through the winter? and you may want to encourage your colony to build up properly in the spring for optimal health. So, when and how do you feed your…
Choosing a hive is something you want to give a lot of thought to, as once you commit to a type of hive, you’ll have invested money and a lot of learning into that method of beekeeping. Start small, so if you change your mind, you won’t have invested too much money. New beekeepers can…
Beekeeping (or apiculture) is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in man-made hives, by humans. A beekeeper (or apiarist) keeps bees in order to collect their honey and other products that the hive produces (including beeswax, propolis, pollen, and royal jelly), to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers. A…
Potatoes are classified according to the length of time they take to mature, which can be influenced by weather. Early seed potatoes mature in 60-110 days. Planted towards the end of March, they are typically ready for lifting from late June or early July. Main crop seed potatoes mature in 125–140 days and if planted…
Nursery bed is specially prepared exclusive area where seedlings are raised. The seedlings can be raised from seeds directly planted in the soil or from seeds planted in polythene bags. Nursery beds for passion fruit can be arranged in different ways. Why is it important to lay the nursery structures on the ground? 1. You…
Nurseries for horticultural crops are critical as this is the starting point for seedling production. A well prepared and managed nursery is a key determinant of the quality of seedlings that are produced and subsequently planted in the field. The appropriateness of the site and the management of seedlings at the nursery are also important…
Square foot garden (SFG) is the name given to an intensive gardening method that employ specifically sized raised gardening beds.Maybe you’ve seen them those highly organized raised beds divided into perfect squares, each featuring their own variety of plant. They sure are look beautiful, but is this method known as square foot gardening effective? This…
Biofumigation is defined as the use of biologically active plant substances to control soil-borne pests and diseases in agriculture and horticulture. It is based on incorporating soil amendment (fresh plant mass, manure) into the soil, which will release several substances, known as isothiocyanates (ITC’s), able to suppress soil-borne pests, plus a soil heater to enhance…
Soil solarization is a method of controlling soil-borne pests (soil-borne fungi, bacteria and nematodes) without application of pesticides by placing plastic sheets on moist soil during periods of high ambient temperature. The plastic sheets allow the sun’s radiant energy to be trapped in the soil, heating the upper levels. Transparent plastic allows a more effective…
How to grow in bags using soil as the media/how to treat the soil/what kind of fertilizer systems Potting mix The available components for a potting mix may include coco peat, manure/compost, pumice/sand and soil. These can be mixed in equal ratios. Coco peat is meant to increase the water-holding capacity of the mix, pumice/sand…
