Green Fingers I Wish

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Aphalara itadori To Help in Fight Against Japanese Knotweed


This is one of the biggest nuisances known to man - the Japanese Knotweed! It is a fast spreader, grows very quickly, and is very destructive.

The Japanese Knotweed can even grow through concrete, asphalt, within cavity walls and will choke underground drains. In fact the problem has become so bad that some  mortgage providers now refuse to provide loans secured against property infested with Japanese Knotweed.

So, what can we do to tackle the spread of this hardy, virtually indestructible plant? It seems the solution lies in a tiny insect which will drain the plant of its goodness, causing it to perish. The insect is also, wait for it, from Japan. I wonder why it took scientists so long to come up with this idea, when it`s worked over in Japan for so long?

The tiny sap sucking insect Aphalara itadori will be released into the environment in `trials` to see how it performs against the Japanese Knotweed. Hopefully it will contain the spread of the plant and help keep it under control. Hopefully too the introduction of the Aphalara itadori won`t result in other problems, which can and does happen when foreign insects, animals, fish or plants are brought in to the country.

Monday, March 08, 2010

Almost Spring, and Time To Start Mowing Again

It`ll be spring in a couple of weeks time. Spring is a nice time of year as the rebirth begins all over again. And one of the jobs that has to be tackled is tending the garden, including mowing the lawn. The first time it`s done is the hardest, especially if the grass has grown over-long. It`s important not to have the blades at too low a level, as the lawn can be damaged if the blades rip the grass up. It`s better to cut it the first time on a higher level, and work to a low level over time.

Thankfully nowadays there`s a huge range of lawnmowers, from manual through electric and gas-powered. Choosing the right one is important, so it is worth spending some time checking out the pros and cons of the various type of mower to get the right one for you.

Now the weather is improving for most of us, we`ll start thinking about our gardens - lawn cutting, bulb planting, and making some general improvements to our outdoor space.

One feature that is increasing in popularity is the outdoor water garden. Adding a small pond or fish tank is easy with the pop-up type ponds available on the market. These small ponds are an ideal addition to patios, deks, or balconies.

For people like me the best thing about them is that they are easy to set up and use. They usually come with water pumps to circulate the water, and are self-supporting.

And, if time is at a premium, cleaning and storing them is very simple.