• Jess: The rose specific compost making details that you were asking are given here
• http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3528532/npk-and-ph-of-organic-matters?n=65

Thanks so very much Khalid!

wow wolves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wow wow wow!!!!!!!!!

what kind of wolves are there Khalid, do you have photo's?

Barking deer!

Here I have monkeys in the area, and two packs of baboons, that's why I will never be able to grow corn or pumpkins...plus there are kudu's, (a very large antelope with beautiful curly horns), and some other deer called Duikers (Diver buck), and many lethal snakes and many massive lizards called Nile- and Rock Monitors...and dangerous spiders, like the wolf spider. I've seen a nest the other day...close to the new path going past my little dam on the other side of the fence...

Thank goodness we don't have leopards they are very dangerous (sneaky) - do they cause problems there Khalid? Here they have killed two game rangers in the Kruger Park...in broad daylight, on bridges where people get of to walk around, they jump on you and drag your body away...I'm very scared of these animals...

Also thanks so much Ms Girl...this means so much to me...

and thanks for the compost recipe...I have studied it and am planning all day long how to get enough of all the ingredients...thinking about going to the home industry to ask if someone who makes banana bread won't keep me the peels...

yes MsGirl, Just Joey grows like mad, blooming all the time, and Sharifa is unreal. Khalid's Sharifa has the best color I've ever seen.

Looking forward to see your roses again soon!

Jess: Monkeys in South Africa? That's exciting. We used to have a pet monkey in Vietnam .. it didn't like older kids, but it adored me .. that's when I was a baby.

Jess: My house is just in the foothills of Margalla Hills National Park (you can google it). I often go for a walk or hiking in the mountains. The mountains that you see in the pic are part of the Margalla Hills.

Monkeys are quite common and there are certain points on the road where we always come across monkeys. They are not shy of coming on the road and many people feed them there.

Leopards are very few and we are trying to save them. Leopards, unless injured, don't come near villages / built up areas. But when they are injured, they can't hunt the wild animals and then they sneak through the villages for domesticated animals like goats, chickens, dogs etc who are an easy prey. As per my experience, more often it is the carelessness / negligence of humans which causes bad accidents than the ability of leopards to hunt humans. We must have full knowledge of the jungle before entering one. Animals behave as per their instinct and nature. The way Almighty has created a predator (like leopard) that is how it will behave normally. It will attack you if it is hungry and gets an opportunity. None of its faults, that's how God programmed them. It's humans that have knowledge, wisdom and ability to decided what they should do and what they should not. If humans are not careful and follow the rules of jungle, it could be dangerous.

Wolves also don't come close to the population. Jackal and wild boars do come near the population for feeding but leopards and wolves don't, unless they are injured or their habitat is threatened by humans.

Sorry for this lecture on wild animals but being a hunter, I have to know the behaviour of the animals.

best regards

Khalid: I appreciate your knowledge and philosophy on wild animals. My 2 younger brothers are hunters too .. they hunt deer, pheasant, and rabbits in Michigan. One time my brother saw a Mommy deer and a baby deer together, he could not shoot the mommy, and left them alone.

I used to be mad that deer ate all the leaves off my Firefighter rose, until I saw a Mommy deer and a really cute baby deer coming to my garden. I didn't mind them eating my roses after that.

Straw: Mother animals show the behaviour of a mother in the best possible way. Mother animals are very caring and submissive, fully focused on raising their children. However, they can become most dangerous at once if their babies are endangered. This is how God has programmed them.

They will go to any extent to defend their babies, even if it costs them their own lives and therefore, can be very offensive to animals / humans far bigger in size, which they would always avoid in their normal routine lives. Till the time their babies grow to an age where they can take care of themselves, the only purpose of their life is to feed, groom and train their babies to lead a successful life in the environment where they are living.

But human mothers could be different (since they have been given, along with men, the ability to exercise their CHOICE in their actions. Animals can exercise VERY LIMITED CHOICE. They mostly do what they are programmed to do). In all countries and societies one can come across mothers who give priority to something else then raising their children in a manner that they become contributing members of the society. Few might disagree with me but for me, raising children in the best possible way (health, personality, character etc), ie, laying the basic foundation of a kid's life on correct lines is the natural instinct of a mother and NOTHING CAN REPLACE THAT. Fathers, in general, have limited capability of doing all this though they have their own responsibilities in certain areas for which mother has limited / restricted capability to perform. This is how nature balances the things but gives humans the CHOICE to do what they feel appropriate. Sometimes, there is a lot that one can learn from animals.

best regards

I love the monkeys Straw, but I have a cat that barely survived an attack by monkeys - he almost didn't make it, and baboons are even more dangerous so I keep my cats in their kennel to protect them, I won't be able to go and rescue them in this wild area...

I have a cat now in the hospital, she's dying of cat Aids - she was a wild cat when I took her in and apparently wild cats get that disease... I'm so sad, will go and visit her later today but she might not make it through this night.

I must believe this, because my heart breaks every time I loose one of my animal friends, and their lives are so much shorter than ours...

This cat is in hospital now, dying - Mrs Muffet.

They were all wild cats that came to me from the veld where i used to stay in Port Elizabeth. She was pregnant and had 3 sweet sons. Bollie, Blacky and Moena (below)

and then life became even more interesting - this snake has just been pointed out to me by one of my cats - it's a tree snake...I think... now...what do I do with mr/s snake...it's just hanging there, looking at me...if it's a tree snake, and he/she certainly looks like one, it would be lethal, but not aggressive...

As the name suggests the Boomslang (directly translated into English ‘tree snake') is very rarely seen on the ground, as they prefer to dwell in trees or shrubs. They are extremely shy and wouldn't attack unless provoked.

Distribution & habitat: It is found throughout most of the country except the Northern Cape and part of the Free State. It has a wide habitat range including lowland forest, savannah, grassland, fynbos and Karoo scrub.

Identification: The average adult boomslang is 100-160 cm in total length, but some exceed 183 cm. The eyes are exceptionally large, and the head has a characteristic egg-like shape. Coloration is very variable. Males are light green with black or blue scale edges, but adult females may be brown. Boomslangs are able to open their jaws up to 170 degrees when biting.

Kind of venom: The venom of the boomslang is primarily a hemotoxin; it disables the blood clotting process and the victim may well die as a result of internal and external bleeding. The venom has been observed to cause hemorrhage into tissues such as muscle and brain. Other signs and symptoms include headache, nausea, sleepiness and mental disorders.

What to do if bitten: The venom is very slow acting and it can take up to 24 hours for symptoms to appear. If bitten by a Boomslang, bandage the area and get to the hospital and receive anti-venom.

http://www.hibiscuscoastseconds.co.za/natural-ways-repel-snakes/

a few plants that I'll try to get hold of ...soon...

Thanks, Jess, for sharing with us pics. your cats .. (my kid loves cats). I hope your cats will be safe from the wildlife. That's the 1st time I see a tree-snake, such green color that blends in with leaves. Wormwood to repel snake is such a pretty yellow flowers.

I was bitten once by wasp .. painful for a few weeks, but no harm. We have lots of wasps here that eat rose-slugs. I'm still dizzy from that darn-flu-shot, it really mess up my life.

Thanks Straw...pleeeeez get Oscillicoconum?

I'm so sorry to hear that your'e not well......I'm worried about you now...

my cat passed away before I could get to see her...

but my friend in Oman (she gives english classes there) - told my a funny ...(maybe not so funny) story to cheer me up....(but if you picture it there is a sense of humor to it...

she said where here parents live in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, her mother and friend were sitting on their porch when a GREEN MAMBA dropped right on top of the friend's lap... she jumped and flew in one go higher than superwoman...

http://www.sareptiles.co.za/forum/viewtopic.php?f=85&t=10800

above site has a lovely photo of a green mamba...

I've also been bitten by wasps a few times (they get aggressive when it's really hot and just attack out of nowhere)...that is so painful...and apparently the venom builds up in your body so every time you get bitten it gets worse...it's true, every time I got bitten it got worse and worse...now I'm very careful of them...

https://midlandsconservanciesforum.wordpress.com/tag/kzn-midlands/page/3/

a lovely site about the Natal Midlands, conservation and the devastation that can be (and is) caused by Fracking.

tell me your opinion on this?

they all loved mrs Muffet, their mother so much...

I was just thinking...maybe I should start a new thread, about Fracking?

Straw, please read these articles, very important....

It's about the flu-injection (and how dangerous it is), and how you can be helped with homeopathy.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/10/31/flu-vaccination-epa-safety-limit-for-mercury.aspx

https://vaccinefree.wordpress.com/vaccine-injury-homeopathic-detox-mn-cease/

http://drsircus.com/medicine/vaccines/prevention-treatment-of-vaccine-damages

ps - there are many more to be read about this.... if you type into google:

homeopathy to get rid of toxins of flu-injection

Jess: definitely will look into the links you gave. THANK YOU SO MUCH for your help. I was admiring your cats & the green tree-snake & plants to repel snake .. delayed shopping for a while. Husband was impatient, but we missed a car-accident by about 15 min. THANK GOD for your posts, which delayed us ... otherwise it could had been us. We went past by the accident, and saw the police & the damages done to both cars.

The last link you gave helps: vitamin C, baking soda, magnesium for flu-shot reaction. Thanks. There are so many car-accidents lately on the weekends .. I normally go shopping during week-days, but I have been dizzy so I let my husband drive me on the weekends.

Bollie is a gorgeous cat with nice sandy color, and beautiful green eyes !! I looked up fracking .. don't understand much about it.

Jess: Very sad to know about the death of Mrs Muffet. It's hard to part with domesticated animals. Once a long time back I remember one of our pet cats died. My sister wept and didn't eat well for many days. They were very attached to the cat.

I am absolutely fascinated to see that you have so much wild life just around your house. Baboons are large monkeys and can be aggressive to cats. But here is the problem. Our domesticated animals many a times are not accustomed to the jungle rules that the animals set for themselves. Animals are mostly territorial but our domestic animals sometimes do not understand that they are violating someone's territory (even if happens to be just inside or around the house) because for them, the whole house is THEIR territory.

It's great to know that you took care of Mrs Muffet till the end and tried your best. This is an act of goodness which will never go unrewarded, as per my belief.

We have a two cats, male is a Persian named Buttons and he is 3 years old. We had a female KoKo that was Siamese but it's no more there. However, we do have Brownie now and she is daughter of Buttons and KoKo. Buttons is large size and healthy and doesn't allow any male cats around the house. However, he doesn't mind any female cat entering our house. A cat walked in few months back out of nowhere and Buttons welcomed her. Before we could do anything, the cat adjusted herself behind a less frequented place and had two cubs. Now the cat lives in the lawn with two cubs. Brownie lives inside the house and she doesn't like going out. Buttons is everywhere..... The cubs jump into my rose pots and play with the top soil and through it out of the pot. I have been unable to stop it but I cant afford it for ever. I am in a fix what to do. I wanted to leaves the cat and her cubs (which are quite grown up now) somewhere but my wife feels it will be cruel. She actually started weeping when she heard that I had plans to drop the cats somewhere and I just couldn't do it. But what will happen to my roses? All that rose specific compost that I am making...... I see it lying on ground every day. Lets see if Straw has a solution for this :)

best regard

Khalid: When we can't handle something, we leave that to God .. that applies to animals too. Someone left a kitty-cat nearby my Mom's house, it was cute & small and kept my Mom & Dad company in their old age for many years .. one day it went outside, got killed by some animals, and never came back .. My Mom really miss that cat .. it kept my Dad company after his stroke. He walked around, praying his rosary, and the cat kept him company in his daily walk. That cat had a fun & wonderful life filled with freedom and love.

Life is stressful when we try to handle things which we can't. I pray that your wife learns to let-go, and let-God.

When I met my husband, he had 4 cats .. I'm VERY allergic to cats, I sneeze about 20 times a day and I had to give them weekly baths, otherwise their dander made me sneeze. My husband gave away 3 cats, but kept one. We brought it to the vet to be neutered .. we spent $100 putting ads in the newspaper, and an old lady wanted that cat .. at the last minute, I could not let go of the cat .. I SHOULD HAD LET GO !! We decided to keep the cat instead of giving to the old lady. BIG MISTAKE .. it was so much harder to find people to accept a big & old cat when we moved into a tiny place.

Finally one of my relative took the cat in, then it ran away into the woods, and never come back. Some cats are meant for outside, and it's very hard to keep them indoor, they always try to run away. What's a burden to someone can be a blessing to someone else. Let go, and let God if the best approach. If the animal belongs to you, it will come back.

True story of a guy who painted the tail of a squirrel bright orange, then drove for miles to release into the woods. Few months later, the squirrel with the bright orange-tail made its way back to guy's garden !! If the cats want to come back to the owner, it will find a way. My Mom's cat traveled for miles a day, it always came back in the evening, except toward the end ... shortly after that my Mom & Dad had to sell the house.

Keeping things & pets & people when that create conflict isn't best in the long run. It's best to let go & let God and trust that God will take care for His Creation, including animals. A burden in one's place can be a blessing in another place.

Thanks from my hearty Straw and Khalid, for understanding and the wise and true words of encouragement...

I'm feeling better today, but then I heard David Bowie passed away and started feeling sad again - have you ever heard him sing the song: Wild is the Wind...what a lovely voice he had...Death and Life dance together in this Reality of ours...how to be able to see without the eyes of flesh....

Khalid, get a whole lot of tooth picks and stick them halfway into your pots and soil. closely together. End of problem :-) (any twig will do - but they truly don't like the sharpness of tooth picks)

or you can cover the pots with only soil/compost with a mesh, but the pots with roses - cats really dislike anything sharp when they try to utilize or play with soil...

they also dislike large hard leaves - I had the same problem that's why I used thorn branches but the thorns ended up in my toes and the cats just laughed, and still managed to get past the thorns...but the large Loquat leaves are avoided 100%

God bless you both, and having been reminded again how fragile life is, and how short, I simply have to say I love you, all of you in this rose forum, and I feel blessed to be able to communicate with you. thank you.

Found this photo (google) - I would add even more sharp tooth picks than in this photo :-)

That looks like a great idea, Jess !! Yes, life is precious, and I love your company & spirit too, Jess. Still sick with vertigo from the flu-shot, I reported that to FDA & health agencies. There's a fund established to compensate victims of flu-shot, but it has to be more than 6-months of side-effects !!

I'm spending 1/2 hour per day just to do vertigo exercises to lessen the dizziness. I can't drive still. No money can compensate for the peace of lying my head down without getting dizzy. Health is the most precious commodity.

Straw I'm also so happy that you missed that horrid accident, glad you were 15 minutes late :-)

Please try and find out more about ways to get rid of the flu-shot toxins, by using homeopathic (100% harmless) remedies?

thank you for your kind words...I really hope you will get well soon...please keep meposted....?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mp4ELXKv-w

this is the movie Gasland, maybe it'll be easier to get the DVD from the rental shop?

It's about Fracking.

Fracking does cause environmental damage. The Environmental Protection Agency has recently released a report on fracking and its impact on water. It is open for public comment and peer-review. There have been illegal discharges into streams and municipal sewerage works. But most has been the result of poor handling of water expelled from the well.

The environmental impact caused by shale gas production is a tiny fraction of that caused by coal mining. The volume of the earth’s crust disturbed by a hole 15cm in diameter and 5km long is tiny in comparison to the 3km x 5km x 120m excavation of South Africa’s only open cast coal mine.

The geological location of a well determines how much water is used. In some parts of the US, each hole has needed about six Olympic size swimming pools of water.

In the Karoo, a semi-arid region of South Africa, that is extravagant unless alternative supplies of water are found. A survey of deep groundwater has shown a huge lake more than 2km below surface between the Outeniqua mountains and the Little Karoo.

(WHICH ANIMALS AND PEOPLE IN THE DROUGHT-STRICKEN KAROO REALLY NEED MORE THAN GAS, plus, we all know how corrupt officials can be bought to keep quiet about any illegalities, especially in a country where it's cheaper to pump untreated sewerage into rivers and dams than to buy more water from another poorer country's dams...))

there are many people who would promote Fracking, especially the ones who benefit $$$$$...but the poor and thirsty will be worse off, and we all know how many oil spills there have been, and if you watch the movie Gasland, you'll see more about how this pollutes water deeply underground...forever.....

http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/gasland

http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/

Many people are debating if everything said about Fracking is true, but unfortunately accidents happen, and water gets contaminated, animals die, people have less drinking water.

the other great loss is a beautiful landscape that will forever be altered...and a lot of trucks, pollution, road kills, but to some that means just plain nothing.

this is a Fracking landscape

this is the landscape that will be lost forever

http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/2012/06/01/karoo-fracking-could-cause-water-disaster

A Free State professor says there is a high risk that hydraulic fracturing in the Karoo could cause the worst water pollution problem in the world.

He was "100 percent certain" that underground water in the Karoo basin flowed upwards, and that there were a vast number of natural "pathways" along which water could flow upwards.

As a result water could carry a toxic cocktail of chemicals used in fracking up to freshwater aquifers nearer the surface.

Combined with a number of artificial pathways created by fracking boreholes, polluted water would have devastating consequences for farmers, he said.

Fracking involves pumping a mixture of water, sand and chemicals at high pressure down a borehole into the rock strata containing the shale gas. The process releases the gas, which flows out of the borehole to the surface, where it is captured.

Environmental concerns[edit]

The main concern raised against fracking is of the environment. In order to extract the gas, water and chemicals must be blasted into the shale at high pressures.[20] This process concerns opponents of fracking because of the potentially chemical leaks into sub-surface aquifers, which could affect thousands of hectares of land for many years.[20] Radioactive particles could also pollute groundwater, which is already scarce in the Karoo.[21] Proponents of the process argue that a well-maintained regulatory environment, with emergency event control protocols, would prevent environmental catastrophes from occurring.[22] In the United States, leakage has been reported in less than 1% of wells.[4] Proponents also argue that more casing can be used while drilling to prevent leakages and environmentally friendly chemicals have been developed to prevent leaks from being harmful to local water supplies.[7] Finally, proponents contend that aquifers depended on for human use in the Karoo are generally shallow, while shale pockets that could be extracted from are deeper, so contamination is less likely.[21]

A flowering Karoo environment.

Multiple concerns about water needed for hydraulic fracturing have arisen. For the first 24 exploratory wells alone, it is estimated that 57 million gallons of water will be needed.[10] However, low rainfall levels and high evaporation make South Africa the 30th driest country in the world, which is especially concerning to many opponents of fracking given the semi-desert environment of the Karoo.[16] Local villages are especially vulnerable to water shortages, often depending on a small number of wells for drinking, washing, and irrigating.[9] South Africa is projected by some to run out of water by 2025, and 95% of available fresh water was allocated by 2005.[21] (*****but STILL, UNTREATED SEWERAGE IS PUMPED INTO DAMS AND RIVERS???) Proponents propose transporting water from areas with a surplus in the immediate area, avoiding the depletion of local supplies.[16] Other strategies could involve piping in seawater after it has been purified or taking water from the Orange River, although these strategies have limitations.[7] Transportation burdens existing infrastructure, and purification of seawater is costly.[7]

Skeptics of the alleged sustainability of hydraulic fracturing have also voiced concerns. While natural gas may burn cleaner than energy sources such as coal, there is still a danger for the extraction process to release methane into the atmosphere, which is more potent than carbon dioxide.[16] Opponents also contend that there is not enough infrastructure for natural gas extraction in South Africa to replace coal, meaning that natural gas will be exported and coal will remain the source of energy of choice domestically.[16] Proponents are more optimistic that hydraulic fracturing will act as a bridge towards the development of other sources of renewable energy, decreasing the need for coal and oil consumption.[16] Opponents counter that while this strategy would decrease natural gas prices and therefore carbon dioxide emissions, the lowered prices of natural gas would deter further investment into the renewable energy sector.[16]

Further environmental concerns voiced by opponents to fracking include the potential impacts of truck congestion on and damage local road systems at great financial costs to municipalities, which could also exacerbate soil erosion on dirt roads in an already sensitive environment.[3] Fracking could also threaten regional food security by destabilizing meat and crop production that occurs in the Karoo, which feeds some of the poorest people of South Africa.[3] Lastly, because 40% of the plants found in the Karoo are unique to the regions, there are concerns that fracking could threaten the biodiversity of the region.[3]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_fracturing_in_South_Africa

Do you suggest I start a new thread on Fracking?

Jess: Very informative writeup about fracking. I hope sane people in developed countries protest against it and bring it to a stop. But you know what, it won't stop. It will only shift to developing countries where it is much easier to manipulate the officials / governments. And thanks about the tooth pick technique. Will try that when needed. Yesterday morning I filled all my pots with dry leaves and after that, cats are not much interested in jumping into the pots. Lets see how it works.

Straw: I am so glad to know know that you are safe and avoided the accident. God is always there to look after us and whether we remember Him or not, He is never unaware of us. BTW Straw; why don't you try cinnamon and ginger tea for a few day. It will have no aftereffects. You can just give it a try. Boil a cup of water with half a spoons of black tea and few chunks of cinnamon and ginger. Take it without sugar and milk. Take it 3-4 times a day and you will hopefully feel better in three days.

BTW, I am taking rose tea almost every day and I have found that it is very good for digestion and upset stomach. Myself and my son had upset stomach after we ate a lot during dinner couple of days back. We too rose tea twice a day and we were absolutely ok.

best regards

English tremors blamed on shale fracking

02 NOV 2011 16:47 RAPHAEL G SATTER

A company using hydraulic fracturing to release natural gas from shale rock said the technique probably did trigger earth tremors in April and May.

http://mg.co.za/article/2011-11-02-english-tremors-blamed-on-shale-fracking

Thanks Khalid

how do you prepare the rose tea? do you make it yourself? Not available here alas...

Yes, you are so right about Fracking and many other bad things - it'll always end up in poor (and corrupt) countries....

Glad the leaves helped for the naughty kitties.

The Cinnamon and ginger sounds like a good idea for all-round health... especially stomach upsets... I found that Cinnamon works wonders for heart burn...

and yes, God is always aware of us... those are such true words Khalid.

So glad Straw is safe and missed that accident...

Jess: here is the link for rose tea

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3579603/12-29-15-foods-to-lose-weight-daily-journal-toward-health-and-joy?n=21

Khalid: The cinnamon & ginger & black tea you suggest was GREAT !! I tried that last night, and it took away my tummy-ache (had greasy egg-rolls last night !!) ... plus I was much less nauseated & less dizzy when I went to bed. I'm going to have that tea after each meal for better digestion.

Really appreciate that tea in kicking my chewing-gum habit .. the artificial sugar in chewing gum breeds bad bacteria that cause bloating & gas pain. But the ginger tea you suggested helped with digestion tremendously, and I got a flat-tummy after dinner, rather than bloated like a pregnant lady. THANKS !!

Jess: A thread on fracking to warn folks of the danger would be great !! That could be lumped up with other environmental dangers: sink hole (I'm not sure why there's such an increase in sink hole). You helped me in understanding fracking better ... the internet is BIASED .. all the good things about flu-shot, and it took me a week before I found testimonies on flu-shot and vertigo. They make fracking sounds good, but it takes much digging to realize the truth.

Straw: I am so happy it worked. It always does.

Straw & Jess: I also use Anise (Pimpinella anisum locally called Sonf) and black cumin (Nigella sativa, locally called Kalonji) quite regularly, specially black cumin. There is local saying that "Kalonji cures everything except death itself (which is destined). May give it a try sometime.

Thanks for the rose tea recipe Khalid, will certainly try that as soon as possible...have to get some tea from the shops...

I am planning on sowing some Cumin seeds in spring :-)

Straw and Khalid: Thanks for enjoying the info on Fracking, I will start a new thread soon...work been keeping me very busy.

In the meantime the drought continues...it's starting to make me feel very depressed...to see my plants suffering, thinking about the wild animals without water...

Yes Straw, good info is hard to find on the internet, and it's all contradicting on top of that, as if it's meant to confuse us...so glad Khalid's cinnamon and ginger is sorting you out with the side effects of the flu shot....

it's all quite scary...

Jess wrote: "I am planning on sowing some Cumin seeds in spring :-)"

If you are referring to my post above than I mentioned black cumin (Nigella sativa) and not common cumin seed (Cuminum cyminum). Both are very different

regards

Jess

Mr Lincoln is my favorite.

Here's two minute videos on

Rodale

https://youtu.be/Qk7xafKfV1c

https://youtu.be/GWGzVUQdIK8

They talk about reverse things and put carbon into the soil.

thanks Khalid

I'm thinking about sowing both...I will order my seeds from this company

http://www.herbgarden.co.za/mountainherb/herbinfo.php?id=83

Common Name: CUMIN - BLACK
Scientific Name: Nigella sativa
Seeds: To order please contact us
Get the latest pricelists hereDescription:

• Annual
• White flowers
• Mentioned in Bible

Culinary Uses:

• Spicy flavour.
• Ingredient in curry and spicy mixtures
• Bread, cake, sauces, curries, chutneys fish dishes

Medicinal Uses. It is said that:

• Respiratory conditions, allergies, fevers, flu, asthma, emphysema

• Hypertension, insomnia, arthritic and rheumatic pain

• Clear acne, boils, excessive perspiration

• Inhibits certain forms of cancer

• Stomach upsets, nausea, vomiting, colic, spasms, intestinal worms

• Diuretic and promotes lactation

• Treat inflammatory and auto-immune conditions

• http://www.herbgarden.co.za/mountainherb/herbinfo.php?id=461&seeds=1

• Plant InformationCommon Name: CUMIN, JEERA
  Scientific Name: Cuminum cyminum
  Seeds: To order please contact us
  Get the latest pricelists hereDescription:

  • Annual
  • Cumin is the dried seed of the herb Cuminum cyminum, a member of the parsley family.
  • It was originally cultivated in Iran and the Mediterranean region and has been in use since ancient times.
  • It is mentioned in the Bible in both the Old Testament (Isaiah 28:27) and the New Testament (Matthew 23:23).
  • Today it is cultivated all over the world.
  • Cumin is a half hardy, slender annual with finely divided, ovate leaves, reaching 10cm long.
  • Tiny, white to pale pink flowers are produced in umbels, followed by gray-green ovoid-oblong fruits, containing pale brown seeds.
  • Cumin is grown from seed sown in spring and prefers full sun, well-drained fertile soil and a long hot summer of three to four months (115 days).
  • Daytime temperatures must be around 30 °C - seeds may not ripen in cold climates.
  • Seeds must be sown directly in a garden bed and keep clean from weeds - germination will take place in 1 to 3 weeks.Culinary Uses:
  • Cumin can be used ground or as whole seeds and helps to add a hot and aromatic flavor to food.
  • The seeds are a perfect companion for salad dressings, cheese, pickles, pastries, masala, stews, soups and spiced gravies such as chili.
  • Cumin is an ingredient of curry powder and has a distinctive taste associated with ethnic foods of the Mediterranean Basin.
  • An essential oil from the seed is used as a food flavoring.Parts Used:
  • The seeds are collected by hand when ripe, threshed, dried and stored whole in airtight jars.Medicinal Uses. It is said that:
  • Cumin is an astringent herb that benefits the digestive system - it is used in treating inflammation, indigestion, flatulence and as an appetite suppressant.
  • Cumin purifies blood, promotes healthy reproductive organs in both male and female, increases milk flow in nursing mothers and acts an aphrodisiac.
  • A fine paste of cumin seed powder mixed with water is applied on boils, swellings and itchiness of the skin.
  • To prepare a mouth freshener, eliminate foul smell of the mouth and heal mouth ulcers - boil Cumin powder in water, allow cooling down, adding a pinch of cardamom powder, filter and gargle.
  • In ancient times it has been used as a pain killer and to treat rotten teeth.
  • Massage roasted Cumin powder mixed with sea salt on the gums to treat inflammations, prevent bleeding and to strengthen them.
  • To treat indigestion and flatulence - boil 5ml of Cumin seed powder in 250ml of water, allow it to cool down and drink twice daily.
  • Using Cumin powder with honey will do the same.
  • To treat irritable bowel syndrome - drink pomegranate juice mixed with roasted Cumin powder until the condition subsides.
  • In India ground Cumin powder is mixed into a paste with onion juice - to be applied to scorpion stings
  • Cumin has a very disagreeable flavor and is nowadays seldom used in Western herbal medicine - having been superseded by caraway which has similar properties and a more pleasant flavor.
  • Today Cumin's medicinal use is confined to veterinary practice where it is used as a carminative.For Animals. It is said that:
  • Cumin is often used as part of birdseed mixtures.
  • Mixed Cumin seeds and sea-salt is an universal remedy for diseases like scabby backs and breasts disease in pigeons.
  • Take 113g each of sea salt, common Salt, Dill-seeds, Cumin-seeds, 453g Fennel-seeds and 29ml Assafoetida.
  • Mix it with a little wheat flour and some fine-worked clay.
  • Mix well and bake in the oven.
  • Allow to cool down and put it on the table in the dove-cote for the pigeons

Thanks Samuel

I'm definitely going to watch these short doc's. will come back about that.

I also love my mr Lincoln rose, and I have also always admired the president by that name...

thanks for those YouTube videos Samuel, I couldn't agree more...

I will send the word far and wide...

excellent news:

'Dark heart of the ivory trade' no more: Hong Kong to phase out ivory sales

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/13/asia/hong-kong-ivory-trade/index.html

Jess: That's great news .. the ivory doesn't even look pretty.

Sam: thank you for those upbeat you-tube, I enjoyed it.

Khalid: I looked up black cumin seeds .. a lady in cooking forum raved about it. I'll check to see if I can get that from The Spice House.

" Black cumin also:

*stimulates energy and helps in recovery from fatigue and low spirits.
*is an effective cure for skin conditions such as allergies, eczema, acne, psoriasis and boils.
*is anti-parasitic.
*treats flatulence, diarrhea, hemorrhoids, constipation and dysentery.

NOTE: Those who decide to use black cumin seed oil should check labels and product information carefully. Black cumin is commonly referred to as black seed oil, black onion seed, black caraway, black sesame seed, and other names, but only Nigella sativa is true black cumin.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030800_cumin_seeds_health.html#ixzz3x8PZj96B

Straw: Thanks for the link, very comprehensive info about Kalonji. We use Nigella sativa (Kalonji) for every problem and it mostly works. Has no after effects. I am now trying to make it a routine to take Nigella sativa everyday.

Thanks Straw, Khalid. I think I should get hold of Black Cumin asap...

I will sow both though :-)

the flowers are so pretty.... and hopefully there will be rain to start them growing...

One of the things I've read about black cumin oil is it's effective against h. pylori and MRSA. Sounds like incredible powerful stuff.

thank you aztcqn for this fantastic info! I will definitely start using more of this herb...and hopefully the ones I sow in spring will all grow...

please join us in my latest thread:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3665134/m=23/celebrating-rain-roses-and-beneficial-insects

and Straw's latest thread:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3703104/2-20-16-to-your-mom-best-products-and-lifes-tips-and-plants-and-recipes?n=2

Khalid's and Samuel's wonderful roses and travels:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3586963/my-roses-in-zone-9a-2016?n=6

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3636217/travels-gardens-and-roses-2016-share-your-pics-here?n=12

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/3641915/zone-5-rose-shrubs