Avatars and UV Radiations

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by Jeff Nugent, Apr 1, 2003.

  1. Jeff Nugent

    Jeff Nugent Junior Member

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    My Avatar to the left is a picture I took at home of my sombrero on a cactus. My reason for adopting it as my Avatar is to suggest that UV levels here are so severe that even desert dwellers need extra protection.

    We know that UV levels are going to get worse before they get better, so let's plan for it.

    We have adopted 3 rules of thumb or patterns here:
    Shaded Walks: Try to provide pathways that are shaded by trees and vines.
    Shaded Play: Provide kids with play areas in the shade. Keep all of their interesting play-stuff there so that they naturally gravitate there.
    Shaded Work: When you must work in the sun - dress like my cactus.

    Increased UV has marked effects on human health: increased skin cancer; increased cataracts of eyes; general break-down in immune response.

    Plants that are more able to withstand increases in UV include highland tropicals and desert plants.
     
  2. d_donahoo

    d_donahoo Junior Member

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    excellent multi-function avatar jeff.
    you've inspired me to start to think about perhaps creating my own.

    in central vic - like most of the country we've just had an extrodinarily hot summer, which reminds about UV and all other issues around water preservation, the importance of enriching soil to store water, deep watering and grey water use.

    q: we use homemade vegetable based soap (oils) for all washing purposes. plus some bicarb and vinegar in with the clothes. would this have a detrimental effect over long term use on a garden. if also watered with dam?

    comment: and during those hot 40+ degree days the wonders of gardening at 6am or at 8am at night, on the edge of the day was a joy...

    maybe along with the hat you can add a watch. in the deep recesses of my mind i can recall two strange looking birds singing 'between 11 and 3, sit under a tree'...mine would be a heavy bearing white peach...mmmm

    dan
     
  3. Jeff Nugent

    Jeff Nugent Junior Member

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    I figure the hat implies siesta. A common mistake in Australia is to assume that UV problem is summer related. The highest levels are in early spring, but it is an all-year problem.
    Note the number of kids absent from school with flu's, etc. after the first sunny weekend in early spring. They wipe-out on too much UV and the weak immune response weakens them to any flues they managed to stave off all winter.


    The best primary filter for your greywater is earthworms. Run all the water through a well-drained wormfarm of mostly straw with a sand base. All the soap and oil particles from the kitchen will collect on the straw and worms will devour them. The resulting worm liquids are carried through with the water and can go into the garden. The sand ensures that larger particles don't get away without treatment.
     
  4. d_donahoo

    d_donahoo Junior Member

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    thanks jeff.

    the connection between enhanced UV exposeure and weakened immune systems makes lots of sense. we see that so often.

    and thanks for the seeds that arrived recently - you'd recommend kick starting them inside during late winter/early spring so by germination we get a whole summer of growth to get them started before a central victorian winter kicks in? yes?

    have seen the worm systems fro greywater and compost on Gardening Australia and in other magazines. they seem to be the ultimate complement to a composting toilet system.

    are they expensive to establish?

    dan
     
  5. twiggy

    twiggy Junior Member

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    ok, to diverge from worms and sunhats back to avatars,
    how does one upload ones own photo as a url to ones own website, eh?

    this really is a topnotch little list you know, with d donahoo and ted nugent doing the hard yards... i think i'm going to try and bring it to the attention of all the computerized permies out there that I know...

    back to worm farm filters... why don't the worms drown? I'm assuming that's why we fill them with mostly straw? is the outlet a pipe? or a many holed drain that empties to a gravel bed? I'm very excited about this idea! as i live with hippies who refuse to use soaps because of their "bioincompatibility" or something...
     
  6. d_donahoo

    d_donahoo Junior Member

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    go to jeff for the it help twiggy - he seems to know how it works. i'm going to try the quote thing.

    i'm guessing that because the water flows and doesn't sit there the worms don't mind it. i've seem one where the outlet pipe heads into a comfrey green manure patch, and i understand that with some worm bed systems you can simply convert an old septic system very easily......worth investigation - definitely.
     
  7. Jeff Nugent

    Jeff Nugent Junior Member

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    Avatars have to live on your own web site. Most of the time your web provider gives you a few meg of that. Mostly people don't use it.
    First you have to get your pic and edit it in a graphics program to be a similar size (pixels and bytes) to mine.
    Right hand click on my avatar, select properties and you will see that it is 64X64 pixels and 1713 bytes and is a jpeg image.
    Number of bytes will vary depending on complexity of pic.
    Once you have your pic on your hard disk ready to go you have to put it on your web site. Your provider should furnish you with the how to information as they are all a little different.
    Then go to your control panelon this board and select personal info and then select avatar options.
    At the bottom of that page is a place to type the http address of your avatar. click the add my own image and all your postings past, present and future should carry it.

    I don't even play guitar :p

    Yes, drainage can be piped on or just put the straw onto the ground so it all drains directly into the soil. Cover for flies and stink and to give the worms a dark environment.
    Bloody purists will probably get us all sick. :D
     

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