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Feed the birds… Feed the birds

WITH sub-zero temperatures upon us, the RSPB is advising people to make sure their bird feeders and tables are full of high-energy foods. Hannah Stephenson examines what’s on offer

How long is it since you filled your bird feeder or replenished the water in your birdbath? If you haven’t done it for a while, there’s no time like the present.

“The sudden drop in temperatures across the UK will have been a big shock to birds’ systems after spending the past couple of months with few worries in terms of food availability,” says Richard James, RSPB wildlife adviser.

“Thanks to the recent mild weather, many natural food sources have been readily available and water has been easy to come by. Now the snow and ice are here birds will need all the help they can get to survive the winter.”

However, the range of bird seeds, fat balls and other so-called bird-friendly items can leave gardeners baffled as to what’s best for our feathered friends.

The RSPB suggests calorie-rich foods such as mixed seed, nyjer seed, fatballs, suet sprinkles, sunflower seed and good quality peanuts, as well as kitchen scraps such as mild grated cheese, rice and porridge oats.

There are different mixes for feeders and for bird tables and ground feeding. The better mixtures contain plenty of flaked maize, sunflower seeds, and peanut granules.

Small seeds, such as millet, attract mostly house sparrows, dunnocks, finches, reed buntings and collared doves, while flaked maize is taken readily by blackbirds.

Tits and greenfinches favour peanuts and sunflower seeds. Mixes that contain chunks or whole nuts are suitable for winter feeding only.

Pinhead oatmeal is excellent for many birds. Wheat and barley grains are often included in seed mixtures, but they are really only suitable for pigeons, doves and pheasants, which feed on the ground and rapidly increase in numbers, frequently deterring the smaller species.

Avoid seed mixtures that have split peas, beans, dried rice or lentils as again only the large species can eat them dry. These are added to some cheaper seed mixes to bulk them up. Any mixture containing green or pink lumps should also be avoided as these are dog biscuit, which can only be eaten when soaked.

Don’t feed the birds cooked fat from roasting tins and dishes, because the fat may have blended with meat juices which leaves a mixture prone to smearing, which is not good for the birds’ feathers, and is a breeding ground for bacteria, the charity warns.

Polyunsaturated margarines and vegetable oils are also unsuitable as birds need high levels of saturated fat to retain the high energy to keep warm, and soft fats can be smeared on to feathers, destroying the waterproofing qualities.

Lard and beef suet on their own are fine as they re-solidify after warming and are not as prone to bacteria breeding because they are pure fat.

Never give milk to the birds because it can result in serious stomach upsets or even death. They can, however, digest fermented dairy products such as mild grated cheese, which may attract robins, wrens and dunnocks.

If you want to give the birds coconut, only give them the fresh stuff in the shell, rinsing out any sweet coconut water before hanging it out, to stop black mildew emerging. Desiccated coconut should never be used as it can swell inside the bird, with fatal consequences.

Cooked rice without added salt can be beneficial to birds during severe winter weather, while uncooked porridge oats are fine for many bird species. You can also put out small quantities of dry breakfast cereal .

A supply of water is also essential for bathing and preening. In freezing conditions birds become more dependent on water provided in gardens, since many natural sources are frozen over.

The most effective way to keep the water in your garden from freezing is to pop in a light ball that will be moved by even a gentle breeze – a ping-pong ball is ideal.

Alternatively, pour on hot water to melt the ice to make sure the birds can get to it.

Put out enough food and you may see a wider variety of visitors during the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch (Jan 26 and 27), the world’s biggest wildlife survey.

For more information, visit www.rspb.org.uk.

Free Ecological Lectures for the Urban Gardener

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By Carol Stocker
CAMBRIDGE – As invasive species and habitat loss continue to threaten our native birds and other wildlife, our urban and suburban gardens could become their last refuge. Grow Native Massachusetts, part of the new environmental movement that advocates for the creation of habitat in our own front and backyards, is again offering its free public lecture series “Evenings with the Experts” at the Cambridge Public Library. Now in its fourth year, this series has been well attended by gardeners and gardening enthusiasts of all ages who care about biodiversity and want to make a difference by improving the ecological value of their landscapes. Come. Get inspired. Every garden matters; every landscape counts. Lectures are on the first Wednesday of each month from February through June, and begin at 7:00pm.

Here’s this year’s lineup:

February 6: Managing Invasives at Home and Around Town.

A talk by Eric Olson Josh Ellsworth of Brandeis University. Founder of the Newton Invasive Plant Task Force, Dr. Olson has led substantial volunteer efforts to control invasive species in Newton and Waltham. He will discuss this management challenge, especially the importance of building trust with local Conservation Commissions, and the risks and pleasures of depending entirely upon volunteer labor. Josh Ellsworth will explain the ecology of invasives, along with specific techniques for controlling the species most commonly encountered in Greater Boston.

March 6: Meadowscaping in Urban and Suburban Spaces.

Catherine Zimmerman, founder of the Meadow Project, describes why meadow and prairie habitats are so beneficial, both economically and environmentally. She is passionate about getting Americans to move away from their devotion to a monoculture of pesticide-ridden lawns. Get a step-by-step primer on reducing lawn size and installing a beautiful meadow instead. No space is too small. Join the movement to bring back native habitat! Ms. Zimmerman is the author of “Urban and Suburban Meadows.”

April 3: Landscape Design with the Climate in Mind

Sue Reed, author of “Energy-Wise Landscape Design” discusses how to manage our landscapes to save energy and reduce our carbon footprint—essential actions in this era of climate change. You can: reduce costs for home heating and cooling; save energy on your gardens and grounds; and choose products with lower embedded energy costs. Your property is full of opportunities to conserve, even if you’re not doing a major renovation or landscape redesign. Ms. Reed is an author and landscape architect.

May 1: Go Botany! Plant ID for the 21st Century

Imagine identifying plants in the field with your iPad or smart phone. Go Botany is the new definitive on-line Flora of New England for just that. Botanist Elizabeth Farnsworth will introduce and demonstrate this richly illustrated interactive key to over 3,500 native and naturalized plants of our region. This tool also includes PlantShare for reporting discoveries, exchanging checklists, and more. This evening will equip you to ID and better understand the many plants you encounter.

June 5: The Restoration of Consecration Dell

At the heart of Mount Auburn Cemetery, Consecration Dell is a landscape of great beauty and a hot spot for birding. Yet not long ago, it was overrun by invasive species and worn from erosion. Come hear Dr. Dave Barnett, President of Mount Auburn, describe the Dell’s restoration— requiring decades of work to establish a thriving community of native plants and vital habitat for wildlife. It is complex and intriguing tale, full of lessons about the challenges and rewards of ecological restoration.

For more about Grow Native Massachusetts and the Evenings with Experts lecture series go to www.grownativemass.org.

Garden your way to physical fitness – Sarasota Herald

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By DEAN FOSDICK

Gardens can be great training grounds for fitness buffs.

Add trails for jogging. Build benches for workouts. Use trees and fence posts for stretching. Lose even more calories by squatting or lifting while weeding, planting, hauling and digging.

You can personalize your garden to fit your energy level. Equipment such as exercise beams and conditioning ladders are inexpensive and simple to make, while portable gear like weighted rollers, jump ropes, dumbbells and Swiss balls can be eased into the routines.

“If you have children’s play equipment, it is easy to add a pull-up bar or climbing frame for adults to a tree house,” said Bunny Guinness, a landscape architect who runs a garden design business near Peterborough in central England.

Gardening in and of itself can be a formidable calorie burner, said Guinness, who with physiotherapist Jacqueline Knox wrote “Garden Your Way to Health and Fitness.”

Regular physical activity reduces the risk of many illnesses, and gardening can provide it, said Margaret Hagen, an educator with University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension.

“Raking is like using a rowing machine,” Hagen said. “Turning a compost pile is similar to lifting weights. Carry a gallon sprinkling can of water in each hand and you’ve got 8-pound dumbbells. Pushing a lawnmower is like walking on a treadmill, only much more interesting.”

Even more calories are burned when calisthenics are included in the mix. Add push-ups, chin-ups, bridging, power lunges and dips to the workouts.

Warm up before you begin to avoid cramping and joint pain. Pace yourself. Hydrate, especially if you’re gardening out in the sun. Avoid bending by using telescoping pruners, edgers and weeders. Opt for lightweight and easy-to-grip hand tools.

Work ergonomically. Stress good posture and balance.

“As someone who has had a back issue, I do try to follow my physical therapist’s advice and be careful to kneel instead of stooping while gardening, and to lift with bent knees and a straight back,” Hagen said. “One of the things I like most about gardening is that because you stretch and move in so many directions, it works all your muscle groups, releasing tension everywhere in your body.”

Don’t forget to include mental health in your landscape design. Add tranquil herb gardens, soothing fountains and small sitting areas for meditation, relaxing and cooling off.

“Any gardener can tell you that there is nothing like spending time outdoors gardening to refresh the soul,” Hagen said. “Psychologically, I’m sure it provides the same benefits to gardeners that recent research says recess provides to schoolchildren.”

Good nutrition also is an important part of any fitness package, and few things taste better than food served fresh from the garden.

“If you can boost your health and avoid stresses and strains in the process, it becomes all the more

Bestowing Beauty on Connecticut Properties Is New Milford Designer’s Job

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Richard Schipul’s job, one might say, is to bestow upon his clients the gift of beauty.

“I think what I do is giving more pride in home ownership to my customers,” the 47-year-old New Milford resident and owner of Designing Eden said recently as he sat in his home on a 10-acre farm in the rural Merryall section of town. “I want them to enjoy their homes, and I believe they can do that more by having beautiful gardens and landscaping. I know they feel this way after our work is done because I hear from them and we exchange Christmas cards with many of our clients.”

Since he was a young man, Mr. Schipul has had his hands in the good earth, making land come alive with his landscape and garden designs … his life’s work, really. He grew up in Trumbull and loved the outdoors so much that he headed off to the State University of New York in Farmingdale to acquire a degree in horticulture in 1989.

“I was going to get a two-year degree and return home and cut lawns for a living. But during college I took a trip with a friend to The Bayberry nursery on the eastern tip of Long Island and saw the amazing beauty of this property and knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life—making properties beautiful.” So, Mr. Schipul’s dreams turned from cutting lawns to designing the gardens that surround the green oasis. He enrolled in the College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse University and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Landscape Architecture in 1992.

He shortly thereafter founded Designing Eden, which began as a landscape maintenance business in Trumbull, Conn. As the company developed, Mr. Schipul saw a need for a landscape company that could create memorable outdoor environments by combining creative design solutions with fine craftsmanship. Armed with his training and skills as a horticulturist and landscape architect, he moved Designing Eden into the planning and construction part of the industry, specializing in landscapes for historic houses. His business has been based in New Milford for the past eight years.

“My parents have a summer home on Candlewood Lake and I kept seeing this piece of property being advertised in New Milford,” he recalled. “I kept thinking that I should buy it with an eye on living there someday. So, three months later I did. When my wife (Christine) and I were married we moved to the property and lived in a small house that was on the land. It was 550 square feet and I had all my clothes in a three-drawer dresser,” he adds with laugh.” Along came two children, and the Schipuls built a large home on the property that also serves as a nursery for many of the company’s plantings.

“This is a perfect place for us. It is quiet and beautiful and much of the land around us is preserved as open space.” The property has a renovated barn and carriage house, and the Schipuls are in the process of clearing the land with a plan of building a horticultural showplace to include a design office, growing fields and display gardens to excite the senses.

As Designing Eden’s name indicates, Mr. Schipul’s overriding passion is to create unique and stunning gardens and landscapes for his clients, many of whom live in Litchfield County. He shows his visitor photos of a three-acre wildflower field he created for a client in Kent, as well as a garden for a historic home in Ridgefield center.

“The wildflower field is alive with color throughout the year and works, even though it butts up against the modern design of the home. The Ridgefield project is one of my favorites. The property was without much landscaping when we were hired and we were able to create a small, yet beautiful garden by mixing about 70 percent perennials into the landscape surrounding the house with 30 percent annuals; the latter we replace three times a year. It’s a historic home right on the town’s main street and the owners say they constantly have people coming up to the door and asking about the gardens.”

Although the firm undertakes projects on all types of properties, its specialty and affinity is renovating gardens of period homes, as well as creating old style gardens for new homes meant to look old. Mr. Schipul says his landscape designs are well thought out, environmentally sensitive and highly personalized. The landscape designs are created to complement the architectural style of a home, while also meeting a homeowner’s needs. The designs provide year-round interest by creating plant combinations with contrasting forms, leaf textures, colors and varying bloom times. Designing Eden installs and maintains gardens. Continued…

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Seafront plan wins support

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– No 1: A large privately-run indoor and out-door play and recreation area to the west and overall site. – No 2: A water sports ‘centrepiece’ hub, stretching from the seafront to the east of the site. – No 3: Retail areas and amusements, plus a public square and park area. – No 4: Holiday or hotel accommodation to the north-west, accessed by the road via the life-boat station (separate to the proposed seafront Premier Inn development). – No 5: New two-storey café-restaurant, with safety tower, on the current Harbour View cafe site. -No 6: A new 200-plus space car park at the rear of the north-eastern part of the site. – No 7: Refurbishment of the old lifeboat sta-tion. – No 7: Public toilets adjacent to the old life-boat station will either remain or be refurbished, remaining open all year. – No 8: the alignment of the existing road is expected to move from its current seafront route, passing further back between the car park and new water sports hub and recreation area. Details of th

Dave Beasley
Monday, January 21, 2013
9:59 AM

A proposal to redevelop the seafront has the support of the town’s largest community group, the Exmouth Community Association.

A water sports hub, leisure area, retail units, public area and a hotel are some of the ideas proposed for the area between the old Lifeboat Station and The Maer – and the district council have asked for people’s views.

The deadline for consultations closed on Monday, January 15, and the ECA have submitted a 14-point report in response.

Many of the plan’s key aspects have been influenced by the ECA’s 2010 report, drawn up by the 14 members of ECA’s Seafront Working Party.

They back ‘realigning’ Queens Drive from the seafront to between a new car park and water sports hub, which would be next to the old lifeboat station, and they suggest a 20mph speed limit.

But they say that the area will have more retail units than what they consider is ‘needed’ while they say beach access for water users is too far west.

The report reads: “The majority of the water sports participants will need to enter the sea at the eastern end of the retail and amusement area, and not the western end.”

It adds: “The indoor areas (should) accommodate a café, an ice cream shop, an art shop, a shop for beach goods and a traditional amusement arcade. No further retail is needed, in our view.”

They say that a there should be access allowing people to take a small dinghy or kayak into the water.

“The only slipway is by the Harbour View café. There should therefore be facilities for cars with trailers to park in the area in front of the (water sports) building…

“This slipway should also be made available to the successful and growing rowing club, who should be housed in the old lifeboat station. “

They suggest that any buildings in the retail and amusement should be no higher than one storey, and that all buildings should be restricted in height.

And they add that the area earmarked for the watersports hub, to the east of the old lifeboat station, was ‘too small’.

They support plans for a toddlers’ play pool in the amusement area but suggest that the adjacent open public space should have seating, landscaping, art and play equipment.

They add: “An issue to be addressed for all the areas close to the beach is control of the sand, which is frequently blown over.”

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Celebrity landscaper comes to town to share his story

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Ahmed Hassan says his presentations this weekend at the Greater Charlotte Home Landscape will be a big love fest.

Hassan is a celebrity landscaper, green expert and television host of DIY Network’s “Yard Crashers.”

He’s also the owner of Ahmed Hassan Landscaping Services. The 39-year-old said he will share all aspects of his inspiring life story – from his battle with addiction, to his rise to the top as one of the nation’s leading landscape experts.

The hourlong program also will include a question-and-answer period with the audience, as well as tips from local experts.

Since 2008, Hassan and his team have surprised families with customized residential landscapes on the weekend television show “Yard Crashers.” The network created the series to showcase Hassan’s high energy, motivational spirit and love for everything green.

He also has served as a guest contributor for the “CBS Early Show” and NBC’s “Today.” And he’s been a guest columnist for several publications, including the new HGTV magazine.

Hassan and his wife, Tiffanie, 36, live in California and have been married nearly 22 years. They have three kids. Their son, Julian, is 13. Faith is 10, and Camille is 7.

Hassan got one of his first landscaping jobs when he was 15. He didn’t describe it as his worst job, but it was a lonely job. He performed landscape maintenance at a shopping center – where he’d scrape gum off the ground, sweep up litter and cigarette butts, and cultivate and maintain flower beds.

“In life, at some point, you have to go in the kitchen and do the dishes,” Hassan said. “You’ve got to do that lonely job.”

To move beyond just “doing the dishes,” Hassan tells people to figure out what they love – what inspires them – and try to turn that into a career.

“Forget about money,” he said. “Take money out of the equation. Eventually the money will catch up with your passion.”

Hassan said he comes from a long line of drug addicts and alcoholics.

When he was 19, he had a run in with police for selling marijuana. During the days that followed, Hassan said he realized he was just “faking the funk.”

“I was pretending to be someone I wasn’t – trying to be hip, slick and cool – and then I knew it was time for me to make that change,” he said.

He’s been clean and sober ever since, and joked that if there’s a meeting that ends with the word “anonymous,” he’s probably attended it.

“Once I got clean and sober and my brain worked really well… I had all this energy… and I made a decision to do what I loved for a career. And I made a decision, at that point, to become an entrepreneur and run a landscaping business.”

At the time, he said it felt like a lofty, yet substantial dream. Now it’s a dream-come-true.

Hassan said he’s still doing his homework to focus on Charlotte-area issues, but promises he’ll be ready to answer all sorts of questions ranging from pests and soil issues, to design questions and project ideas.

He also plans to “razz” people, kiss babies, hug moms and teach people in an entertaining way.

“People are going to learn a lot about me, they’ll learn something about landscaping – whether they like it or not – and they’re bound to have a good time,” Hassan said.

Hassan answered five questions for Cabarrus News in a recent phone interview.

Q. What did it take for you to consider yourself a success?

“What it took for me was two very tenacious and headstrong parents. As a matter of fact, there actually were three parents, because at some point along the way I had a stepmom – and she was just as tenacious. And it took a lot of self-pride.

“Growing up as a kid, my dad was a black Muslim. And, if you know anything about the Black Power Movement, it was about pride, integrity, respect and transformation in your life. So I grew up exposed to that kind of energy. And I grew up seeing and hearing about stories of transformation, where people would do complete 180s in their lives. I already knew that would be my story, I just didn’t know how bad it was going to be and at what point I would switch my life around.”

Q. As a family man, you must be away a lot. What are some things you’ve sacrificed to become one of the nation’s top landscape experts?

“I do sacrifice quite a bit with my family, but I always seek to balance it out. And I don’t really look at what I sacrifice. The bottom line is that most dads in America have to go to work. … So what I do is take advantage of the opportune times that I get … and I wake up with (my children) in the morning, I make them smoothies and we cook together. Last night, I was helping them all with homework. … Or I take them out on one-on-one excursions. … I make up extraordinary moments when there’s just ordinary stuff going on, and that’s how I balance it out.”

Q. Describe your own yard, your favorite place in it and what you like to do when you have down time?

“My yard… is a very small focus because when I get home, as much time as I spend in other peoples’ yards – as much time as I spend out doing things related to landscaping and my profession, and as much as I love it – I need to connect with my three kids and my wife. Right now, I’m looking at my yard, and it’s kind of a mess. My yard could use a crashing, but it’s not the biggest priority right now.”

Q. What can visitors expect from you at the Greater Charlotte Home Landscape Show?

“It’s going to be a love fest. I tend to do these events, and people come out and shower me with love – and all I do is mirror that love and give it right back. We’ll have a good time, people will get up close and personal, and there will be a lot of engagement. … They get to connect with that guy who is on the box, and how often do you get to connect with folks who are on TV?”

Q. Talk a little bit about how you fell in love with landscape design and why you keep striving for greater heights?

“That’s the crux of what I share in my personal appearance. It’s a wonderful story, and I’ll take (audiences) on a historical journey of my upbringing: how I became the person I am; how that person parlayed into a landscaper; how the landscaper became a TV host; and how this TV host –and this character who I am – is looking at life and moving forward. I share it all. I’m open about all of it.”

Ideas, solutions on tap for home show

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Days are growing longer. Temperatures are becoming more mild. Spring is right around the corner.

While the prospect of leaving winter behind might be a welcome thought, there’s a bevy of challenges that come with a new season.

Yards across the Pikes Peak region have sat dormant for months, with precious little precipitation having been offered to a landscape desperate for a drink. Another year has passed and the paint on homes throughout the neighborhood has begun to fade. Plus, this is the year you’ve earmarked to build that new, expanded deck with surrounding water features.

Suddenly, another few weeks of winter doesn’t sound so bad.

But you don’t have to take on spring’s challenges alone. The Home and Landscaping Show offers an array of vendors and professionals ready to help simplify your life. Whether indoors or out, construction or design, economical or luxurious, you’re likely to find someone who can lend helpful advice.

The Colorado Springs Event Center will house hundreds of booths next weekend.

Jake Harris, from local company Jake’s Design, believes this is one of the better shows in the region and is looking forward to the landscape competition. Each company will design an area with plants, fire pits, water features, patios and more in hopes of winning The People’s Choice Award, chosen by show attendees.

“You can find any type of vendor here” said Harris, whose company won both first-place awards at last year’s show. “From roofing, home security, windows, carpeting … anything that has to do with a house.”

Headlining the show is celebrity landscaper Jake Moss, host of DIY Network’s hit show “Yardcore!” A California landscape designer and artist, Moss often is recognized by his signature fedora hat and energy. He will be selecting and presenting the second landscaping award.

Katy Linnell, owner of Shelf Genie and Made in the Shade Blinds, has been part of the show for three years and believes it’s a great opportunity for consumers and vendors alike.

“There is such a huge variety of vendors, everyone is sure to find what they need,” she said.

Finding Inspiration for Your Next Home Improvement Project

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The 38^th annual Nebraska Home and Builders show showcased the latest in home improvement, design and landscaping. Taking place Jan. 18 through 20, many took the opportunity to find inspiration in an exhibit filled with home experts.

“The house we live in now, we built ourselves,” homeowner Alice Stevens said, “but now we’ve lived there for 18 years, so it’s time to upgrade and fix things up again.”

Many shoppers came to the home show with a clear plan for what they need, but many said they leave with new ideas.

“We also saw hot tubes and I’d like to have one of those,” Stevens said.

Slogans like “entertain, exercise or relax in any weather,” drew shoppers to outdoor renovations.

William R. Jackson, of the Jackson Group, produced the three-day event. Jackson said the biggest trends of the year are outdoor renovations like patios, gardens and sunrooms.

“A sunroom is an addition to your home that you can get your family in without bugs bothering you,” Ron Bures, of ABC Seamless, who builds sunrooms, said. “And you put a hot tub in them and you could do all kinds of things in a sunroom.”

Grand Island realtor Amber Gerdes, of Woods Bros Realty, said people are afraid to put their homes on sale because they may not find another home to buy. “124 homes were available at the beginning of the year,” she said.

She said many renters want to become buyers but they’re having a hard time finding the best home in the best area with the floor plan of their needs.

Landscaping for the Homeowner Series: Gardening for Wildlife

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This class will focus on creating specialized areas of the landscape for wildlife gardening including butterfly and bird gardens, utilizing native plants in the landscape. Beat winter’s chill by preparing for your spring garden! Back by popular demand, the Cincinnati Zoo’s 2013 Landscaping series is one of the most informative and complete courses for homeowners in the Tri-state area. Offering insight on design, preparation and plant selection, the classes can be taken separately or as a complete series building upon one another.

Where:
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden
Phone: 513-559-7767
Address: 3400 Vine St.
Website: www.cincinnatizoo.org

Coir goes global, finds new usages in European homes

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Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 21 (IANS): The humble coir, used in many Indian houses as doormats and carpets, has found new usages in Europe as a material for building sound barriers, stylish compound walls and garden landscaping, says a Kerala official.

In Europe, coir is being used for building modular acoustic walls and landscaping gardens, says K.R. Anil, director of the National Coir Research and Management Institute (NCRMI), the nodal agency for Coir Kerala that leads RD efforts in the state.

“Dubbed as greenscreen acoustic barriers, these lightweight modular walls are claimed to offer sound insulation of up to 35 decibels. Panels of the barrier are made of two rows of poles made of 100 percent recyclable material and with durable, natural coconut fibre filled inside,” Nair said.

In Germany, coir yarn walls are increasingly being used for landscaping as well as for sound proofing, he added.

Garden plants are trailed along the walls made of sturdy coir yarn, providing excellent support for creepers and vines.

Coir also retains moisture for long periods which means the plants trailing on a yarn wall need less watering than on other surfaces.

“In The Netherlands, coconut husk, from which the fibrous coir is extracted, is being used as a noise prevention solution in homes located along highways and other high-traffic roads, in offices and around sporting arenas,” Nair said.

Innovative applications of coir will be on display at the Coir Kerala-2013 exhibition, which is to be held at Alappuzha, about 150 km from here, in the first week of next month.

Besides, delegates from around 60 countries participating in the event would also get to hear discussions on some interesting new developments in the industry, Nair said.