Grass
~~~~~
The grass family contains 10,000 species. Grass can withstand low rainfall,
scorching sunshine, fire and mutilation by grazing animals and lawn mower blades. Its veins form in rows that run up the length
of the leaf. The growing point is at the base and remains active throughout the life of the plant. The roots are fibrous
and create a matted tangle that holds soil together even during a drought.
This root mass can produce leaves within a
day or two of rain. The more rain in an area the taller the grass will be. Grass covers about one quarter of the surface
of the land.
One hectare of grassland can support a greater weight of living flesh than any other kind of habitat. Think
of the great grassland of the world. The Pampas in South America, Prairies in North America, The Steppes in central
Asia and the Veldt in South Africa. These vast plains support an amazing variety of life, some exclusive to each
area. The largest animal on the Pampas is a flightless grazing bird, the Rhea. On the prairies it requires
three times as much land to raise
cattle as it does bison.
On the Northern Steppes, 250.000 Saiga (a type of antelope) are raised for human consumption. A hippo consumes
88 pounds of a variety of grasses every night.
So please give grass a second thought as you enjoy a walk in the park, a ball game with children or the exercise of mowing
the lawn.
3 Did You Know Quick Fact / Question
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The world's smallest mammal
is the bumblebee bat of Thailand, weighing less han a penny.
4 Reader Feedback
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Linda.:
I totally agree with your 'water collecting' tip... I was living in France for a number of years
and had my garden set up very well to collect water, create compost etc; - I've moved back to the UK and am not able
to re-produce my wonderful organic garden just yet... still working on it though!
Mary Rushing asks the following questions about tomatoes.
I bought some organic tomato seeds last year to plant on
my little patio. The heirloom cherry tomatoes were delicious, but it seems I only got a few tomatoes. I need a
brand that will give me more!
Please contact Mary at
www.maryrushing.com
5 Gardening Section
Spring is officially here and now is the time to do a clean up of leaves, fallen branches, perennials, shrubs etc. and
if you have not already done so,
start a compost bin.
Fill your humming bird feeders with a mixture of one part sugar and four parts water. Please do not put honey,
jello, brown sugar fruit or red food colouring in the feeder.
Seeds can be started inside on the window sill. One packet of herb seeds will produce many plants for fresh use
all summer long and for drying or freezing.
Keep a bucket of sand handy and use it to clean all your tools
before you hang them up. Just push them into the sand two or three times , it works wonders for cleaning tools and preventing
rust.
Indoor plants will reward you if you water them with rain water. Use a container to collect rain then
fill a pop bottle and bring it inside. The container will fill quickly if you place it where the water runs
off a sundeck. Don’t forget to cover rain barrels, to prevent mosquitoes breeding in the still water.
Linda Gray some great information on her site Creative Gardening
Monthly tips and tricks for gardening enthusiasts
and beginners alike. Get the latest global garden deals, news of web updates and new creative gardening articles delivered
to your inbox every month for FREE! Join the fresh air community today!
http://www.flower-and-garden-tips.com
