Cocoa Trees

Writen by Dorrie Ruplinger

Cocoa trees can grow as tall as fifty feet although they are usually kept pruned and kept much shorter to make it easier to harvest the cocoa bean pods.

The trees reach their maximum productivity when they are thirty to forty years old. A cocoa tree will live approximately sixty years.

The bean pods grow directly off the trunk and thicker main branches of the tree, not off the leaves as many people think. This is because the pods are heavy. The fragile leaf systems of the tree couldn't support the weight of the pods.

A cocoa tree can have up to one hundred thousand baby-pink and white blossoms every year. The blossoms have no scent. The leaves of the tree vary in color. Young leaves can be pale green, lavender, or purple in color. Mature leaves are dark green. The pods start out green but turn yellow or red when ripe, depending on what type of cocoa tree it is.

There are two main types of cocoa trees. There is the native Central American cocoa tree called the Criollo, and a type called Forastero which is grown mostly in West Africa and Brazil. The Forastero trees produces approximately ninety percent of the world's crop of cocoa beans. The beans from the Criollo are more expensive and are used in high quality chocolate.

Cocoa trees like shade so other tropical trees such as banana trees are planted right next to the cocoa trees. These larger trees that provide shade for the cocoa trees are often called "cocoa mother trees."

The cocoa trees start producing cocoa bean pods after three or four years and continue producing pods for approximately another thirty five years. In most areas, harvesting of the cocoa pods is done twice a year. Ripe pods are approximately eight inches long and three to four inches in diameter. The ripe pods are cut by hand in order to protect the younger pods that are still ripening.

After the pods are cut from the tree they are taken to a fermenting area. There the pods are split open to reveal the pulp and cocoa beans. There are up to forty cocoa beans in every pod. The pulp and beans are scooped out of the pod, placed on banana leaves that are usually laid on the ground (fermenting is also done in baskets and also in large sloping boxes), and then covered with more banana leaves. The pods are left to ferment for several days.

As the beans ferment they lose some of their bitterness and change from a lavender or white color to brown. The fermenting process is important because that is when the beans take on the chocolate taste we are accustomed to. During the fermenting process the beans lose some of their moisture. By the time the beans are ready to be packed in bags for shipping, the moisture content in them is somewhere around five to seven percent.

Dorrie Ruplinger is the publisher of http://www.chocolateistheanswer.com which provides information and resources about Door County Wisconsin parks.

How To Choose A Fountain Pump

Writen by Mike Guista

When replacing a fountain pump or choosing a new one, first there are some key terms to keep in mind:

"Head": This is the maximum vertical lift of the pump. For example, a 6' head means the pump is rated to pump water up to 6 feet high. Note, however, that at 6 feet the pump would be providing very little water, with gallons per hour around zero. So if you need to pump, say, 200 gph at 72", you will probably need about a 300-600 gallon per hour pump to do the job. See a "pump curve" for the amount of water pumped to various heights.Major pump manufacturers include pump curves on their boxes, brochures, or other literature. You should take a good look.

"GPH": Gallons per hour, usually rated at different heights

"GPM": Gallons per minute, usually rated at different heights

"Pump Curve": The amount of water volume "curved" according to various heights. A 500 gallon per hour pump, for instance, might pump 500 gallons per hour at 0" lift, 350 gallons per hour at 24" of lift, and so forth. When buying a pump for the first time or when seeking a replacement pump, it is essential that you know how many gallons per hour you want to pump and at what heighth (head).

Water Volume: The total volume that you will be pumping is controlled by a few factors. One factor is the size of the pump, as covered above. But you also must consider how wide your tubing will be. Tubing is measured in two ways: inside diameter (i.d.) and outside diameter (o.d.). Very skinny i.d. tubing will greatly reduce water flow. Many customers are shocked when they find that, after hooking up their 500 gallon per hour pump to ½" inside diameter tubing, they are only getting what they consider a trickle. Well, about the most they will get is 200 gallons per hour or so under the very best conditions. They have restricted the flow too much by choosing skinny tubing. When purchasing a pump, find out what size of tubing is supposed to go with it. Another problem is running the tubing too far. Long lengths of tubing create resistance. If your pump calls for ½" i.d. tubing, for instance, but you are running the tubing twenty feet from the pump, it is a good idea to use ¾" tubing instead so as not to cut down too much on flow.

How much water do I need? What size of pump?

This question is answered in part by whether you want a "trickle" or a roar. When you buy a fountain, you will usually find a recommended flow. For waterfalls, use this as a rule of thumb: for every inch of stream width or waterfall "sheet," you will need to deliver 100 gallons per hour at the height you're pumping. So if you are building a 12" wide waterfall that is three feet tall, you need to buy a pump that will be pumping 1200 gallons per hour at three feet of height.

For ponds, whenever possible, it is a good idea to recirculate the water once an hour, more often if possible. Thus, if your pond is 500 gallons, try to buy a pump that will recirculate water at a rate of 500 gallons per hour. For really large ponds, this is not necessary and is far too expensive.

For a nice waterfall effect, we usually advise about 4000 gallons per hour or more at the top of the waterfall. This creates enough volume for a wide, crashing spill. Adjust stones to soften the splash if desired.

When Is an External Pump Appropriate?

"In-line" pumps provide the "most bang for the buck" in two ways. For one, the purchase price is quite reasonable for the high volume of water being pumped. But even more importantly, these pumps dramatically outperform typical submersible pumps, cutting electrical costs two to three times. Since electrical costs for a large pond can easily run from thirty to one hundred dollars a month, choosing the most energy-efficient pump is tremendously important.

However, if you need a lot of "head," that is, if you are pumping to a height of more than say, seven or eight feet, or if you must pull the water (not "push", for in-line pumps push water fine but don't pull well) a long distance from the pond to a skimmer located far away, then these pumps probably won't work for you.

How About Battery-Operated Fountain Pumps?

We receive many, many calls about battery-operated pumps. While there are companies who manufacture pumps that can operate on "A" and "AA" batteries, we have not found a battery-operated pump that lasts or that is reasonably priced. For those customers who need battery fountains for wedding centerpieces (a common request), we suggest finding the one you want and buying as many as possible at a store like Wal-Mart. You get the whole fountain for as good of a price as we could get you these specialized pumps all by themselves!

Where is the Pump Made?

Pumps, like anything else, are made all over the world, and we suggest you buy pumps from someone who will stand by a guarantee and who has testing programs before marketing their pumps. It used to be that Asian pumps were quite bad but this is changing. What matters most is how well the pumps have been engineered and the materials used in the production. Italy for quite a while has been the major manufacturer of fountain pumps (think of how long Italians have had fountains), but Germany, Korea, Taiwan, and China are making pumps as well. Most American fountain pump companies (for example, Cal Pumps and Beckett) have their pumps manufactured overseas. As long as American engineering is used and the plans are followed, this should not be a problem.

Should my Pump Have a 2-wire plug or a 3-wire plug?

Outdoor pumps should always use a grounded, 3-wire plug. Indoor fountains sometimes have 2-wire and sometimes 3-wire plugs. For people wanting a really thin cord, 2-wire pumps provide the more aesthetic experience. Some retail stores require 3-wire pumps even for indoor fountains (though, ironically, they might not for aquarium pumps), and these thicker cords can be hidden by plants, stones, or other decorations. All pumps must be connected to a GFI outlet for safety.

Why do pumps burn out so often?

95% of the time the customer has let the pumps get hot by running them dry. Most fountain pumps are water-cooled and once the fountain is dry they burn up. Usually there is nothing you can do about this other than to buy a new pump. Also, however, pumps are supposed to be cleaned every so often by opening up the impeller case on the fountain pump. Follow the manufacturer's directions.

Michael Guista, who has published two books, owns Fountain Mountain, Inc., which distributes fountain pumps, pond lights and filters, and fountains.

Here are some suggested sites:

For Pumps
http://www.cheappumps.com
http://www.fountainmountain.com
http://www.fountaintechpumps.com

Do Plants Like The Quotexoticsquot

Writen by C Roe

Placement Of Exotic Plants And Trees

Placement of exotic plants and trees is critical for their overall development and long-term survival. It not only determines the general happiness of the plants, but also the overall appeal it gives to the habitat.

You should make the final choice of location only after having considered several other factors. If some part of your house or garden receives too much sunlight, you can grow sun; loving plants that will help to provide shade. It's also important to ensure that the plants have the appropriate space for spreading themselves.

Competing plants shouldn't be grown very near to each other. Dominating and invasive plants and trees should be placed afar from tender plants. You should also keep in mind the ultimate size the plant is likely to achieve. This will avoid obstruction of driveways or sidewalks, not just for you but at times even for your neighbors.

Growing Plants In Containers Can Be Rewarding

If you are eager to incorporate tropical foliage, trees, palms and flowers in your garden, however feel discouraged because of relatively small area, growing plants in containers is the perfect solution. By confining the exotic plants to a relatively small space, maintenance can be less of an unpleasant task. This also gives you the liberty to move them back and forth to different sites, as and when the plant requirement for sunlight and moisture changes. At the same time, you can introduce changes in the overall look of the garden by combining and contrasting with other garden plants.

Exotic plants can be in grown in containers with soil alone or with alterations, or completely soil less. Whatever be the preference, the medium must ensure good drainage and adequate water-retentive capacity. This is best accomplished by using a combination of materials (like sand, gravel along with loam) of various particle sizes to make available small air spaces and free-drainage.

The composition of the soil bed should in essence be rather simple and purposeful. You can either use peat moss or rich loam to constitute the bulk of your mix. Since, peat moss is highly acidic, always add ground limestone to maintain the pH level of soil.

To increase aeration and drainage, you can include pine bark or sand in the mix. Adding Vermiculite to soil will increase its water-retention capacity. For new plants, sparingly applied granular-type fertilizers can be beneficial as a starter feed. Soil-less plants are grown on liquid-feed and addition of fertilizers is advisable for supplying nutrients required by the plant.

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