No business but still having fun!!

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

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 :)

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...

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?

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

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

"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....

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

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

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!

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

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

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

Growing food in the city!

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!

Five plants inspiring technology

Imagine what insights the rainforests have:

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

Carbon-eating trees

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

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

Check it out!

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


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

DF

Less yard, more plants

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!

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

Working on MiamiPlantDelivey.com

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

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

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.

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?

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!

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?

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

Check out a great charity in Miami-Dade:

TREEmendous Miami!

Maybe PlantsFromParadise should give them a helping hand?

Finished taxes

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

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!

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

Look at the beautiful oak behind my grandparents.

Energy conservation

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?

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.