Introducing the Rainsaver Water Collector Guttering Kit

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collection, gardening works, gutter, halls, kit, rainsaver, recycle works

A brand new, simple but effective British invention that simplifies collecting rainwater from just about any sloping surface in a garden or allotment.  With this versatile system conventional guttering can be attached to sheds, summer houses, greenhouses, lean-tos, car ports etc. practically anywhere.

Designed and manufactured entirely in England from weather resistant recyclable materials and guaranteed for 5 years, the Rainsaver Rainwater Collection kit includes everything except the water container – 2 special patent-pending
Rainsaver brackets, 1.7m quality branded 75mm gutter, outlet and 1m downpipe.

For more information and the choices of sizes available, simply click here!

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Box Blight, Actiferm and Caring For Your Topiaries

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box blight, recycle works. recycle works. actiferm, telegraph, topiaries, topiary

Did you see the recent article (November 2014) in the Saturday Telegraph about relief for Box Blight? The microbes and bacteria in Actiferm are active in suppressing the fungi that cause Box Blight and regular treatment of the affected Box is really beneficial. However as we understand it, Actiferm alone will not be very effective as, being water based, it will slide off the shiny leaves of the box and fall to earth losing its benefit. To get the maximum benefit from Actiferm, used to combat Box blight, it is essential to mix it with a sticker.

We are led to believe that this point about the horticultural sticker was not made in the article in the Telegraph so are adding it here on the blog.

Our research has identified two possible stickers that we should be able to obtain and have on sale within the next 10 days. A sticker mixed together with Actiferm will undoubtedly give you a solution that will deter Box Blight and regular treatment will be beneficial.

However there is a downside to the stickers. They are overtly chemical. They are not environmentally friendly. If used judiciously and stored very carefully there should be no harm done but it is strongly against our best principles of not using or selling chemicals.

Having weighed up the pros and cons and if we do get the stickers we will sell them purely for mixing with Actiferm, this with a view to attacking Box Blight. This means that we will only sell stickers to customers who are purchasing or have purchased Actiferm from us in the past. I am sorry but chemical creep is not for us.

On the positive side Actiferm is a wonderful product in its own rite. It helps to clean the soil from bad bacteria and microbes. Actiferm can be used both the garden and the home. 100% organic

In the Garden use Actiferm

• As a soil improver
• Promotes healthy roots and plants
• Increases soil fertility
• Suppresses soil pathogens
• Will fix atmospheric nitrogen, reducing the need for fertilisers
• Bigger crop yields
• Will treat up to 150 sq M
• Use as a compost accelerator
• Great for spraying topiaries. It produces good bacteria to fight the fungus, and also feeds the plant and improves the soil.
• Gardening – This bio-active product is diluted with water up to 1:100 before spraying.

In the Home

• Use Actiferm as a chemical free cleaner
• Suppress harmful bacteria
• Eliminates odours

Seed Collecting In The Forest of Bowland

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forest of bowland, peter foley, recycle works, sarah robinson, seed collecting, SSI, Sylvia Hopwood

Saturday dawned perfectly and continued on the lines of an ideal English summer, all day. Sarah took me and about 18 others into The Forest of Bowland enthusing us with her love and dedication to hay meadows. It is somewhat different to wildflower meadows but the story is similar. Sarah took us to see one of a few hay meadows in the area dedicated an area of Special Scientific Interest, SSI. Here you see the native species growing wild on farm land tended by a farmer who is also dedicated to his inherited treasures. Sarah got us all to collect ripe seeds from the natural flowers growing at the edge of the field. This way we did not trample the meadow but were able to gather many thousands of ripe seeds. Later we all took home seeds in paper bags, lots of recycled pots and trays provided by Peter Foley, with Vital Earth Seed and Potting Compost – yes, really highly recommended by Peter and Sarah as it is peat-free, has been pasteurised and has very few nutrients.

This kit will enable us to propagate and replace these species into more local pastures the coming years. When the time comes in spring 2013 we will sow our indigenous seeds in pots and later in 2013 transplant to the edges of another field locally and spread the goodness. Interestingly we transplant to the edges of the field where in their first year they will not get as easily trampled and damaged by sheep.  These are really hardy plants and will take lots of weather and constant animal passage, but it will give them a better chance to establish and seed naturally as they grow in populations.

What we have to do

1. Collect the seeds in a paper bag, labelling the bags with the names of the meadow flowers. Some need more care if they shoot out all over the place as soon as you touch them.
2. Not all seeds will ripen at the same time so more than one visit will be needed to get the range.
3. Clean the seeds by hand, separating them from the husks
4. Keep them in a cold, dry and dark place until February/March. This can be in a container in the fridge so that they go through the natural cold winter conditions. It can be in a sealed tin in the shed, but dry, cold and dark is important. If they get wet or warm they may start germinating and if it is too early for spring they will not survive.
5. In early spring sow seeds on the top of a tray or pot of seed Compost just how they would fall naturally to earth. Because of the nature of their natural environment Wildflower seedlings are robust.
6. Preferably use Vital Earth Seed and Potting Compost because it is suitably low in nutrients and it is without peat.
7. Do not plant seeds below the surface! When seeds fall naturally they arrange the depth they want to go by themselves.
8. Water with a fine rose or you will just wash the seeds away!
9. Protect from predators with a light covering of fine grit, Perlite or woodland bark.
10. Transplant when the roots are strong into cleaned pots, washed with mild soapy water preferably something non bio. When transplanting, be sure to plant firmly. Firm them down well at the edges of the pot and again after placing the seedling. It is a mistake to put them in delicately with loads of air pockets where the roots cannot grow and then walk away. It avoids air pockets where the roots will not go. Water with a fine rose. If planting shrubs you should use the heel of your boot to firm in.
11. Again it is good to cover the surface with a light dressing of fine grit, Perlite or a bit of woodland bark.
12. Today we were collecting seed that would be planted out spring 2014

We’ll keep you updated on our process and look forward to sharing the pictures of our beautiful new plants.

Love your environment!

 

Five Simple Ways To Save Water This Year

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hose pipe ban, recycle works, tips on how to save water, water butt, water conservation, water saving

Following one of the driest winters on record, many water companies are introducing temporary hosepipe bans to help protect our water supply so saving water has never been more important and everyone can do their little bit, it just takes a little bit of care and thought and a small actions can make huge differences!

Here are five simple things you can do:

1. Use a Water Butt to collect rainwater – it can be collected from the house, roof, garage, shed and even your greenhouse!

2. Deliver water directly to the base of your plants by using an approved irrigation system.

3. Keep your garden and beds weed free as they compete with any crops for that precious moisture.

4. Keep evaporation to a minimum by watering either in the morning or late on in the evening.

5. Mix water storing granules in to any containers, window boxes and hanging baskets.

Love Your Environment! Love Your Water!

Be Nice To Bees – A Plea From Friends of the Earth

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Friends of the Earth, recycle works, save bees, the recycleworks

British bees do a huge amount for wildlife, our food supply and the economy.

And last week thousands of you did a huge amount for bees. 10,000 packets of bee-friendly seeds were snapped up in just 24 hours, creating many new habitats for bees across Britain.

Even if you missed out on the free seeds you can still take action to help bees by calling for a National Bee Action Plan to reverse their decline.

Changes to town planning, farming and our use of pesticides could prevent even more bee species from becoming extinct. The Prime Minister needs a plan to make these changes now.

Together we can save British bees,

Amy & The Bee Cause team

Click Here to sign the Bee Cause Petition 

PS. We already caught the attention of the Deputy PM, Nick Clegg with our stunt in London.

He said “anyone who’s been on the South Bank this morning will have seen Friends of the Earth have turned it into a wildflower meadow to publicise the importance of bees to UK GDP”.

Help save the ‘Marine Conservation Bill’

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conservation, marine, marine conservation, marine conservation bill

I received the monthly newsletter from my local Wildlife Trust (Lancashire Wildlife Trust)  today and as Marine Zoologist by training, this caught my eye, so I thought I’d add it to the blog to help the cause!
I copy it verbatim.

Marine Conservation Bill Campaign      Status: Next 3 weeks are critical – Bill at risk!

Hydromedusae

This month -as the Marine Bill hangs in the balance – we have an urgent request; that you take 5 minutes to email your MP asking for his/her support.

We have been tipped off by MP’s that there are too many Bills lined up for the coming year. The Government has many serious issues to address and may decide to drop some of these Bills before the Queen’s Speech on 3 December. The UK Marine Bill has been mentioned as being vulnerable. We cannot let this happen! New laws to protect the marine environment are already long overdue. If the Bill is postponed now, we may not get another chance for many years.

We have just 3 weeks to keep the Bill afloat – but you can throw a lifeline! Just 5 minutes could be enough to help save the Bill. Simply follow the 5 steps below.

If you don’t know who your MP is, visit http://www.theyworkforyou.com/and enter your postcode.

• Visit the list of MP’s who have signed a new Early Day Motion (EDM) supporting the Marine Bill (‘EDM 2189: Taking forward the Marine Bill’), and check whether your MP has signed it. Please click here to visit the page.
• Go back to http://www.theyworkforyou.com/ enter your postcode to go to your MP’s page, and click on ‘Send an email to…’.
• If your MP has signed the EDM, politely thank him/her for signing it.
• Ask him/her to write to the new marine minister, Huw Irranca-Davies, urging him to make sure that the Marine Bill is included in the 2008 Queen’s Speech.
• Or, if your MP has not signed the EDM, politely ask him/her to consider signing it. Also ask him/her to write to the new marine minister, Huw Irranca-Davies, urging him to make sure that the Marine Bill is included in the 2008 Queen’s Speech.

Once you’ve done that, please send an an email letting us know which MP you have contacted: marine@wildlifetrusts.org
Bear in mind that some MP’s are unable to sign EDMs because of the position they hold. Others do not sign EDM’s on principle. If your MP chooses not to sign the Marine Bill EDM, please be respectful of his/her decision.

Simon