my Nipa Hut

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

New terms, new skills

Image via WikipediaI am coming across many words that I do not use every day, or, to say it more accurately, I have been away from for so long. I have stopped doing gardening, and the technical terms to correctly describe this and that, and all things about plants and their care is, well, they’ve been away from me, too.

But after reading some books, and going through a lot of articles in the web, I am slowly but steadily gaining back the knowledge needed to get me through.

Terms:

Here are some terminologies that I’m sure are common to those who do and describe them every day.

Heft – to carry with the purpose of weighing: Heft the pot to see if it is heavy with water or not.

Leach – filter through, pass through: Leach the pot to get rid of extra water or fertilizer.

Adventitious – by chance and not an integral part: Orchids not at the right flowering environment may come up with adventitious growths rather than flowers.

Incipient – only partly in existence; imperfectly formed: If an orchid isn’t given the proper treatment during the period of rest, incipient flower buds will undergo a drastic change.

Pseudobulbs and Canes – Specifically applied to orchids, a cane is like a slender stick, while a pseudobulb is like a hand pump, flattened at the ends. Both are for storing water, but the pseudobulb acts like a reservoir. Therefore, use this to determine if you will water your orchids twice a week, or only once. Of course, this is the general guide.

Skills:

Here are also some skills that you would sure make use of, if you aren’t doing already.

Misting using a spray – Instead of using a shallow bowl or a separate pot serving the same use to induce humidity by filling up with pebbles and water around or below the orchid pots, induce humidity by misting the leaves and roots 2x daily.

Under the sun, out of the sun – growing orchids are placed under the sun, or given their dappled light, or whatever is suitable to your variety of orchid, but when the flowers are out, they only need the bright light, and not the sunlight. Again, this is the general rule.

Growth and rest periods – orchids in general are following a seasonal cycle. When growing, they are provided with the necessary sunlight or bright light, humidity, fertilizer, etc, most of which are cut back when the leaves fall (as in the case of dendrobiums) and the plants go to rest.

A leafless cane is not a useless cane – part of their growth (how can dropping leaves be called ‘growth’?) is to shed old leaves and become dormant for a time. This is to process the remaining nutrients they have stored, in order to use up for new flower buds or new growths. So don’t throw away that orchid simply because all the leaves have fallen. Like the Resident Evil phrase, it may talk back: “Hey! I’m not dead yet!”

Recipe for death for a hard cane Dendrobium – If we are all looking for ways and means to be able to care and make our dendros grow and flower well, one article indicated the recipe to kill a hard cane dendro: Wet and cold. Dendros can take a momentary wetness, or a momentary coldness. But both happening at the same time, being wet and cold, well, that will kill the dendro.

I will continue to read a lot of articles and books, so long as I have the time. I am enjoying both the amassing of knowledge and skills and the real-life experience from hands-on activities.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

A major rearrangement

Image by hbl via FlickrYesterday, Sunday, my wife got an eyesore with some of the leafy plants at home. She would usually be thrilled with the flowers (orchids, cyclamens, begonias), but she would be irked by some inconsistencies in the sceneries sporting leaves, purely leaves.

An emergency move was done, and I was set to repotting (which was planned for some time already when the flowering plants were seen to be overgrowing their small pots. And of course, I was 'experimenting' with some of the leafy varieties, cutting some and planting those cut stems. Most wilted, I could say, due to the non-mature age. I know, because at least one of them I saw to be shooting out roots. I guess that is what she saw, the wilted plants!

And the orchids, especially the phalaenopsis and dendrobiums, are directly under the sun. I am trying to see if these can tolerate the midday sun right at our front door. We get the morning sun, midday sun, and the afternoon sun. Our balcony is more of the bright light, but not the sun directly, only at the later part of the day, evening time, then some sunlight peeks at the balcony; I think about 3 days, and the sunburn at the leaves of the phalaenopsis is becoming more and more evident, so I told my best half about it, and we were off to the major rearrangement!

The begonias and cyclamens that were in the balcony before, at the opposite side where the sunlight doesn't shine, were brought out and put right in front of the main door - as if to make you be greeted by flowers when you open the doors! And the orchids were transferred to their original place: from the midday sun, the orchids would still be receiving bright light and good breeze, without the scorching midday sun. Boy, isn't that a lot of heat to take?

As I've come to refresh and add to my knowledge about orchids, I am hoping that my collection now will start to grow, both biologically and numerically.

The balsams, planted from seeds, were a fiasco. I think these packets of seeds are a no-good way to start with. I've tried it back then, and the results are consistent: nothing grew, not even one. I was in need of more soil, and I have several pots big and small (I think 4 of them) with soil and the supposedly seedlings that were being grown. I tried to spade off the soil in the pot with the Anaheim chili seeds, and knowing where I've situated the lot, I dig on the soil around that area. Primary goal is to use the soil, and second is to check on the seeds. I was happy that they are actually growing; the roots are starting to come out, measuring about 5mm already! A month and a half ago, I was able to grow Cayenne chili from seeds, and about a week ago, the capsicum seeds were also sowed, and they grew! The Anaheim chili seeds are my second batch to be sown, the first batch, about 3 weeks ago, failed. These were from dried seeds. I guess I haven't learned that skill yet, sowing from dried seeds. The Cayenne chili seeds were from mature pods that were not dried, simply taken out from almost-decaying pods, specifically set aside for the seeds for sowing. The capsicum and the Anaheim, having learned from the failed batch from dried seeds, were both sown from seeds of pods while they are fresh - can be used in seasoning. I did that because I saw in one of the books that we have at home (I wasn't using my resources properly, you see) stated it in one of the methods of propagation, using other fruit as example, of course. Then I learned from my primary school kids that competition among plants and trees happen when their root systems are adjacent and crossing bounds - one's roots would tend to 'grab' the soil nutrients faster than the other - and that makes them healthy (or should I say, healthier?) Using that updated knowledge, I put the seeds about 3 inches away from each other in a rectangular pot, and there they are growing nicely.

The capsicums are doing the same, as if they are trying to catch up with the cayennes, and the leaves are just starting to come out. With the Anaheim seeds already germinating, 2 to 3 more months, I should be seeing those pods soon, very soon!

I have to say that I enjoy watching the pods change color as they go through the stages of maturity from the flower, to the ripened pods. And what way to enjoy them more when the leaves and pods are used in savory dishes?

So hopefully, we will have our own backyard in pots, providing greens, flowers and fruits (pods), adding beauty and spicing up dishes.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

My orchids: Dendrobium and Phalaenopsis

Image via WikipediaI have finally settled for 2 orchids: dendrobium and phalaenopsis.

Dendrobium, I would call it freely this way, is like the 'grass' in the orchid genera: hardy, easy to grow, and almost always flowering. That doesn't say it cannot die. But it is to say that if you are a beginner trying your hand on orchids, dendrobium should be a good choice.

I'm not a beginner when it comes to orchids, having taken care of many plants and trees before, for leaves and fruits, and also orchids. I actually don't find the vanda that I had before back in the Philippines. Just fortunate that I had a picture of it when it bloomed with at least 5 flowers.

And I don't have ample space now so I settled with a dendro and a phal. Actually my dear wife already cautioned me not to be over indulging on these lovely creation. Not that she doesn't like them. She just knows how I can get lost in it, especially the financial side. Of course, that would upset so many things in the family. Doesn't that prove again that our best half are our greatest blessing?

She did say that each month, get one. A plant for its leaf. Another for its scent. The next month, for its flowers, and so on. If that is not wisdom in order, what would you call it?

Enough of being philosophical!

I picked a very simple dendrobium so I don't have to be so meticulous (once again) with my plants. I already have pots lining up our balcony side and at the entrance side: cyclamen, begonia, mosaic, palm, hibiscus, corn plant, poor man's orchid, ferns, flaming katy, euphorbia, and some spices: short chili, long chili and capsicum. There is also the pineapple - too bad for this one - some kids at our block like this very much, and go on to picking out the growing leaves at the center when we're not around! Last night I just planted some seeds of balsam plants, for the flowers. And this is not the first time that I attempt to grow from seeds. Some grew, some didn't. Mind you the chilis and capsicums are grown from seeds, and they're quite cooperative somehow, a shoot, a green stem, and now a couple of leaves, with each day trying to show off by enlarging those leaves while extending the stems up.

And the phalaenopsis I picked, again, is not a complex one. I'm not that expert when it comes to phalaenopsis, but as far as I have read from many articles over the web, both the dendro and the phal are moisture-loving plants. I did come across one article that hit the point right at home. How can you remember just how much watering should you be doing for this and that orchid, aside from all the other intricacies required by each and every kind of an orchid, even though they belong to the same kind, different only by some characteristic due to its hybridization? Then I read that pseudobulbs are for storing water, just like a camel's humps. And so it goes this way: an orchids having pseudobulbs can store water, and therefore - should not be water as much as one that doesn't sport pseudobulbs! Dendros and Phals don't have pseudobulbs, so you should water them more. They like moisture. Their natural habitat in the rainforests (and jungles; I should say, 'the wild') are usually wet with rain and moist afterwards, be it the sun evaporating the water, or the moon cooling the air. But don't water the flower! That is killing the flowers that you've waiter for so long to come. Did you ever hear of the story of the fireman team that saved an old lady's cat from her burning apartment, and she threw a tea party, wherein when they're done and leaving, they run over the it? The cat, not the old lady! It's like that. You do everything conceivable just to make the plants flower, and when the flowers are coming, you nip them at the bud. So don't do that by watering the flowers. It's simple as this. You water the plant to make it flower. You don't expect the flower to flower by watering them, do you?

So I'm down with a dendrobium and a phalaenopsis. I should say, I'm starting with a dendrobium and a phalaenopsis. Hopefully the balsams give me the expected flowers (if they ever grow). My wife is already suggesting that I repot the begonias and cyclamens - they seem to be growing bigger that they will overgrow their current pot size. I'm hesitating because they are at their flowering peak. I'll wait and see. I hope to make good with my present collection, and make good at future additions.

Tilll then. Enjoy!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Orchid care

Image via WikipediaI've been going back to gathering plants for our new flat, and I've already got some flowers in: hibiscus, begonia and cyclamen. The other one I think is poor man's orchids. I have also gotten a young euphorbia, and it is just furiously growing, shooting out new stems and leaves ever since it was repotted, to a larger container. For the non-flowering plants, I have a cactus, some red and green mosaics, ferns and one that I haven't identified yet, but it is more of a palm species, having read and green foliage. The only other plant I have is a big one already, and is taller than me. It is a palm plant, and is most suited to the windy and sunny place, either at the balcony, or in front of the house. We put it at the balcony for now, and should I be getting a smaller one in the future, it will be at the front where it will get the most sun and wind and rain - the right environment for it to grow nicely.

I still have to choose which orchid I will get: a phalaenopsis, a dendrobium or a vandaceous. Watering isn't the concern, nor the sun. Bright but not sunny isn't either. What I am looking it is how to take care of the plant when it is flowering, to get more flowers, or how to care for it when the flowering period is over.

I've been looking and looking, searching and searching, and I've come across many web pages that has given me valuable info, provided data, but so far, there is one that has mentioned something that I can use, and will use, as a basis to know when it comes to watering needs: pseudobulds is a water container. That's the info that breaks the levels.

And with that, any orchid that doesn't have pseudobulds should not be left too dry. Of course, that will be the general rule, but it is half the battle between simply remembering, and understanding why.

That website, before I forget it, is here: My Orchid Care. I kow, I should give credit. Someway, somehow, they hit the right spot for givingg just the kind of info that will help me with my orchid growing.

May it help you as well.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

The bane that is Internet: Drugs online

Perhaps another one technology that has become both a blessing and a curse is internet: being a mine for online marketers, legally, that is, the internet is now a big mine of gold for illegal online marketers - they not only take your money away from you with both eyes wide open - they do so with your "willingness and open participation"!

And with parents not at home, the supposedly 'safe abode' is easily penetrated and invaded by predators - all through the thin wire (literally) of internet.

Parents, beware.

With the internet wide open through our computers portal, no home is safe.

Read on...
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Keeping Your Child from Internet Drugs

James D. Zirin,Forbes.com

The drug culture of the fabled 1960s has now assumed a stark, contemporary reality. At the top of The New York Times Best-Sellers List this week is Beautiful Boy by David Sheff, a sadly typical tale of a father's "struggles with his son's meth addiction."

Nic Sheff's drug problems began at age 12, when his father found a bag of marijuana in his backpack. In high school, Nic, who has also just published a book about his addiction, learned to shoot up by studying a diagram on the Internet. By age 17, Nic was hooked on crystal meth; he fell into a decade-long boiling cauldron of substance abuse where he almost died. The account is sobering.

Slideshow: Keeping Your Child from Internet Drugs
Slideshow: The Dark Side of the Internet
Slideshow: Tips for Keeping Kids Safe Online
Slideshow: The Latest Surveillance Techniques
Slideshow: Top 10 Solutions for Educating Our Children

Although data shows the use of hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin has trailed off in recent years, the abuse of prescription drugs, particularly by children, and many freely available online, has soared. According to the National Institute of Health, 20% of Americans have used prescription drugs for recreational purposes.

The number of Americans involved in abuse of controlled prescription substances has more than doubled over the past decade or so, to nearly 17 million. Teenagers abusing prescription drugs number around 2.7 million, according to the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA).

CASA reports that more than half the nation's 12-to-17 year olds are at greater risk of substance abuse because of high stress, frequent boredom, too much spending money, or some catastrophic combination thereof.Abuse among college students is estimated at 20%, and not much is being done about it.

"It's time to get the 'high' out of higher education," declares CASA Chairman and Founder Joseph A. Califano Jr.

The trend toward early substance abuse is a cause for special concern. Young teens often start off with prescription drugs such as pain killers, tranquilizers and sedatives to relax, cope with stress or reduce inhibitions. They then graduate to alcohol abuse and even illicit drugs. It is beyond controversy that early abuse of any addictive substance spikes the chances of long-term dependence.

Studies conducted by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America show that 40% of American adults believe it is safe to take prescription drugs without a prescription. Why else would doctors prescribe them?

The problem is intensified by the widespread availability of drugs on the Internet. As every Web surfer knows, rogue Web sites are proliferating, along with their offerings of opiates, stimulants, downers, uppers and performance enhancers carefully crafted to appeal to the youngest and most vulnerable.

"The easy availability of addictive opioids, depressants and stimulants on the net has, for many children, made the Internet a greater threat than the illegal street drug dealer," says Califano.

One need not actively surf the Web to find these sites. Many of them solicit, via spam e-mails that invite the consumer to buy prescription drugs without a prescription. If you didn't get an e-mail, a Google search for "opiates but no prescription" produces over a million hits for sites, many of them offshore, offering controlled substances delivered to your door in a plain wrapper. All you need is a credit card.

The dangers of Internet-transmitted substance abuse are not limited to Web sites selling the substances. Recipes and "how-to" instructions abound. A savvy teenager can readily find on the net manuals for how to grow marijuana, get high on household goods and mix dangerous drinks such as Purple Haze, a potent alcoholic concoction named after a song written by Jimi Hendrix and performed by Britney Spears. Hendrix died in London of a drug overdose. And we don't need to tell you about Britney Spears.

The problem illustrates the dangers lurking within a free Internet. While normally, our preference is for less, rather than more, government regulation, some legislation may be necessary in this case. First, we need laws requiring all ISPs--any organization that provides Internet access--to screen out illegal content, or content soliciting an illegal transaction, once they are notified of its existence.

Google routinely removes specified pages from its search results, mainly because of claimed trademark or copyright infringement. Why can't it remove rogue drug Web sites? Or at least provide stern and familiar warnings as to the consequences of illegal abuse?

This effort will also require the cooperation of financial intermediaries such as PayPal and credit card companies. Without access to credit card payment, illegal drug dealers are out of business.

Of course, neither legislation and regulation nor more vigorous law enforcement provide the complete answer. The most effective approach is to stamp out demand--it is far more effective to kill the message than the messenger or the intermediary. Parents are key here. Warning ads at sites where drugs are purchased could also be quite effective. Nothing could be more important than talking to children early and often about drugs and how dangerous substance abuse is.

And nothing could be more poignant than a parent's story of a child who lost his or her life to drugs. The recent tragic deaths of Daniel Smith, the 20-year-old son of Anna Nicole Smith (herself the victim of an overdose), and Academy Award winner Heath Ledger, at age 28, are but two examples of the horrific consequences of substance abuse. Nic Sheff is one of the lucky ones--he is still alive.

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:Keeping Your Child from Internet Drugs
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Thursday, May 27, 2010

When Help How To results in Help How Not To

I love this one!

I remember years ago when my instructor in assembly language pointed out that one article on how to detect and combat computer viruses produced a contrary result: it instead taught how to create viruses - the very thing that it attempted to destroy.

However, this one thing that is freely available in the web - I kinda endorse sites like this: a would-be suicidal person looks for 'how-to' on carrying out the suicide, but finds help instead. Now that's something!

Read on...
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'Suicide' Internet search turns up 'how to' advice: study

PARIS - People searching the Internet for information about suicide methods are more likely to find sites encouraging suicide than those offering help or support, according to a study released Friday.

Researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Oxford and Manchester found that nearly half of websites showing up in queries of the four top search engines gave "how to" advice on taking one's own life.

Only 13 percent, by contrast, focused on suicide prevention or offered support, while another 12 percent actively discouraged suicide.

Previous studies have shown that media reporting of suicide and its portrayal on television influence suicidal behaviour, particularly the choice of method used, but little is known about the impact of the Internet.

Aftershock: Help, Hope and Healing in the Wake of Suicide

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, replicated a typical search that might be undertaken by a person looking for instructions and information about methods of suicide.

The same set of search terms were fed into Google, Yahoo, MSN, and Ask.

The researchers then analysed the first ten sites from each search, giving a total of 480 hits.

Just under half of the sites provided some information about methods of suicide, while almost a fifth were for dedicated suicide sites, half of them actively encouraging, promoting, or facilitating the taking of one's life.

Overall, Google and Yahoo retrieved the highest number of dedicated suicide sites, whereas MSN had the highest number of prevention or support sites and academic or policy sites.

Surviving Suicide: Help to Heal Your Heart--Life Stories from Those Left Behind

In addition, the three most frequently occurring sites were all pro-suicide, while the information site Wikipedia was fourth.

"How to" sites are not illegal in most countries, and are not often caught by search engine filters. - AFP/fa

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:'Suicide' Internet search turns up 'how to' advice: study
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Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Save Money By Your Arts And Crafts Style

Image via Wikipedia

Talking about arts and crafts, kids are a natural. Why? Because they feel no shame in doing what they want to do, and in expressing themselves.

Why do we lose this reckless abandon as we grow older?

It's a shame, I think. Anyway, here's some tips to keep that 'child in you' alive, especially if you are now a parent and have real kids to 'play with'.

Read on...
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Figure Out Your Arts And Crafts Style To Save Money!
By Melissa Hash

When you are trying to live a more frugal life and you enjoy being creative then it is important to set up a craft budget. Crafts and supplies can be very expensive but by learning your personal arts and crafts style you can better distribute your craft allowance.

Craft or Art?

Many who do crafts believe that they are an art form and some who produce art call it their craft. Generally, a work is considered a craft when there is a set of rules you follow and when others follow those rules they end up with a similar product. Art is more distinctive. If you give a group of people each a lump of clay the end products may look nothing alike.

This may not help you know where to place your money but it will help narrow down what your arts and crafts style is. Also, do not be surprised if you enjoy doing a little (or a lot!) of both crafts and art.

One style or multiple styles?

Some people only do one arts and crafts. They may only cross-stitch or only draw. Most people who are creative have many outlets in which they enjoy creating things. If you have only one creative interest then it is very easy to decide what craft to put your money towards but what if you quilt, paint, knit, decoupage, cross-stitch and whatever else you come across?

If you have multiple craft and art interests then you have to be even more cognizant of how much money you are spending. What arts and crafts style do you enjoy doing the most? Can you narrow your interests down to one or two that you do more often than the others? Your craft budget can be allocated to allow more for that one craft you enjoy the most. You can then allocate a portion of your craft budget to projects that you complete only when you can find cheap craft supplies.

How much do the arts and crafts supplies cost?

If you do not have a large arts and crafts budget then you may have to choose your creative outlet based on how much cash you have to work with while you save for bigger purchases. If you cannot afford a sewing machine then instead of hand sewing large quilts perhaps you could make some pillows instead and while it may not be as comfortable as painting on a sturdy easel you can spread an old sheet on the floor and paint away.

Selling your work

If you believe that others would like to buy what you are making then you may be looking into ways to sell your work. This can be very expensive, such as the costs associated with producing a large quantity of work and renting a booth at an arts and crafts fair, or hard to break into, such as selling your work in an art gallery. It is also important to realize your arts and crafts style so that you know where to try and sell your work. A contemporary painter or sculptor may not do very well at an arts and crafts fair while you do not tend to find crocheted afghans in galleries.

Alex Toys Paper Plate Bugs, Alex Little Hands Art Series

If you are looking to see if there is a market for your work then you might try starting on a smaller scale. Ebay.com or etsy.com are excellent ways for you to sell your product. You can produce only one or two items and try to sell them before spending the money to make large quantities.

By asking yourself these questions you can get a better idea of your arts and crafts style which can help you when you make up your arts and crafts budget.

Article Supplied By: M. Kaye Hash, Co-owner and photographer of the nature photography and Eco-friendly gifts and family living articles website www.naturesthumbprint.com She is a contributing editor and co-webmaster at www.mccallsfloormart.com Melissa has a degree in Art History from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She has been writing and taking pictures since she was young. Melissa is also an avid animal lover and she raises four dogs of her own while being creative in as many ways as possible.

Article Directory: EzineArticles

Alex Super Art Table with Paper Roll and Two Benches

Lifted from Ezine article directoy with the same title:
Figure Out Your Arts And Crafts Style To Save Money!
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Tuesday, January 25, 2011

New terms, new skills

Sunday, January 23, 2011

A major rearrangement

Thursday, January 20, 2011

My orchids: Dendrobium and Phalaenopsis

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Orchid care

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

The bane that is Internet: Drugs online

Thursday, May 27, 2010

When Help How To results in Help How Not To

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Save Money By Your Arts And Crafts Style

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