Garden Maintenance Research Articles

A Comparison of Exercise Intensity between Two Horticultural and Four Common Physical Activities among Male Adults in Their 20s

This study aimed to identify the exercise intensity associated with four common physical activities for adults (running, skipping rope, walking, and muscle strength exercises) and two horticultural activities (creating a vegetable bed and garden maintenance). For this experiment, 19 males (mean age: 25.8 ± 2.3 years) randomly participated in the activities at a glasshouse at Konkuk University. Each of the six activities lasted for 5 minutes; the subjects rested for 5 minutes during intervals between the activities. A portable metabolic analyzer was used to store the oxygen and energy consumption values obtained upon measurement of each activity. In addition, a wireless heart rate monitor was used to measure the subjects’ heart rate. According to the results, the four types of physical activities and two horticultural activities carried out by the subjects are moderate- to high-intensity activities [i.e., 3.8 ± 0.9 to 9.9 ± 2.1 metabolic equivalents (METs)]. Running (9.9 ± 2.1 METs) and skipping rope (8.8 ± 2.2 METs) were categorized as high-intensity physical activities, whereas creating a vegetable bed (5.0 ± 1.2 METs), walking (4.9 ± 0.8 METs), muscle strength exercises (4.5 ± 1.3 METs), and garden maintenance (3.8 ± 0.9 METs) were classified as moderate-intensity physical activities. The exercise intensities of horticultural activities in this study were similar to those of walking and muscle strength exercises. Therefore, participating in these horticultural activities is expected to garner health benefits similar to those reaped from the physical activities described in the current study.

The general observation of Intention and an Actual Situation of an Everyday Garden Maintenance In case of Murinan Garden

The general observation of Intention and an Actual Situation of an Everyday Garden Maintenance In case of Murinan Garden

Impact of training on knowledge and adoption levels of Chawki rearing centre owners of Karnataka state

The knowledge, adoption and impact of chawki rearing training has been assessed by using pre-tested structured interview schedule for the study in the Karnataka state commercial Chawki Rearing Centres (CRC). The study revealed that after training CRC owners gained knowledge about loose egg brushing technique for bivoltine hybrids and had awareness about mulberry variety suitable for chawki rearing (V1 and S36). Application of Farmyard manure (FYM) and plant protection (20%) measures had also significant impact after training. In case of pruning, chawki garden maintenance and training of mulberry garden have not given importance. CRC owners gained significant impact on knowledge level of number of feedings. There is a significant improvement in adoption of loose egg brushing (60%). The adoption of chawki rearing technologies especially transportation of chawki worms, more than 95% of the larvae from the CRCs transported before completion of first moult and the impact was very less (20%) on transportation of chawki worms. Extension programmes should have also extended to CRC owners for those who are diluting the chawki rearing concept for better technology adoption and viable system.

Limiting Pest Problems Through Sustainable Landscape and Garden Design and Maintenance at the U.S. Botanic Garden

Limiting Pest Problems Through Sustainable Landscape and Garden Design and Maintenance at the U.S. Botanic Garden

Fathers' time-bind and the outsourcing of “male” domestic work in Europe: the cases of the United Kingdom and Germany

In this article we examine the processes driving the outsourcing of masculinized forms of domestic work, involving household and garden maintenance and repair, and its displacement to migrant men; a trend which we conceive as part of the broader transnationalization of care that has been highlighted in feminist scholarship. The article draws on two studies conducted in the United Kingdom and Germany, and focuses on the demand on the part of households buying in “male” domestic services. We find that households use handymen in order to alleviate a father time-bind, which is rooted in three processes. Firstly, a “Europeanization” in norms around childhood, parenting and fathering; secondly, a liberalization and flexibilization of working time regimes in both countries; and thirdly, path dependency in welfare regimes based historically on a male breadwinner model. On the basis of our findings in the United Kingdom and Germany, we conclude the paper by reflecting on whether and why we might expect the commoditization of male domestic services to be manifest in other European countries.

Produce Your Own: A Community Gardening Program

Many County Extension offices offer an adult Master Gardener Program, which includes advanced gardening training, short courses, newsletters, and conferences. However, with the comprehensive training provided comes a large time commitment. The Produce Your Own program was created to introduce adults to gardening in a similar manner, but with shorter, less demanding, and less technical sessions. The outreach program consisted of a series of four interactive sessions focused on plot design, crop selection, garden maintenance, harvesting, and preserving. The content can be adapted in many ways for adults, seniors, youth, and other audiences, which allows Extension to reach larger audiences.

An innovative approach to creating a hospice at home team

IntroductionThis project uses an innovative approach to creating a new Hospice at Home team. The team aims to deliver a service that can respond quickly with a flexible and adaptable...

BVOC emissions from mechanical wounding of leaves and branches of Eucalyptus sideroxylon (red ironbark)

Emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) from mechanical wounding of leaves and branches of plants can contribute to the atmospheric burden of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in both (a) urban airsheds (from urban garden maintenance) and (b) the global atmosphere (from large scale forest harvesting). These emissions of BVOCs are poorly understood and quantified, and their role in urban and global emissions inventories neglected. This paper presents measurements of the magnitude, duration and composition of emissions of BVOCs, carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) from freshly cut leaf mulch and wood chips derived from a common eucalypt tree, Eucalyptus sideroxylon (red ironbark), found in southeastern Australian forests and gardens. The emissions of BVOCs from freshly cut and shredded leaves and wood of E. sideroxylon were found to be 2.3 ± 0.6 and 0.05 ± 0.04 mg g-1 DM (Dry Mass) from leaf mulch and wood chips respectively and to last typically for 1 day following cutting. Three sampling techniques were used for VOC speciation and the 12 most abundant BVOCs released from the mulch materials were identified. The specific BVOCs emitted in order of decreasing abundance from leaf mulch are: (a) stored plant oils, 1,8-cineole, α–pinene and o-cymene which make up the major part of the emissions, (b) a minor contribution from chemicals associated with environmental stress and wound defence, (Z)–3–hexenyl acetate, (E)-2-hexenal and (Z)-3-hexen-1-ol, and (c) a second minor contribution from metabolic products, acetaldehyde and acetone. The observed integrated emissions of BVOCs from leaves following mulching are equivalent to more than half and perhaps all of the likely stored plant oils in the leaves. For the two comparable studies available, one of a plant with stored oils (this study) and one of a plant without stored plant oils, the emissions of leaf wound defence BVOCs are in the same range for both plants. In the plant with stored plant oils, the plant oil emissions are about a factor of 11 larger in emission rate than the plant wound defence BVOCs. A compilation of available leaf wounding BVOC emission studies indicates that for plants with stored plant oils, plant oil emissions dominate, whereas with other plants, leaf wound defence BVOCs dominate the emissions.

Patient-Centered Approach to Building Problem Solving Skills Among Older Primary Care Patients: Problems Identified and Resolved

This article describes problems identified by older primary care patients enrolled in Problem Solving Therapy (PST), and explores factors associated with successful problem resolution. PST patients received 1 to 8, 45-min sessions with a social worker. Patients identified problems in their lives and directed the focus of subsequent sessions as consistent with the steps of PST. The 107 patients identified 568 problems, 59% of which were resolved. Most commonly identified problems included health related issues such as need for exercise or weight loss activities, medical care and medical equipment needs, home and garden maintenance, and gathering information on their medical condition. Problems identified by patients were 2.2 times more likely to be solved than those identified by a health care professional. Using PST in primary care may facilitate patients in addressing key health and wellness issues.

Polymorphism and Division of Labor During Foraging Cycles in the Leaf-cutting Ant Acromyrmex octospinosus (Formicidae; Attini)

While division of labor within leaf-cutting ant nests has been well-characterized in the context of the collection and processing of leaf material, environmental factors such as day-night cycles and heavy rainfall limit the time during which leaf-cutting ant workers leave the nest to gather forage. Using a novel “flat panel” nest design, we studied how patterns of within-nest task performance changed when a colony of the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex octospinosus was and was not provided access to forage. We conducted scan samples of individuals working within the nest under both conditions and compared task allocation patterns across provisioning regimes and between workers of different sizes. When labor was compared between worker size groups, “minor” workers (head width ≤2.0 mm) and “major” workers (head width >2.0 mm) showed significantly different task performance patterns when forage was available: minors performed mostly brood-care and garden maintenance, while majors were mostly involved in the handling of freshly-cut leaf fragments. In contrast, when the colony was deprived of forage, the task performance patterns of minor and major workers converged and did not significantly differ. Marked major workers known to be foragers tended to remain idle within the nest when the colony was deprived of forage, while non-foragers of similar head width engaged in a variety of within-nest tasks, suggesting polyethism in majors may be based on factors other than size.

Resource allocation among worker castes of the leaf-cutting ants Acromyrmex subterraneus subterraneus through trophallaxis

The division of labor between the different worker castes of leaf-cutting ants may reflect in their capacity to exchange liquids by trophallaxis. The crop capacity of and trophallactic exchanges between different size classes of worker leaf-cutting ants of the sub-species Acromyrmex subterraneus subterraneus were investigated. Size classes were defined from head capsule widths and crop capacity of each class was determined following ad libitum feeding on dye solution. Experiments were carried out to investigate trophallactic exchanges between donor ants and recipient ants of each class size combination on a one to one basis. An experiment was also performed to investigate dye distribution within mini-colonies following introduction of three classes of donor ants. Worker ants were categorized into four size classes from their head capsule widths (C1 = 0.8–1.0 mm; C2 = 1.2–1.5 mm; C3 = 1.6–2.0 mm; C4 = 2.1–2.4 mm). C1 ants crop capacity was 0.13 μL; C2: 0.21 μL; C3: 0.52 μL; C4: 1.03 μL. Ants of each class previously fed on the dye solution (donors) were placed individually with an unfed ant of each class (recipients) and the presence of dye solution, passed from the donor to the recipient by oral trophallaxis was observed after 1 h. Results showed that all classes of donor ants performed trophallactic exchanges with all recipient classes. However, statistically fewer exchanges were seen for C2 donor ants when placed with C3 recipient ants. Ten donor ants of each of three classes (C2, C3 and C4) were introduced into mini-colonies without queen ants. It was observed that C1 and C2 ants were poor recipients, whilst C3 and C4 received the highest percentages of dye. Within 10 h of introducing the donor ants, 14 to 20% of their nest-mates had received dye solution, with 58 to 77% of dye passed to recipients. These studies show the altruistic nature of “food-laden” leaf-cutters and indicate that ants involved in garden maintenance activity are less likely to receive liquids from foraging workers.

Domestic-Sector Work in the UK: Locating Men in the Configuration of Gendered Care and Migration Regimes

Research on the processes underpinning the contemporary growth in the commoditisation of domestic labour focuses on feminised areas of work, such as cleaning and care. Yet research examining trends in domestic outsourcing highlights how men's, as well as women's, household work is subject to increased commoditisation. Through a qualitative enquiry of households which outsource stereotypically male domestic chores – essentially, household and garden repair and maintenance – and men who do such work for pay, we seek to understand the processes underpinning its outsourcing. In doing so, we adopt a framework which treats the paid domestic-work sector as a critical nexus at which gendered care and migration regimes intersect. The focus on male domestic chores, however, requires that we broaden that framework in ways which can more fully illuminate men's positions within it.

Conserving water in and applying solar power to haemodialysis: ‘Green Dialysis’ through wiser resource utilization

Natural resources are under worldwide pressure, water and sustainable energy being the paramount issues. Haemodialysis, a water-voracious and energy-hungry healthcare procedure, thoughtlessly wastes water and leaves a heavy carbon footprint. In our service, 100 000 L/week of previously discarded reverse osmosis reject water--water which satisfies all World Health Organisation criteria for potable (drinking) water--no longer drains to waste but is captured for reuse. Reject water from the hospital-based dialysis unit provides autoclave steam for instrument sterilization, ward toilet flushing, janitor stations and garden maintenance. Satellite centre reject water is tanker-trucked to community sporting fields, schools and aged-care gardens. Home-based nocturnal dialysis patient reuse reject water for home domestic utilities, gardens and animal watering. Although these and other potential water reuse practices should be mandated through legislation for all dialysis services, this is yet to occur. In addition, we now are piloting the use of solar power for the reverse osmosis plant and the dialysis machines in our home dialysis training service. If previously attempted, these have yet to be reported. After measuring the power requirements of both dialytic processes and modelling the projected costs, a programme has begun to solar power all dialysis-related equipment in a three-station home haemodialysis training unit. Income-generation with the national electricity grid via a grid-share and reimbursement arrangement predicts a revenue stream back to the dialysis service. Dialysis services must no longer ignore the non-medical aspects of their programmes but plan, trial, implement and embrace 'green dialysis' resource management practices.

User involvement in the development of a health promotion technology for older people: findings from the SWISH project

Successive English government policies about older people's health and well-being aim to improve health and quality of life by promoting independence. Improving access to information and services that can improve health and well-being and reduce health risks is central to the modernisation of health and social care. Most recently, tailored and person-centred approaches with a strong emphasis on promoting health and well-being are central to policy, including the proposals for 'Life Checks' and the recent emphasis on commissioning 'community well-being'. We carried out a qualitative study to identify the key aspects of social situations that affect health and well-being, from the perspectives of older people and professionals, to enrich and expand an existing health risk appraisal tool so that it could be used for self-assessment of health and social well-being. This tool, Health Risk Appraisal in Older people (HRAO), has been evaluated in different European settings, including English general practice. Focus groups were recruited from general practice, older people's forums, social care and voluntary organisations in two London boroughs where the HRAO tool had previously been tested. The social factors determining health that were prioritised by older people and service providers and recommended for inclusion in the health risk appraisal tool were recent life events, housing and garden maintenance, transport, both public and private, financial management, career status & needs, the local environment and social networks and social isolation. This study has identified key social determinants of health that could usefully be added to 'Life Checks' for older people and that could also inform the commissioning of community well-being. Modified with the addition of social domains, the HRAO technology could be a suitable tool to achieve current policy objectives.

Forget politicians, in doctors we trust

Each year surveys show that politicians and journalists are the least trusted professions. It's a tough verdict, especially as both professions have their share of angels and scoundrels. Meanwhile, doctors are consistently at the top of the list, most trusted by the public. And not even the murderous acts of Harold Shipman and years of assault on the medical profession by the mainstream media have managed to shake that perception (JRSM 2009;102:223–7). Is it fair? As the list of generous interpretations of the expenses rules was revealed by the saintly pressmen of The Daily Telegraph, I did conclude – with nothing more than anecdotal evidence to support me – that the vast majority of healthcare professionals would be troubled by their conscience if they indulged in the way that politicians have. Let's take health ministers for example. While you are questioning your conscience to claim for medical indemnity insurance, professional subscriptions, mobile phone, training courses and medical journals, your decision-makers in Parliament are renovating their second homes and sprucing up their gardens. According to The Daily Telegraph, shadow health minister Andrew Lansley – my parliamentary representative, as it happens – organized an inside-and-out paint job of his Cambridgeshire home, a driveway re-shingle, handmade curtains, chair and stool re-upholster, and garden maintenance, all contributing a tidy to a tidy sum of £78,730 over four years. Not be left out, junior health minister Ben Bradshaw managed claims of £56,568 over four years for his second home. Now all these claims might be within the rules of the fees office but it's hard to see how many of those revealed by The Daily Telegraph would pass the scrutiny of the fees office in your head? I can't think of many doctors that I have worked with who would have been so brazen. Perhaps it is something to do with our medical training or the oath that we take? Perhaps I’m being naive and doctors get their kickbacks elsewhere through commercial entanglements and hidden financial interests? Perhaps doctors are paid enough in the first place? With David Cameron arguing for a fundamental overhaul of British politics, the answer could be for more trusted and trustworthy medics to take to politics? It is a decision that Jim Thornton, subject of this month's My Working Day, has already taken – and I can assure you his decision came before the expenses scandal shattered our political elite. This month he will fight for a seat on Nottinghamshire County Council, next stop the Houses of Parliament. I’d vote for Jim, he taught me at medical school and once liked an ethics essay I wrote, which seems a good enough reason to me. And so might the public, they trust doctors more than any profession. But how many of us question our conscience in our everyday decision-making? We might not fiddle our expenses but how many times each day do we abuse that trust in other ways? Financial claims are easy to measure. Quality of care is something the freedom of information act will struggle to quantify.

日本庭園に関するシンポジウム受講者に対する意識調査による文化財庭園の管理のあり方

Recently, the citizen participation process in public administration is being introduced in Japan. And citizen participation in the administration of gardens of cultural properties is also coming to the fore. In consideration of this social situation, we investigated a good way of administrating gardens of cultural properties by citizen participation. We distributed a questionnaire to participants in a garden symposium for ordinary citizens held in Kyoto. Furthermore, to acquire new knowledge, we made a multilateral assessment by comparing the results of previous surveys that investigated the awareness of gardeners and administrators of gardens of cultural properties in Kyoto, about garden administration. The results showed that the majority of the three respondents desired restoration of the gardens rather than their evolution, and the tightening of landscape conservation regulations. But regarding the utilization of gardens as modern event spaces, we found a different trend among the ideas of the three. In addition, adoption of volunteers for garden maintenance was approved by about 70 percent of the participants in the symposium. We think that it is important to promote acceptance of various public comments and volunteer works in order to make gardens of cultural properties more open as national collective properties.

Seletividade de sálvia (Salvia splendens) ao herbicida oxyfluorfen veiculado à palha de arroz

O manejo de plantas daninhas em canteiros de floríferas é um dos principais aspectos que interferem na manutenção dos jardins. Dessa forma, este trabalho teve como objetivo estudar a possibilidade de veiculação do oxyfluorfen à palha de arroz e a seletividade da sálvia (Salvia splendens), uma das principais floríferas produzidas e comercializadas no Brasil, ao herbicida. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados, no esquema fatorial 4 x 3, com quatro repetições. Os tratamentos foram quatro quantidades de palha de arroz (0, 4, 6 e 8 t ha-1) combinadas com três doses do herbicida oxyfluorfen (0, 1 e 2 L ha-1). Observou-se que os tratamentos que levaram à veiculação do herbicida (nas duas doses testadas e nas três quantidades de palha) apresentaram controle de plantas daninhas sem que efeitos fitotóxicos severos fossem observados nas plantas de sálvia. A pulverização direta do herbicida sobre o solo e as plantas de sálvia não se mostrou viável. O tratamento que proporcionou controle satisfatório de plantas daninhas sem causar danos às plantas de sálvia e que, por isso, pode ser recomendado foi o que recebeu o herbicida na dose de 2 L ha-1, veiculado a 4 t ha-1 de palha de arroz.

Fostering Children's Interests in Gardening

Despite the rapidly growing interest in children's gardens and attention to the positive benefits of gardening for children, little is known about the ways in which young people actually form interests in gardening. Using a sample of 9- and 10-year-old children at a school garden site in New York State, this study examined the ways in which gender, length of time working with the garden project, different types of gardening activities, and garden skills learned influenced interests in gardening. Regression analysis indicated that gardening skills had the strongest effect on gardening interest, followed by participation in planning and management activities, gender, and length of time. The total effect of planting activities was small. Adults working with school- and community-based children's gardens should identify ways to engage children and youth more fully in all phases of garden design, implementation, and maintenance. Attention also should be given to ways to involve boys. Additional research should focus on youth of different ages, different types of gardening settings, and additional aspects of the gardening experience, such as youth–adult partnerships and peer relationships.

Xeriscaping as coastal amelioration: using 'Florida Friendly landscaping' to reduce pollutant runoff and water consumption in Pinellas County, Florida

The traditional yard dominated by a green lawn poses environmental problems in Florida's sub–tropical climate, including excessive use pesticides and fertilizers and destruction of native habitats. Additionally, more than 80% of domestic water is used for lawn and garden maintenance. This paper examines over 300 survey questionnaires completed by residents of Pinellas County, Florida, and explores landscape practices across socio–economic categories. We assess the extent to which participants have adopted Florida Friendly landscaping practices; estimate the potential impact of these practices on amelioration of coastal environments; and discuss cultural barriers to the wider adoption of more ecologically friendly landscaping methods.

オーストラリア・シドニーの高齢者所有の庭に対するガーデニングサービスに関する研究

This paper includes the analysis of gardening volunteering systems in Sydney, Australia. Questionnaires were distributed and interviews conducted on service staffs, clients and volunteers at the gardening service associations of Sydney, in carrying out this research. As a result, the following conclusions were obtained. 1) Garden maintenance is a big issue for elderly people and people with a disability, as 91% of elderly people have their own house and 80.3% of Australian dwellings include a garden. 2) These elderly residents rely heavily on the gardening service provided to maintain the gardens. The services are able to convert their gardens into safe and low maintenance gardens with community volunteers. 3) The services produce a "secondary benefit" that being the opportunity for the volunteers to contribute to and participate in the community with the elderly clients and friends. Additionally, they are able to develop their own gardening skills through their service to the clients' gardens.