July 10, 2009
More On hydroponic gardening
It’s all about marketing. That is what local growers say about hydroponic gardening. In a time when water and fertile lands to farm are scarce, hydroponic or soilless gardening is considered as a some kind of mana from heaven. Where before farmers where completely at the mercy of the seasons, now they can grow crops throughout the year and yield good harvests no matter the season. That is most direct effect of hydroponics.
The possibility that plants could survive and grow without soil as the nutrient source was first described historically by Woodward in 1699, though the technique has been in practice since the time of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
However, it was only in the 1840s when the principle was applied in modern agriculture. Researchers discovered that by developing a formula containing all the essential nutrients that plants need for growth - nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen dioxide (H20) - the need for soil in growing them may be completely eliminated. Adopting this idea, a number of German botanists soon developed the basic nutrient formulas and growing techniques which are in use today.
With hydroponic gardening, the growing of crops requires as little as 10% as much land as regular farming, and less than 10% as much water. And sometimes, the water used may be even dramatically lessened further if the water is re-circulated.
One key advantage of hydroponic gardening is that the produce is less affected by insects thriving in soil or diseases caused by soil microorganisms. This, of course, means that farmers are less inclined to use insecticide to keep these pests away. The overall result therefore is that you have yourself crops that do not carry traces of insecticide, and can be picked ripe just before eating so preservatives are not required.
Produce such as broccoli, cabbage, celery, chard, cucumbers, eggplant, flowers, grapes, lettuce, melons, onions, peppers, broad beans, radishes, strawberries, and tomatoes have been grown hydroponically.
Another attractive feature of hydroponic gardening is water economy. In arid areas, where precious water must be re-circulated, hydroponic systems may help improve harvest yields. A large volume of hydroponic food can be grown rapidly in a small area. In fact, it has been reported that four heads of lettuce can be raised in the same amount of space required to grown one head of field lettuce.
There are various techniques to hydroponic gardening. In water culture, the roots of the plants are held in a large waterproof tank. The plants are supported by mesh or string, and they get their food from the nutrient formula contained in the tank.
Another form of hydroponics is gravel culture. Considered a more costly system to install and maintain, gravel culture involves a waterproof bench which is filled with inert pea-sized gravel. These are used to support the roots f the plants. Then, a solution containing all the essential nutrients required by the plant is pumped into the gravel from a holding tank. When the bench is full of the solution, the pump is turned off and the solution drains back to the holding tank.
The solutions for both systems are replenished periodically. And for lighting, a number of grow light devices are available used to automate lighting for plants.
Filed under Beyond Random Ramblings by Arjuna
November 14, 2008
Eating, Ibs Drug Zelnorm And Ibs Treatments
People have a lot of misconceptions around what causes irritable bowel syndrome. The truth is, doctors really don’t know. However, it is a lot more complicated than just getting an Irritable Bowel drug Zelnorm for example.
Like stress, your diet does not bring on IBS. Although many people thing that they have caused this condition by eating less than healthy foods, that is not the case. Yet, it is well known that foods can contribute to making irritable bowel syndrome worse.
The problem with food is double. First, your body may react to some foods in a more intense way with IBS than others would react to that food. In addition, the body experiences increased levels of intestinal muscle reaction and sensitivity with IBS than otherwise. Just the fact that you are eating can make the symptoms of IBS show themselves. It may not even be a specific food that is causing it, but a general overreaction to food.
The Problems With Foods
The first thing to work on is the simple fact that you can control what you eat. In that, you can have some control over how your body reacts with IBS symptoms. Some of the foods that we know are problematic for those with IBS include foods like fried foods, alcohol, caffeine and foods that are high in fat. In addition to this, when too much food is consumed at one sitting, problems can also arise.
Diarrhea and cramping in your abdomen can be caused by some specific types of sugars that are unable to be fully digested by the bowel. These include sorbitol which is a sweetener in dietetic foods, gum sugars, candy sugars, and fructose. The consumption of these sugars will lead to the inability of the bowel to absorb them correctly and will lead to diarrhea.
The gas symptoms of IBS can be brought on by some foods as well. For example, beans, legumes, cauliflower, lentils, Brussels sprouts, onions, bagels, cabbage and broccoli all can bring on more intense gas like symptoms of IBS. Eating these types of foods can bring on the symptoms of IBS including bloating and increased gas.
With these foods being behind the onset of symptoms of IBS, it is important for you to consider how they affect you. It is essential for you to understand that foods affect each person in a different way. What affects you and causes intense symptoms of IBS is not the same and doesn’t have the same effect on another person with IBS symptoms. For that reason, it is critical that you find out how foods affect you.
More drug Zelnorm and IBS treatments info available here.
Filed under Diseases, Conditions and Treatments by Joshua