Keeping Herbs Healthy With Proper Soil Maintenance

Good soil is a crucial component for growing healthy herbs, either in the ground or in containers. Herbs receive the energy they need for growth and reproduction from the sun, but many of the components they use to carry out these sun-driven chemical reactions are derived from the soil in which they are planted.

The makeup of the soil determines a plant's water, nitrogen and phosphorous content, as well as its alkalinity, acidity and much more. Keeping all these factors in the proper balance is of utmost importance to the health of your herbs. Plants grown in outdoor soil have nature on their side and may require only a little bit of assistance from the gardener. On the other hand, the soil makeup present in a container garden is completely determined by the grower and may be altered to suit the needs of particular plants. Lavender likes good drainage and dry, alkaline soil, and sage can suffer root rot if the soil is kept too wet.

Grow Calendar 2011

The needs of your plants should determine the type of soil you grow them in. Soils may range from sandy to clay-like, with many variations in between. Soils that are rich in clay tend to hold and retain water, while sandy soils, made up of glass-like particles called silicates, allow for better air flow and allow water to drain through them easily.

Most herbs are happiest with a mix of both soils, and you can vary the mixture to suit your particular plant. Sage, for example, likes drier, sandier soils, while peppermint thrives in a moist, clay-rich soil. A good compost can help with the soil balancing act.

Both airborne and underground pests are a consideration when growing herbs, but the proper soil maintenance can keep your plants strong enough to deter most of them. In fact, many herbs are pest-resistant when properly cared for.

Planting chives, mint, basil and cilantro around your roses and vegetables can help keep aphids away, and basil can also stave off tomato hornworm attacks. Sometimes, though, the balance becomes more tricky, and you must determine what you want to attract and repel. If you want to keep beetles away, dill and yarrow will attract the parasitic wasps that feed on them, but then you have the wasps to contend with.

Because tomato hornworms also love dill, the herb is often used as a "trap crop," meaning you can grow it so that the worms will eat it instead of your tomatoes. Of course, using this method ensures your dill won't last very long. Many herb gardeners deal with such dilemmas by carefully using pesticides that harm the pests that certain herbs attract. These chemicals must be used carefully, though, if you plan to use your herbs as food seasonings. Even pesticides deemed "safe" can accumulate to toxic amounts over time even on house plants.

So perhaps your best bet to fend off herb pests is to keep your plants strong and healthy through proper soil maintenance.

Keeping Herbs Healthy With Proper Soil Maintenance

Grow Calendar 2011

Trust Your Lawn Calendar - Prepare of a Healthy Lawn

It can be confusing to remember when to complete certain tasks on
your lawn. Throughout the entire year, there is always something
that needs done. A lawn care calendar can help you keep your
thoughts organized to make sure that you don't miss anything.

You will give yourself the best chance of a healthy lawn by doing
this. There are quite a few pre-made lawn care calendars
available for sale, but it is a good idea to make a custom plan
specifically for your lawn. By making a calendar, you will make
things simpler and save time and effort in the long run.

Grow Calendar 2011

Care and Maintenance of a Lawn with the Help of a Calendar

Remembering when and where certain tasks need to be done is the
main purpose of a lawn care calendar. The times used for certain
tasks will be unique to your unique weather patterns and
sunrise/sunset times.

The calendar will likely start in March,
when the soil needs to be prepared for the new growing season.
At this time of year, you will need to rake the soil to spread
warmth, refresh it, and clear out moles. It is also a good time
to test the soil and ad herbicides if needed. If the season
before was under-seeded, this is the time where you would
over-seed those areas.

In April, you can begin mowing the lawn
and removing any diseased clippings. You may or may not need to
aerate the soil at this time as well. In may, you will need to
add fertilizer, herbicides, and insecticides if needed.

As the weather heats up in June, you will begin watering the
lawn. Here's some tips on watering an a lawn irrigation system
to improve the landscape performance. Be sure not to water too much or too little, as both can
cause problems.

If the lawn is growing quickly, you can adjust
your calendar and mow more often. Also, if areas are thin, you
can raise the height of the mower blades for a healthier lawn.
In July, you will keep generally the same schedule as June, only
possibly watering more and watching out for grubs.

You'll need
to keep watering into August, when you will also prepare the soil
for fall seeding, look for insects, and do a soil test.

In
September, you should fertilize again and plant the new grass
seeds. The soil needs to stay moist when you do this. You may
also have to aerate, rake, over-seed, or kill weeds in September.

Unless the grass has stopped growing, you should mow through
October and November, although less frequently than in the
summer. You may need to apply lime.

Finally, you should make
sure to keep the leaves clear through the late fall and winter
months. These guidelines should help you to create your own
lawn care calendar.

Trust Your Lawn Calendar - Prepare of a Healthy Lawn

Grow Calendar 2011

How to Grow Long Hair and Keep It Looking Healthy and Shiny

Beautiful, flowing tresses aren't just for Rapunzel! Women everywhere love the elegant look and versatility that a longer mane can give, but many wonder how they can get the look when they are dealing with so many frustrating problems that cause breakage, damage, and frizziness. If you have always wondered how to grow long hair but haven't been able to keep it looking healthy and shiny, try out one or more of the following ideas.

· The first step may be the hardest - It's time to head to your local stylist. The only way to get the look you want is to start with a healthy base. Your scalp and all of the hair close to it must be in the best possible condition... Split or frayed ends, dry or straw like strands, or overly processed styles will not grow out well. You may need to cut off as much as several inches to get the look you are going for. Ask for a great shorter style that will continue to look good as it grows--even short styles look better than damaged and dry longer looks.

Grow Calendar 2011

· After your original trim, you will need to keep going back to your stylist for maintenance trims to make sure that your body is growing only healthy locks. You don't need to chop off all your hair each time, but you do need to get a half inch or so removed every six weeks. Make sure your stylist uses very short scissors so that he or she will not damage your existing tresses or cause more split ends.

· Next, you need to kick the heat habit. Any styling appliance like a blow dryer, curling iron, hot roller, or flat iron that uses heat to style hair also causes damage. Try to let your locks air-dry, and learn to create styles that don't require heat. When you want to know how to grow long hair, you should also learn about what causes damage and avoid anything that may lead to breakage.

· On the same note, you will want to avoid using chemicals as often as possible. One of the tips for how to grow long hair is to stop bleaching and perming your mane. While those cute curls may look great, they can cause breakage and drying that will last long after the style is gone. If you want to add color, look for formulas that do not contain peroxide.

· Chlorine and saltwater are some of your mane enemies. If you enjoy going swimming, make sure to wash your locks as soon as possible with a shampoo that is designed for this purpose. If you swim more than a couple of times a week, purchase a cap that protects your mane and scalp from sun and chemicals.

Other tips for how to grow long hair include using supplements that encourage faster growth, purchasing shampoo and conditioner that prevents damage and strengthens strands, and washing your locks less frequently to reduce damage. Avoid heat styling as much as possible, and have fun coming up with new styles for your rapidly growing tresses.

How to Grow Long Hair and Keep It Looking Healthy and Shiny

Grow Calendar 2011

Summer Travel - Healthy Hotels

Summer time is upon us. Will you travel with your family? Business travel scheduled during the sizzling summer? What hotels are doing the right things for their patrons?

Within the last few years, numbers of hotels that are providing lighter options for its patrons has risen. Among them, Starwood Hotels, (whose brands include Sheraton, Westin and W) reported it was eliminating all trans fat at its 400 plus hotels in North America and the Caribbean. Similarly, Marriott, Loews, Hampton's, Red Lion and Carlson, had plans to take out trans-fats from all foods at all or most of their hotels.

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Around the same time, the Hyatt introduced its Stay Fit® Menu for the room service at all North American hotels. This menu emphasizes fresh, locally grown ingredients. Hyatt's Stay Fit® menu features appetizers such as: apple, endive and feta cheese salad; and white bean and tomato soup. Entrées include acorn squash ravioli and soba noodles with grilled tofu. Candlewood Suites is offering fruit, and a low fat, low carbohydrate breakfast choices such as cereal and yogurt as a "grab and go" option. Wyndham's "Field's and Sun" breakfasts include a cereal and yogurt bar, fresh fruit and fat free muffins. Radisson's "Tasteful Choices" menu emphasizes low calorie, low fat and low carbohydrate items. Loews offers breakfast items as tofu omelets, turkey based breakfast meats and vegetarian frittatas. Holiday Inn's Kem restaurants have changed their menus in order to cater to the demands for fresh and grilled food items. The restaurants have added more salads, a grilled or steamed vegetable plate and grilled salmon and have removed comfort foods like meatloaf and fried chicken. The Hilton worked with chefs and nutritional experts to create its chain wide Eat Right® menu that features delicious, L.E.A.N. choices.

Shortlist of hotels taking affirmative action towards healthier choices:

Starwood Hotels - including Sheraton Westin and W
Hilton Marriott
Loews Hamptons
Red Lion Carlson
Hyatt Candlewood Suites
Wyndham Radisson
Loews Holiday Inn

To expand a little, let's look a bit closer to some of these hotels. It's surprisingly difficult to find this information on some of the hotel websites. Nevertheless, there are some good things going on in several hotel brands.

Kimpton's - Kimpton's has something they call an in-room Mind.Body.Spa. As the name implies, it's all in your room. You can get massages with all organic products, 24-hour on-demand Pilates, and meditation channels on your TV. They also have yoga supplies you can borrow. The mini-bars are stocked with organic food and drinks.

Hilton - The Hilton Chain has been a forerunner in offering more healthful options. Working with professional chefs and even culinary institutes, they created their signature Eat Right® Menu. A lot of thought was put into making this menu both delicious, and healthy. We've already mentioned their Follow your Color breakfast menu. These are all very good steps and offerings for the L.E.A.N. business traveler.

Hyatt Regency - This chain has gone above and beyond creating both their signature StayFit @ Hyatt program, and the StayFit® Cuisine. The fitness program includes on-demand yoga DVDs, walking or running routes, and reportedly upgraded fitness equipment. Their dedication to helping guests be fit includes a 24-hour fitness concierge service whereby you can get workout clothes, and even armbands with GPS and heart rate monitors. The StayFit® menu offers healthy options such as steel-cut oatmeal and has actively sought to make meals tasty and wholesome.

Westin - The Westin can't be left out of the trend towards wellness. They are providing for health-minded guests. They, too, are offering in-room libraries of both fitness magazines and DVDs. They will put a treadmill or stationary bike in your room, and their exercise rooms are state-of-the-art. Menu wise, the Westin puts emphasis on so-called superfoods - those high in omegas and anti-oxidants, like green tea infused salmon.

Cambria - Cambria Suites are rising up in the ranks of hotels catering to travelers seeking healthier options. Their baby steps include banishing deep-fried foods from their menu and building 2,500-square-foot fitness and pool areas. Rooms are stocked with nice additions, such as green tea.

As you can see, hotels are making marked efforts to make changes in a variety of areas. If in doubt, call the hotel. In the end it should be possible to find a hotel that has every amenity you desire, including healthier food and environment.

Summer Travel - Healthy Hotels

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What Does It Mean To Grow A Healthy Business?

A thriving business needs to grow or it stagnates and may even fail. But what does it mean to grow a healthy business?

First, understand that growing revenues is a necessary but not sufficient aspect of growth. Thinking of growth exclusively in terms of revenue is like dumping fertilizer on a garden without watering or weeding it. Inevitably, the crop dies.

Grow Calendar 2011

Second, growth is iterative. The process is repeated over and over again. In this sense there is no first or last step. Still, you can posit a starting point, a platform from which you begin and to which you return to measure your progress, assess your direction, and refine your vision.

One way to posit a meaningful starting point is to assess current reality and how it differs from what you intend to create. What are you experiencing now? What is working? Where are you dissatisfied? Look at both external, measurable factors such as sales, prospects, productivity, and experiential and qualitative factors such as engagement, enthusiasm, creativity.

Examine your motives for wanting new growth. Are you dissatisfied with current reality? Do you sense that something new wants to come into being? Are you feeling impelled by a creative drive? By boredom? Fear? Competition? Envy? List your motives without censoring them so that you can understand what is really true for you. Every motive is an expression of a sort of worldview. If you repress or misstate your motives, you are the prisoner of their worldview and unable to examine the underlying beliefs.

With your motives clearly in mind, take a look at how you are doing now. Measure how many clients you have, how much income you are earning, how much time you are spending delivering services, marketing, and administering your business. Review feedback from clients and look at what others in your field are doing that you admire. Talk to your employees, or rather, listen to them. What is the turnover rate? How happy are they? How engaged?

Look at how much you enjoying your work. What aspects of it bring the most joy? What sorts of clients or customers seem to benefit most from what you do and who you are? Where is the sweet spot where you add the most value with the least struggle? What are the key intangible sources of energy and inspiration? Again, ask your employees the same questions.

As you gather the qualitative and quantitative data about your business, reflect on the circumstances and choices that shaped these results. What were your goals six months or a year ago? What personal and professional factors have been at play since your last business assessment? ? What forces in the marketplace affected your decisions and your results? What were your aspirations and assumptions? Notice how current reality correlates with thinking, beliefs, practices, and intentions that were in place three, six, or nine months ago.

Does this sound like a lot of work? It is, and it will repay your attention by revealing new possibilities for intention and action and by showing you where you can let go of outmoded policies, procedures, and attitudes. By regularly reviewing what you have and what you want, you generate a healthy structural tension -- a tension that can impel you to grow your business in a holistic, grounded, and integrated way.

What Does It Mean To Grow A Healthy Business?

Grow Calendar 2011