Oct 31 2009

Georgia Lemon Law for Dummies

Category: Lemon LawAnders Eriksson @ 6:50 pm

People who have troubles with their newly acquired cars often cower from Georgia Lemon Law thinking that it is beyond their understanding or only those who don smart ties and dark leather suitcases are fit to study state legislations. There can never be farther from the truth ? laws are made for people, not people made for laws. In this article, we deconstruct the nature of Lemon Law in Georgia into three manageable chunks: its subject, processes, and compensation.

Subject. A lemon is a car or vehicle that, simply put, conks out due to manufacturing defects without the owner’s knowledge at the time of purchase. The defects must be serious enough that the car is rendered beyond professional repair. Needless to say, a car that has seen better days (or was acquired not as brand new) is not included. Moreover, the people who are eligible in summoning this law must be those who are buying vehicles for private use. Companies with more than ten workers and earn an annual income of 10,000 dollars are likewise excluded.

Why do people use lemon law? To protect them from purchasing vehicles that did not meet automotive standards. A car costs a lot and if it does not run the way it should or fails to meet its specifications stated by the dealer or the manufacturer, then it is an expensive and unfair acquisition.

Process. The law does not mean to scare car dealers or put undue advantage on buyers. For example, clients who did not know the defects at the time of the purchase are the only people who can avail the protection of the law. Agreements like second-hand cars and/or with ?as is? condition (which means that the buyer agreed to buy the vehicle knowing fully well its problems) would render the law inapplicable.

You may not consider everything you just read to be crucial information about Lemon Law. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself recalling and using this very information in the next few days.

The car must undergo repairs within the first year from its purchase date or has run not over 12,000 miles. The manufacturer should also be allowed to do the repairs, and the car must be proven out of service within the period. Make sure to check and save all documents that relate to the repairs for any lawsuit or claims that you want to have in the future.

Compensation. If all circumstances are proven true and if you are eligible, you can require the dealer or manufacturer to reimburse the money of the repairs and refund the amount you paid for the vehicle. Most often, documents, entitlements, and repair receipts will be presented so it is a wise move not to discard any important files.

In order for the law to work in your favor, you must arm yourself with a good lawyer, a reasonable claim, sufficient evidences, and a sincere demand for indemnification. You must also be patient enough to wait as the wheels of justice will be set in motion. Ordinary claims can be processed without as fast as a month to six months, depending on the outcome of the case. There are situations where the claimer is not satisfied with the decision and would proceed to filing the before the Supreme Court for a final ruling.

There are other important requirements before Georgia Lemon Law can be called in full force. With the brevity of this article, it is impossible to include them all here. But with these three things in mind, you can start on a sure footing if you ever decide to process a claim.

I hope that reading the above information was both enjoyable and educational for you. Your learning process should be ongoing–the more you understand about any subject, the more you will be able to share with others.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, owner of this excellent site: Product Profits Club (click to claim your FREE membership)


Oct 31 2009

How to Push Your Kids to Save

Category: MotivationAnders Eriksson @ 11:09 am

Saving money is difficult in this day and age, especially with economies all over the world failing, and especially with a lot of people scrambling to get money that they should have saved years and years ago if only they had been more proactive. If you are regretting not being able to save much earlier, now is not too late. First, you can start setting money aside so that you can get more money to spend in the future. And second, you can teach your own kids to save so that they do not end up in any financial messes from which they cannot recover.

Saving money may not be an obligation for your kids, however, and it can therefore be difficult for them to get any work done if they do not feel that spending and saving are relevant to them. In fact, many kids are supported by their parents until they reach high school or college, and their conception of the value of money, not to mention the value of hard work, can be twisted, if not immature.

Moreover, with mass media structured the way it is, you need to contend with the social need to spend, spend, and spend on luxury, novelty items, or to simply meet trends. How do you bump up against this kind of mentality and save your kids from the poorhouse?

Here are a few tips that you could follow when you start thinking of how your kids should save.

If you find yourself confused by what you’ve read to this point, don’t despair. Everything should be crystal clear by the time you finish.

- Set a good example. It can be difficult for your kids to simply save when they see you spending money at every chance that you get. Instead of going to the mall to get the latest DVD player or flat screen TV, take your kids to the park on Sundays and have a nice family lunch. Instead of going to a fancy restaurant routinely, go only on special occasions and teach your kids to budget their money.

- Save visibly. Have a jar set out where you can drop pennies and other spare change so that your children can see it eventually fill up. This way, they can set up their own jars too. Have a contest and turn it into a race: see who can fill up their jars the fastest and you can give more money to the best saver!

- Encourage your children to work over the summer. It can be hard to correlate work with earning money, and you can start your children early with this kind of life lesson. Start out small: give them small change for helping out with some chores, such as mowing the lawn, raking leaves up, or cleaning the upstairs bedroom. Encourage your kids to get together with their friends and put up a service, such as babysitting or house cleaning. Build on these lessons until your children rely on their own resources for money and job hunting.

- Have a savings account exclusively in your children’s names, but do not hand them credit cards! They need to have their own means to save and monitor their savings and spending, but do not provide them with the illusion that money is easy to spend, and all that they need is a piece of plastic.

- Have a Threshold Award. If your child reaches a certain point in his or her savings, offer to add to a certain amount of money to his or her account as a reward.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, owner of this excellent site: Product Profits Club (click to claim your FREE membership)


Oct 29 2009

Hydrogen as Fuel for Motor Vehicles

Category: Hydrogen FuelAnders Eriksson @ 5:46 pm

Hydrogen as fuel for motor vehicles, is this a great idea? As early as 1970s, plans for hydrogen powered vehicles have been in the works. Scientists and researchers believe that these cars can change the future. People know for a fact that there is great abundance of hydrogen and unlike fossil fuels, scarcity is not a problem. With regards to exhaust emissions, it cannot increase the presence of greenhouse gases here on Earth.

Environmentalists love the idea of hydrogen fuel and no one can really tell what will happen in the near future. However, according to some studies, improper production of hydrogen fuel can emit nitrogen oxides. Nitrogen oxides can add to global warming since it causes acid rain. This can be prevented and minimized through appropriate engine timing as well as optimized hydrogen concentration.

Hydrogen cars can use the alternative fuel using two approaches. The first approach will be to use fuel cells and the other one is to modify the internal combustion engine of your car.

Hybrid cars can either use gasoline and hydrogen. Two tanks are found in the car; one for gas and the other for hydrogen. Dual tanks are recommended at present because hydrogen stations are uncommon. In the whole US alone, there are only over 100 hydrogen stations. With two tanks, you can refuel with gasoline and the car will still run. This is a practical way of conquering the road and at the same time, cutting down gas costs.

With the use of fuel cells, you can double the range run of your motor vehicle. You will simply use water and the hydrogen there will react with oxygen. Water vapor is produced as well as the needed electricity to power the motor vehicle.

Those of you not familiar with the latest on Hydrogen Fuel now have at least a basic understanding. But there’s more to come.

The problem seen by experts when using hydrogen as fuel for motor vehicles is that it’s not actually an independent fuel. It basically stores energy. The power needed should be extracted from hydrogen and presently, the process involves the use of fossil fuels.

Storing hydrogen in the motor vehicle is also a great consideration. The hydrogen should always be in liquid form and to do this, the temperature should be maintained at 253 degrees Celsius. If the temperature gets warmer, hydrogen will soon be in gas form. Tremendous insulated tanks are needed as well as venting systems.

Only when the possible problems are solved can the world fully benefit from hydrogen powered vehicles. Aside from that, hydrogen stations should be increased so that the car owners can easily refuel when they ran out of hydrogen. Perhaps the hydrogen motor vehicles used at present are quite expensive but in the future, perhaps more affordable hydrogen powered vehicles will be offered to the pubic.

In fact, popular car manufacturers like General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Ford, etc. are designing hydrogen powered motor vehicles that are priced similar to ordinary gas-consuming vehicles.

People can only hope that the so-called future cars will be a reality. If you want to experience using hydrogen as fuel, you can have your car converted. With dual tanks, you can save money and just in case you can’t find a hydrogen station, you can always refuel with gasoline.

Hydrogen as fuel for motor vehicles will definitely be a big hit in the coming years. For now, try to help save the environment with other means.

Of course, it’s impossible to put everything about Hydrogen Fuel into just one article. But you can’t deny that you’ve just added to your understanding about Hydrogen Fuel, and that’s time well spent.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, owner of this excellent site: Product Profits Club (click to claim your FREE membership)


Oct 29 2009

Quick Tips to Motivate Your Kids in Sports

Category: MotivationAnders Eriksson @ 7:35 am

Current info about Motivation is not always the easiest thing to locate. Fortunately, this report includes the latest Motivation info available.

Sports allow kids to learn and master a variety of skills. Not only does it make kids more physically fit, but sports can also give kids the opportunity to interact, build friendship, communicate better, and learn important qualities like sportsmanship, teamwork, and diligence. But before all that, you need to convince your child first to leave his or her toys behind and give sports a try.

Find out where your kid’s interests lie.
Don’t assume anything. Just because your kid’s a boy doesn’t mean he’s automatically interested in basketball or football. At the same time, just because your kid’s a girl doesn’t mean she’s inclined to prefer a sport with less physical contact such as tennis or volleyball.

Although genetics and family history could influence your child’s preferences in sports, they can only do so at a certain extent. It’s not unheard of to have a badminton-loving member in a golf-playing family.

You need to listen instead of making any assumptions. Of course, there’s also a possibility that your child himself is still unsure of the type of sports he’s interested in. If so, it’s your job to ask leading questions. Does he enjoy playing outdoors or indoors? Does he prefer to play games focused on speed, stamina, or strategy? Answers to such questions will give you a clue on the kind of sport your kid is most likely to enjoy.

Start at home.
Don’t immediately enroll your kid in a sports clinic the moment you discover where his interests lie. Rather, see how far his liking for the sports goes by playing a game or two in your backyard or outside your house. Throw or pitch a couple of balls and see if he’s entertained. More importantly, practicing at home will give your child the opportunity to explore his decision and determine for himself if the sport’s indeed something he’d enjoy playing.

Hopefully the information presented so far has been applicable. You might also want to consider the following:

Prove how enjoyable sports can be.
Another way of motivating your child to participate in sports is to show them by example how enjoyable such activities can be. Play with them. Better yet, invite a few friends and some of his playmates even and play a game or two.

Give him exposure.
Let him know more about the different kinds of sports and why it’s enjoyable for so many people. Watch a game on TV or, if possible, watch it live. There’s nothing more impressive ? and convincing ? than when you’re watching a game in a crowded stadium and everyone around you is having a good time. Visit sports shops as well and point out to him the different kinds of equipment he might have to use in sports.

Choose the right setting.
Some kids prefer to practice sports alone before joining a sports camp. Other kids, however, prefer immediate action and interaction. Choosing the appropriate setting for your kid will help him know and enjoy sports more.

Be supportive.
You need to make sure your child understand that your goals for having him join sport is to see him happy and, of course, have him become healthier and stronger. Although winning a game would be nice, it isn’t your ultimate goal and neither should it be for him.

He’s your kid first, an athlete second.
Most importantly of all, do remember that he is your child first and being an athlete is only his secondary role. Motivate him with that thought in mind and you’ll do fine.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit my latest venture: GVO to claim your $1 trial membership!


Oct 28 2009

International Health Insurance for Overseas Travel

Category: Travel InsuranceAnders Eriksson @ 3:35 pm

Are you looking for some inside information on Travel Insurance? Here’s an up-to-date report from Travel Insurance experts who should know.

Traveling overseas is enjoyed by a lot of people nowadays because of the many choices when it comes to international travel. You can travel through air, by land, or sea. It all depends on where you plan to travel. This may be one reason why a lot of people want to get international health insurance.

For many years now, international health insurance is becoming more and more popular. By having this type of insurance plan, you can expect that your medical needs are covered even when you’re in a distant place. Injuries and illnesses can happen at any time during your vacation and it will be a good thing if you’re insured.

Health related problems can occur while you’re away from home and since you’re not a local resident of the place that you’re visiting, you are not qualified to receive health care benefits provided by the local government. If you frequently travel overseas for vacation or for business, you should never be caught without an international travel insurance policy.

The two plans offered as basic international health insurance are travel and expatriate insurance. Both plans provide accident and sickness coverage but the coverage may vary depending on the number of days stay overseas.

Travel health or medical insurance is more popular than the expatriate because travelers think that this is a much better option especially for those who travel for only a couple of days, weeks, or months. This type of plan consists of a $1,000,000 coverage on ordinary emergency healthcare, trip interruption, and home coverage.

How can you put a limit on learning more? The next section may contain that one little bit of wisdom that changes everything.

If you have plans to stay overseas for quite some time, you need to get expatriate health insurance. Make sure that you’re covered in the foreign country and if you’re with your family, they must be covered too. This type of plan can be renewed and the coverage amount can reach as high as $5,000,000.

Insurance needs vary from one individual to another. It is therefore very important to identify all your insurance needs first before shopping for international health insurance. You must also know how long you’re going to stay overseas ? in terms of days, week, months, or years. Getting international health insurance is truly a wise move if you want to protect yourself, as well as your family.

Traveling overseas is not an easy decision. You see, you must have the proper resources and money in order to finance your way out of your home country. You would need extra money for some petty expenses, you need to pack your things, and most especially, you need to buy international health insurance. If you put all these things together, it can mean big money.

If you choose to travel without any form of insurance at all, you will surely regret it once you meet a medical emergency abroad because it can eat-up all your savings and leave you bankrupt. What’s worse is if you’re in another country and you don’t have close friends and relatives to help you out. So don’t make this mistake and secure your travel abroad.

Get the right international health insurance that can meet all your needs as you travel abroad and one that can fit right into your financial condition at present. Go for reputable and well-established insurance providers in the industry. Check if they offer specialized international health insurance policies.

I hope that reading the above information was both enjoyable and educational for you. Your learning process should be ongoing–the more you understand about any subject, the more you will be able to share with others.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit my latest venture: GVO to claim your $1 trial membership!


Oct 27 2009

The Self-Esteem Test

Category: Self EsteemAnders Eriksson @ 2:16 am

Self-esteem is something we all have. Some have a higher one compared to others and if you know someone who has low self-esteem, you can help them change by handing them a self-esteem test.

One thing you can follow is the self-esteem test that is handed out by a specialist to a patient. This is made up of seven categories and it is only after that person answers it that you can find a way to build up their self esteem.

The first category in the exam is called procrastination. The purpose of the first section is to try and figure out what are the work habits of the individual. Does this person do things on their own or do they need a little push to get the job done.

The next category will determine whether the person is a risk taker or not. If you are risk taker, this means that you have high self-esteem and are optimistic about whatever life offers to you. If you have low esteem, you just want to play it safe rather than rock the boat.

Is it wrong to play safe? No but you have to remember that if you don’t do it, someone else will and you will probably kick yourself in the head if you found out that they succeeded in doing something which you planned to do yourself.

The third category will assess how well you cope with mistakes. Yes well all regret doing a few things in our life but have you moved on? Some people have and some people still carry it with them. Individuals with high self-esteem are able to overcome the failure in the past and get on the saddle again whenever they fall.

I trust that what you’ve read so far has been informative. The following section should go a long way toward clearing up any uncertainty that may remain.

Aside from having regrets, the next category will check whether or not you generalize about a lot of things in life. When we generalize, we don’t give people a chance and stick to the belief that it if looks like a duck, talks like a duck then it is a duck.

But remember, each person we meet is different so whatever preconceived notions you have about someone are not real unless you give them a chance.

The fifth category will check if we have anger issues. What ticks you off? We all have our limits but some individuals are easily angered compared to others. The test will also figure out what causes it and so a lesson plan can be made to try and change that.

Some people can easily get along with others while some are shy which is why they don’t have many friends or have a difficult time keeping a relationship. The sixth category in the self-esteem test will determine how well you relate to others especially people you have never met.

Finally, the last category of the self-esteem will ask if the person is happy or not. Although self-esteem is all about accepting what you have and not thinking about what you don’t, some people can’t help but want more.

Again, there is nothing wrong with wanting more but you must never forget or take for granted what you already have.

After analyzing the self-esteem exam, you will more or less know what the person thinks of themselves and others. You can now figure out a way to change some of those misconceptions. You can talk to them or let a specialist take care of it. The important thing is that they change their ways.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit my latest venture: GVO to claim your $1 trial membership!


Oct 26 2009

The Pros and Cons of Solar Energy

Category: Solar EnergyAnders Eriksson @ 11:20 am

Solar energy is one of the best forms of renewable energy. But why don’t we rely on it so much compared to other countries? The answer is simply that there are pros and cons with using this form of alternative energy.

The pros of using solar energy is that the system is easy to install, there are no energy costs once it is set up, there are no emissions like air pollutants or greenhouse gas and the sun is widely available.

A solar energy system is composed of the solar panels, the inverter, battery, charge controller, wires and support structure. For you to produce a kilowatt of power, you will need 10 to 12 solar panels that will occupy an area of 100 square feet. If you are worried that this will cause damage to your roof, don’t because it is made of light weight materials.

When you call a contractor, it will usually take a day or two to install and cost around $10,000. Not that many people will have cash on hand to pay for it so they can avail of a home equity loan to pay for it.

If you use a kilowatt of solar energy, you can save 170 lbs. of coal from being burned, about 300lbs of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere or 105 gallons of water that most homeowners use up every month.

The cons are solar cells are expensive, the rays can only be collected during the day time, the weather and where you are located will play a factor in how much sunlight you can get and you will need a big area to collect the power.

If you base what you do on inaccurate information, you might be unpleasantly surprised by the consequences. Make sure you get the whole Solar Energy story from informed sources.

But some experts believe that price of these cells and its ability to collect power will improve in the future.

Right now, a kilowatt of solar energy can only produce 1,600 kilowatts of hours per year in sunny climate. That means you will receive 5.5 hours of electricity per day. If you produce about 750 kilowatts of power, you will only get 2.5 hours of power per day.

Solar panels come in various colors and usually have a 5 year warranty. Since manufacturers are aware that solar energy can only work when the sun is out, they have installed batteries so you get more than 5 hours of power even during cloudy days and nights. This is because the batteries are designed to absorb, insulate, transmit and reflect rays coming from the sun.

But solar energy can be applied to other things and not just powering our homes. It can be used to power small devices like calculators to bigger things like planes, satellites and cars. Since these are easy to maintain, you don’t have to worry about anything.

Now that you know the pros and cons of solar energy, the question remains, should people get into it or not? If you look at it, the answer is definitely yes because is a renewable source of energy that does not cause any harm to the environment. It will also greatly reduce our need for oil which has become a very hot issue especially when the price per barrel went out to more than a hundred dollars early on this year.

People should take this seriously especially when this is not a renewable source of energy.

Of course, it’s impossible to put everything about Solar Energy into just one article. But you can’t deny that you’ve just added to your understanding about Solar Energy, and that’s time well spent.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit my latest venture: GVO to claim your $1 trial membership!


Oct 26 2009

Guide to Speed Boat Financing

Category: Speed BoatsAnders Eriksson @ 12:49 am

If you’re seriously interested in knowing about Speed Boats, you need to think beyond the basics. This informative article takes a closer look at things you need to know about Speed Boats.

Owning a speed boat was once limited to those who can pay cash. And since this kind of watercraft can be very expensive and very few lending companies offer boat financing terms, only few can really afford it. But as lenders see that most buyers are good clients for loans, they added boat loans with their existing real estate and auto loans. Some even specialize on boat loans alone, dedicating their staff and funding for this purpose. Finding a financing service becomes easy.

Check with your bank first if they offer boat loans. If they do, inquire about the rates and the loan term. If they don’t, call other banks or check the websites of different local, regional and national banks. Banks are always good lenders as they have stable funding. Loan approval is also fast as long as you have a good credit standing.

You can also check financial services companies which are often connected to local, regional and national lenders. Their advertisements can be found on different magazines, publications and websites dedicated to boating.

If you are a member of a union, check if it offers boat loans. Credit unions offer the most attractive rates among the three. Members can easily get approved so contact them and ask for a competitive loan.

Different lenders use unique terms for the types of loans they offer but generally, they are just similar to real estate loans.

I trust that what you’ve read so far has been informative. The following section should go a long way toward clearing up any uncertainty that may remain.

Fixed term simple interest loan or fixed rate loan is the simplest, most common and generally considered as most favorable loan as it maintains the same monthly payment throughout the entire loan term. The good thing about this is that, you can budget your finances and allocate a precise amount of money for the loan because you know how much you will pay month in and month out.

Variable rate loan bases your monthly payment on different interest rate indexes. Variable rate loan is often offered as a fixed rate loan (with low introductory rate) for a definite period of time before it bases the rate in different variables. While you cannot predict your monthly payment, you can benefit from this kind of loan if the rates suddenly become lower in the future. But since it is more complicated, you have to understand first how this works in order to assess if it really is for you. Ask your lender everything about variable rate loan before taking it.

Balloon payment loan lets the borrowers to pay the balance of the loan at a specific time. It is sometimes a preferred type of loan to borrowers who know that they will own the boat for a certain period of time.

Regardless of which lender you choose, you are guaranteed to pay low down payment ? as low as 10% to 20% of the total amount of the boat (the rate of down payment is based on the age, price and type of the boat). Some lenders even have zero-down offerings on new boats. Since the loan goes for several years, payment is easier. And if you are offered with longer financing terms, monthly payments are further reduced.

Finally, by applying for financing, you can get larger, newer, more expensive, more powerful and better boat than what you have wished for.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit my latest venture: GVO to claim your $1 trial membership!


Oct 26 2009

Student Travel Insurance ? A Must for Students

Category: Travel InsuranceAnders Eriksson @ 12:10 am

Do you ever feel like you know just enough about Travel Insurance to be dangerous? Let’s see if we can fill in some of the gaps with the latest info from Travel Insurance experts.

As a child, your parents prefer to send you to a school found in the local area. This helps them to monitor you in school because you’re not far away. However, as you grow older, you soon realize that you need to pursue your studies abroad where you can learn greater knowledge and experience. This is not unusual in today’s modern times and if you do decide to study abroad, you should never forget to get a student travel insurance.

Studying abroad can change a student’s life drastically. The whole experience may be intimidating to you as a student but if you have student travel insurance, some of your concerns are eased. You can be sure that things like emergencies and hospital costs will not bother you.

There are different types of insurance policies and a student travel insurance is just one of them. It protects you as you study abroad and while you’re away from the comforts of your home. Some student insurance policies differ in the coverage but oftentimes it includes the following ? health and accident benefits, medical evacuation, lost luggage, travel delay or interruption, stolen money, and many others. You need to determine the ones you want covered in the insurance so you need to look into each policy that comes your way. Compare the coverage and benefits as well as the exclusions. The price of the policy is not a major consideration however, if you have budgetary constraints, you can choose a cheap policy that offers most of your coverage needs.

It’s really a good idea to probe a little deeper into the subject of Travel Insurance. What you learn may give you the confidence you need to venture into new areas.

Students studying abroad often get sick because of climate and weather changes, being homesick, or catch foreign diseases. The student can recover from whatever illness or accident that he or she encounters. As a student, you need to be prepared for these things and you already know your ticket to a problem-free student life abroad ? and that is having student travel insurance.

Whether you’re a teenager or an adult student, you definitely need student travel insurance. This is a need and not just a luxury. High school, college, masteral courses, or even doctoral degree students should still have insurance. You see, studying in a foreign country is very much different from studying locally so you must always prepare for the worst. This is not to scare you in any way but wouldn’t it be better to have some form of insurance to ensure your safety? Even your parents will not worry much when you’re abroad because they know that you’re safe and insured.

Even if you have a limited allowance, you should still get student travel insurance. There are actually affordable policies that you can purchase. Search over the internet and you can get several quotes that you can choose from. There are even special packages offered to students by the insurance providers to make the purchase of the insurance pocket-friendly.

The risks involved in studying abroad are quite huge and you probably don’t want to take chances. To assist you in studying abroad, get student travel insurance now and you will have fewer things to worry about. Now, you can study much better and you can concentrate more. Tell your parents now about your plans of studying off-country so that they can also prepare for it. They will be glad that you’re also thinking about your future and they will be more than willing to help you out.

Hopefully the sections above have contributed to your understanding of Travel Insurance. Share your new understanding about Travel Insurance with others. They’ll thank you for it.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit my latest venture: GVO to claim your $1 trial membership!


Oct 25 2009

Making Compost: Getting Your Hands Dirty

Category: CompostingAnders Eriksson @ 6:22 am

If you’re a gardener then you should not mind getting y our hands dirty. In this line of work, you need to handle plants, soil, rocks, fertilizer, soil conditioners, etc. and not all times a pair of gardening gloves is handy. At times using glove can prevent you handling some delicate stuff. In this case, you have to get down on your knees and get your hands dirty. And nothing is dirtier that making compost.

Composting is a the process were biodegradable materials, usually manure and household wastes, are turned into soil-like output by combining them with a little air, water and nitrogen. Is that too technical for you? Well compost is a dark, crumbly, soil-like substance which functions as soil conditioner, mulch, and fertilizers. It feed your garden soil the microorganism that most plants need to grow healthy and strong.

When making your own compost pile, it would be ideal to find a place near your garden and yet it has enough concealment to not affect the overall look of your garden. Does that make sense? Just like one of the famous movies say ?hiding in plain sight?. If such is the case, a cleverly painted compost bin would help make the area neater. A corral or a fenced area would do fine.

After setting up your composting area, you start composting by arranging a 3:1 ratio of brown and green organic materials. Green ingredients contain lots of nitrogen while the brown elements contain lots of carbon. Together, they form the basic foundations of a compost file. The green organic components of gardening include grass clipping while the brown components are the dry leaves and other wood products.

If you’re worried about the possible bad smell that would come out of your compost pile, then don’t. When the ratio of greens and browns is correct, you don’t have to worry of any bad smell from your compost pile. Compost should have this earthy smell and not smelling like rot. If you smell the later then there could have been some things that might have been included in the pile or the ratio of the greens and browns components is not correct.

You can see that there’s practical value in learning more about Composting. Can you think of ways to apply what’s been covered so far?

One way to make certain that your compost pile has jus the right combination of greens and browns components, is to get a pile of green material and put it in you compost bin. Follow it up with two piles of brown materials. Keep this gong until you have a nice pile of leaves and grass that measures about three feet. At this high, you probably have a base measuring 3 feet also. One good thing of having this large a compost pile is that the greens and browns can easily and quickly break down.

If you want, you could add in a bucket of already finished compost to the newly formed pile. This will help start the process and begin the microbial activities in your compost pile.

Make sure that you add enough moisture to the pile as well. Keeping the compost pile damp will help quicken the breakdown of the organic materials. Add water to the pile and feel a sample. It should be damp, somewhat like a sponge. See, I told you your hands will have to get dirty.

There is a need to turn over your compost pile at least once a week to keep it loose allowing air into the pile and quickens the process of decomposition. After two months, you should have decent quality compost by now. The original materials you used should no longer be recognizable.

As you can see, making compost is quite easy and requires not too much of your time.

Those who only know one or two facts about Composting can be confused by misleading information. The best way to help those who are misled is to gently correct them with the truths you’re learning here.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit my latest venture: GVO to claim your $1 trial membership!



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