Browse >
Home / Archive: August 2007
Using Hydrogen Peroxide in your Hydroponics Gardening System
by: Jason Willkomm
There are no doubts about the benefits of using hydrogen peroxide properly in a hydroponics system. This becomes especially true if your nutrient reservoir is kept above 72 degrees. Warm water holds less dissolved oxygen, and therefore encourages the growth of more viruses, fungi, and anaerobic bacteria. Hydrogen peroxide adds oxygen to you water and cleans the water of pathanogens. Benefits include healthier root systems, increased nutrient uptake, thicker stems, and bigger leaves.
One expert claims it should be used on all soil gardens as well as in hydroponics sytems. Knowing as much as I do about beneficial fungus and micro-organisms and the benefits they provide to living plants, I am shy in taking this advice. However, when this first line of defense fails and plants become sick I often resort to using hydrogen peroxide treatments on my soil grown plants.
The chemical formula of hydrogen peroxide is H2O2. You may notice it is simply water with an extra oxygen atom. In fact, as hydrogen peroxide breaks down in a solution the result is oxygen and water. Its application helps deliver oxygen to over watered plant roots and helps to sterilize the growing media by killing harmful anaerobic (not oxygen compatible) bacteria and pathanogens that cause disease. This includes bacterial wilt, pythium fungi, fusarium fungi, and others.
I avoid using the common 3% hydrogen peroxide you normally find at drug stores. This is because such low percentage solutions are unstable, and chemicals are added to the peroxide to keep it from breaking down before it can be used. I did a little research because I did not know what chemicals were used for this, or if the plants uptake these chemicals, or if there was a health risk associated with any of these stabilizing chemicals.
Hydrogen peroxide is usually stabilized with acetanilide. Acetanilide is a synthetic compound that was first used for its fever reduction and pain killing properties in the late Nineteenth Century. For many years it was utilized as an alternative to aspirin to treat various ailments, but large-scale medical use stopped when the toxic side effects of consuming acetanilide became apparent. This was enough to make up my mind to use 35% hydrogen peroxide instead.
Firstly, 35% peroxide is caustic and should be treated with the same caution as a strong acid. 35% strength hydrogen peroxide should be readily available at any quality hydroponics supply shop. The stronger concentrations do not use the added stabilizers.
The recommended dosage is to add 2-3 ml to each gallon of water, however, I use 5 ml per gallon and have never had any problems. At every nutrient change treat your fresh water with hydrogen peroxide. The general idea is to let the hydroponics sytem circulate the hydrogen peroxide solution for about a half hour to let the peroxide work against pathogens and to let the solution stabilize before adding your nutrients.
The beneficial effects of using hydrogen peroxide last about 4 days. There are some gardeners who add a little peroxide to their nutrient reservoirs every 5 days in between nutrient changes. If you decide to do this, stick to the guidelines and always make sure your solution is thoroughly mixed before exposing your plants roots to it. Another option is to top off your nutrient reservoir with peroxide treated water whenever it is low.
About The Author
Jason Willkomm
Hi, my name is Jason, from Jason’s Indoor Guide. I have ten years experience growing indoors, under lights. No less than two of those years I was using hydroponics methods. It is my goal to improve the results of every organic and hydroponics gardener through accurate, easy to understand information. Visit me at http://www.jasons-indoor-guide-to-organic-and-hydroponics-gardening.com/.
The original article with pictures and additional info can be found at http://www.jasons-indoor-guide-to-organic-and-hydroponics-gardening.com/using-hydrogen-peroxide.html.
Teach Your Kids To Show Themselves They Care
by: Regina Pickett Garson
The day my daughter came home from school talking about a Valentine fundraiser my heart sank. The school was selling heart shaped brownies for the children to send to their “special friends.” They could even send them anonymously. Everyone, she explained, was trying to buddy up to make sure to get a brownie. I know this is not nice to presume, but what if your child doesn’t get a brownie, what if they don’t find a buddy?
Most of us can remember times when we were left out. Maybe everyone else paired off for a dance and we never got a date. The most popular kid in class threw a party and we weren’t invited. Luckily, a brownie is easier to produce than a date or a party invitation. It’s also easier to use in learning to love and appreciate yourself.
One event comes to mind, which was very special to me. I won a small award, nothing grand on a world scale, but I wanted to celebrate and I really wanted flowers. Now, my honey would have bought me flowers if I had told him I wanted them, or I could have even sulked until he read my mind.
Instead, I did something very innovative for me. I bought myself flowers. I didn’t spend a lot, just a small bouquet to tell myself that I appreciated me. I was proud of what I had done and those flowers felt good. Every time I looked at them, I felt good. Now when I think back to that award, what I remember most is not the award, it is that I learned to give myself flowers. I learned to take responsibility for my own “feel goods.”
I keep hearing ads for Valentine’s Day and every time I do, I think about those flowers. I think about all the Valentine Days I rushed to an empty mailbox and sat alone feeling left out of the world. Valentine’s Day can be the unhappiest holiday of the year, and I love holidays. On Valentine’s Day, we routinely put all of our emotional feel goods in someone else’s lap. We are supposed to wait patiently to be told how wonderful and how loved we truly are.
It sounds worse every minute. I think it’s not just okay, it’s probably a good idea, to tell the kids that when that brownie cart comes around to buy themselves a Valentine. Tell that to yourself, too. If you sit around waiting for someone else to tell you how special you are you may wait for a very long time. I don’t even mean that to sound negative. But somehow, it seems like I have spent more Valentine Days wishing for Valentines than getting them and I can’t honestly say that I haven’t got my fair share. I truly have, but it is the times in between that bring so much pain and there is no reason for it to be that way.
If kids learn it early, they are truly ahead of the game. They won’t spend chunks of their life in aimless waiting. Moments spent with special friends are treasures, but so are the moments spent alone. And I can almost guarantee, those kids will feel a whole lot better eating a brownie they provided for themselves than sitting around watching everyone else eat theirs.
Those flowers I bought myself were some of the best I ever got and not because they were the grandest. It was because I learned to appreciate myself. I learned to accept responsibility for my own “feel goods.” There is no shame in that. If you have a special someone in your life, that is a bonus. It is truly a treasure — never to be taken for granted. However, in the ebb and flow of life, it is inevitable that we are all going to spend at least some part of it alone. The only person who stays with us from the time we are born until the day we die is our own self. Shouldn’t we truly appreciate and make certain that we feel special too?
© Regina Pickett Garson
About The Author
Regina Pickett Garson edits and publishes Magic Stream http://www.magicstream.org — which is among the earliest online self-help and wellness resources. She teaches at Virginia College in Huntsville, Alabama.
Window Treatments
by: Roger King
Today’s look in window treatments ranges from a simple length of fabric arranged over a rod to elaborate draperies reminiscent of those in historic mansions. If you have a great view or want the maximum amount of natural light possible, hard window treatments allow the most flexibility.
Nothing affects a room as much as it’s windows and their treatments. If you’ve got’em, you’ve must dress them up. The variety of window treatments is immense and the possibilities are endless. No matter what your style is, you can find window treatments that will work for you, and have some fun in the process.
Living room windows might be formally dressed, and bedroom windows usually require privacy, but kitchen windows can make up their own rules with lively treatments that are just for fun and good looks. Blinds, shades, and shutters of every conceivable size and type can help you add personality to your windows.
Choosing a color scheme is usually one of the first steps in the design process, because color can be used to create a focal point and set the mood in a room. Window treatments offer the ideal opportunity to let your artistic side shine since they’re ideally colorful accessories to your home decor.
Where privacy isn’t an issue, you’ll have even more options and many different kinds of window treatments available, it’s no wonder that selecting the right solution for your home can be a difficult decision.
About The Author
Roger King is a successful author and publisher of http://www.1st-in-blinds.com. Window treatments and ideas to showcase your living space.
The greatest achievements were obtained by those who took one step after the next. They resolved to succeed, and moved little by little toward a worthwhile goal.
Temporary obstacles in one situation are very often stepping stones to remarkable blessings. Be grateful even for setbacks, for each contains the seed of an equal or greater blessing.
By infusing your thoughts with love and faith, you will build the tenacity and spiritual fitness needed to meet every obstacle with resolve. You will greet each morning with anticipation. Your God-given purpose will sparkle in your eyes and fill your heart with authentic joy.
Even the most mundane tasks can be viewed as small stepping stones on a far-reaching journey. Like small brushstrokes in a beautiful painting, each small action will contribute to its perfection; craft each one with care and excellence.
Our stepping stones, arranged carefully, place us in an advantageous position for moving forward. They become part of a pathway filled with beautiful rewards today and tomorrow.
Ask yourself: What are the stepping stones I can see now that could lead toward my goals? How can I best arrange them so that my next step brings me nearer to my desired achievements?
It doesn’t matter if the stream is narrow or wide. Your goal may be attainable next week or seem years beyond the horizon. There is always that first stepping-stone to start you on the journey.
Faith places every stepping stone within reach. May the love and faith in your heart illuminate the path before you today. Step forward, and you’ll be on your way!
© Copyright 2005 by Steve Brunkhorst. Steve is a professional life success coach, motivational author, and the editor of Achieve! 60-Second Nuggets of Inspiration, a popular mini-zine bringing great stories, motivational nuggets, and inspiring thoughts to help you achieve more in your career and personal life. Get the next issue by visiting http://www.AchieveEzine.com
Playing An Active Role In Your Children’s Homeschooling
by: Donna L. Miller
Homeschooling is an option that many parents choose when they feel that, for whatever reason, their child will not be getting the best education in a public or private school system. Homeschooling allows for a variety of curriculum and teaching techniques to be applied that suit your child’s particular needs - often that is unlikely to happen in a large classroom setting. One of the benefits - and also one of the difficulties - in homeschooling is the extreme amount of flexibility it affords. In order to homeschool successfully, it is important that you understand, and decide how to handle this conundrum.
While there are many benefits to homeschooling, it also requires discipline. In the same way that working from home can be difficult, homeschooling can be difficult because it requires you make a distinction between home and school while still remaining at home. Like almost everybody, there are going to be times in your family life when you are extremely busy or dealing with serious distractions. It can be tempting at these moments to try and multitask: that is, to both educate your children and deal with other aspects of your life. There can be a tendency among homeschooling parents to place an assignment in front of their children and then leave the room to engage in other activities.
If you do this you will severely limit the value of your child’s education. When homeschooling you should think about public and private school systems, and use them only as a benchmark for reference, but not as a strict and limited tool of measurement. You should be trying to surpass, or at the very least match, the level of education your child would receive in one of these environments. Now, if you think about a public school classroom, you’ll see that the teacher is always in the room. It is one of the most fundamental rules of teaching — even if the students have been assigned work to complete on their own in class time, the teacher remains in the room in order to assist the students. You may not have to sit continually with an older child, but being accessible is vital. Accessibility is not limited to being in the home, but also being available to drop what you are doing with out irritation should your child need assistance.
You should also adhere to this principle. Children learn by example, in subtle ways that are not always within our control. If you assign your children work and leave to go do other things you are sending a message to them that the schooling is not of a highest priority for you. Even if they cannot articulate it, this negative message in terms of your priorities will affect the children’s attitude towards their education.
When homeschooling your children, the hours that you spend teaching should be hours in which your children’s education are the number one priority. Errands or other household duties should be left for “after-school” hours. When “school is in,” you should be to. Of course, there will be many instances where you will be trying to get your children to learn how to work independently, but at these times you should still be physically, mentally and emotionally available for questions or your children’s need for assistance. Independent learning is not a wise option at all when your child is still young or new to homeschooling. Being an independent learner is a growth process. As a homeschooled student approaches high school and prepares for college, some subjects and topics are best to be self-directed, but never ignored by the parent.
By always being present during your children’s education you make them understand that their education is a serious thing, not simply something to occupy them while you take care of more pressing activities.
About The Author
Donna L. Miller is a Homeschooling Mother of three High School students. She is a former Private School teacher, and a Certified School-age Camp Director. She has been homeschooling for 10 years, and moderates a popular forum at: http://www.homeschoolheart.net/forum/.
Compare International Cargo Shipping Quotes, and get Moving Information using Cargo Shipping .Net
by: Paul Hawson
Cargo Shipping .net is a solution for national and international customers looking for shipping services. Every international shipping detail one needs to make informed cargo shipping service choice is delivered by Cargo Shipping .net. The network will provide you with shipping quotes enabling you to choose the best cargo shipping company. Enter http://www.CargoShipping.net , make informed shipping decisions and start saving both time and money.
Cargo shipping is a complicated procedure and has many different methods. Whether you want to ship by air cargo, sea cargo or road freight, every alternative is available with cargo shipping .net. http://www.CargoShipping.net makes sure customers know the difference between LCL and LTL, have access to a currency conversion calculator and access to cargo shipping glossary. Shipping you private or commercial cargo is complicated task. Cargo shipping .net customers have all the information they need to make cost efficient decisions. Learn shipping world jargon and find out what are your shipping options by visiting http://www.CargoShipping.net .
Cargo shipping .net delivers shipping quotes in addition to a wealth of cargo shipping information. Customers provide their specific cargo shipping needs and get many shipping quotes. Leading shipping companies deliver shipping quotes, adequate with our customer’s specific needs. http://www.CargoShipping.net is the starting point for anyone who is in need of international cargo shipping services. No more endless phone calls. Customers that use cargo shipping .net service making informed decisions. The shipping quotes are delivered by Http://www.OneEntry.com the leading source for moving and shipping quotes.
Informed decisions can be made using cargo shipping .net information and quotes. Customers use both the information and the helpful shipping quotes and are able to choose the best cargo shipping services and companies. Cargo shipping .net provides a solution for everyone who needs shipping information. Start using the shipping tools today at http://www.CargoShipping.net and save both your time and money.
About The Author
Paul Hawson establishes marketing programs in the field of international moving, shipping and cargo. His main interest is with web sites which compare shipping rates.
Pual Hawson is available at http://www.oneentry.com.
« Previous Page — Next Page »
