News and Views

Ascophyllum nodosum - doesn’t just give your garden a lift !

Many thanks to Lynanne Jeanes over in Northern Ireland for telling us how seaweed baths really help ease her aches and pains and rehydrates her skin.

Apparently bathing in seaweed is nothing new. Along the west coast of Ireland there are many Bath Houses and Spas all specialising in seaweed treatments.

There are three or four particularly useful varieties which are said to have beneficial effects for the treatment of arthritis and rheumatism, plus some are anti-aging and cellulite busting !!

Run really hot water over the seaweed to rehydrate and to allow all the oils to be released. As well as loads of minerals our seaweed has high concentrations of such vitamins as B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, E, H, K3, C and Beta-Carotene. Then let some cooler water in, then just soak, and soak.

All those vitamins and stuff, aided by complex polysaccharides ( don’t ask, can only just spell it !) slowly seep into your open pores and ease those aching muscles.

Total relaxation !

Lynanne is the Sports Union Administrator at the University so has to know a thing
or two about keeping supple ......

Do you know Vine Weevils are ‘Enemy Number One’ !
Yep, its official - they are top of the Royal Horticultural Society’s glasshouse ‘hit list’.
( Sorry, think I’ve been watching too many old gangster films ! )

Red Spider Mite was next, then Whitefly closely followed by Aphids, Mealy Bugs, Scale Insects, Leafhoppers, Thrips and Tortrix Moth Caterpillars.
Slugs and Snails in the glasshouse were only at number 10 - but they do enough damage outside !!

Just by chance of course we supply bio controls for all of these, apart from the caterpillars.
We really love our butterflies, and are worried about hurting the good guys.

Adult Onion Fly, although it’s their ‘kids’ - larva burrowing into the onion - which do the damage !

Tom Bradley has been having a lot of trouble with Onion Fly this year.

Apparently it’s been a particular nuisance in the West Midlands

He searched us out because his researches led him to discover Neem being recommended as a repellent.

He has promised to let us know the results - so watch this space.

Do you remember we told you Goodwood Estate asked for some of our coir pots so that their birds may nest in them ?

Well our Herefordshire birds are much more inclined to ‘DIY’ !

This nest of moss and coir fibre fell out of our Wisteria - we think it’s a Blue Tits ( mainly because they regarded our coir pots as their ‘builders merchants’ last spring. )

Anybody have a better idea ?

Diana Gilbert is taking our ‘Root Runners’ up a Scottish mountain, for a fascinating, practical investigation into climate change.

She would like to know the effect of a varying snow line on the growth of such native trees as whortle-leaved willow, juniper and dwarf birch.

She will be climbing the mountains over the next two years measuring the growth of well over 200 plants she has planted - some well over 3,600’ up.

Diana chose ‘Root Runners’ to ensure they all had an equal start in life, with no root disturbance when she planted them.

She has promised to let us know the results, and it may be published on www.highlandbirchwoods.co.uk

Loch Shieldaig and Loch Torridon - Photo courtesy of Alex Ingram, Lochcarron

Many thanks to Becki Burn from Lincolnshire for telling us of another use for our coir compost.

Making a safe, comfy bed for Giant African Land Snails.

Apparently Tarantulas love it too, but it’s probably best if they have separate bedrooms !

The Goodwood estate had a good one. Could we spare some of our sustainable pots for use as birds nests - well of course we could.

We sent them over a hundred, so hopefully there are quite a few chicks whose first view of the sky was from the bottom of an organic pot.

Do you know how much we have to thank the Indian government in being able to use Neem so easily ? Well they fought a long battle in, and against, the E.U. and the U.S. who wanted to patent so many of the benefits of the ‘Free Tree of India’.

As Linda Bullard, president of International Federation of Organic Agriculture said
“How could they say they invented something which has been in public use for centuries ?"

We won !!

There is no new news with this picture of a Shetland sunset, just that it’s a wonderful world.

Let’s help to keep it that way

Phillipe Buisset, a gardener friend of ours from the South of France, says that water that potatoes have been boiled in really upsets couch grass.

Looking forward to trying it in the spring on a new patch we are starting.

Grown with the help of our organic plant fertilizer.

Is there any need for chemicals in our gardens ?

What do you think ?