HOME REMEDIES
Some natural rooting ‘hormones’
N
ow is a good time to
look at propagating
your plants, creating
new plants by taking a piece
(called a cutting) of the parent
plant, and growing another
plant from it. You may take
root cuttings, stem cutting or
leaf cuttings. Not all plants
can be reproduced like this,
but those that can stand a
better chance if some
substance is applied to the
base of the cutting to
encourage roots to develop.
Proprietary root hormones
will encourage the cutting to
grow new roots and may
come in the form of a powder
or a liquid. There are
commonly different strengths,
which are applied according
to the hardness of the stem.
However, some smallholders
are consciously moving away
from chemical products in
their gardens, and such
gardeners may wish to try
INSECT CONTROL
From page 26
It is advisable to mount the
bat house on a north-west to
north facing wall or pole,
trying to get about two hours
of sun on to the bat house in
the late afternoon, so as to
warm it up a little towards the
bats' evening hunting time.
Bats are less attracted to bat
houses mounted on trees, as
it's too easy for predators to
get them as they exit, the
branches cause obstructions
to exiting bats which drop
down then up into flight and
it's too shady from branches
above.
Erecting more than one bat
house greatly increases the
chances of one being
occupied.
“Constructing the bat house is
the easy part. Positioning
them is more important and
there are many reasons for
bats not choosing to take up
residency in your box.
EcoSolutions provides a
consultancy service, just give
30
www.sasmallholder.co.za
some natural sources for root
hormone.
Willow tea works well and
can be made using either the
bark of a willow or, preferably, as it doesn't harm future
growth, the fresh spring
yellow branch shoots. Simply
cut the shoots into 3 cm
lengths and place them in
Continued on page 31
us a call and we can discuss
your circumstances. People
even send us photos of the
bat house and its surroundings, so that we can advise
them,” concludes Haw.
EcoSolutions are involved in a
number of bat-housing
projects on commercial farms
as part of biological insect
control. They also run owlbox projects.
Contact EcoSolutions on 011
791-7326/ 072 365 9777/
[email protected].