There Are Some Tips For Growing Green Tea

If you are looking for weight loss options, then green tea is one of the most effective weight loss measures that a person can take. A slim and toned body, flat abs and a sleek look is the dream body the youth of today would like to sport. In this race of various weight loss products to convince people, green tea wins the bait quite effortlessly.

Green tea is a health drink made out of oxidized leaves of the camellia sinensis plant and is a useful natural remedy for weight loss and other health related problems. Green tea can also make a refreshing morning and evening beverage along with providing you with a complete health package. Though there are many varieties of this herbal tea available in any local store, the thought of growing these plants at home is indeed interesting.

Growing Green Tea

Things Needed

• Sandy soil
• Mulch
• Green tea plant cuttings

Steps:

1. You can either buy seeds of the green tea plant or purchase some plant cuttings from a green tree nursery or from the local greenhouse. If you are planning to sow seeds, you must be prepared to patiently wait since it takes a long time for the plant to grow into adult plants.
2. Once you have bought the cutting from the nearest store, plant them in sandy soil in an open space in your garden or backyard. Make sure that you water the plant frequently without fail and also use suitable fertilizers from time to time in order to speed up the growing process.
3. The green tea plants should be approximately placed at a distance of 3 feet from one another. You will have to plant green tea in a sunny to semi-shaded area which is the suitable condition for healthy growth of the plant.
4. You will have to plant the cuttings in a place where they get enough support and protection from the house wall, tree or any other structure against strong wind. Green tea needs to be cropped back every 4 years in order to regenerate the bush and to maintain proper height. Also make sure that you put sufficient mulch around each plant. Mulch will protect the plants from weeds and will also help in maintaining the moisture of the soil.
5. Tea plants undergo two development phases, the growth phase and the dormant phase. The dormant phase of the plant starts in the winter, therefore as soon as the shoots emerge out during the spring season, the new shoots should be plucked for tea. Whereas in the summer season there will be many flushes throughout the year and in this season the two uppermost leaves and the new buds can be plucked for tea during each flush.
6. Here is what a new gardener should keep in mind. If you have opted to sow seeds to grow tea plants, then you will have to wait for at least three years before your plant is ready for harvest.
7. Once your plant is ready for harvest, make sure that you harvest only the youngest of all tea leaves and buds. You should pluck the terminal three leaves along with the terminal bud while harvesting the new leaves and buds.
8. Once you have plucked the tea leaves, it's time to enjoy the aromatic taste of the tea. Allow the plucked leaves to dry out from direct contact with the sun for few hours.
9. Once dry, steam the leaves in a pan over the stove to a temperature of 500 degrees F for about 14 minutes. Move the pan continuously to prevent the leaves from burning due to excess heat.
10. Store the dried leaves in a cool and dark place until you are ready to use them. In this way the tea leaves will not lose its aroma.

Tips For Growing Organic Strawberries

Gardening can scare some people away because you cannot rely on traditional methods used in the home garden such as ready to use fertilizers and herbicides. However organic gardening can be easier and more economical for these reasons, you don't have to spend time applying chemicals every couple of weeks or worrying about how to apply them. Growing organic strawberries is not only very simple but produces the absolute most delicious strawberries you can find anywhere.

As a basis for your new strawberry garden you will want three things, a well-draining soil base, a nutrient rich organic additive like compost or natural manures and finally a raised bed to put your new soil materials into. If you don't compost, don't worry almost all nurseries carry generic compost and often high quality natural fertilizers such as bat guano.

You should begin by constructing your raised bed so that you have an idea of how much soil you will need, for strawberries I would suggest an 8 inch high bed with an adequate length and width to plant at least 25 strawberry plants.

The reason you want at least 25 strawberries is because you should assume each plant will only make around 3 - 4 berries during the growing season. While they may make more, you will likely lose some berries to pests and there is nothing more disappointing than working hard on a strawberry garden that produces only a few berries.

Now you want to fill in your bed, you can use soil from your yard but if it does not drain well you should add perlite or a drainage additive into it before putting it in your bed. You will also want to put a layer of compost starting about 2 inches below the soil surface and be sure to make it a generous layer as it will feed your plants throughout the whole season.

After you finish filling in your raised bed it's time to plant your strawberries, you can either use a flat of berries that you buy or plant seeds according to their package's instructions. If you plant mature plants you should consider applying a layer of mulch to help keep a higher soil temperature and increase water retention; if you planted seeds you should wait till your plants develop some to apply this layer of mulch.

Do You Know Lotus Is Important To The Ancient Egyptians

The lotus appeared in legends originating from ancient Egypt. It played an important part in ancient Egyptian religion. The pure white lotus flower, the only plant to fruit and flower simultaneously, emerges from the depths of the muddy swamp. Growing from the mud at the bottom of ponds and streams, the exquisite Lotus flower rises above the water and is usually white or pink with 15 or more oval, spreading petals, and a peculiar, flat seedcase at its center.

It is a symbol of the sun, of creation and rebirth. Because at night the flower closes and sinks underwater, at dawn it rises and opens again. According to one creation myth it was a giant lotus which first rose out of the watery chaos at the beginning of time. From this giant lotus the sun itself rose on the first day. A symbol of Upper Egypt .The lotus flower played a prominent role in the version of the creation story that originated in Heliopolis. Before the universe came into being, there was an infinite ocean of inert water which constituted the primeval being named Nun. Out of Nun emerged a lotus flower, together with a single mound of dry land. The lotus blossoms opened, and out stepped the self-created sun god, Atum, as a child. A slightly different version of the creation story originated in Hermopolis. In that version, the sun god who formed himself from the chaos of Nun emerged from the lotus petals as Ra. The lotus is a flower which opens and closes each day. His history went on to say that the petals of the lotus blossom enfolded him when he returned to it each night.

The Lotus flower has for thousands of years symbolized spiritual enlightenment. Indeed, this flower essence's purpose is to accelerate spiritual evolvement and enhance healing on every level within the system.

The blue lotus was found scattered over Tutankhamen's body when the Pharaoh's tomb was opened in 1922. Many historians thought it was a purely symbolic flower, but there may be some reason to believe that ancient Egyptians used it to induce an ecstatic state, stimulation, and/or hallucinations, as well as being widely used as a general remedy against illness, and to this day is used as a tonic for good health, consumed as an extract.