Plants from Paradise Blog

End of Plants From Paradise...

2009-06-28T01:20:00.000-07:00

The end of the line. I won't be continuing this blog.

I don't really do landscaping or plant brokering anymore. I only work on properties my family or I own. So this is "good bye" to Plants From Paradise.

Perhaps someone will find something I wrote here relevant to their ventures.

Till then, I'm on to other projects...

The Miami Herald is reporting the truth about the landscaping business

2009-03-10T12:21:00.001-07:00

The Herald is reporting on something we have known for a year:

the landscaping industry is in trouble in South Florida.

I can vouch for the fact that people are not buying plants or trees in this economy.

Any day planting is a great day!

2009-02-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

Whenever I get out and spend a day doing landscaping, I feel like a new man. It's the best form of exercise I know! It makes me so happy!

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/882594-p2.html

"South Florida's ornamental plant and foliage industry is in an economic vise, and the problem is not just related to orchids. Nursery owners are tightening belts, laying off workers and looking for new strategies to stay afloat."

People have been buying fewer plants for some time now. This is going to push people out of the landscaping business. I'm grateful whenever I get a chance to do landscaping.

When people get some more money, they'll want to get the biggest and most beautiful plants they can afford. For now, perhaps we can suggest smaller and more cost-effective plants. Let's keep the environment in mind too (natives, hint hint)!

No business but still having fun!!

2008-11-21T21:59:00.000-08:00

I'm having a great time organizing against the local sprawl-merchants:

http://notoparkland.blogspot.com/

Yep, yep. The American-Dream! We'll all just sell houses to each other and build more houses and sell houses to each other! EVERYONE should own a home!

Yeah, it was good for plant sales, but wouldn't a saner, more realistic economy had been better in the end?

There are many greedy hands that caused this collapse.

Visiting jobs from three years ago

2008-09-27T09:07:00.001-07:00

Time marches on.

I started selling plants online in the summer of 2005. I spent a few hours last night visiting some of the jobs I did over the years. My brother and I drove through the Grove, through the Design District, and North Miami.

The jobs look beautiful for the most part. I'm proud of my work even if new owners have no idea who planted those trees in the hot sun. The ficus benjamina is being attacked by the white fly and looks horrible. Maybe they'll be replaced with some beautiful natives.

The great thing about planting a tree is the ability to go back year after year and watch the growth. You were there at the beginning :)

2008-09-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

The Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency enlisted 100 goats to clear a 2.5-acre downtown lot yesterday, saying that the goats are cheaper and better for the environment than humans with weed-wackers, the LA Times reports.

Cool!

Working on a program for plant enthusiasts in South Florida...

2008-08-30T22:55:00.000-07:00

PlantsFromParadise.com is branching out into exciting territory here. I am currently in production working on a program that will have details concerning nearly every local plant and tree!

So far I have pictures and information on 30 plants and trees in South Florida, but I am nowhere near done. I am going to add EVERY plant in town.

I want to include information on the following:

height
canopy
leaf shape
tolerance
diseases
growing conditions
tricks to keep them healthy
plants that look good together

I want to offer:

all the plants in one spot
categories of plants
a test to determine if you REALLY can identify the plants of South Florida
a test to determine if you have knowledge about the peculiarities of the plants growing in South Florida

Another program just about pests may be next.

First design will be in Java. I will work on getting the whole jar in one thing...no folders! Also an exe might be easier for Windows users??

Perhaps this can be applet or web service as well...

Lots of exciting ideas. Originally I'll ask for beta testers and then I'll charge 20.00 for it.

It's going to be worth it!

Isn't it the truth?

2008-08-24T14:45:00.001-07:00

I've made an odd discovery. Every time I talk to a savant I feel quite sure that happiness is no longer a possibility. Yet when I talk with my gardener, I'm convinced of the opposite.

Bertrand Russell

Why Trees Can't Grow Forever

2008-08-21T08:53:00.000-07:00

Why don't trees grow to 1,000 feet tall? Here's what limits them:

"The Douglas-fir, state tree of Oregon, towering king of old-growth forests and one of the tallest tree species on Earth, finally stops growing taller because it just can't pull water any higher, a new study concludes."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811195319.htm

Extinction in the Rain Forests

2008-08-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

"Common tree species in the Amazon will survive even grim scenarios of deforestation and road-building, but rare trees could suffer extinction rates of up to 50 percent, predict Smithsonian scientists and colleagues."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813164644.htm

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Wouldn't it be awesome if we could work together as a species to protect our natural environment? Our current consume and destroy attitude does not seem to be sustainable.

Trolls like Rush Limbaugh need to be ignored.

Thrinax no more....

2008-08-18T17:34:00.000-07:00

A Caribbean palm that is well-known and widely grown in South Florida, the Keys thatch palm, is no longer what it was: Thrinax morrisii.

Instead, the palm turns out to be a different genus, say genetic detectives Scott Zona of Florida International University and Carl Lewis at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. The scientists established the new genus Leucothrinax, with the thatch palm the single species. Its new identity: Leucothrinax morrisii.

http://www.miamiherald.com/living/home/story/641612.html

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So you can see, it's time to update your price lists! I wonder how long it will take for this information to reach the nurseries?

It's fun to stay on top of things :)

The destruction of the chestnut

2008-08-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

As I drive around town and notice the whitefly destroying ficus benjamina, I find myself thinking of the possibility of other trees being wiped out. Now, the ficus benjamina shouldn't be considered endangered. It IS an exotic and some might see it's downfall a positive thing.

The ficus benjamina doesn't do well in hurricanes. Its shallow root structure is invasive. The costs of maintaining it are exponentially more than natives. All in all, it's not a good choice. Yet plantsfromparadise.com and plantstromparadise.blogspot.com sold more ficus than anything else. The market wants what it wants. Cheap and fast growing.

Consider this article:

Chestnut blight was caused by a fungus eventually determined to be Cryphonectria parasitica. It was probably imported to the United States on the Chinese or Japanese species of the tree, which both show resistance to it. The blight destroyed billions of American chestnut trees in the first half of the 20th century. The loss of the chestnut, in terms of the sheer number of trees killed, the size of its range before the blight, and the variety of habitats affected by its demise, is unrivaled in the history of human-wrought ecological disasters, even though epidemics such as Dutch elm disease have received more attention.

http://www.americanscientist.org/bookshelf/pub/blighted-hopes

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Another effect of globalization...

Consider native alternatives like cocoplum to ficus. Green buttonwood is another alternative.

Planting trees in London

2008-08-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

http://timesonline.typepad.com/environment/2008/08/sunday-times-wo.html

The charity wants to plant an astounding 600,000 new trees to buffer those precious zones, creating a showcase for woodland in one of the most densely populated parts of the country. More than 2m people live within 15 miles, and there are good transport links to millions more in the capital. Having been to see the site myself, last week, I confidently predict that many Londoners will be drawn out to see a wood more than twice as large as Regents Park, and nearly half as big again as the combined area of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park.

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Interesting...we should consider this in South Florida!

Most beautiful live oaks you'll see all year!

2008-08-14T00:21:00.000-07:00

http://www.bergoiata.org/fe/trees/Live%20Oaks,%20Oak%20Alley%20Plantation,%20Vacherie,%20Louisiana.jpg
Gotta give credit to that photographer.

Makes me want to travel to Louisiana...

DIY water purification

2008-08-12T19:12:00.000-07:00

If anyone is interested, this is a cool idea to purify water:

http://www3.telus.net/farallon/

Growing food in the city!

2008-08-09T00:26:00.000-07:00

With her snappy online videos and show Farmers Almanac TV, urban Gen-Xer Patti Moreno proves that you don't have to live on a big, rural spread to grow your own food.

She brings some green into the concrete jungle and earned the nickname "Garden Girl" from Home Depot sales clerks after many trips to stock her New York City oasis of organic treats.

On her gardening pages, you'll learn that you can grow your own salad with just a little window box or even indoors. Moreno is full of tips and tricks for cutting costs and having fun in the dirt, whether you're a novice or expert green thumbs.

Don't miss the recipes because you'll definitely want to cook up the goodies from your garden. Urban sustainability makes you the ultimate locavore.

She notes, "Urbanites act is if organic food is something new, when in fact, factory farming is new." Organic farming is simply the way people used to grow food, before the biochemical inventions of the 20th century.

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/greenpicks/169/city-girl-grows-grub.html

We ar exceptionally lucky to be in South Florida! We can grow vegetables all winter. We can grow bananas, mangoes, avocados, lychees...The list goes on and on.

I'm planning on doing a series of interviews with local farmers and placing them on YouTube. I will be asking questions about how plants and trees grow, especially fruit trees.

Look for it...coming soon!

The Service in this Place STINKS!

2008-08-06T09:00:00.001-07:00

Five plants inspiring technology

2008-08-04T02:26:00.000-07:00

Imagine what insights the rainforests have:

http://cleantechnica.com/2008/08/04/top-5-plants-that-inspire-new-technology/

Carbon-eating trees

2008-08-03T23:47:00.000-07:00

The fifth and last kind is called "low-cost backstop," a policy based on a hypothetical low-cost technology for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, or for producing energy without carbon dioxide emission, assuming that such a technology will become available at some specified future date. According to Nordhaus, this technology might include "low-cost solar power, geothermal energy, some nonintrusive climatic engineering, or genetically engineered carbon-eating trees."

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/21494

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Great article about some books on global warming.

The idea of carbon-eating trees is very appealing! All trees help the environment though...why not plant a few at your home?

Fish dying in a South FLorida canal

2008-07-28T09:08:00.000-07:00

From today's Miami Herald:

State fish and wildlife officials hope to discover Mondaywhat is killing scores of fish in a Broward County golf course lake and canal.

Blue gill, smallmouth bass and grass carp were discovered floating in clusters among the weeds and lily pads at the Woodmont Country Club in Tamarac this past weekend.

Officials said they suspect the fish deaths could be caused by fertilizer or pesticides used on the golf course. The dead fish are creating quite a stink, and officials are asking residents to stay away from the water.

Authorities hope to have the canal cleaned up by the end of the day.

''It's not a health hazard, but you don't want to leave dead fish floating around,'' said Andy Berns, a spokesman for the City of Tamarac.

Florida Fish and Wildlife is conducting a study to determine what exactly killed the fish.

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Hmmm..the Florida Fish and Wildlife is on the case. Interesting.

In all seriousness, the fertilizers we use are hurting fish and even coral reefs off the coast. If you planted native trees and LESS GRASS, we'd have a healthier environment.

A Great Blog about Volunteering at Fairchild

2008-07-24T23:32:00.000-07:00

Check it out!

I've often thought of volunteering there. Perhaps I should make time for it!

===

Maybe I should send the stoners from craigslist who want salvia over there :)

DF

Less yard, more plants

2008-07-22T21:24:00.000-07:00

After visiting Northern California, I realized that many people there have much smaller yards than we do in South Florida. Perhaps this is confined to the Bay Area, but I think it has positive environmental effects.

We need to consider this in South Florida.

I had an idea. We should try to make a website for concerned citizens where we can discuss sprawl in Dade County.

They'll plant a tree for free!

2008-07-11T17:50:00.001-07:00

Just register for stumbleupon (a totally awesome way of learning about new websites) and they'll plant a tree for you.

Check it out here:

http://www.stumbleupon.com/earthday/

Beautiful foxtails

2008-07-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

Working on MiamiPlantDelivey.com

2008-07-11T12:41:00.001-07:00

Here's a picture I found from a few years back. I think mostly all of those pine trees have been sold, but there's a new crop coming up.

Battery powered lawn mower

2008-06-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you may be in the market for a battery powered lawn mower. The video is awesome! When my lawn mower kicks the bucket, I'm going to look into this.

Bananas reaching $1 a pound

2008-06-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/opinion/18koeppel.html?em&ex=1214193600&en=d126069861c0a339&ei=5087%0A

With bananas reaching such high prices, why not grow your own bananas in the backyard? In fact, they are so easy to grow it isn't funny!

Give me a call 786-877-4573.

Wow. Just wow.

2008-06-19T20:32:00.001-07:00

Florida is home to 14 of the largest companies in the landscape industry, according to a list of lawn and landscape firms published by trade publication Lawn & Landscape.

Together, the companies on the publication's Top 100 list generated $7.1 billion in revenue in 2007. That represented 7.7 percent growth over 2006, slower growth than the year before. For 2008, the companies project an average 6 percent growth.

South Florida-based companies that made the list include Vila & Son Landscaping of Miami, which reported $64.5 million in 2007 revenue and Tropics North of Homestead, with $42.5 million. Miami's Dixie Landscape had $32.7 million and Stiles Landscape of Fort Lauderdale had $20 million.

Landscaping classes?

2008-05-26T19:05:00.000-07:00

I've got a few ideas for fun and profit.

I was envisioning a landscaping school where people could learn more about what plants go with what plants! Also I thought it would be cool to teach people how plants grow.

Also I'm working on a landscaping application that would teach residents of South Florida all about plants and trees. Seems like a cool idea.

Not big profit...but big fun!

2008-05-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

I did two jobs this week for old customers for not a lot of money, but they were fun!

My two employees performed well today. We did 104 green island ficus and sod work with soil work. Two separate jobs.

We were working out there in the mid-day sun. Hot as hell!

Nearly three years...Plants From Paradise is growing up. I've learned a lot. I've got two great employees. I've got a powerful truck, a 20' trailer, a 10' trailer. Some capital to invest and everything is paid off.

So I've had success. It's been fun, most of all. Perhaps there are many other ways to a great fortune. But I'm in love with the act of planting trees.

Academics and physical activity. The contemplative and the active. Yin and yang, I suppose.

Can bamboo help reduce global warming?

2008-04-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

Check it out while it's still up.

Not only do the hairy plants capture carbon, they "collect dust and dirt out of the air and make the rain fall more gently on the ground," says Gib Cooper, a nurseryman in Gold Beach, Ore., and executive director of Bamboo of the Americas, a conservation-action organization. "I hate to say it: The world's population and economy are going to outpace whatever we try to do. But bamboo will help."

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It's nice to feel like you are doing something to help the earth. The enormity of the situation shouldn't make us give up hope though. We can all help in our own way. Planting bamboo is a wonderful idea.

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"Unlike cotton, bamboo doesn't require pesticides to flourish. It needs modest amounts of water to thrive — some species rise a foot a day during growing season — and its root system can help stabilize hillsides and prevent erosion. When you harvest some of a stand's canes, the underground rhizomes survive and continue to quickly produce mature culms, unlike trees that die when chopped down."

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I planted buddha belly in my backyard. FPL should plant it along the canals.

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Plant some bamboo!

TREEmendous Miami

2008-04-18T08:13:00.001-07:00

Check out a great charity in Miami-Dade:

TREEmendous Miami!

Maybe PlantsFromParadise should give them a helping hand?

Finished taxes

2008-04-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

2007. My third time filing for Plants From Paradise.

In terms of money, 2006 was my strongest year...07 was even behind 05.

What does this mean? I know that I haven't been advertising enough for Plants From Paradise, but that's okay. I have customers who call me back years later. I have a long-term view of this and I'm not out to grab a quick buck. In 30 years, I'll be known as an expert of plants in South Florida.

We the Best

2008-04-08T21:54:00.000-07:00

So when the other landscaping company leaves you high and dry, who you gonna call?

Me.

Markus.

Earnest.

"We the best."

Who else will make a terrible job look presentable???? 786-877-4573.

I'm back in landscaping!

Always have a contract...don't leave Dade county unless it's a sure thing!

2008-02-24T20:09:00.000-08:00

From my last job:

Don't leave Dade county unless the price is substantial.
Always agree on EXACTLY what is to be done.

So I had to return to Broward to remove VINES from a fence. Mistakes happen in business...gotta move on!

My plan? Put an advertisement in the Crossings Signal.

Square watermelons

2008-02-20T16:56:00.001-08:00

2008-01-20T20:27:00.000-08:00

Look at the beautiful oak behind my grandparents.

Energy conservation

2008-01-08T21:52:00.000-08:00

http://www.dreamingreen.org/

This charity seems beneficial. Helping schools become more energy efficient is a noble goal.

Trust me, as a teacher I know schools could save a bit of money on electricity! We keep ac so cold that teachers bring in space heaters.

Idiotic.

A hobby or a business?

2008-01-01T22:07:00.000-08:00

Perhaps when I first started off with Plants From Paradise I jumped too quickly at some jobs.

http://selfmadechick.com/2007/12/31/5-things-i-had-to-unlearn-to-become-self-made/

is a great post from a...self made chick, I suppose...about how to become successful.

Self-promotion IS key. No one wants to hire an insecure whiner. Confidence is the key.

2007 was a rebuilding year

2007-12-31T17:27:00.000-08:00

I had some success and some failures this year.

Failures:

Not able to fix broken pipe.
Not enough employees.
Google adwords was sending me to Broward (even Palm Beach once)!

Successes:

Redesigned plantsfromparadise.com
Took a Horticulture course at Miami Dade College.
Blogged about environmentalism and landscaping consistently.
Not needing to grovel for work. My price.

Lose the lawn!

2007-12-16T18:59:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting concept:

http://www.losethelawn.com/gallery.php

Forget about having to mow and maintain that grass, lose the lawn!

Personally I'm going to make this my goal.

Damn Interesting » Space Radio: More Static, Less Talk

2007-11-30T15:45:00.000-08:00

Damn Interesting » Space Radio: More Static, Less Talk

Ten trillion stars for every man, woman, and child...

Amazing.

don't waste water

2007-11-18T19:22:00.000-08:00

Tamarac City Commissioner Patte Atkins-Grad was miffed last Thursday when Broward officials met to discuss the region's water shortage -- at a breakfast meeting where many people never touched their glasses of water.

''This is a water summit, and it irritates me to see all this wasted water,'' she told the crowd.

Atkins-Grad has encouraged restaurants in Tamarac to stop serving water to diners unless they ask for it.

Speakers talked about the need for Broward cities to work together to find additional sources of water, including waterless urinals and treating salty water.

But no one talked about the cost. Chip Merriam, deputy executive director of the South Florida Water Management District, has said in the past that the price to develop new sources of water could cost billions.

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How about we 1. limit development, 2. encourage native plantings 3. discourage car washing, golf, waste 4. save the everglades.

oh and drink yo water.

Spectacular image!

2007-11-11T23:46:00.001-08:00

Awe-inspiring.

No foresight

2007-11-11T09:27:00.000-08:00

Ailing oak tree saved from developer's chop

An oak tree set to be razed received a stay of execution Tuesday -- to the chagrin of a Coconut Grove developer.

Posted on Fri, Nov. 09, 2007

BY DAVID SMILEY

dsmiley@MiamiHerald.com

In Coconut Grove, things can get a little emotional when it comes to trees. That's why activists turned up at a city of Miami hearing Tuesday to fight for a scraggly oak that stands in the way of a developer's driveway.

Anthony Rubino, whose duplex in the 2800 block of Shipping Avenue remains off the market because the tree has prevented him from laying a driveway and sidewalk, wants to raze the oak, located on the public right-of-way.

But the city denied his request, leading Rubino to appeal to the Historic and Environmental Preservation Board Tuesday, where in a scene reminiscent of a daytime courtroom drama, Rubino went toe to toe with activists over the fate of the tree.

The developer, who says he initially wanted to relocate the tree, provided years' worth of pictures of the tree and testimony from arborist Lisa Hammer that said the tree ''is in fair condition at best'' and should be removed.

''I'll relocate it now if you want me to,'' he told the board. ``I'll do it, but it will die.''

But the TreeWatch Committee of the Cocoanut Grove Village Council and the Tree-Man Trust countered that the tree is sick because of construction-related damage -- which Hammer disagreed with -- its death is hardly imminent and besides, driveways are overrated.

Miami's Historic and Environmental Preservation Board agreed.

Members voted 5-2 that the tree should stay.

''The duplex should have been designed to accommodate the tree where it is,'' said Board member Gerald Marston.

Rubino said he was given the runaround by politically connected activists who used their influence to pressure city officials into saving the tree.

Public Works Assistant Director Francis Mitchell said the tree must be removed but he could not issue a permit because he would lose his job if Liliana Dones of TreeWatch and Jim McMaster of the Tree-Man Trust disagreed, Rubino wrote in his appeal.

Mitchell would not comment on the statement after the meeting.

''I don't have the power to have Francis Mitchell fired and neither does Jim, but we're very flattered,'' Dones said Friday.

Mitchell told the board that Rubino had left out the tree's location on site plans when the duplex and driveway designs were approved.

Rubino said the omission of the tree's location was an oversight.

The developer, who last year received permits to remove two trees from the property, said he didn't pull a permit for the oak because he wanted to see how the tree would fare before deciding to remove or relocate it.

That got him into hot water with Board Chairman Timothy Barber.

'We don't want people to do the `wait and see,' '' he said.

Marsten said Rubino was playing a shell game.

''It seems to me you were proposing to plant that tree in front of someone's front door and have them remove it,'' he said.

On Friday, Rubino said he wishes now that he had removed the tree when he first bought the property and was disappointed that the issue became more about the circumstances surrounding the tree removal than about the actual health of the tree.

''I'm disappointed it went that way because it took the focus off the tree and the facts of [Hammer's] report,'' he said.

Rubino said his tree woes comes at a time when Grovites are outraged at the federal government, which last September cut down a number of trees at the Grand Avenue Post Office. The post office was fined $10,000 by Miami's Code Enforcement. As of Friday, the fine had not been paid.

Arborist Pierre Sands said people should treat trees as if they were a dying relative.

''I take it personally,'' he said.

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It's nice to see people fighting so hard for trees. I love the old oak trees in Coral Gables and the Grove. Too bad the developer didn't use more foresight.

Hands-on education

2007-10-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

The horticulture class at MDC taught by Ron Mossman has been a great experience! The combination of classroom instruction and hands-on work in the nursery has been very pleasant.

We've grafted trees, grown from cuttings, and divided plants from the roots. Week by week, I've watched my work grow before my eyes. I'd highly recommend it!

The loss in income from the business has been noticeable but it is for a good reason. I'm learning a great deal about plants and next year I will continue my education with a class in plant identification! I'm looking forward to that greatly.

Ways of reducing toxins in your home

2007-10-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

Here is a great link about how to reduce toxins in your home:

http://www.gdrc.org/uem/stat-plants.html

Pothos is so common down here!

Neat

2007-09-29T15:14:00.000-07:00

Cool link. Great tree shapes.

Air layering

2007-09-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

We learned how to air-layer a tree today. I loved it!

I think I'd like to make a mist house in my backyard. I have a really large backyard, so a tiny mist house won't be any problem at all.

My landscaping class

2007-09-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Introduction to Horticulture class taught by Ronald Mossman is awesome. I'm learning so much about how biologists categorize plants. We've practiced with local plants.

The first test is on the 19th of September.

My goal is to become a Florida Certified Landscape Designer!

2007-09-02T20:06:00.000-07:00

This guy knows how to get things done!

The Jatropha = Energy?

2007-08-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

“This plant will save humanity, I tell you.”

The person who said that is O.P. Singh, a horticulturist for the railway ministry of India. What plant is he talking about? A shrubby weed called jatropha, whose seeds contain an oil that Singh and others believe may power the biofuel revolution. Here’s how the Journal’s Patrick Barta puts it:

With oil trading at roughly $70 a barrel, this lowly forest plant is suddenly an unlikely star on the world’s alternative-energy stage. The seeds from jatropha’s golf-ball-size fruit contain a yellowish liquid similar to palm oil that can be made into biodiesel … But unlike other biodiesel crops, jatropha can be grown almost anywhere — including deserts, trash dumps, and rock piles. It doesn’t need much water or fertilizer, and it isn’t edible. That means environmentalists and policy makers don’t have to worry about whether jatropha diverts resources away from crops that could be used to feed people.

Barta’s article also includes some Goldman Sachs data on the estimated cost per barrel of fuel made from a variety of sources:

Cellulose: $305
Wheat: $125
Rapeseed: $125
Soybean: $122
Sugar Beets: $100
Corn: $83
Sugar Cane: $45
Jatropha: $43

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/24/will-this-weed-really-save-humanity/

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Imagine the Jatropha (which we sell!) creating energy for our planet! It's a beautiful concept and I hope it comes to fruition.

Taken from the Times in Britain...

2007-08-15T20:43:00.000-07:00

Walking to the shops ‘damages planet more than going by car’

Dominic Kennedy

Walking does more than driving to cause global warming, a leading environmentalist has calculated.

Food production is now so energy-intensive that more carbon is emitted providing a person with enough calories to walk to the shops than a car would emit over the same distance. The climate could benefit if people avoided exercise, ate less and became couch potatoes. Provided, of course, they remembered to switch off the TV rather than leaving it on standby.

The sums were done by Chris Goodall, campaigning author of How to Live a Low-Carbon Life, based on the greenhouse gases created by intensive beef production. “Driving a typical UK car for 3 miles [4.8km] adds about 0.9 kg [2lb] of CO2 to the atmosphere,” he said, a calculation based on the Government’s official fuel emission figures. “If you walked instead, it would use about 180 calories. You’d need about 100g of beef to replace those calories, resulting in 3.6kg of emissions, or four times as much as driving.

“The troubling fact is that taking a lot of exercise and then eating a bit more food is not good for the global atmosphere. Eating less and driving to save energy would be better.”

Mr Goodall, Green Party parliamentary candidate for Oxford West & Abingdon, is the latest serious thinker to turn popular myths about the environment on their head.

Catching a diesel train is now twice as polluting as travelling by car for an average family, the Rail Safety and Standards Board admitted recently. Paper bags are worse for the environment than plastic because of the extra energy needed to manufacture and transport them, the Government says.

Fresh research published in New Scientistlast month suggested that 1kg of meat cost the Earth 36kg in global warming gases. The figure was based on Japanese methods of industrial beef production but Mr Goodall says that farming techniques are similar throughout the West.

What if, instead of beef, the walker drank a glass of milk? The average person would need to drink 420ml – three quarters of a pint – to recover the calories used in the walk. Modern dairy farming emits the equivalent of 1.2kg of CO2 to produce the milk, still more pollution than the car journey.

Cattle farming is notorious for its perceived damage to the environment, based on what scientists politely call “methane production” from cows. The gas, released during the digestive process, is 21 times more harmful than CO2 . Organic beef is the most damaging because organic cattle emit more methane.

Michael O’Leary, boss of the budget airline Ryanair, has been widely derided after he was reported to have said that global warming could be solved by massacring the world’s cattle. “The way he is running around telling people they should shoot cows,” Lawrence Hunt, head of Silverjet, another budget airline, told the Commons Environmental Audit Committee. “I do not think you can really have debates with somebody with that mentality.”

But according to Mr Goodall, Mr O’Leary may have a point. “Food is more important [to Britain’s greenhouse emissions] than aircraft but there is no publicity,” he said. “Associated British Foods isn’t being questioned by MPs about energy.

“We need to become accustomed to the idea that our food production systems are equally damaging. As the man from Ryanair says, cows generate more emissions than aircraft. Unfortunately, perhaps, he is right. Of course, this doesn’t mean we should always choose to use air or car travel instead of walking. It means we need urgently to work out how to reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of our foodstuffs.”

Simply cutting out beef, or even meat, however, would be too modest a change. The food industry is estimated to be responsible for a sixth of an individual’s carbon emissions, and Britain may be the worst culprit.

“This is not just about flying your beans from Kenya in the winter,” Mr Goodall said. “The whole system is stuffed with energy and nitrous oxide emissions. The UK is probably the worst country in the world for this.

“We have industrialised our food production. We use an enormous amount of processed food, like ready meals, compared to most countries. Three quarters of supermarkets’ energy is to refrigerate and freeze food prepared elsewhere.

A chilled ready meal is a perfect example of where the energy is wasted. You make the meal, then use an enormous amount of energy to chill it and keep it chilled through warehousing and storage.”

The ideal diet would consist of cereals and pulses. “This is a route which virtually nobody, apart from a vegan, is going to follow,” Mr Goodall said. But there are other ways to reduce the carbon footprint. “Don’t buy anything from the supermarket,” Mr Goodall said, “or anything that’s travelled too far.”

==============

As you think about your life and its environmental impact on the world consider what you are eating. Meat uses more energy and is worse for the environment! Think about how expensive food can sometimes be the worst for you!

a new direction

2007-08-10T02:23:00.000-07:00

A new direction...

I am going to be taking some classes concerning landscaping design. Basically up to this point I have been working with my uncles, a few helpers, my brother at times, and my cousin. I've done a good job and I'm proud of what Plants From Paradise has become.

But I want to be more involved in the creative side of designing. Plant brokering turns beautiful living trees into a commodity. It's all dollars and no sense.

I've got a lot I bring to the table. I'm confident the design courses at MDC will teach me a great deal and I know I'll be able to find customers easily. Whereas I developed a small reputation for brokering and small installations, soon I'll have a following for design.

It should be great fun and I look forward to it!

Giving plants a voice!

2007-07-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

Listen to this people: water your plants! They'll tell you when! Really cool link.

Einstein says...

2007-07-23T23:11:00.001-07:00

Cool tree

2007-07-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

Leaf blowers

2007-07-19T15:47:00.000-07:00

Who knew that a single leaf blower operated for an hour could have as much impact as 80 cars!

READ IT!

Lightning

2007-06-26T06:13:00.000-07:00

Lightning kills, even when there are clear skies.

This landscaper died and there was no rain.

The conflict between labor and efficiency

2007-06-26T06:02:00.000-07:00

Look at this:
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/06/robo_picker

Robots may soon be picking oranges! Just think!

I think that most people are in favor of such time-saving devices. Still we should take time to ask what will happen to the people who make their living picking fruit. As a society we should at least think about retraining.

Many reasons why you should not drink bottled water

2007-06-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

In a word: wasteful.

Read here for a better explanation.

Real?

2007-06-25T10:58:00.001-07:00

Look at this beautiful tree.

The future

2007-06-25T00:52:00.000-07:00

Watch Al Gore's film. Plant a tree. Or two. Or a forest.

It's the future.

Controlling tree height?

2007-06-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

Imagine if nurseries could control how tall trees were?

Check this out!

Amazing. Powerful!

Tropical Flowering Tree Society

2007-06-13T12:21:00.001-07:00

Wow! This looks like a great association. Check it out if you are interested in flowering trees.

Who isn't interested in flowering trees?

Environmental positions

2007-06-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

The rainy-season is upon us and we are all thankful in South Florida. Even the weathermen and weatherwomen (funny how the spell-checker doesn't recognize that word) are appreciative of the rain.

South Florida has gotten extremely crowded. Imagine how SoFla has been transformed in 100 years! Amazing.

I'm hearing good things about Gov. Crist's appointments. Let's hope we can keep the environment on our minds, not merely development.

--

In my personal landscaping plan, I'm taking down two invasive trees on the side of my home. Unfortunately the county has given me no direction. The typical joke: one department gave me the number of the department which just gave me that number. It's an endless loop.

Except I think the loop should be ended by THEM. They should pay for the trees to be taken down!

---

I've got a new design for www.plantsfromparadise.com

I'm thinking of some off-line advertising. The only other advertising off-line so far has been the "Flyer". That wasn't very good. I'll have to be creative.

Excited about my new forum

2007-05-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

Everyone...Let's Talk About Plants!

Planting for the long haul

2007-05-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

Nurseries aren't a get rich quick scheme. You plant in anticipation of getting a return on your money in months or years.

Landscapers have to think in similar terms. Many trees I plant will outlive me. This is a fact I realize but now that I'm planting oaks in my own yard I am faced with the reality on a tangible level. I'll watch these oaks get bigger and if they are planted in the wrong spot, I'll have to deal with them down the road.

I saw a gigantic oak in my neighborhood tonight and I wondered if it pre-dated the subdivision. It was beautiful and when the oaks I planted are that big they'll be too big for where they are planted! Perhaps the oak is 104 years old though.

Should I have moved the oak in anticipation of something so far off?

No, because I can always trim it to keep it smaller. If I keep it trimmed correctly, I am not scared of an oak falling on anyone's home.

I love Live Oaks.

Oaks to help reduce energy costs.

2007-05-19T20:59:00.000-07:00

Florida ranks fifth in municipal energy use per capita due to the continuous use of air conditioning and pool pumps. It is estimated that only 1% of energy in the state is generated through renewable resources.

--From Wikipedia's entry on the state of Florida.

This is sorry folks and we can do better. I'm planting oak trees around my home for protection from storms and for shade. With more shade I'll have to use less air conditioning!

Oaks are extremely strong in hurricanes if pruned properly!

--

Broke a pipe on a plant installation today. Mistakes happen but we made it right for the customer. My employees and I aren't perfect but we'll never leave the job unfinished.

Lots of exciting projects...

2007-05-14T19:43:00.000-07:00

I've got lots of great ideas!

First of all, I started up www.letstalkaboutplants.com and I'm inviting all my readers to post questions about plants! It should be lots of fun!
I'm creating www.miamiplantdelivery.com for strictly plant deliveries. It's interesting to think of the categories. It's fun.
Plantsfromparadise.com is back up and running. Looking good! This will be a site for people to examine different landscaping looks. I will post pictures of landscaping jobs and references of customers.

I will invite my former customers to participate but instead of writing a mass email, I should just write brief introductions.

Coral Gables: Update on Whole Foods

2007-05-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

Coral Gables: Update on Whole Foods

healthy food coming to the Gables!

A new forum about plants...

2007-05-10T06:11:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers!

I created a forum at www.letstalkaboutplants.com to discuss plants and trees! Create a login and password and start discussing plants and trees!

David

Leaves are returning to the gumbos

2007-04-22T01:20:00.000-07:00

The gumbo limbos in my front and backyard are starting to grow their leaves back. It's a beautiful sight! Nature's rebirth after the long hard 70 degree winter.

Ahhh, winter in Miami.

Growing potatoe in a pot

2007-04-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

Food you grow yourself does taste better!

Beautiful baobab tree

2007-04-17T06:09:00.000-07:00

Awesome power of nature.

I recommend you check out Ravi's blog!

2007-04-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

He discusses consumer affairs, public policy, and international affairs. Check out a great blog!

Just a cute picture...

2007-03-31T20:50:00.000-07:00

http://www.thecuteproject.com/photos/1028/floppy.dog.ear.makes.fantastic.hat.or.blanket%21/

The most beautiful trees in the world

2007-03-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

You won't believe some of these trees!

Ag tourism and an update on local eating.

2007-03-06T19:57:00.000-08:00

Agricultural tourism? Great idea!

We can turn the canals of South Florida into tropical landscapes. People will think of the suburbs as a tropical Venice. People can rent kayaks or paddle boats. I can be a dreamer at times, I know.

We have a lot in South Florida.

I'm still planning my banana/lychee/mango/orange/avocado/calomandon garden is moving along. Basically I'd like to begin installing within a month.

Take care, all. Doesn't get much more local than that.

Who can you trust?

2007-03-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

There is an article about the value of trusting the judgments of crowds. Digg, ebay, amazon all rely on users to give feedback about the sites. Problem is, people find fraud easy and they can get away with it.

I've always dreamed of a site where people can interact with other buyers and KNOW that the other buyers had actually worked with the sellers. It would have to entail a system of secret codes entered after the transaction had taken place. I feel this idea is coming although I doubt I'm the person to set it in motion.

No one has started an auction site for labor online either. I suppose the "employees" of the world need the employers to tell them what to do. Also people trust one companies to their homes. They might not trust the lowest price. Anyone can sell price.

Trust takes time!

The Beauty of Plants

2007-02-24T18:57:00.000-08:00

The Beauty of Animals

The beauty of life.

I use that many gallons of gas per year???

2007-02-22T17:40:00.000-08:00

This is a great site to see how much carbon you use each year.

Driving all those plants and trees around South FL sure does use a lot of carbon. Fortunately we are collectively working towards making it a greener place.

Ready to help make Miami a greener place!

2007-02-15T21:48:00.000-08:00

According to this article Miami is sorely lacking in canopy. We need more trees! We gotta breathe!

I'm baaaack

2007-02-11T17:04:00.000-08:00

It's been a while. I've had stuff to do...moving into my new home, other projects. Plants to install.

First of all, look at this.

China is growing jatrophas for fuel. We can sell some jatrophas, we usually sell them to people looking for beauty not fuel.

Efficient salesmanship

2007-02-03T11:23:00.000-08:00

I've been getting inquiries from Google searches. It feels good to be recognized as a worthwhile link without paying for it :)

Had some great experiences selling jobs lately. Otherwise my truck is getting fixed and soon I'll be back in the swing of things.

The Internet makes it harder to separate the person from the venture.

Perhaps I'd be interested in hiring some go-getters to help with sales.

Interesting Fact

2007-01-20T12:05:00.000-08:00

Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty years of age or older.
-------
Old trees are a treasure.

My truck is out of commission

2007-01-19T22:27:00.000-08:00

For the next few days Plants From Paradise will be on hiatus. My truck has a busted rear end. It seems the dealership doesn't want to pay for it. So we have a disagreement.

Things were a bit slow before that anyways. Still I've been pursuing a few other directions. Learning Flash.

Better Living Through Buying Less

2007-01-15T23:19:00.000-08:00

Big business is doing more for the environment.

I am doing my part for the environment: I purchase few "things."

We all need to take the true costs of our purchases into account. The oil to transport the goo. The energy to purchase it. To dispose of it.

We'd be better off all buying less.

Take care of the trees you have and then see me about buying new ones :)

It's funny. We talk about "owning" trees. Many of the trees will be around long after their owners.

Happy New Year!

2007-01-02T19:37:00.000-08:00

Here's a beautiful oak tree to fill you with joy!

What it is all about...

2006-12-26T17:59:00.000-08:00

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

-Joyce Kilmer

Not getting paid

2006-12-18T10:47:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you have people who can't pay after the work is done. Luckily most of my customers have been great. I'm going to give them some time before I take other action, but it would be nice if I could just get my fair share for the job I did.

The question is a deep one. Who deserves better pay, the marketer or the accountant? How much are teachers worth? How much is a president worth?

I donated; you should too

2006-12-16T14:41:00.001-08:00

Check them out. It's really an amazing charity. PlantsFromParadise.com donated to them!

I donated; you should too

2006-12-16T14:41:00.000-08:00

Check them out. It's really an amazing charity. PlantsFromParadise.com donated to them!

The "Little Guy"

2006-12-14T05:27:00.000-08:00

Although I recently professed a desire to export to the Caribbean. True, but meeting a woman who devoted her life to helping sick doggies was pretty inspiring. A few trees but it was a great experience.

New marketing approach

2006-12-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

In the upcoming month I will be contacting major hotels throughout Latin America concerning the shipment of plants. I can broker the plants at a better price: we grow the best quality in the world!

Exporting

2006-12-09T15:26:00.000-08:00

Since we've been exporting plants all across the world, I realized it makes to advertise with google in the countries where the plants are going. I think this is a great way to make contacts and I am encouraged business will boom.

Things have been incredibly busy for plantsfromparadise!

I didn't take on a project to set up an indoor landscape at the Miami Beach Convention Center. To be honest, it wasn't very appealing to work with the people who charge you to plug in a light. No one had anything positive to say about working at the Convention Center. But it was a beautiful design.

I'm expecting big things from this new ad campaign.

Natural spaces

2006-11-27T04:49:00.000-08:00

I can help you achieve this.

New nails could save homes!

2006-11-26T14:29:00.000-08:00

You seriously need to check out this article:
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/flat/bown/2006/innovator_5.html

It isn't the wood that gives out in hurricanes- it is the nails.

Big time.

Also check out this article about Los Angeles giving up on palms in a big way. They cost too much to maintain and there isn't enough shade. The fact that they are iconic isn't weighing on the decision.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/us/26palm.html?em&ex=1164690000&en=67b0cb779e8f2873&ei=5087%0A

Check out the links while you can.

Cool idea

2006-11-14T18:47:00.000-08:00

What a cool idea!

Lots of fruit trees. I'm going to do this at my new home.

The Garden Guy Furor

2006-11-11T18:33:00.000-08:00

The Garden Guy is stupid.

That's all I have to say about that.