PLEASE PASS THE GUATEMALA

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These pictures are from Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. Atitlan in Mayan means ,"the place where the rainbow gets it's colors".

This lake is surrounded by three volcano's and is 5,125 feet above sea level.

It is the deepest lake in Central America at 1,115 feet deep. --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Guatemala is kind of a rough neighborhood. It is still recovering from a civil war that lasted from 1964 till 1996
. Lots of poverty, weapons left over from the war and gangs. Narco cartels from Mexico are filling the vacume and gaining power here. If you visit just make sure you are with a group and they have security. There are over 5000 murders per year in Guatemala the vast majority go unsolved due to an ineffective police and court system.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apart from the risks it is a colorful
Place.

Native Maya people come out from the villages that surround the lake and sell blankets and trinkets.

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I guess they even have bass boats in Guatemala. This fella evidently made this boat himself out of scrap boards.

He is apparently a student of history and a realist about his boat building skills. On the back panel he has named his boat Titanic.

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Ok ,Ok what does this have to do with gardening you ask. Well here is my answer and excuse me if I got sidetracked.

I found a lot of unusual plants in Guatemala. Most of them I do not know what they are like this here joker.

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Here is a closer picture.

This is a really cool looking plant .

If you know what it is please leave me a comment. Hell, even if you don't know feel free to leave a comment.

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CARE FOR A SMALL SLICE OF JAMAICA

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Some tropical beauty Jamaican style .





These pictures are from the White river which divides the St Mary and St Ann parishes in Ocho Rios.



Ocho Rios means eight rivers named by the Spanish in the 1600's.



This cool clear water runs from a mountain down to the sea.



Its called the White River because it flows over a limestone bed and appears white. Makes sense to me.





The river is surrounded by lush tropical plants on both banks.



It has lots of fountain displays of giant Bamboo shooting up perhaps 50-60 feet as in this picture.



Arch bridge over the river built by the Spanish in the 1600's. It is still standing after 300 years.

The arch construction is an amazingly strong way to build a structure as the Spanish demonstrate.


Bet I couldn't get a permit here in South Florida to build this today.



And lastly Bromeliads growing wild in the tree branches.



The Bromeliads attach themselves with their roots. They get moisture and nourishment through the air.

This was the last picture before I explored "Flipping Rapids". Appropriately named as my raft proceeded to flip depositing my camera and I in the White River. The camera didn't recover from being submerged but the memory card survived.

Great adventure.

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SHIBUMI, GET SOME

Does your garden have Shibumi? It is a Japanese term for beauty or perfection that is unpretentious in its simplicity.

I know at this point you are probably saying that old sanddune must have brewed up another batch of that homemade Sea Grape wine.

The quest by humans to achieve Shibumi can be a lifelong one. God's creations achieve it effortlessly.

The goal is effortless perfection or external accomplishment which satisfies and calms the spirit.





How does one explain a concept such as Shibumi. Its the simple elegant beauty of a Eagle soaring effortlessly in the sky or that perfect sunset.





You can't describe Shibumi with words and give it justice. But it transcends experience and you recognize its beauty intuitively in your very being. That which is perfect in its simplicity. As in this Mandevilla flower.

In our stress filled world today it is good that people be quiet and ponder on such matters.
Strive to achieve Shibumi in your garden and your life. The journey is so worth it.
Now if I could just remember where I put down that jug of wine.
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COULD GAS BE YOUR PROBLEM

-----------CLICK ON ANY PICTURE TO ENLARGE IT----------------------------------This time of year seems to me to be a good time for some preventative maintenance.
My lawn mower deck rusting through and dropping the running engine was a gentle reminder.

http://sofloridagardening-sanddune.blogspot.com/2009/10/one-more-season.html




So today I started doing some of the things on my list of things that I really ought to do one day.

The first was to slop coat my old wheelbarrow . It stays propped up outside exposed to the elements and out of mind until I need it.

This guy got a fresh coat of rusty metal enamel primer over the wheels, tub and supports. Used an old paintbrush I had thrown in my shed and slopped the paint over all the metal areas. It might not be pretty but it will extend its life.
Next order of business was to wipe down all of my garden tools with some WD40. After sitting through the summer moisture and humidity the light oil coat will protect them from rusting. So goes the old saying that," a stitch in time saves nine". ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here are some of my tips for the off season for your gas powered machinery.

While one could write volumes filled with what I don't yet know about gardening I do make claim to being a fair backyard small engine mechanic.

That mower, chainsaw , or gas trimmer won't start like it used to. It's probably your gas. Ever since the government mandated Ethanol be added to gas many problems arose. Look on your gas pump next time you fill up. It will have something like E-10 all the way to e-85 marked. That is the percentage of Ethanol added to the gas mixture.

Ethyl alcohol is a fantastic solvent and by its nature absorbs water. As a solvent, That ethanol now in your metal gas tank is busy cleaning the metal and releasing fine metal particles that are just right for clogging up your fuel filter. It is also corrosive and will eat up your mowers metal parts, carburetor, and gaskets. Has your cars fuel gauge started sticking or stopped working the past few years? Clue. And as I can attest to in a fiberglass gas tank the solvent effect of Ethanol can actually decompose the fiberglass resin turning it into gooey mess which get sucked into your engine. Not good.

The important thing to remember is that Ethanol has the property of absorbing water. Any moisture in your fuel tank like from condensation is absorbed by the ethanol . Then the fuel and the water filled ethanol separates. This is known as phase separation. Not good. It causes a noncombustible layer in the fuel that will stop any engine.

So what to do.
1- Do not put away your mower, chainsaw , etc. for the season and leave fuel in the tank. Drain it. You can empty out your gas can into your car tank to get rid of the fuel if it will not be used for several months.

2- Use a gas stabilizer if the gas will be sitting for over two weeks. I now put Marine formula Sta-Bil Ethanol Formula in all my fuel from my lawn mower to my truck.
3- Realize the gas we now get is really bad use it quickly and don"t let it sit around.
4- Do Not leave Ethanol fuel sitting around in a fiberglass fuel tank. Take my word for this one.
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One of the other problems that I had with my lawn mower was from the gas becoming contaminated with trash. You know the little black particles that have settled to the bottom in your gas can. Don't believe me take a look into your gas can next time you have it out. Also I mow in a sand yard and the ensuing dirt cloud is always somehow getting debris into my mower's fuel tank. As the fuel was going through the carburetor the trash would clog up one of the carburetor jets stopping the fuel flow and conking out the engine.
I then knew that the remedy was to remove the carburetor and clean out the trash now clogging the carburetor jets to reestablish the fuel flow. After a while I became so good at doing this I believe I could do it blindfolded.

My solution to the problem of junk in the fuel clogging up the jets was quite simple.





I went to the local auto parts store and purchased a small inline fuel filter. I installed it between my mowers gas tank outlet and the carbs fuel intake using twisted safety wire as hose clamps on both ends of the filter.

This is also a good time to replace the short length of fuel line between the tank outlet and the carb inlet as you will be cutting the fuel line anyway to install the new fuel filter.

If you try this make sure that the plastic fuel filter is pointing in the right flow direction as you install it. There is usually an arrow on the filter body to indicate the fuel flow direction. Its from the gas tank to the carburetor.

Lastly make sure to leave enough room so the plastic fuel filter is not touching the engine so it doesn't melt with the engine running.

Problem of gas trash solved. The fuel from the mower tank now is filtered now prior to entering the carburetor.

For what it's worth those are my tips . They work for me ,use them if they help. If you do you can be the one laughing as you listen to your neighbors pulling that starter cord repeatedly and cursing instead of you.


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NEW HOME FOR THE PUPS

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Today seemed as good as any to separate the Bromeliad Pups from their Momma.


Bromeliads are mostly from South America and grow in the tropics and sub-tropics. This here one blooms only once as do 99% of the ornamentals.




And since she has bloomed she has grown pups to regenerate new life. The pup is visible growing up from the base of the mother. In fact upon taking it out of the pot I found three pups.

These are harvested by cutting the pup away from the mother with a knife at a downward angle from the top. Include some of the root with the pup to support it.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Here are the three Pups cut away from the mature Bromeliad.

I kind of missed with the far left pup and did not get much rootstock. That's ok because these Bromeliads get their nourishment and water from the air and not the roots. The roots are to support the plant and anchor it.

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Here are the three new plants poising with their proud Momma.

I always support the plants with a piece of Bamboo and tie them to the Bamboo stake with sisal twine. Just like the song,

"Lean On Me".

This gives them some wind and dog protection both of which are a requirement in my garden.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And guess what I found in the soil from the Momma Bromeliad pot. An Earthworm.

I thought that they were only something that you read about gardening magazines. First one that I have ever found in the South Florida sand pit known as my backyard. Is this earthworm an omen that my garden plot is metamorphing into the lush garden oasis that I envision in my mind? Hard to say for sure. I stared at it for a long time in anticipation of a message to this effect but the worm remained silent.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Then as I walked around to the front of my home I was confronted with a herd of WHITE IBIS crossing my path.

Could this herd of WHITE IBIS be an Omen that my garden plot is metamorphing into the lush garden oasis that I envision in my mind.

Oh Man, this is all to much to take in, I'm going back inside where it's safe.

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NEW PUPS FOR FREE

Several new pups on my Bromeliads are here and ready to start a new free plant. What I have learned with the Bromeliad plants is that the bloom on the plant signals its slow demise. But it also tells the plant to make new offspring to carry on.



This Brom has been in bloom for several months. Nothing about a Bromeliad happens fast.



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It now knows that for its species to survive it must reproduce. So it does before the main plant slowly fades away.


It starts new plants that are called pups to propagate the plant.



In the picture { click on any picture to enlarge it } You can see the two new pups this plant has produced. They are ready to be planted on their own as new plants. In fact, I planted this Bromeliad as a pup from it's mother.
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This Pineapple Bromeliad is also ready to have its pups form new plants. Each pup can be cut from the pineapple and will grow into a separate adult. The adult will mature and have new pups to complete the cycle.



Ok, you say but how can I use that Revelation. Well, since you ask, I'm fittin to tell you.

If you have a friend with a Bromeliad in bloom that you like ask if you can have a pup. It wont be long before they appear and you have your own for free. A little patience and you will soon have pups of your own running around.


This is one of six growing from pups I have harvested from one Bromeliad. They make great gifts or barter plants with gardener friends. Note: Of course my garden helper Odette had to get in the picture. She is hunting lizards she hopes I will flush from the plants. To her a high speed chase with a lizard is great dog fun.


Anyway where was I . Here is how I harvested the pups from an earlier post:
http://sofloridagardening-sanddune.blogspot.com/2009_05_17_archive.html
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And finally it is the middle of November and I can plant my free Tulip Bulbs. I got them from a lady in an office who was throwing away a potted plant with spent Tulips. I have been saving the bulbs in a coffee can and now is the time to plant them, in a bag, in the refrigerator. According to what I have read they need the cold to start growing so in South Florida that means the fridge.

I am hoping to leave them there until around January when we get our colder heat here and plant them outside in a pot. Yes, growing Tulips in the tropics sounds stupid but one of the advantages to being a gardening nimrod is that you don't always know when you are doing stupid things. Besides I have been waiting since spring to be able to put these bulbs in the refrigerator. Hope the wife don't think they are onions.

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