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Post by walnut on Jun 30, 2015 15:05:24 GMT
non-native anything introduced seems always to be huge disasters.
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Post by missouriboy on Jun 30, 2015 16:04:53 GMT
non-native anything introduced seems always to be huge disasters. Absolutely!! Just ask any Native American in either hemisphere.
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birder
Level 3 Rank
Posts: 223
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Post by birder on Jun 30, 2015 20:18:52 GMT
At my place, I let the swallows nest. At night, the frogs are chirping etc etc. Yes, there are skeeters, but not so bad that one can't work etc. And we also learn that at dusk, it is time to go inside. Time for bed anyways, ya know? I was at Lowes the other day. The chemicals were loaded in folks carts. I just shudder inside. I use full front disposable gear, gloves, goggles etc when I handle chemicals. I have a charcoal filter on the tractor. I use more chemicals than city folks, but I spread them over a lot more area. And I NEVER use an ounce more than I literally have to use. They cost money and there has to be a benefit/cost. I never spray my lawn. Do I have dandelions etc? Yep, but the mower mows them off, and we use the young leaves for salads. Do I have several varieties of grass in my yard? Yep, do I care? Nope. I know I have a healthy eco-system around me and that is my primary concern. It's good to know we have some farmers still interested in nature, we have a few in England but they are in the minority.
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Post by Ratty on Jul 1, 2015 1:05:01 GMT
non-native anything introduced seems always to be huge disasters. We have Bufo marinus .... sigh.
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Post by sigurdur on Jul 1, 2015 2:31:41 GMT
They don't eat bugs? Feed them your AGW freaks.
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Post by Ratty on Jul 1, 2015 13:24:11 GMT
They don't eat bugs? Feed them your AGW freaks. The toads are not quite large enough ... yet. We have a development program under way; it's only a matter of time before I loose them at UQ. ** ** look it up
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Post by walnut on Jul 1, 2015 13:39:25 GMT
I was thinking Macquarie University was the most offensively AGW.
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Post by missouriboy on Jul 1, 2015 16:39:55 GMT
Sig, I have been wondering- when I was a kid around 1970, there was lots of small urban wildlife in Tulsa. Horned toads, frogs, toads, butterflys, grass snakes, garter snakes, tortoises, and honeybees. Now each of these species seems to me greatly reduced. Any idea what happened? Is it tied in some way to the huge use of glyphosate or some other chemical? I still see lots of these creatures out in the country but not much in the city. But even out in the country, I think fewer bees and butterflies, and no horned toads whatsoever anymore. Many insecticides and some fungicides are extremely toxic to practically all life (including us). Our orchard is alive with many varieties of native bees, dragonflies, butterflies, lady bugs and things I have no clue to. Native perennials are interspersed in the rows and known repellents such as garlic and onions grow wild around the roots. I try to focus on a select set of more natural chemicals that don't kill everything in sight. Neem oil is a good example (tough on leaf-eating varieties) but non-toxic to the predatory good guys. Does this ensure a 'perfect' crop? Absolutely not. My loss to bugs, birds and rot would not be acceptable to a commercial enterprise. But, I'm not a commercial enterprise, so my bottom line is very low. I cut out the spots and return the waste to the ground. American culture prefers blemish-free products ... everything from fruit to lawns. Every weed or blemish is a cause of anguish and disgust it seems ... so there is a tendency I believe to 'nuke' everything in sight by some bottom-line corporate growers, and particularly by family 'lawners'. Unfortunately, the average american lawn is a green but lifeless desert. Not that I think that the 'corporates' are necessarily immoral ... they just use whatever they believe is necessary and price-effective to maintain the bottom line. Shareholders are very amoral I'm afraid.
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Post by Ratty on Jul 2, 2015 6:12:37 GMT
I was thinking Macquarie University was the most offensively AGW. It's a toss-up between any given group of Aussie unis but ...... UQ houses John Cook.
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Post by sigurdur on Jul 3, 2015 13:02:43 GMT
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Post by sigurdur on Jul 4, 2015 23:16:37 GMT
Have you started your olive tree yet?
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Post by nonentropic on Jul 5, 2015 7:16:52 GMT
I think olive trees will be fine at any temperature up to 40C.
In fact they will be great.
In NZ we grow olives and they tend to be a little under heated so they tend to be quite green in flavor.
but the home of olives is the Med and they love heat.
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Post by Ratty on Jul 5, 2015 7:32:12 GMT
I think olive trees will be fine at any temperature up to 40C. In fact they will be great. In NZ we grow olives and they tend to be a little under heated so they tend to be quite green in flavor. but the home of olives is the Med and they love heat. Never seen a NZ olive Nonentropic ..... I'll look out for them. Most olives I have noticed in Oz seem to be in relative dry areas but that could be a misconception because the trees always look dry because of the leaf colour.
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Post by nonentropic on Jul 5, 2015 9:37:40 GMT
They grow exceptionally here all the way from latitude 47 to 35. the dry regions produce the best oil.
They are largely unkillable and simply regrow from a root or a stump.
I have many but the harvest is not achievable without slave labour and the birds profit as a result.
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Post by Ratty on Jul 5, 2015 11:55:16 GMT
They grow exceptionally here all the way from latitude 47 to 35. the dry regions produce the best oil. They are largely unkillable and simply regrow from a root or a stump. I have many but the harvest is not achievable without slave labour and the birds profit as a result. First world economy, third world crop. Common problem. Ever thought of moving to Syria, birthplace of the olive?
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