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Organic Fertilizers - The Pluses and Minuses

In today's climate, home growers, gardeners and farmers are beginning to understand the need for providing nutrients quickly in order to promote abundant plant growth in gardens and landscapes. Application of nutrients may be accomplished by using either organic or inorganic fertilizer.

Due to increased environmental concerns, growers today tend to prefer the use of organic fertilizers over the inorganic type. Inorganic fertilizers are known to contain chemicals that may contain concentrated nutrients that may leach and disrupt the soil.

It should be noted however, that most people who buy organic fertilizers use them because they believe they are safer for plants. However, if the fertilizer is not applied properly, it can be just as harmful to plants as chemicals are. If not applied properly, they may contribute to ground water pollution, induce salt burn, or cause nutrient deficiencies and soil toxicity.

One particular problem that should be emphasized with organic fertilizers is that many of them contain high levels of salt, which can cause "burning" in plants. Organic fertilizer may be applied either on the surface or directly into the soil by tilling or watering. It may help to use a spreader to be certain the fertilizer is appropriately applied.

Organic fertilizer users should also note that when using organic fertilizer, it is important to calculate the proper amount of organic fertilizer to use in the soil. Annual tests should be performed to determine the nutrient needs of the soil prior to application.

If a soil test confirms that there are nutrients within the soil that are at high or excessive levels, it is recommended that you should choose an organic fertilizer that has lower concentrations of these nutrients. Any excess of nutrients in the fertilizer can lead to leaching and imbalance which will inevitably slow and kill plant growth. If a soil test informs you that Nitrogen is needed, you should choose a fertilizer with high Nitrogen content. If you discover that your soil is lacking in both Nitrogen and Phosphorus, then a fertilizer with high levels of both nutrients is best for the optimal performance of the soil.

Nutrient deficiency in soil is most often Nitrogen-based, that is why organic fertilizers are produced with high amounts of Nitrogen. Most grasses simply will not grow, or will grow very poorly if there is a Nitrogen deficiency. The same can occur with vegetable and fruit gardens. In order to increase the growth of lawn grass or improve crop yields, fish emulsions and seaweed extracts are the organic fertilizers you should use. These fertilizers are high in soluble Nitrogen.

The good news is if you wish to transform your garden or farm from organic to synthetic fertilizer usage, the problems are only temporary. Over time, the soil will naturally balance the chemical and organic composition of the soil which may hinder the increased crop yields for the first year or so, but persistence will prevail.

Disclaimer:This article is intended for information about organic fertilizers. It should not be regarded as scientific or expert advice in its own right. The information has been taken from secondary sources and is given here in good faith. We recommend you conduct your own research with expert & scientific sources prior to making any purchases or applying any technique mentioned above.

If you are interested in more information on Organic Farming, Organic Gardening or Organic Fertilizers, visit us here at: Organic Fertilizers [http://www.organicfarmingfertilizer.com]

Organic Fertilizer - Salt, Coffee Grounds, and Day Old Coffee Pump Up the Peppers

I love gardening. I'll plant vegetables anywhere. I also love using organic fertilizer and gardening products whenever possible. This past summer, we had more than our share of rain. My pepper plants did not seem to be doing well during the excessively rainy summer. Peppers like it hot, and they love sun. I had a wide variety of peppers, too, including bells, Tabasco, volcano, pimiento, jalapeno, sweet banana, and a few other varieties.

I tried using Miracle-Gro which was working fine on some of my other garden plants. I normally alternate among fertilizers, using organic fertilizer as often as possible. The peppers remained dull and listless, as if completely stuck. I switched over to fish emulsion, that really awful smelling yet highly effective fertilizer. Things improved slightly, but not enough to suit me.

I started doing some research and discovered two fertilizers that I had not yet tried. Amazingly enough, both products were ready available in my own home. The first "fertilizer" product I discovered was Epsom salts, more commonly known as magnesium sulfate.

I took a small handful of the Epsom salts and put them around the base of each pepper plant, and then I watered the salt into the soil. I repeated this process once weekly. The results were amazing.

At the same time, I also began to take our used coffee grounds and spread those around the plants as well. After a few days, I decided if the pepper plants liked coffee grounds, surely they would not have a problem with the excess coffee left in the pot, so I made sort of a "coffee tea" by diluting the left over coffee with a little water and applied that to the plants as well.

My husband and I could not believe the results. The plants bushed up and out, transforming into some of the most gorgeous, luscious pepper plants I've ever seen. We had to stake the plants to support the heavy pepper load. I have never, in all my years of gardening, had pepper plants produce that many peppers.

One thing that commonly happens when fertilizing vegetables is that you might get a lot of green leaf and plant growth without much vegetable production. That was not the case. These plants became abundantly loaded with peppers. I had to spend half days washing and slicing them so I could preserve them in the freezer.

One thing I noticed when using the Epsom salts on other garden plants, such as squash. Do not "throw" the fertilizer onto the vegetable plant leaves. Take the time to place it around the plant base, and then water it in. I made the mistake on a really hot day of trying to do a quick scatter. Some of the salts got on the squash leaves and the sun literally burned the leaves up.

I am still not sure if that was what caused the problem with the squash, but without more experimentation I personally recommend a plant base application and lightly watering in.

It could primarily be the Epsom salt, or it could primarily be the coffee grounds and "coffee tea" producing these outstanding results. Then again, it might be the combination of the two. Of course, the fertilizer is just a part of the gardening process. You can't expect miracles. Vegetables still require good soil, adequate sunlight, and sufficient water.

It is now late September, and the pepper plants are still lusciously green and loaded with peppers. I live in the Deep South so our growing season is a little longer than in some other locations. As long as we keep harvesting, those plants keep producing. We'll keep harvesting peppers until frost comes, I suppose! From now on, my pepper plants will drink coffee and get salted on a regular basis! Happy gardening!

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Laura Brown is an experienced ghostwriter and freelance writer. She also enjoys gardening and cooking. You can find some delicious recipes on her website, The Rancher's Daughter, along with a lot of useful and informative information on gardening, cooking, flowers, and living in the country. Learn more about Organic Fertilizer

Types of Organic Fertilizers and Compost

If you do not use chemicals and just try to fertilize your plants the organic way it can prove to be a pretty difficult task. Chemical fertilizers are definitely more convenient. Most of them come in a form that must be mixed with water followed by being sprayed on the plants. But organic gardeners also have a great way to fertilize their garden, namely compost.

You must pay particular attention to the package in case you intend to buy the store ready compost. Some of them are high in one of the major nutrients, but lack other important ones. Plants usually need nitrogen, phosphorus plus potassium. Specialists recommend that you study what your plants need and choose a pre made compost that will suit your plant's needs.

When you fertilize you must be careful when you do it since the soil should be warm. For the fertilizer to work, it needs certain organisms from the soil to release the nutrients, which the fertilizer possesses.

A few of the most organic fertilizers are fish emulsion, cottonseed, blood meal, manure, compost, and seaweed. Most of the above mentioned fertilizers can be bought, but most of them can actually be made at home.

Fish emulsion is a popular organic fertilizer. It's a combination made mostly of decomposed fish. This is a nitrogen-based fertilizer, and it also includes lots of trace elements that can help the plant grow. Fish emulsion is a beneficial, well-balanced fertilizer.

Cottonseed meal is also a much-used organic fertilizer. It's a byproduct of cotton's production process. It's ideal for acid-loving plants, as it creates an acid reaction in the soil. It usually contains about 7% nitrogen, 3% phosphorus, potash plus 2%. Cottonseed meal is usually used for flowering plants like azaleas plus rhododendrons.

Blood meal is blood that is purchased from cattle slaughterhouses then dried and mixed into powder. It's high nitrogen content, you must be cautious so not to burn the plants. You should never dosed more than the recommended amount, since extra dosage could have a negative effect on your plant. Blood meal is high in some micronutrients such as iron.

Manure is a balanced fertilizer, but it's comparatively low in the nutrients it contains. It's a well-liked fertilizer, but it just is not high in these important nutrients to make it a viable choice for gardeners.

Some people use their sewage sludge as a fertilizer. It's made from recycled material from wastewater treatment plants. You are able to buy activated sludge, which has more nutrients.

Organic gardeners often use seaweed fertilizer in the type of seaweed tea. Dried seaweed is mixed with water and brewed like tea, and then it is used like any other liquid fertilizer. This can be an excellent fertilizer especially that it won't burn plants. It's rich in nutrients.

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Advantages of Using Organic Fertilizers

These days, there is so much hype about organic fertilizers and its benefits. Most of us who have gotten used to chemical fertilizers are still skeptical whether facts are stretched too much to make it more appealing. Let us take a quick look at some of the advantages of using organic fertilizers so that you can decide whether it is really necessary to switch to organic fertilizer and organic gardening.

Long before the existence of synthetic fertilizers, plants obtained nutrients from decomposed organic matter such as bone, blood, fish and other organic waste, however it was the growth of farming and crop production that brought about so called "need" for synthetic fertilizers. As more research and studies have been conducted, the detrimental effects of chemical fertilizers are being made aware and more people and environmental groups are beginning to tout the advantages of the organic fertilizers that are readily available now.

Probably the most noteworthy advantage of organic fertilizers is the fact that they are mostly insoluble and therefore are slower to release nutrients to the plant. This reduces the leaching effect that results from most chemical fertilizers that causes so many problems. Plants can only uptake so many nutrients at a time and in most cases the plants will not uptake all of the nutrients from a synthetic fertilizer application. Additionally, the likelihood of burning plants due to the overuses is almost non-existent as the overuse of chemical fertilizers can result in the burning and even killing of plants and turf.

Organic fertilizers also help to improve soil quality. Poor soil can only be improved through the introduction of organic matter, which is what organic fertilizer is. The consistent use of chemicals creates plant life dependent upon synthetic fertilization as these fertilizers only work at the plant level. Consequently you may see fluctuations in the vibrance and quality of the plant in between fertilizations. Through the introduction of organic matter and resulting improvement of the soil and stimulation of soil microbial activity, an environment can be created to better support plant life and provide a slow and consistent flow of nutrients to the plant thus creating a harmonious balance between soil and plant.

The other part about using organic fertilizers is selecting the right one as there are so many. Typically organic fertilizers will only be high in one of the 3 key plant nutrients, Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium (NPK). For this reason it is important to understand the needs of your plant to help determine which organic fertilizer or combination of organic fertilizers you should choose to provide the necessary nutrients. Or, you may simply want to add organic fertilizers to improve your soil quality, in which cases there are products better suited for that too.

No matter how you slice it, organic fertilizers are the only option for creating a long lasting and healthy plant/ soil environment that is ecologically responsible economically viable for the long run.

Jeremy Bolton is author of article written on organic fertilizer & organic soil conditioner. For more information, please visit: http://www.naturalenviro.com/Article.php?ArticleSKU=Organic-Fertilizer

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Garden Design Tips - Organic Fertilizer

I prefer the use of organic fertilizers due to all of its advantages. So what are the different types of organic fertilizers?

There are many and most are easily accessible so you can start gardening organically in no time. But it would be no fun for me to tell you about all of the ways to fertilize organically, so I am going to only tell about the disgusting methods.

When you peel an orange or a banana, don't throw out the peels or leave them on the ground for someone to slip on because they can be used for compost! This compost serves as an excellent organic fertilizer. Compost protects against pest and diseases, is cost-effective, and helps with habitat restoration efforts.

Other food trimmings can be used in compost as well as yard trimmings, dryer lint, sawdust, and cotton rags among many others including ANIMAL MANURE. You read correctly, animal droppings provide important nutrients and in case you were wondering, human manure is included in this category. Although manure is a rather displeasing way to fertilize your plants, there is an even more disgusting way to do so.

Sewer Sludge! Yes, I use the recycled material from waste-water treatment plants to grow their plants. Advantages of its use include its low cost and easy accessibility for those who liver near waste-water plants. Be careful not to use too much though because toxic levels can rise, thus making it very dangerous.

An almost equally disgusting way to fertilize your plants is through the use of blood meal, which is collected from the blood of cows at a slaughterhouse. At least some other good is coming out of the slaughtering of cows other than the making of hamburgers. After the blood is dried and powdered, care must be taken when using it as a fertilizer as extreme doses can be harmful.

One last unappetizing way to organically fertilize your plants is through the use of fish emulsions. Partly composed of decomposed fish, fish emulsions are an excellent way to keep your plants alive and thriving. So now that you know some rather interesting ways to fertilize your plants organically, get out there and turn your knowledge into action.

I personally enjoy my contribution to the environment as I use organic fertilizers. However, I do have one word of advice: Take a little while before eating.

Thomas Green is an amateur gardener/landscaper and enjoys passing along his garden design tips. You can find him over on his blog at http://www.gardendesigntips.net.

Organic Fertilizing Tips For Your Garden

Let's start by defining and looking at the word organic. Organic simply means natural. Organic relates to the natural environment. Anything that is natural is organic for instance leaves are natural so they are organic, blood meal which is a by product from animals is organic, even a phosphorus which comes out of the ground is also organic. The key to being successful and doing well in gardening lies in the soil and the best and safest way to improve the soil is through organic fertilizer. Once your soil is good and healthy everything else will fall into place and you will produce very big, healthy, and very tasty vegetables, plants, flowers, and so forth. So the trick is to boost and improve upon your soil, soil nature, soil fertility, and soil composition and the best way to do this is through organic fertilizer.

Improvement of the soil is what organic fertilizer is concerned with and is all about. Chemical based and chemical fertilizers are not as good and effective as organic fertilizers. Chemical fertilizers are very dangerous and bad for the soil and the environment. They tend to remove all the nutrients from the soil, they destroy plants and vegetation, they have an adverse effect on all plant life, and they destabilize the ecosystem and the balance of the soil, and Mother Nature as well. In order to have a very good and thriving garden the soil must be fed with good nutrients. You can also add liquid fertilizer which is great especially during the season of growing. Organic fertilizer contains all the right elements, nutrients and minerals that are need by the soil and plants. The three main ones are nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous.

In order to have a very good and successful garden the soil structure must be good and it must be able to retain water and have pockets of oxygen. Chemical fertilizers cannot help the soil achieve this fertilizer. A great type of organic fertilizer is compost. Compost is very easy and simple to make especially if you have a compost tumbler. With a compost tumbler you can make compost using scraps and leftovers from your kitchen and garden. It is very economical, simple, cheap, and easy to do. Compost is not only the best and simplest form of organic fertilizer but it is also fertilizer that is all purpose and can be used almost anywhere.

Making compost using a compost tumbler is really quite simple and easy you simply put soft and biodegradable things like leaves and various other things into the compost tumbler and then you turn it every two to three days. Pumping the soil and plants with chemicals will not yield the desired results only organic fertilizer will give us simply amazing results. Some examples of other forms and types of organic fertilizer include seaweed, bone meal, lava sand, mulches, chicken manure, gypsum, corn gluten meal, fish emulsion, molasses, humates, Epsom salt, green sand, worm castings, lime, hydrogen peroxide, and various other organic fertilizers. Some of the major benefits of using fertilizer include bigger and stronger plants, plants that are drought, pest, bugs, insect, and disease resistant. Organic fertilizer is very affordable and much cheaper then chemically made and produced fertilizers.

- Becki Andrus has all the information you need about healthy eating habits. Visit her website and find out how you can implement easy, small steps to improve your health and have more energy: http://EverydayHealthGirl.com

Why Should You Switch To Organic Fertilizers?

Many people still do not realize why organic fertilizers are better for their lawns. Even with all the eco-friendly information out there today, some people just don't understand what organic products are. Organic fertilizers are made from all-natural ingredients. It would only make sense that your landscaping and gardening would fare better with natural products.

Organic fertilizers like Winter Fertilizer or Mineral Blend offer you a safe and natural way to ensure that your lawn and landscaping plants have all the nutrients and minerals that they need to stay healthy. Healthy plants and lawns are naturally more beautiful than plants that are suffering from a serious lack of nutrients.

Some of the main reasons for using organic fertilizers are:

1. Safe for children, pets and the environment: Some chemical fertilizers can be dangerous to your children or pets. It is even possible that the chemicals could get into your water system and contaminate your drinking water.

2. Great for lawns that have been overburdened with chemicals: Chemicals do not always get absorbed the way natural products do. They can build up in your soil and you would never know it without testing the soil. Organic fertilizers do not contain material that is not useful to your soil and plants.

3. Helps soil begin to function properly again: In order to be healthy, your lawn needs good soil to grow in. Healthy soil should have good bacteria and microbes that break down organic material like grass cuttings and twigs. Organic fertilizers help to restore the soil so that it can provide the nutrients that your grass or landscaping plants need.

4. Increases microbial life crucial to plant health: Microbes break down the minerals and organic material into usable products for your plants. Often chemical products kill off the useful microbes which means that you need to keep adding more and more chemicals to make up for them. Organic fertilizers encourage the growth of helpful microbes so that you use less fertilizer and have a healthier lawn.

People are only just beginning to realize how dangerous some of the chemicals--some of which have been in use for decades--are to the planet. The chemicals have damaged the soil that grows crops and has leeched into the water systems, killing off animals and fish.

It is never too late to change the way you fertilize your lawn. Organic products may not be able to reverse the issues caused by chemicals but at least they won't add to the problem.

Each person who switches over to organic fertilizers is helping the Earth to recover from the abuse it has been put through. It may be a slow process, one lawn at a time, but any progress is good. Organic fertilizers can offer you the beautiful green lawns and gorgeous landscaping plants that you want without causing damage to your family or the Earth.

A variety of organic fertilizers are available on my website.

There, you'll find tips and tricks for getting the greenest, fullest lawn possible. You'll also find business packages, tools and equipment for all your lawn care needs, whether you are a homeowner, property manager, or full-time lawn care professional.

Find solutions for all your lawn care issues and needs at http://www.worldoflawncare.com

Chemical Versus Natural Fertilizers

Many people take pleasure in gardening. They put considerable time and energy into creating pleasant environments around their houses using the very simple elements of seeds, a spade, and fertilizer. A great many people prefer organic fertilizer to the artificial kinds that are manufactured from synthetically produced chemicals. Urea is a good example of such a fertilizer. It is commonly used to promote blooming in plants.

Natural organic fertilizers are so called for obvious reasons. All of the ingredients used to create a natural organic fertilizer actually come from nature. These ingredients include seaweed, manure, guano, fish extract, and composted materials. These types of fertilizers are usually applied to the soil in the form of 'tea.' Advances in how the fertilizers are made means they can also be applied via spray canisters or by pouring them onto the soil. There are several natural organic fertilizers available in the form of liquids.

The most common kind of natural organic fertilizer in a liquid form is fish emulsion. This is made from finely ground fish parts and is very rich in the elements that help plants to grow. It includes several beneficial trace elements as well, including calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and boron. Some manufacturers add other ingredients to their specific brand of fish emulsion. The ingredients they use to enhance the fertilizer include amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, nitrogen, growth hormones, and additional micro and macro nutrients that are found naturally in fish, but that may be lost during synthesis.

Seaweed is very useful and beneficial product from the oceans that has potential as a source of natural organic fertilizer. Extract of seaweed represents a powerhouse of more than sixty amino acids and nutrients. It also contains gibberellins, auxims, and cytokinins. These are substances that encourage the growth and development of plants and improve the color and bloom of flowers.

Crab shells are another important source of natural organic fertilizer. This type of fertilizer is different from fish or seaweed extracts because it is applied in a dry form. Fertilizer made from crab shells has the added benefit of effectively controlling garden pests. Crab shells contain chitin, a source of food for the bacteria that kiss nematodes and fungus.

Home gardeners tend to favor natural organic fertilizers because of their environmental benefits as well. Because they are completely natural, they bring no risks of environmental pollution. In ideal circumstances, natural organic fertilizers will perform better than chemical fertilizers.

Discover more articles and information about the environment and fertilizers [http://environmentadvice.com/organic-fertilizer-in-your-garden.php] at [http://environmentadvice.com]

College 101: The Best Football Stadiums, Easy Dorm Meals and More

Discover the expert in you.

By Rachel HornAug 21, 2012

The line of fans seemed to extend for miles, wrapping along the perimeter of the stadium. Students covered in cardinal and gold face paint yelled and cheered, reciting odes to their beloved team. Young children in pint-sized jerseys galloped ahead of their grandparents, an older generation of fans sporting team caps worn down by years of loyalty. I stepped past security and through the threshold of the stadium, entering a completely foreign and exciting world. It was the start of freshman year and my first college football game ever. Little did I know that after just one afternoon in the Coliseum, I would join the ranks of those diehard fans for a lifetime.

What’s your favorite college football stadium? Let us know in the comments below!

College-Bound? Get More Pointers:
A Guide to College Admission
Football Tailgating, First and 10
Easy-to-Make Dorm Meals

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Read Next: 22 Home Improvement Tips for the Long Weekend

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*NEW* Spark Board Pages Help YOU Shine

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By Garineh MagarianAug 17, 2012

Notice anything different about your Spark boards recently? Well if you haven’t seen it yet, we suggest you hop on over to your Spark profile and check out your fabulous redesigned Spark boards. We know you will be pleasantly surprised to find some exciting new enhancements.

The redesigned Spark boards not only help you keep track of your projects as they come to life, but it also gives you the opportunity to brag a little (or a lot) to all your buddies!

What’s New?

You’ll now find that each of your board pages are arranged in a way that highlights all your hard work.  We’ve placed your idea images from the “Dream it” stage into a playful slideshow. By clicking on the arrows, you can see a steady flow of inspirational images that lead you to start and accomplish your project.

Next, we’ve blown up the images in the “Do It” stage to really emphasize the steps you took to complete your project.  Your images are more prominent on the page and will show your projects progress step by step.

Want to show off what you have accomplished (of course you do!)? Don’t worry—we’ll help you get the recognition you deserve. You can now pick a specific image that best represents your board for the cover photo. The image you select will also be the display image for any social network on which you choose to share your board. Now you can show off show off your hard work to all your friends (woo hoo!).

Don’t get too settled as the eHow team is constantly working hard to add awesome new features just for you!

Happy Sparking!

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Spooktacular Spark Contest!

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By Garineh MagarianSep 13, 2012

Goblins and Witches and Zombies, oh my! Halloween is around the corner, and it’s never too early to get crazy with crafts. This holiday inspires an array of spooky, comical, and even hair-raising ideas for decorating and baking, and everything in between. Who can wait to haunt their house or transform their kid into a bloodsucking vampire or pretty little princess?

For all you DIYers, eHow is thrilled to announce our first EVER Spooktacular Spark Contest!

Starting September 24, 2012, upload your Halloween ideas and projects to eHow Spark and enter for your chance to win.

How to enter:

Create your Halloween project on eHow Spark and title it “Spooktacular Spark Contest: (name of project).” It can be a craft, costume, treat, or decoration. The only limitation is your imagination.Tag your Spark board with “Halloween.”Upload photos of your Halloween project to show your progress and final product. We recommend using at least three images in the “Do it” stage and at least one photo for the “Done” phase.Send a link to your completed project to spark@eHow.com no later than November, 1, 2012, 11:59 p.m.

We will select a First, Second, and Third Place winner from the completed boards, submitted by the deadline. Entries will be evaluated on theme, creativity, and original content. All Spark board clips must be original images.

In addition to the pride that comes with completing the coolest Halloween project ever, each winner will receive an American Express gift card to put toward supplies for their next project. Winners will also be featured on the eHow blog, newsletter, and social networks.

Prizes:
First Place: $200.00 American Express Gift Card
Second Place: $100.00 American Express Gift Card
Third Place: $75.00 American Express Gift Card

Here’s the Spark board I made for my Halloween project: Spooktacular Spark Contest: Old Sign.

What project are you excited about for Halloween? Whether you aim to have the spookiest house on the block or make the coolest costume, share your ideas and get the eHow community talking!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Legal residents of the 50 United States 18 years or older. Dates: September 24, 2012 through November 1, 2012. To enter and for Official Rules, including odds of winning, and prize descriptions visit http://www.ehow.com/blog/official-rules-spooktacular-spark-contest/.Void where prohibited.

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35 Tips to Celebrate Healthy Aging Month

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eHoweHow Now Blog35 Tips to Celebrate Healthy Aging Month

By Rachel HornSep 12, 2012

September is Healthy Aging Month, a time to think about ways we can implement positive changes to impact the future. It sounds intimidating, but it’s not about making giant lifestyle adjustments. Simple substitutions and additions to your normal routine could end up making a big difference! I just started walking to work (like really, just started—as in yesterday); it’s a built-in time for exercise that will save me money on gas and will leave me feeling a bit more sane (goodbye, Los Angeles traffic!). From cooking with fresher ingredients to trying out a new sport to wearing sunscreen every day, there are tons of ways to help the future you!

How are you celebrating Healthy Aging Month? Tell us in the comments below!

More Tips to Age Gracefully:
Beyond Your Face: Skin Care 101
Quinoa, The Grain You Should Be Eating
Saving Face: Skin Care Tips for Men

Spark Spotlight:
What’s for dinner? Easy, healthy broiled salmon!

Photo credit: Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images

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22 Home Improvement Tips for the Long Weekend

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By Diana CharkalisAug 29, 2012

When our family entertains, chaos ensues. That’s because our house has an open floor plan with little separation between kid space and grown-up areas. Video games with sound effects galore and impromptu wrestling matches compete with discussions about PTA politics or whether “50 Shades of Gray” is really worth reading. So this year we will celebrate Labor Day by actually working. It’s time to convert our spare bedroom into a playroom so that the boys can go wild with “Where’s My Water?” behind closed doors. And then maybe, just maybe, the parents will get a chance to discuss all that really important stuff in peace.

What’s been your most challenging household space problem and how did you solve it? Share it with us on Facebook!

More Suggestions for Your Home Improvement Project:
Conquer the Color Fan
10 Ways to Reinvent Your Space
Fall Landscape and Yard Care

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Templates: Beyond Carving Pumpkins

Discover the expert in you.

By Garineh MagarianOct 11, 2012

It’s hard to deny the magic of Halloween, when homes and people are transformed by spooky decorations,  glowing pumpkins and creative costumes. If you’ve always wondered how to create your own magical décor, you’ve come to the right place. eHow has all the necessary tools to start your projects right.

This season, we’ve added new designs to our collection of Halloween templates, including a wildly fashionable mustache, a happy hoot owl, and an eerie haunted house. Whether you’re a beginner crafter or an old hand, you’re sure to find a template that sparks your imagination.

During Halloween season, the most popular use of these templates is for carving pumpkins. However, you can use them for a wide variety of projects. Decorate a placemat or create a duct tape trick-or-treat bag or craft a throw pillow for the season!

Dave Johnson, eHow Tech Editorial Director, shows us how to take any stencil you like and change its size to fit any project. If you want to use a small stencil multiple times,  take a look at how Dave did that here. If you want to enlarge the stencil for a bigger project, you don’t need to head to the copy shop. Dave shows you how to use your home printer.

Here are even more ways to use stencils for your Halloween projects! Which one is your favorite?

These templates could be the perfect start to a project for our Spooktacular Spark Contest. Enter your Halloween Spark Boards for a chance to win a gift card of up to $200 toward your next project! Get all the contest details.

Read Previous: Are You Fall-ing For It?

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Official Rules: Spooktacular Spark Contest

Participation in the EHOW.COM “SPOOKTACULAR SPARK” CONTEST (the “Contest”) constitutes your agreement to be bound by these Official Rules (“Official Rules”).

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR TO WIN THE CONTEST. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR LIKELIHOOD OF WINNING.

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Sponsor: Demand Media, Inc., the owner and operator of the EHOW.COM web site, is the sponsor of the Contest (the “Sponsor”).  The Sponsor’s address is 1333 2nd Street, Suite 100, Santa Monica, California 90401.

Eligibility: To participate in the Contest you must be a legal resident of the United States or the District of Columbia and eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of entry. Employees, officers and directors of the Sponsor, and its immediate family members and affiliates are not eligible to participate in the Contest.

Contest Period: The Contest begins at 12:00 a.m. Pacific Time on September 24, 2012, and ends at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on November 1, 2012 (the “Contest Period”).

Entry: To enter the Contest, visit http://www.ehow.com/blog/spooktacular-spark-contest/ during the Contest Period, (i) follow the instructions to create an online eHow “Spark” board titled, “Spooktacular Spark Contest: [add a name for your project here]”, (ii) tag your Spark board with the word, “Halloween”, (iii) upload your images onto your Spark board to show your progress and final product (you must upload at least three (3) photos in the “Do It” stage and at least one (1) photo for the “Done” phase), and (iv) send us a link to your completed project by emailing us at spark@eHow.com. All Spark board clips must be original images and all entries must be received by 11:59 pm Pacific Time on November 1, 2012. During the Contest Period, you may enter as many times as you like.

Prizes; Disclaimer of Warranties; Release from Liability: One (1) Contest First Prize Winner will be selected to receive a $200 American Express gift card. One (1) Contest Second Prize Winner will be selected to receive a $100 American Express gift card. One (1) Contest Third Prize Winner will be selected to receive a $75 American Express gift card.

No substitution or cash equivalent of a prize is permitted except that if the prize is not reasonably available, the Sponsor may substitute the prize with one of equal or greater value. All prizes awarded are subject to the restrictions and limitations noted in these Official Rules, on the prizes and/or included with the prizes and the winner must abide by all such limitations and restrictions. Winners agree to accept their prize “as is” without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including, without limitation, any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.  The Sponsor has the right to resolve any concerns, questions, or complaints related to the prizes in its sole discretion. Each winner is solely responsible for any and all federal, state and/or local taxes, fees, and any other costs in connection with receipt of the prize.  IN NO EVENT WILL SPONSOR BE HELD LIABLE FOR ANY WARRANTY, COSTS, DAMAGE, INJURY, OR ANY OTHER CLAIMS INCURRED AS A RESULT OF USE OR MISUSE OF THE PRIZE ONCE POSSESSION HAS BEEN TAKEN OF THE PRIZE BY THE WINNER.

Selection of Winners; Odds of Winning: After conclusion of the Contest Period, the eHow Spark team will in its sole discretion determine the First Prize, Second Prize, and Third Prize winner from all eligible and qualified entries received in accordance with these Official Rules based on the following criteria:

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Winning entries will be determined based on a combination of the three factors listed above.  By participating in the Contest, you agree that the decisions of the Sponsor are final and binding in all respects. Odds of winning a prize depend on the number of eligible entries received. All decisions of Sponsor are final in all matters, including determination of the Contest winners, interpretation of these Official Rules, and awarding of prizes. PLEASE NOTE THAT EVEN IF YOUR ENTRY QUALIFIES YOU AS A POTENTIAL WINNER AT THE CLOSE OF THE CONTEST, YOU HAVE NOT YET WON A PRIZE. POTENTIAL WINNERS ARE SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION BY SPONSOR, AND MUST MEET ALL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS BEFORE AN ENTRANT WILL BE CONFIRMED AS A WINNER AND A PRIZE WILL BE AWARDED.

Notification: The potential winners will be notified by e-mail on or about November 9, 2012. If, despite the Sponsor’s reasonable efforts, any potential winner does not respond by return email within five (5) calendar days of the first notification attempt, or if a notification is returned as unclaimed or undeliverable to any potential winner, such potential winner will forfeit his or her eligibility for the prize and an alternate potential winner may be selected. By entering and/or accepting a prize, you agree to be bound by these rules and to release Sponsors from any and all liability arising out of your participation in this Contest with respect to the awarding, receipt, use and/or misuse of any prize. If within five (5) days of notification a potential winner is found to be ineligible, or if he or she has not complied with these Official Rules or declines a prize for any reason prior to award, such potential winner will be disqualified and an alternate potential winner may be selected.  The Sponsor may select an alternate potential winner in its sole discretion from all eligible and qualified entries received in accordance with these Official Rules.

Distribution: Each prize will be delivered to the winner at his or her address in one of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia. All risk of loss passes to the winner at the point of shipment.

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Winners List: To obtain a written identification of the winners, please send your request and a self-addressed stamped envelope to: EHOW.COM “SPOOKTACULAR SPARK” CONTEST, Demand Media, Inc., 1333 2nd Street, Santa Monica, California 90401.  Requests must be received by December 31, 2012.

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Time-Saving Tips to Kick Off Fall

Discover the expert in you.

By Rachel HornSep 04, 2012

Let’s face it—life can be hectic and unpredictable, and sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. This past April was one of those times. It was the month of final exams, job interviews, graduation…and oh yeah, my birthday. Can you blame my poor roommate for putting off finding a present? Realizing she’d never make it to the mall in time, she logged online and headed for a popular deals site. Within minutes she found the perfect gift for me: a blanket she customized with a photo of my dog. I was ecstatic to receive it, she saved tons of valuable time by using the web, and my dog felt very smug about her larger-than-life portrait flung over the sofa. Approval all around!

What’s your favorite time-saving tech gadget or destination? Let us know in the comments below!

More Helpful Solutions to Simplify Your Life:
Short on Exercise Time? Why Walking is Enough
30 Minutes or Less: 15 Stress-Free Meals
Nannies vs. Sitters: The Scoop on Child Care

Photo credit: Svetlana Braun/iStockphoto

Read Previous: 22 Home Improvement Tips for the Long Weekend

Read Next: 35 Tips to Celebrate Healthy Aging Month

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Fall Fashion Focus: Runway Beauty, Men's Boots and More

Discover the expert in you.

By Megan BeauchampSep 18, 2012

Fashion week is always a breeding ground for fresh beauty trends, but translating the looks from the runway to every day can seem like a daunting task. From cobalt eyeliner to emerald smoky eyes, the backstage pros took more risks this season, resulting in bold and versatile trends. Depending on the occasion, the time of day or your mood, you can amp up or tone down the look to make it work for you. Find out which ten fall trends we think are the most wearable and how to recreate them at home–no professional makeup artist skills required.

Do you think these trends are worth trying, or are they better left on the runway? Start the conversation in the comments below!

More Ideas to Amp Up Your Fall Wardrobe:
Shirts for the Gingham Guy
13 Must-Have Jackets
Men’s Fall Footwear Reboot

Spark Spotlight:
DIY project: Create your own jewelry organizer.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Read Previous: Spooktacular Spark Contest!

Read Next: Are You Fall-ing For It?

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Are You Fall-ing For It?

Discover the expert in you.

By Jerri FarrisSep 24, 2012

Fall officially arrived last Saturday. Here in Southern California, the season brings shorter days and slightly cooler temperatures but no dramatic change. To create the illusion of a Midwestern autumn, I exchanged the beach-themed covers on my sofa pillows for covers with Halloween themes, replaced the seashells in my “exhibit” lamp with pinecones, acorns and seed pods, and arranged gourds and squash on the mantle. I’m going back to my home in Missouri for my son’s wedding in a couple weeks. Like many of you, I’ll need to clean the gutters, winterize the outside faucets, check the weatherstripping on the doors and windows, reverse the ceiling fans and change the batteries in the smoke detectors. Hmmm. Maybe I should stay an extra day?

How do you get your home ready for fall? Let us know in the comments below!

More Wats to Welcome Fall:
Fall Gardening Checklist
Fall Harvest: Apple Tablescape
7 Kid-Friendly Fall Crafts

Photo Credit: iStockphoto

Read Previous: Fall Fashion Focus: Runway Beauty, Men’s Boots and More

Read Next: Templates: Beyond Carving Pumpkins

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Sometimes finding organic gardening fertilizer that is truly organic, at a reasonable cost and that is practical to use can be a challenge. Sometimes to find solutions, we have to look outside of the box. There is a different form of organic gardening that takes care of the fertilizer automatically, while reducing the amount of time and work spent with gardening.
What I am talking about is called aquaponics. Aquaponics creates a biological ecosystem to grow your plants in that supplies natural organic fertilizer to the plants automatically. It does this by combining fish with plants. Fish are an excellent source of plant nutrients created by their wastes. These wastes are excreted directly into the water where they are easily absorbed by plants. By circulating water through a grow bed where the plant roots are, the plants get all the water and organic nutrients they need.
In return, the water is cleaned by the plants and returned to the tank to provide a healthy environment for the fish. This solves the problem of getting organic nutrients for the plants, and it solves the problem of cleaning water for the fish and disposing of their wastes. You get plants that grow faster, are healthier, and take very little work to grow. And you also get organically grown fish. This is a way to make fish farming very easy.
One of the reasons this method of growing plants is so easy is, you don't have to deal with soil. Most of the work in gardening involves soil work. But this eliminates cultivating, digging, compost, pulling weeds, watering, and fighting with slugs, snails and all the other garden pests that come with growing plants in the ground. So you will be able to focus more on actually growing plants.
These systems are easy to set up, and can be as simple as a simple fish tank and a grow bed in your living room or greenhouse. Or they can be complex systems that can cover several acres. A simple version can be as simple as attaching a grow bed to a common home aquarium. It can actually be easier than a stand alone fish tank since there is no need for a mechanical filtration system.
With this type of growing, you can grow plants with less energy and only a small fraction of the water that you would use with conventional gardening. The typical methods of dumping water on the ground is very wasteful. It is only a small amount that the plants end up using, and same with fertilizer. With aquaponics, it is a closed system and the water and nutrients are delivered directly to the plant roots, instead of making them search for it in the soil.
If you like the idea of having a garden with built in organic fertilizer, that grows plant faster and with less work, you may want to give aquaponics a try. And on top of that, you will also get organically grown fresh fish, all from the same system and resources.

Get an aquaponics guide that will teach you everything you need to know to get your aquaponics system set up and producing organic fish and vegetables.
http://TilapiaFarming.org

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5910140

Philippine flower farms can use a lot of fish emulsion as natural fertilizer. Fish emulsion has high organic nitrogen. It's a great soil conditioner and provides bacterial food to feed the soil's microherd. You read it right, the soil eats. The soil is actually living. There are so many microorganisms in the soil, thousands of them, still unnamed by science. Fish oils also give a substantial supply of beneficial soil fungi. The fish bones also supply extra calcium.
How do you make the Fish Emulsion?
Use fresh fish scraps from the nearby market, using the juices, sauces or oils that come with these. The liquid is used to breed beneficial microbes and supply extra proteins to the emulsion. You can also use fresh seaweed, which has a lot of nitrogen. These parts are composted in a bucket with other brown matter such as sawdust and leaves. Another medium is to add molasses to the mixture build up microbes, and speed up decomposition. The brown matter molasses controls the odor and absorbs organic nitrogen from the fish. The bucket should be stirred daily to get air into the mixture. Remember air allows for better decomposition and better aerobic microbial growth. The bucket of fish should then made to rot for at least one week.
When all this is over, dilute your fish emulsion at a 1:1 to 1:5 ratio. The fish emulsion can then be used to spray on leaves and drench the soil. Whenever you spray the leaves, you let in small portions of nutrients into the plant through its leaves. Whenever you drench the soil with fish, you build up the soil's microbial activities, supplying lots of nitrogen to the roots and topsoil. What more, using fish emulsion as foliar spray helps get rid of pests too. They hate the fishy smell, no matter how minuscule. Poke holes in the soil to get more oxygen in the soil too, and further increase organic matter decomposition, while increasing the activities of microbes in the soil. Soils love their daily dose of fish meal. The earthworms too!
Don't forget that you can actually make your own homemade version of the fish emulsion for your house plants or garden. The resulting mix is as unique as every flower farm or every garden.