The Tak Team Blog

Soil is a composition of weather-beaten rock, minerals, decayed plant materials and other organic ingredients. All this takes a long time to develop, but can be damaged by our action or neglect in a single season.

Plants can obtain nutrients from the soil using their roots and change them to usable materials to grow new roots, leaves and flowers.

All gardeners are to be custodians of the soil, taking the time to replace food and other elements as they are used. We need to treat it like we want to be treated, not like dirt.

Healthy soil should contain a mix of air, water, nutrients and organic matter. We can protect this mixture by:

Adding organic matter on a regular basis is probably one of the most important things we can do. Adding compost, cover crops and animal manure can do many things:

+ increases the soil’s capability to hold nutrients.
+ makes food available to plants over a longer period of time.
+ lessen the amount of nutrients lost by erosion or leaching.
+ provides micro-nutrients that are needed by plants in small amounts.
+ release nutrients already in the soil by increasing the action of beneficial microorganisms.
+ increases the water-holding capacity for sandy soils.
+ increase the drainage of clay soils.
+ saves money.

Do not apply fertilizer to lawns until we get a good soaking rain, and for the best, safest, long-lasting results use organic fertilizers. The wet soil puts the nutrients into a solution and helps distribute the nutrients to the plant roots to be absorbed.

The ability of soil to drain water is important. But when you read phrases like “plant in a well-drained soil” or “does not like wet feet”, they are talking about the plant’s need for air. The roots of plants require oxygen and any soil that is waterlogged will be lacking oxygen.

Many plants will put up with high moisture-conditions during the growing season, but when the plants are dormant the same conditions may kill them. By improving the drainage the plant will have a better growing environment.

Another problem is soil becoming compacted by tractors and other equipment or just by tilling it year after year. You will find soil compaction in most soils, from gardens to farm fields.

Tilling the soil when it is too wet will clump and ruin the composition of the soil. This condition takes a long period of time to bring it back to health. To tell if the soil is too wet take a handful and squeeze it, if it crumbles in your hand then it is ready to till but if it clumps then it is too wet. Some people now believe that tilling at all is not good for the structure of the soil. It exposes the helpful microorganisms to the environment and they are destroyed.

Gardeners may wonder if it is best to till the garden in the fall or spring. Tilling the soil in the fall has advantages over springtime. When spring arrives it allows for earlier planting since the basic soil preparation is done. Tilling in the fall allows a large amount of organic matter to be turned into the soil and start decomposing because the microbes are active currently.

An excellent source of organic matter is the fall leaves. Try tilling a thick layer of leaves into the soil this fall and by spring it will have decomposed.

Fall is a good time to test your soil and should be done every couple of years. In conclusion, doing all the previous steps should be done the organic gardening way. It’s back to basic.

Join Sintilia Miecevole, host of www.budsgardening.com for a great resource site all about gardening. Enjoy everything from news, tips, design, advice and landscaping to seeds, soil, flowers, water gardens, perennials and organic gardening. Be sure to visit www.budsgardening.com and enjoy!

If you are interested in creating a simpler, healthier, and more
balanced life, you can by choosing to go organic. Families
across the country are now creating their own gardens, filled
with wonderful, fresh foods that are completely void of
pesticides and other harmful chemicals.

Organic gardening is the best, most efficient, and healthiest
way to grow plants and vegetables. Regardless of the size of
garden, growing organically is something the entire family can
do together as a project. There are many different reasons for
starting your own organic garden, each extremely beneficial.

Whether you grow your own organic garden or purchase food grown
professionally, you will taste the difference. Organic foods
have become so popular that the United States Department of
Agriculture states that the demand for organically grown food
has increased in the last 10 years by 20%! In fact, to give you
an idea of how substantial organic food is, at the end of 2005,
the amount of sales reached a staggering $7 billion!

>From a high-level view, organic gardening is a simple way to
grow fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in an
all-natural environment. This means that nothing is treated with
pesticides or herbicides and that everything grown is clean,
natural, and healthy. With organic gardening, not only is the
entire family eating healthier but the environment is also saved
from the many effects of harmful chemicals.

Although organic gardening does require a few changes in the way
things are done from traditional gardening, you will quickly
discover organic gardening is easy and fun. With organic
gardening, two basic components exist. The first is creating
soil that is natural and rich in nutrients and the second is
managing diseases, pests, and weeds, using only natural
solutions.

Keep in mind that when it comes to this natural type of
gardening, various methods could be used. However, the method
you choose will depend on the type of soil you have and the type
of plants you choose to grow. Being successful at organic
gardening does require dedication but you can be sure the first
time you taste your home grown foods or create a colourful
bouquet, you will be convinced that the efforts are well worth
it. Fruits and vegetables actually taste better and herbs and
flowers will grow strong and healthy.

Organic gardening is much more than simply preparing soil, using
mulch, avoiding synthetic disease and pest controls, and
planting your plants. Organic gardening is a mindset, changing
the way we think about plants in general. The approach to
natural gardening is to view plants as a complete system found
in nature that gets its beginning in soil. The organic system
involves water, people, soil, wildlife and yes, bugs. The key to
organic gardening is to work with nature in the growing of
plants so that any resources consumed by the garden can be
replenished both minimally and consistently. Read more at www.adamsorganics.com

I went out to feed the birds this morning - the temperature was comfortably above freezing, and a downy woodpecker was telegraphing his territorial rights on the nearest utility pole. I realized it was time to feed the asparagus.

If you love fresh, succulent spears of asparagus but rankle at the price you pay for them (and the quality you get) at the grocery store, consider growing your own. Unlike most vegetables, asparagus is a perennial plant - one planting will return year after year, and a well-tended bed can produce an abundant crop for 25 years or more. Asparagus is an investment, and like most investments, requires some specific steps in order to reap rewards.

DIRT IS EVERYTHING

Asparagus needs soil which is rich in organic matter and drains easily. If your soil is like mine - clay that is as unworkable as Play-Doh - you’ll need to incorporate goodies such as leaf mold, aged manures and compost the season before you plant. Asparagus also likes full sun, so be sure that your plot gets a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight during the growing season.

BUY GOOD STOCK

It’s always helpful to purchase top-quality asparagus roots from a reputable nursery or seedhouse. Two-year roots will yield a crop the second year after planting. The roots should be plump, well branched and look healthy.

VARIETIES

Look for time tested varieties, preferably those termed “supermale” (it’s the male asparagus that yields the spears. The female exhibits the ferny foliage and produces berries during the summer.) Several good varieties are:

• Jersey King

• Mary Washington

• Purple Passion (this one is purple until it’s cooked or steamed.)

Planting Your Bed

Asparagus is best planted in the spring, but is hardy enough to go into the ground as soon as the soil is workable. Asparagus roots need to be placed into a trench which is approximately 12″ deep and 12″ wide. Space your plants 12″ - 18″ apart. Spread the roots when you plant for maximum growth.

Cover with 6″ of soil, and water in. When the plants begin to grow, continue to cover - or hill - with the remaining soil.

When your plants are up, mulch your bed with leaves or wood chips to retain moisture and keep weed growth down. You can also use a good pre-emergent such as Preen, which is formulated for asparagus beds.

FEEDING

Asparagus plants love to eat, and need to be fed three times a year with a high-nitrogen fertilizer. Generally, feed your bed in early spring before any spears are visible, a few weeks after you’ve harvested the last spears, and in the fall. Organic growers like to top-dress their bed each fall with aged horse or chicken manure. Heat from the decaying manure helps to keep the roots from freezing during harsh winters as well as providing food for the plants and texture for the soil.

ENJOYING YOUR HARVEST

And what can you do with your first crop? Steamed asparagus is delicious with an herb butter topping, mixed with rice, or au gratin. You can also chop very young spears and eat them raw or with a veggie dip.

For you low-carb dieters, asparagus is one of the approved vegetables. Enjoy it in large quantities!

About The Author

Jean Fritz is the owner and operator of KittyVista Organics, a small market farm located just east of Indianapolis, Indiana. She grows and sells produce ranging from asparagus to zucchini, and specializes in heirloom varieties, cut flowers, and of course, catnip. Visit her website - http://clik.to/kittyvista.

kittyvista@yahoo.com

Appraisal vs. Market Value

When you sell your home, appraisers use comps (comparable market sales) of local properties sold within the last six months to value your home. With today’s rapidly rising seller’s market, six-month-old information is ancient history. Appraised value does not always equal the true market value, or what the home will sell for on the open market.

Realtors will give you a comparative market analysis, an informal estimate of market value based on comparable sales. Lenders, on the other hand, will use the appraised value to determine a new mortgage amount. Some lenders require that the stated property value covers the mortgage amount plus their selling costs in case of foreclosure. For this reason, a sale may fall through if a home sells on the open market for more than the appraised value, which often happens in bidding wars over hot property.

We learned the importance of securing a sufficiently high appraisal when we sold a rental property in Lake Elsinore, California. We listed the house for $234,700 on Friday. By Monday morning, we had three offers: $245,000, $255,000, and $260,000. We accepted the one for $255,000 because the buyers had $80,000 down, reassuring us that they had sufficient funds.

As usual, the lender sent an appraiser to review the property. This busy appraiser didn’t take the time to view all the upgrades we put into the custom-built home. Even worse, he used only comps from the local one-mile radius. Because this home is close to a shopping district, there were not many homes sold in this limited area during the six-month period.

The appraiser used comps six months old; during this time housing costs in Southern California appreciated around thirty percent. Sales from six months previous should have gone up in value by $30,000 on a $200,000 home. This means that our home should have been worth $250,000 to $260,000, especially since buyers are willing to pay this price on the open market. To increase the value of this home, at the time there was not another three bedroom home listed in the area for under $250,000 (excluding manufactured homes). However, the appraiser valued our home for only $230,000 — and we would have lost the sale if the offer did not include a sufficient down payment.

Because a low appraisal can kill your sale, finding a buyer with a large down payment provides you with a safety net. You may also choose a buyer with strong credit who doesn’t have to put a large percentage down. If you think that your home’s appraisal could become a problem, make sure you don’t include a clause in your sale’s contract which states “subject to appraisal.”

How to Avoid Low Appraisals

Hire your own appraiser before the sale. Then ask your buyer’s or lender’s appraiser to review your appraisal.

Retain the option to approve your buyer’s mortgage lender. Make sure that the buyer doesn’t use a lender with a history of deliberately underestimating property values. A good real estate agent should know which lenders routinely under value homes.

Keep records of repairs and upgrades, including costs. Take “before” and “after” photographs. Create an organized journal with a listing of expenses and include pictures to show to the appraiser during the appraisal appointment. Stage your home for the appraiser like you do for buyers.

Secure your own property comparables to make sure the appraiser uses complete information. Call real estate agents with homes in escrow and get the sales prices. Make a list of these properties with the agent’s phone numbers and give it to the appraiser.

What to Do When Your Selling Appraisal Comes in Too Low:

Ask for another appraisal.

Protest the appraisal with documentation of your upgraded expenses.

Have the buyers make a larger down payment.

When you sell or buy real estate, remember that the certified appraisal is just one person’s opinion of the value of your home. The opinion that counts for you is the buyer’s: you want to be sure the buyer values your home above all others.

Copyright (c) 2005 Jeanette Fisher, All rights reserved.

About the Author: Jeanette Fisher, author of Sell Your Home for Top Dollar–FAST, Home Staging for Top-Dollar Sales, and other real estate and interior design books, teaches Design Psychology and real estate investing. Free “Design Psychology for Selling Houses” Report http://www.sellfast.info/.

Source: www.isnare.com

Green algae is a common swimming pool problem, which may appear as a greenish growth on the floor and walls of a swimming pool, a green tint to the pool water, or greenish material suspended in the pool water. The only swimming pool chemical that will kill an algae growth is chlorine based swimming pool “shock”. Shock is a granular form of highly concentrated chlorine, which quickly raises the chlorine level of the swimming pool water. The elevated chlorine level makes the pool water conditions unlivable for anything organic, and algae quickly dies.

Before adding a dose of chlorine pool shock, the pool walls and floor should be brushed to remove as much of the algae as possible. This will greatly reduce the amount of time it takes to kill and clear the algae bloom. The normal “maintenance” dosage of most swimming pool shock is 1 lb. per 10,000 gallons. This dosage should be increased to 1 lb. per 7,500 gallons, or you should follow the manufacturer’s dosage suggestion for killing algae. Chlorine pool shock needs to be dissolved in a large bucket of water before it is added to the swimming pool. Always add chemicals to water when dissolving. NEVER add water to chemicals. The swimming pool cannot be used until the algae is dead, and the chlorine level of the pool water has returned to the safe range of 1-3 ppm.

The pool filter system should be running when the chlorine pool shock is added, and the filter system should continue to run 24 hours a day until all signs of algae have completely left the pool. Monitor your pool filter system closely and thoroughly backwash or clean the filter each time the pressure rises 10 psi. above the normal operating pressure. The dead algae that your pool filter collects may quickly dirty the filter, and need to be cleaned out frequently. If the conditions of the swimming pool does not significantly improve after 12-24 hours of filtering, add a second dose of chlorine pool shock at the increased rate. Once the algae is dead it will turn a white or grayish color, and it will be suspended in the pool water or settle to the floor. When there is no longer any sign of the color green in your pool, thoroughly vacuum the swimming pool. The pool filter should be backwashed or cleaned to be sure that dead algae is not trapped inside the filter. If the filter is not thoroughly cleaned the algae may quickly return.

Test and balance all of the pool chemical levels using the guidelines below, and pay particular attention to the chlorine level of your swimming pool water in the future. Algae and harmful bacteria are almost immediately destroyed by a chlorine level of 1 ppm or higher. You have experienced an algae problem because you have not properly maintained the chlorine level of your swimming pool, and it was allowed to drop below 1 ppm. Test pool water frequently and make any necessary adjustments for a clean, safe and easy to maintain swimming pool.

• Free Chlorine: 1-3 ppm

• pH: 7.2 - 7.6
• Alkalinity: 80 - 120 ppm
• Calcium Hardness: 200 - 350 ppm

Please visit www.InTheSwim.com for a complete selection of algae treatment pool chemicals and quality pool supplies.

Flowers are available to us throughout the year. But some
flowers are seasonal.

Each season offers its own flowers. But why do you need to know
this information?

Well, if you are planning a wedding on a particular season, it
is good to know what type of flowers are readily available. You
can get a cheaper price if that flower is in season.

Let’s start with spring flowers…

Spring

One of the popular spring flowers is sweet peas. Sweet Peas
consist of 3 to 4 flowers on a stem. Their varieties are like
Restormel, Lizbeth and Limelight.

Another spring flower is the Narcissi. Narcissi comes in many
colours such as yellow, white, orange and pink. They also have
many varieties like the large trumpet, large cup and the small
cup.

Hyacinths are lovely flowers, too. They are actually clusters of
small flowers. They come in orange, yellow, pink and even blue.
They also have many varieties like gypsy queen, amethyst, jan
bos and others.

A daffodil consists of two parts. The petals and the cup. They
come in green, red, yellow, white, pink, orange and others.
There are 13 varieties known and examples are like Trumpet,
Tazetta, Poeticus and Split-Cupped.

Lily of the Valley is a fragrant flower and often used in beauty
products. They look like small white bells and will develop into
red berries by summer.

There are over 1,000 varieties of lilac with single and double
petals. They are commonly used in perfumes and soaps. The white
and pink are popular besides the lavender, blue and purple.

Wax flower is also known as Geraldton Wax. They are clusters of
small flowers with 5 petals on each flower. Available in white,
pink and purple and the leaves are needle-like.

Cheery Blossom or Sakura is Japan’s unofficial national flower.
Their varieties differ by the number of petals, colour of
blossom, the time of blooming, tree shape and the leaves. There
is even a season in Japan to appreciate the cherry blossom which
they call Hanami.

Summer

Summer flowers are like agapanthus, hydrangea, tuberose,
sunflowers, peony, solidago, chrysanthemum, calla lily,
stephanotis and daisies.

Peonies have many varieties such as Claudia, Early Windflower,
Cytherea and Sea Shell. There are many more. They are very showy
flowers and have different blooming patterns which we call
single, Japanese, Anemone, Semi double, Crown, Semi Rose, Rose
and Bomb.

Stephanotis is a vine that grows well on trellis. It is white in
colour and sweetly scented. Often used as a wedding flower.
Stephanotis is also known as the Madagascar Jasmine.

Agapanthus, also known as African Lilies, are available in white
and blue. There are varieties like the Ice Blue Star, White
Dwarf and Tinkerbell.

Another summer flower that you might be interested in is the
hydrangea. It is a cluster of small and sweet flowers. There are
many types available, like the mopheads, lacecaps, vines,
oakleaf and peegees.

Tuberose is very popular among Hawaiians. They make leis
(garlands) out of them. Tuberose are very fragrant and white in
colour.

The colour of violets can range from dark blue to purple and
from orange to white. Those that bloom in spring have 5 petals
and those in the summer have no petals. Varieties are like Dog
Violet, Great Basin an Stream Violets.

Autumn

Sunflowers, gladiolus, dahlias, solidago, celosia and statice
are autumn flowers.

A sunflower consists of two parts, the ray florets which is
yellow in colour and the disk florets which is normally purplish
brown in colour. Varieties are like the Russian Giant, Music
Box, Teddy Bear and Autumn Beauty.

There are 13 types of groups of dahlias, namely single-flowered,
anemone-flowered, collerette, decorative, ball, waterlily,
cactus, pompon, semi cactus, miscellanous, fimbriated, single
orchid and double orchid. They come in colours like orange,
purple, yellow, white, cream, etc.

Gladiolus is also known as Sword Lily. They come in white, pink,
oranges, red and purple.

Solidago has over 100 varieties, for example Crown Of Rays,
Golden Wings and Straight Plants. These varieties come from
Solidago Altissima, Solidago Canadensis, Solidago Nemoralis and
Solidago Simplex, among others.

Celosia is a very unusual flower. There are 2 types of celosia.
One is the crinkled type, also called Celosia Cristata that
looks like a human brain. The other is Celosia Plumeria which
looks like a rooster’s comb. That’s why celosia is also known as
cockscomb. Available in bright colours such as red, yellow,
orange and purple.

Statice is often used as fillers in flower arrangements. They
are multi-branched of tiny flowers. The flower texture is
paper-like.

Winter

Examples of winter flowers are like freesias, ranunculus,
lisianthus, leucadendrons and amaryllis.

Freesias come in red, pink, white and yellow. They are scented
flowers, especially the white ones.

Another name for lisianthus is eustoma. They are lovely winter
flowers. But they have very delicate stems. They look like
poppies when in full bloom and come in white, pink, purple and
lavender.

The ranunculus is a unique flower. The center of the flower
always have a different colour. This winter flower comes in
yellow, white, red, pink and orange.

Amaryllis are available in many types, like the large flowering,
double, dwarf, rare, african and potted amaryllis. And within
these types there are many varieties too. Examples are like Snow
White, Solomon and Ragtime.

Leucadendrons come in multi colours. Examples of varieties are
the Safari Sunset, Perfection, Julie, Dragon Eyes and others.

These are some of the flowers that are considered seasonal. When
you order flowers for any occassion, bare in mind that some
flowers are seasonal and that’s why they are more expensive.

The mental images that the word concrete invokes may not be of
something you’d want in your yard but in fact, the landscaping
industry has begun to incorporate concrete materials in their
designs the past few years with surprising results. Now
concrete’s use is growing with the introduction of stained
concrete finishes to include patios and driveways as well. You
can make use of concrete for various parts of your yard.

1) The most common use is concrete block designs for walkways
and paths through a garden. This is usually seen in larger yards
but even if your yard is small it can accommodate concrete
landscaping. It could be a small patio built from concrete
blocks for you and your family to sit in the sun on. It could be
a simple concrete planter or two for a small container garden.
Or simply a concrete sundial in a flower bed.

2) Stone walls are another form of concrete landscaping that
has really caught on. Walls frame the whole home like a frame to
a prized painting. There are many reasons to have concrete
walls. These walls work well for keeping small pets in the yard,
and good for keeping intruders out. The harder your home is to
get into the less likely burglars will be to bother trying.

3) You can also use concrete landscaping to keep your soil in
place. If there is a part of your yard that on an incline then
you can build a retaining wall expressly for this purpose.
Concrete blocks come in many shapes and textures and you are
sure to find a style you like.

Another thing about concrete that makes it so suited to
landscaping is that while it can be quite functional and rugged
it also can give the appearance of being purely decorative.
There is so much that you can do with concrete in landscaping
because it is so easy to work with. You can use concrete
landscaping bricks, blocks or whole solid slabs. You can even
get custom made concrete landscaping stones that are unique in
shape and pattern. Take some time to visit your local nursery or
landscaping supply stores and have a look at the concrete
landscaping materials, you will definitely get some ideas for
your next backyard project.

Some words on how you could use your plastic molds to cast
metals.

Your first thought when you see this is that the plastic mold
would melt or catch fire! You are right! The way it is done is
as follows…

This is going to be a story about a foundry that cast propellers
for boats. That is where I learned how plastic molds are used to
cast metal.

I once rented space in a foundry that cast props. It was a dark
and dusty place. Also very hot some days! When the furnace was
heating metal. It was a little noisy then to. Big fans running
to feed air into the furnace.

Here is how they would use the plastic molds.

First they would cast in plaster. Next the plaster casting would
be used to make a new mold using sand. This is done in a Sand
box!! I bet you had already guessed that? The plaster pattern is
placed in the box and sand is packed around it. This is special
sand that cannot be reused. It is mixed in a big machine with
waterglass just before it is to be used. This is packed into
place and CO2 it blown over it to harden it.

Once this is ready the metal is heated in the furnace and then
poured into the mold. It is allowed to cool 12 hrs or so (this
depends on the size of the casting - bigger equals longer). Once
it has cooled the sand is broken away and discarded. The casting
is cooled for another 12 or so hours and then ground and
polished.

Copyright © 2005 Delmar Germyn All rights reserved.

Now that Spring is upon us and things are coming back to life in your pond with the warmer weather, many of us are battling with string algae. String algae is caused primarily by a combination of the buildup of organic nutrients in the water, and sunlight.

What happens is that during winter, when things slow down and many of us turn off our filters, decaying leaves and other organic matter (including fish waste) begin to break down in the pond.

The result is an excess of organic nutrients in the water, which is essentially food for algae growth. Add sunlight and some warmer weather to these conditions, and you have an ideal environment for algae growth, both the green water and string algae varieties.

The green water, or ‘pea soup’ algae is easily eradicated with a properly sized UV sterilizer, which we highly recommend. String algae, on the other hand, is a bit more complicated and difficult to get rid of.

Because it is usually attached to the walls and rocks of the pond, it becomes more difficult to get rid of and unfortunately, there aren’t and easy solutions. But we are going to outline a few remedies here that will help. First, we recommend a pond cleaning - if possible. For those of you who don’t clean your pond at least once annually, there are many good reasons to do this.

By cleaning out your pond, and removing as much of the decaying organic material from the bottom, you are also removing much of the ‘food’ for the algae.

Another good thing to do is to cut back on feeding your fish, until you get your string algae under control. The fish food, both eaten and digested, and the uneaten food, will both also contribute to this algae growth - so don’t worry about the fish, just stop feeding for awhile.

There are several products available which can and will ‘help’ with the string algae problem, like barley bales and/or barley pellets. The idea is that by adding these to the pond, they will also start to decay in the water, and the resulting natural ‘humic acids’ will actually oxidize the algae, and help keep it under control.

Farmers in the 13th century noticed that lakes with bales of barley straw in them, had much less muck and string algae in them. So, now we use them in fish ponds. Barley pellets are a newer version of the same idea, but will generally start working faster. Barley straw needs several weeks before it starts working, and only after it starts to ‘rot’ in the water.

Another way to help with string algae is to raise your salt level in the pond. Anything over .3% will help control the algae, but is best for KOI ponds, as the salt may also negatively affect water garden plants.

We also really like the Microbe Lift line of products. They also seem to help control string algae, by adding millions of beneficial microbes and beneficial bacteria that will feed off of this algae and also help to decompose any other organic waste in the pond.

An alternate method that many pond owner prefer is to add a chemical algaecide like PondCare’s Algae Fix. This is safe for fish and plants, and does seem to temporarily knock out suspended and filamenous algae, but does need to be added periodically for long term control.

One new method that we’ve been hearing more and more about is adding a certain type of clay to the pond water. Calcium Montmorillonite Clay is gaining popularity among KOI pond owners and water gardeners as an effective, natural method of algae control. It is also noted as having many beneficial qualities for the fish in the pond.

Hope this helps!

Happy pondkeeping.

Publishing Guidelines: You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

About The Author

Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several pond-related websites including macarthurwatergardens.com and pond-filters-online.com. He also publishes a free monthly newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over 6,000 pond owners. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive a complimentary ‘New Pond Owners Guide’ for joining, just visit MacArthur Water Gardens>

Specific humming bird migration patterns differ by species and habitats, but there are a few common points linking the different species’ migration habits.

All hummingbirds migrate because of the hormonal changes within their bodies which are set off by changes in the length of daylight. This tells the birds when it is time to fly south for the winter.

Where they migrate to depends on the individual bird, but in general, most humming birds winter in Mexico. Some winter as far north as southern California across to Florida, and some journey all the way down to Panama.

In preparation for the big migration, they make sure they pack themselves full of nectar and insects. Such a small bird has to be strong to make such a long flight. Also, when humming birds make this incredible journey, they prefer to travel alone. Unlike geese or ducks, traveling in large groups doesn’t increase their chances of survival. Only one bird can feed off of a flower at a time, so waiting for every bird to feed would be a hassle and waste precious time. Also, humming birds are so small that predators usually ignore them anyways, so traveling in large groups offers no extra protection. Just because hummers travel alone, however, does not mean that you will not see more than one humming bird at a time; after all, several may be traveling at the same time and cross paths on their journeys.

They typically travel during the day and rest up at night, except in special situations like that of the ruby-throated humming bird, which travels over the Gulf of Mexico. It takes more than one daylight for them to make it across, so the birds must fly through the night until land is reached.

A journey from the northern United States to the gulf coast would take anywhere from 5-10 days depending on how often they stop to rest. If they travel down to Panama it usually takes about 2 weeks. Humming birds remain in warmer climates until it is time for them to fly north again and mate.

This springtime migration is usually a little bit faster since the females are ready to get started nesting. Again, the hummers pack on a lot of weight for the flight, timing their departure so that they will arrive when the flowering plants are first blooming. Males arrive first and then females anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks later. Males claim their territories and wait for the females, doing fancy flight displays to lure them into their territory. Humming birds waste no time in starting their nesting process.

When fall rolls around, they start to fly south again, and the process repeats itself. The hummers are always in danger when traveling: lack of food, storms, unknown predators, windows…. These guys have to expect anything, and the distances they fly earn them the highest respects considering how small and vulnerable they are.

Hope you enjoyed the article!

George & Judy Steiner
www.hum-ming-bird.com

George and wife Judy are empty nesters (ah ha no wonder the affinity for birds!)who enjoy the outdoors, stained glass and eagerly awaiting for the truckloads of laundry that their two college daughters bring home. Of recent, the internet has played an integral part in George’s lengthening “To Do” list and Judy’s search for a internet rehabilitation center.