Secrets of suet: Why serving up suet helps birds weather winter

(ARA) So you think you know suet? Think again.

Today’s suet is not the messy, hard-to-manage lump of congealed animal fat that your grandparents had to contend with. Modern suet has gone gourmet, and can be served in convenient suet cakes, suet kibbles, suet nuts and suet pearls loaded with treats that backyard birds adore, like nuts, grains and berries. You can even find squirrel-proof varieties that thwart the bushy-tailed bullies by including habanero pepper in the succulent fat.

As winter approaches, you may need to change some of the foods you offer backyard birds. Suet is an essential source of energy for birds during long, cold winter months. So if you’ve avoided serving suet in the past, or have been unsuccessful at attracting birds with suet while keeping squirrels away, here are some suet secrets to get you on your way this winter:

Fat is your friend

While many species, like robins and sparrows, will migrate south, many stay put, like cardinals and chickadees. These birds rely on high-calorie, high-fat foods, like suet, to help maintain their increased metabolic rate during a season when their normal food sources, such as insects and berries, are scarce. If you want to attract a bounty of birds to your backyard during cold months, fat is your friend.

Birds love suet, the solid fat rendered from beef, venison or vegetables that provides concentrated energy to help birds make it through freezing winter days and nights. Typical suet-eating birds include woodpeckers, bluebirds, chickadees, titmice and nuthatches, but you never know who might show up, like a kinglet or warbler.

Feeding birds through winter can actually improve traffic at your feeder, since many birds will find and stay where there is a reliable food source.

Supplement suet with seed

While birds need suet during winter, they also need a variety of foods that normally constitute their diets as well. Supplement your suet feeding with plenty of seeds, presented in a variety of feeding styles. Variety and reliability will attract birds and keep them coming back to your yard throughout the year.

One way to cater to birds that love seeds, nuts or berries is to try a suet-seed mix like Nutberry Suet Blend, offered by Cole’s Wild Bird Products, which mixes human-grade cherries, apples and blueberry-flavored cranberries, preferred nuts, nutritious insect suet kibbles and whole kernel sunflower meats into an energy-packed, powerhouse feed.

Cole’s suet cakes are offered in an assortment of blends, such as Blue Ribbon, mixing rendered beef suet, sunflower seeds, millet, and cracked corn, formulated to attract the largest variety of birds. You can also stir things up further by serving some innovative “gourmet style” suet products that are in forms other than traditional cakes. Try Suet Pearls, which offer sunflower meats buried within energy full suet pellets; Suet Nuts, that combine nourishing peanuts with berry suet; or Suet Kibbles, which mix berry flavor and dried insects in a convenient, non-messy, kibble form.

Squirrels love suet too, and can quickly consume a cake that would otherwise feed dozens of birds for days. To discourage squirrels, Cole’s offers Hot Meats suet cakes, which uses a patented technology tested by scientists at Cornell University, consisting of rendered beef suet, red chili peppers, sunflower meats, corn, and oats. Birds love it but can’t taste the heat that squirrels hate.

Feed ‘em high, feed ‘em low

Different species of birds prefer different types of feeders, so supply several styles of feeders arranged around your backyard. You can serve up suet in traditional suet cages as well as wood and cage style feeders that protect birds from the elements by making them hang upside-down while feeding. You can also use peanut feeders to serve newer, innovative suet products like Suet Pearls, Suet Nuts and Suet Kibbles.

Be sure to locate feeders out of the wind, positioning them near natural cover and perches like bushes and trees. For ground feeding, provide an area near cover with a clear view of the surroundings.

This winter season, boost backyard birds’ energy levels and serve up suet. You’ll enjoy winter bird-watching and the birds will benefit from the extra energy suet provides. Be patient though, it may take a few weeks before the birds discover newly placed feeders. While you wait, be sure to keep the feeders full. Eventually, the birds will come. For more information on Coles Feed visit www.coleswildbird.com.

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Paw friendly tips for a fresh home and a healthy pet

(ARA) – After a few months of oscillating between indoor and outdoor living, it’s time to prepare pets for cold weather and residing in closed quarters. To make sure your home is fresh and clean through the seasonal transition and that pets stay healthy and odor-free, consider these tips.

* Prevent unpleasant odors.  Pet odors are a downside to sharing your home with a furry friend. These smells can become even more prominent during the cooler months when you cannot open the windows to let in fresh air. When guests are coming over it’s not uncommon for homeowners to worry about pet odors in the house. In fact, according to AcuPOLL research in Jan. 2010, 86 percent of cat owners believe that sometimes they cannot smell cat odors in their own home but others can.  To combat this, use an advanced odor eliminating product like new Arm & Hammer Double Duty Clumping Cat Litter to destroy both urine and feces odors on contact.

* Stay healthy, remain healthy. Healthy pets’ owners keep their areas clean and odor free. Just as we would not use a filthy bathroom, cats’ natural desire for cleanliness extends to their litter box. Keep the litter box clean by removing waste daily and changing the litter frequently. Be sure to keep regular vet appointments and monitor your pet’s behavior. Changes to litter box use habits may be a sign of a potential health problem.

* Wash, tag, repeat. Though flea and tick season is over, it is essential to keep pets clean. Put an appointment on the calendar for regular bathing which helps minimize shedding and odors. If the air is dry, use a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner to discourage excess dander. Also, make sure that you or the groomer puts your pet’s collar and ID tags back on afterwards. Even indoor cats may slip through an open door or window, so it’s important to tag as well.  Visit www.pettagoffer.com for more information on how to receive customized identification tags.

* Keep furniture fur free. Since pets may not have the option of lying in a sunny spot in the yard, they will need a cozy place to curl up in the house. To discourage pets from sitting on the furniture and getting pet hair all over you and your guests it is best to make sure they have their own beds. Just be sure to wash pet beds regularly to keep them clean and smelling fresh.

* Maintain a scratch-free home. Whether you have cats or dogs, you know what a toll their nails can take on furniture and floors. To keep damage at a minimum, it’s important to trim pets nails regularly. If you’re wary of using traditional guillotine-type clippers, you have a few new options to consider, like nail grinders or nail covers.

By taking these paw friendly indoor tips, you will have a happy, safe and odor-free winter season with your pets. For more ideas on how to prepare your pets for indoor life, go to www.armandhammer.com.

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Gardening Projects Help Children Flower (358) (NewsUSA) – American parents may bond with their children by taking them to farmers’ markets or showing them how to grow potted plants, but in other areas of the world, growing plants may literally help keep families together. In Ecuador, for example, children were often left alone while their parents went into the city to work. Because children had to take care of the home while their parents were away, many stopped going to school. ChildFund International, an organization that focuses on working with children, as well as with families, local organizations and communities to create environments in which children can thrive, decided to take a unique, community-wide approach to solving this problem — by growing a garden. ChildFund Ecuador started training the community in flower and vegetable cultivation, as well as business administration. The local bank, which ChildFund helped develop, gave local fathers the loans that they needed to build greenhouses for roses, carnations and tomatoes. Today, more than 285 families now use their greenhouses as their primary source of income, so the parents don’t have to migrate into the cities to work, and children can attend school regularly. The Actively Engaged Mayan Women, or Mujeres Emprendedoras Mayas, in rural Tecpan, Guatemala, are using macro tunnels — or miniature greenhouses -; to grow tomatoes, thereby creating income and improving food security for their families. As the women become more able to create their own income, they also gain the ability to better care for their children. In ChildFund Uganda, children and their parents planted more than 10,000 eucalyptus trees and 5,000 pine trees to create two new forests. In an area where environmental degradation has reduced the quality of life, the new forests provide inexpensive firewood, protection against soil erosion and an economic boost, as the trees provide timber for housing and other projects. “Forests will be a major source of timber, which will be mainly used in house construction, and houses are very important to us,” said 14-year-old Nalubega Florence, a student at St. Andrew Primary School. To learn how you can help communities come together through the plants that they grow, visit ChildFund International at www.ChildFund.org.

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A wag is worth a thousand words

(ARA) – Ever get the feeling that your dog knows what you’re thinking, without saying a word?  Many canine parents report that they’ve had an entire conversation with their dogs despite the obvious language barrier.  From “can I have a treat” to “let’s go for a walk,” dogs have a special way of sharing their feelings. According to a new survey, it’s the wags, not words that tell the story when it comes to canine communication.  

The survey, conducted by Kelton Research for Pup-Peroni dog snacks, revealed that most canine pet parents believe that they can communicate with their dogs even though they don’t speak the same language – giving a new twist to the old adage, “silence is golden.”  

Pet owners feel confident that they know what’s on their pups’ minds, even without the benefit of words. Almost three in four (74 percent) respondents believe their dog’s body language or facial expressions better indicate how their pet is truly feeling than barks or other sounds. They also estimate that they know what their dog is thinking nearly half (49 percent) of the time.

Seven in 10 (70 percent) respondents say there have been times when they shared a meaningful look with their canine companions.

“Dogs have an uncanny ability to pick up on even the subtlest cues from their owners, enabling them to ‘read’ humans like few other animals can,” said body language expert Patti Wood. “Even something as minute as a glance from their owner has meaning for a dog.”

Wood also points out that our modern dogs’ ability to communicate with us seems to be a product of millennia of interaction. “Research shows that, over time, there has been a deliberate selection of dogs with the ability to pick up on cues from humans,” she said. “It shows just how important nonverbal communication between dogs and people has always been.”

For many pet parents, the special bond they share with their pooch is one of the most important relationships in their lives. Without ever having to say a word, their pups are there for them through the good times and the bad, acting as confidants, therapists and most importantly, their best friends. Maybe it’s because of that unspoken connection between canines and humans that people feel their dogs are just as good a source of comfort and companionship as their human friends – or maybe even more so. With a smile and a wag, dogs just know – how many people can say that about their best friend or significant other?  

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Father’s Day gift ideas for any dad

(ARA) – Don’t let Father’s Day shopping get you worked up. The dad in your life will be excited about any gift you give him. But to really blow him away, forget flipping through Sunday’s ads, scouring online and spending sleepless nights debating your purchase – here are some great Father’s Day gift ideas that are sure to please.

For the snacking dad
Keeping dad’s stomach happy long before the dinner bell rings has never been easier. Naturally high in protein, Jack Link’s Beef Jerky is the perfect way to leave dad feeling satisfied between meals. Whether he’s watching a game, hitting the gym, in the car or anywhere in between, nothing cures snack cravings like a bag of  beef jerky.

Using only the finest cuts of 100 percent meat and seasonings that dads – men, for that matter – can’t seem to get enough of, there are more than 100 great meat snacks to choose from. Here are a few snack favorites that will fill your dad up … not out:
* The Original: Jack Link’s Original Beef Jerky
* The Classic: Jack Link’s Steakhouse Recipe Beef Jerky
* The Spicy: Jack Link’s Flamin’ Buffalo Chicken Nuggets

Jack Link’s is available in grocery stores, mass retailers, convenience and drug stores nationwide. With this gift, satisfaction is in the bag. (Suggested retail price: $5.99)

For the dad hooked on angling
Does dad come home with fish stories and a smile on his face? If so, let him enjoy the new Flat Rap lure from Rapala. The Flat Rap is ideal for nearly all styles of fishing. It resembles the tried-and-true Rapala Original Floater, but features flat sides and a scooping triangular lip that generates a hard flashing side-to-side action that fish go crazy over. Put this fishing lure in dad’s tackle box and he’ll be smiling long after Father’s Day. (Suggested retail price $8.99)

For the beer connoisseur
Make your dad the envy of his friends with a beer brewing kit. Easy to set up and loads of fun, a home brewing kit allows your dad to create his own flavor of beer that will be all the rage. Brewing kits are sold with all the components that dad needs to get started. For even more fun, your dad can pair his best homemade brew with his favorite jerky flavor. (Home brewing kits are available online or at a local brewing supplies store.)

For the original chef
What better way to celebrate Father’s Day than with a mouthwatering grilled meal outdoors? If the dad in your life considers himself a grill-master, a charcoal or gas grill is the perfect gift. With a new grill, dad can bring the flavor back to the patio by preparing your favorite grillable foods.  (Check your local hardware store or other retail locations.)

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Bring on the birds – Simple solutions to turn your backyard into an avian oasis

(ARA) – Who doesn’t love spring? Flowers bloom, trees bud and bright songbirds return to the area. The renewed resurgence of radiant life may make you want to get in on the action.

But if gardening’s not your thing and you just don’t see yourself as the type to go on a long outdoor hike, you can still engage in spring’s revelry and  bring beautiful birds to your own backyard. Convincing songbirds and favorites like hummingbirds to visit your yard is as simple as providing them with plentiful sources of food, water and nesting material.

The avian experts at Songbird Essentials, a leading provider of accoutrements and food for outdoor birds of all species, offer a few tips for attracting some popular, picturesque feathered friends to your neighborhood:

Birds need to eat a lot to survive every day. While natural food sources are plentiful in warmer months, they’re just as happy to dine at your backyard buffet. You can attract delightful birds like yellow goldfinches, orioles and hummingbirds with the right mix of food and feeder types.

Start out by overlooking a few dandelions when you’re weeding your yard. Goldfinches love dandelion seed. They also like company when they eat and will dine in large groups. Look for feeders, like the Three Tube Finch Feeder, that allow 24 or more birds to perch and dine at the same time. The Three Tube Finch Feeder certainly sets the stage for a spectacular show!

Orioles, with their glossy black coats trimmed in bright orange or yellow, will fill your backyard with distinctive whistles and songs. They migrate at night and arrive in your neighborhood tired, cold and hungry, so if you wait until you actually see them to put out food, you might miss them altogether. Set out oranges, sliced in half with the juicy side out, before you see the first oriole of the season. Or try feeding them all new BirdBerry Jelly, a human grade product that’s better for the birds.  It’s all natural – no preservatives – and is lower in sugar content than most jellies. The unique grape/blackberry flavor attracts orioles and other species and keeps them coming back for more.

Try using a feeder like Songbird Essentials’ Grand Slam Oriole Feeder made of recycled plastic. It holds four orange halves and has two serving bowls for jelly. Other birds that love jelly include woodpeckers, robins and warblers.

Hummingbirds, while not great singers, are among the most intriguing and adorable birds to watch. Nearly every region of the U.S. has at least one native species of these tiny, speedy little birds. There are several ways you can tempt them into your yard; try these tips:

* Provide plenty of nectar feeders – the more the merrier. Dr. J.B.’s Hummingbird Feeder is a good choice; it is dishwasher safe and easy to clean, has an extra wide mouth for easy filling and is bee resistant. Bob Sergeant, president of the Hummer Bird Study Group, the world’s largest association dedicated to the study and preservation of hummingbirds, simply says; “This is the best hummingbird feeder ever!”  Plus, the hummers love it.

* Be sure hummers see red. Plant red open-throated plants. Or, if planting is not possible, tie a big red bow in your yard near your feeder.

* Let the water flow. Hummingbirds prefer moving water sources like sprinklers, fountains, waterfalls, misters or drippers. Attract hummingbirds by keeping water sources fresh and clean and positioning them near food sources.

* Provide natural nesting material. Hummingbirds won’t nest in birdhouses or nesting boxes, they build their cup-shaped nests in trees. Encourage nesting by providing materials like Hummer Helper Nesting Material, recommended by the Hummingbird Society of North America. An all-natural product, Hummer Helper comes in an open wire frame that allows hummingbirds easy access to natural nesting material.

For more ideas on how to attract hummingbirds and songbirds to your  backyard this season, visit www.songbirdessentials.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

A veterinarian’s top 10 tips for keeping pets healthy in winter

(ARA) – Jack Frost is nipping at your pet’s nose. Winter is here again, and cold weather can be uncomfortable and dangerous to your pet.

“In colder regions of the country, pet owners should already know that they need to make accommodations for their pets, but winter can be hard on a pet even in warmer states, like Georgia, where I work,” says Dr. Larry R. Corry, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). “While we don’t get a lot of snow, it does get cold in the winter, and when it gets below freezing, our recommendation is that pet owners get their pets inside.”

Here are the AVMA’s top 10 winter tips for pet owners:

* Even if you own a sled dog, living outside during the depths of winter is very difficult. If you must keep your dog outside year round, remember that dogs must be allowed time to get acclimated to the cold with the change of the seasons. This builds up a winter coat they will need to survive. Corry recommends that dog owners with outside dogs double check to make sure their dog’s housing is well insulated, including straw or padding to sleep on.

“If you want to heat a doghouse, be careful to ensure that the heat source is installed properly so that the animal cannot be hurt,” he says. “If you can’t or won’t bring the animal into your home, consider bringing it inside a garage on bitter cold days.”

* Corry also advises pet owners to refrain from taking their pets near frozen ponds. Many dogs and cats fall through or sometimes are cast adrift on an ice float.

* Keep your pet away from antifreeze with ethylene glycol. It’s sweet and extremely lethal, even in small doses. The AVMA provides a brochure and video on this and other household hazards and poisons.

* Honk your horn or pound on the hood before starting your car on cold days. To a cat, a warm engine block can seem like a nice escape from cold winter winds.

* Carbon monoxide is just as lethal to pets as it is for people. Make sure your home has a carbon monoxide detector, and, if you bring your pet from the outdoors into a garage during the winter, make sure exhaust fumes from your car aren’t allowed to build up inside.

* Cold air is dry air, so your pet can become dehydrated easily in the winter. Give him plenty of fresh water. If the bowl of water you put outside for your dog or cat freezes, it’s of no use to the animal.

* Road salt and ice melting products are not only irritating to the pads on your pet’s feet, but when your pet cleans itself by licking off these chemicals and ingesting them, they can cause gastrointestinal problems. Wash your pet’s feet after she’s been outdoors.

* Consider booties for your dog’s feet. Booties help prevent ice balls between the toes that can be both painful and do damage to the toe pads.

* Be careful about candles, space heaters and fireplaces – pets can get burned and even set the house on fire.

* Pay close attention to your older pet in winter, especially if he suffers from arthritis. Arthritic pain is even worse in icy winds and cold temperatures. Seek the advice of your veterinarian to help your pet cope with arthritis.

For more information about animal health, visit www.avma.org.

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Field test explores ability of pointing dogs in hunting situations

STURGEON LAKE, Minn. — Riley and Ruger eat up the grassy countryside, loping elegantly across the landscape at a farm near Sturgeon Lake. A pair of pointing dogs, they winnow the air for molecules of quail scent as they move.

They’re a study in contrasts. Riley is a 7-year-old Irish red and white setter. The dog’s coat is long, mostly white, with large dollops of Irish-setter red. He seems to flow over the land.

“We’ll see if our week and a half of training pays off,” owner Craig Wilson says, joking.

Ruger, a 4-year-old Gordon setter is petite and lean, mostly black with splotches of tan.

Both setters are taking part in the Lake Superior Pointing Dog Club’s annual spring hunt test in mid-May at the Sunflower Farm near Sturgeon Lake. They’re among 49 dogs in this American Kennel Club-sanctioned event. They are not competing against each other. They’re being measured against AKC standards for pointing breeds to determine if they merit the titles of Junior, Senior or Master hunters.

“It’s one way to give the public some proof that your dog can do what you say it can,” said Steve Koskovich of Hibbing, Minn., who will run his Irish red and white setter Padraig in the Junior test. “We all think we’re God’s gift to dog training. This is where we stand up and see if that’s true.”

The variety of breeds at such a test is impressive. Owners or trainers brought German shorthairs, English pointers, Irish red and white setters, Gordon setters, English setters, Vizslas, Brittanies and at least one wire-haired pointing Griffon.

Some of those dogs came with Duluth connections. Some of the red and white setters, including Wilson’s Riley, were bred by Bob and Evan Devlin of Duluth, who introduced the breed to this region. At least one Gordon setter came from Dean Fries’ Clearcut Kennels. Fries is a judge for this hunt test.

The tests are set up to represent the kinds of situations hunters and dogs would encounter in the field. A dog is judged for its desire to hunt, its ability to find birds, how it points birds, whether it remains steady when the bird flushes and how the dog retrieves the bird.

Riley and Ruger move into an area planted with small conifers. Along a row of small spruces, Ruger locks up in a handsome point, one foreleg lifted, tail a wand pointed at the sky, head low and focused. Jodi Hines. Ruger’s handler, flushes the quail and a gunner drops it.

Ruger charges back to Hines to deliver the bird. Nicely done.

Read More:News & Observer   http://www.newsobserver.com/802/story/1554552.html

Start Spring Early with Indoor Gardening

(ARA) – Let’s face it — February, March and April can be gray and dreary months. You’re more than ready for spring to begin, but Mother Nature is on a different schedule. But you can jump start the season of growth early and bring it inside where you can enjoy it through those last moments of winter.

Stale, polluted air happens frequently when homes are closed up for the winter months. But houseplants help to lighten the mood and purify the air. A NASA study found that houseplants remove up to 87 percent of toxic indoor air inside a sealed chamber within 24 hours.

Start your spring season early by planting vegetables, herbs and flowers while winter is still in the air, so they’ll be primed for transplanting when the spring season actually arrives. You can watch the plants as they shoot their little green stems out of the fresh dirt, monitoring them as they grow larger and larger.

* Use loose potting soil to promote root growth. Outside, worms and insects tunnel through the dirt, naturally breaking it up to help plants spread their roots. To mimic their effect indoors, use potting soil mixed with peat moss, vermiculite and perlite to create a light texture that won’t compact after a couple of waterings.

* Keep the humidity level above 50 percent with a humidifier. Not only will your plants appreciate the extra moisture, but so will you. When the humidity drops below 50 percent, most plants suffer from water loss through their leaves, and it’s difficult to regain that water balance, even with frequent watering.

* Really bring spring inside your home with beautiful pots and decorating accents. Visit Montgomery Ward (www.Wards.com) to find unique gardening accents. A garden gate gives vines a place to climb and you can also use it to decorate your walls as a headboard or wall hanging. Imagine waking up in the morning to see the vine stems spiraling around the gate toward the window. Or search for elegant and decorative plant stands that match your decor, and bring to life a beautiful and scented herbal garden to spruce up your kitchen counters.

* Check the nutrient levels for your plants. Outdoor plants get nutrients reimbursed naturally, but indoor plants don’t have that luxury. Every time you water your indoor plants, you wash some of the fertilizer out of the soil. Not all plants like the same amount or kinds of fertilizer, so do a little research.

* Make sure the natural light is adequate. Some plants like direct sunlight and must be located near a south-facing window, while others prefer a few hours of indirect light. When plants don’t get the light they need, they start to appear very thin and frail. Also make sure as your plants begin to grow, that you rotate the pots so they grow straight, rather than bending unnaturally toward the source of light. If your house does not have enough natural light sourcing, artificial lights work as a good supplement.

* Take care of your plants when you leave home for more than a couple of days. You can always ask a neighbor to come in and make sure your plants get a good drink of water, or try the Oasis Plant Watering System available at Montgomery Ward (www.Wards.com ). Place drip lines in each of the plants, set the system for the number of days you’ll be gone and the gravity-fed system will irrigate your foliage twice a day. For plants that require more water, double up the drip lines, and enjoy your time away. When you return home, spring will await you inside.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Make this a Garden Season to Enjoy

(ARA) – The catalogues are starting to pile up and the list of landscape improvements grows longer each day. Don’t let this overwhelm or discourage you. Instead spend a bit of time planning now for better results in your garden. You will be amazed how much fun you can have while achieving your landscape goals under budget and within your schedule.

Take some time to look through those catalogues. It is a great way to gather ideas and get some feedback from everyone who uses or enjoys the landscape. You might find if they are invited to help with the planning they might just help with weeding. And no one is too young.

“Break out the crayons, paper, pencils, ruler, old catalogues and make garden planning a family event,” says nationally known gardening expert and author Melinda Myers. “Younger children can glue pictures of their favorite plants on a piece of paper while older ones can do the measuring, sketch the garden and help with the planting diagram.” And if you are the sole gardener and caretaker, don’t worry. The same process works and you get to make all the decisions.

Once the family has had their input or you created your wish list of plants it is time to make sure your plan is realistic. Check to see if the plants selected will grow in the heat and cold of your region. Make sure they can also tolerate the soil, wind and moisture conditions. Matching the plant to the growing conditions means an attractive landscape and productive gardens with less work. Catalogues, your local Extension service and the Internet are great sources of information. This is great way to fight the winter blues.

Now it’s time to focus on the foundation of the garden, the soil under your feet. Preparing the soil with proper fertilization helps the plants you select grow and thrive. Start with a soil test to find out what type and how much fertilizer and soil amendments you need to add. The soil test results can save you time, money and insure you do the best for your plants and the environment. Over fertilizing wastes money, damages plants and can harm the environment.

While waiting for the results you can keep everyone involved with garden planning. Gather a cup of soil from your garden. Remove any sticks and stones and place it in a clean quart straight sided jar. Fill the jar 3/4 full and add a teaspoon of non-foaming detergent and shake. This is a great way to burn calories or use excess energy our young gardeners often have. Then allow the soil to settle.  

You will begin to see layers of the different particles. Check the jar again in two days. The bottom layer is the heavier sand particles, followed by the medium sized silt and last the clay. This exercise will give you an idea of your soil structure. Compare what you found to the university lab results. “I have used this with young gardeners and it is amazing how excited they get about the soil in their garden. Even the more seasoned gardeners seem to enjoy this activity,” says Myers.

Now select a fertilizer suited to your plants. “I prefer low-nitrogen slow-release fertilizers like Milorganite,” says Melinda. “It is goof proof and safe for gardeners of all ages and experience to use. The organic source of nitrogen does not promote excess growth at the expense of flowers and helps to build stress tolerant plants. The non-leaching phosphorous is good for the environment and non-staining iron encourages a deep green color. Plus one product is good for all your gardening needs.”

Incorporate Milorganite into the soil before planting your flower and vegetable gardens as well as landscape plants. The slow release nitrogen won’t burn the developing roots or interfere with flowering.

Give flower and vegetable plants a mid season boost. The organic source of nitrogen in Milorganite will not burn heat and drought stressed plants. And be sure to water thoroughly and only as needed to keep your plants looking good throughout the season.

Courtesy of ARAcontent