Topsy Turvy Pepper Planter

A couple months ago I bought two “As Seen On TV” (according to the box… I don’t watch TV) Topsy Turvy hanging planters. I know, I know; everything “Seen On TV” is poor quality garbage that comes with more bloated promises than a drunken New Years party. However, it was not an impulse buy. After multiple “oh yeah” moments when spotting them at the grocery store I finally remembered at home and looked up the reviews online.

There are quite a few online reviews reporting various levels of success. The general consensus is positive and those that failed usually blamed themselves for improper conditions (water, sunlight, etc). There were also several Topsy Turvy reviews on YouTube that had great looking plants and gave at least partial credit to the planters. I didn’t find any that pointed to an inherent flaw in the design, and hanging garden pots is by no means a new concept. Plus, I got them on sale for a $1.50 each, so cheaper than if I bought a bucket and drilled holes in it.

Getting Started

One of the hanging planters is for pepper plants and the other is for strawberries, which I’ll try next season. I took a trip to the nursery to pick up the seedlings. There are seven ports (holes for plants) in the pepper planter so I purchased one Anaheim, one Mexibell, one Cubanelle, two Cayenne, and two Jalapeno plants. At first they seemed to do well. It only took a couple days for the stalks to curve up and the plants seemed quite healthy.

I did the transplant to the Topsy Turvy in November. I hadn’t done enough research and wasn’t sure if that was the right season to transplant peppers here in Arizona, but decided to go for it anyway. My concern was the fact that temperatures were in the low 40′s every night (it’s not all cowboys and cacti in the desert). I did not take any pictures or videos of the setup process. I wish I had but this blog didn’t exist at the time. Despite the circumstances they did real well from the start.

Aphids

A couple weeks after planting the pepper plants I noticed little light green bugs that seemed to congregate on the flowers and newest foliage. Around the same time I noticed the health of the plants beginning to deteriorate. At first I wasn’t sure what they were, and I knew a Google search for “little green bug” wouldn’t get me very far, so I tried to take a picture to post in a gardening forum online. They are significantly smaller than an ant and perfectly camouflaged so my camera couldn’t focus on them and kept producing a blurry mess. Eventually I asked my mother the seasoned gardener, who said, “those are called aphids honey” about ten seconds into my description… thanks mom :)

The image above shows a fully grown aphid being eaten by a ladybug, one of the aphids natural predators. Some people buy ladybugs online and release them in their gardens to help control aphid populations. I defeated the aphids in a different way. They come back from time to time, but now I know to look for them and I respond quickly. If you have an aphid infestation then read my post on Organic Aphid Control.

Obviously I could go buy a standard pesticide to kill the aphids, but part of the reason I want to grow my own fruits and vegetables is so that I can avoid eating chemically saturated food. Plus, the organic store bought pesticides can be expensive. So once again I turned to Google, this time hoping to find a cheap organic and preferably home-made solution. Here is what I uncovered…

• Removing Aphids with Water

  According to many blogs and “experts” online you can blast the aphids off with water. Apparently they can’t hold on very well, so if you hit them with a high velocity stream they fall right off. Aphids cannot fly (until its time to migrate then they breed winged aphids whose offspring will go back to being wingless – nature is amazing) so most of the ones who are not crushed from the blast wont make it back onto your plants, but many will. Simply repeat daily until you’ve killed most of them and the rest decide to find some other plant to infest.

  If your plants are a little more sturdy (ex: not seedlings, planted in the ground, etc) then this might work for you. My plants are seedlings and hanging in a pot, so I have not tried this method.

• Aphid Soapicide

  Soapicide – the act of killing something with soap. This is not a real word, I just made it up.

  Aphids have soft bodies with a protective wax coating that dissolves when covered in soapy water. Without the wax shield they dehydrate and die. If you want to use this method organically then you just need to use organic soap. As an added bonus this method will also kill lots of other small problematic insects in the garden without affecting too many of the beneficial type.

  The soapy water needs to make contact with the aphids, so when you’re spraying the plant be sure to pay extra attention to the bottoms of the leaves where you’ll usually find the most aphids. After the soapy water dries it does nothing to the aphids, so you will need to spray your plants regularly to defeat an infestation.

  The unfortunate part is that apparently the soapy water approach can damage some plants if not kept in moderation. Which plants can handle this method and how often? I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t know. Logically the soap to water ratio is an important factor, but there doesn’t seem to be a public opinion consensus nor did I find any scientific research that pointed to an optimum ratio. With that said it’s probably best to try a very diluted solution, monitor your plants health and pest infestation for a few days, apply a stronger mix and repeat until you see the kind of results you are after.

  I purchased a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Pure Castile Soap (certified under the USDA National Organic Program) and used it to make my aphid soapicide. For info on the soap to water ratio I used and how successful it was read my review of Dr. Bonner’s 18-in-1 Peppermint Soap.

  IMPORTANT NOTES:

  Before trying a soapicide test the water you will be using to ensure that it is “soft” because when “hard water” mixes with soap it makes soap scum. If you coat your plants in soap scum it can interfere with their ability to conduct photosynthesis.

  Soapicides are most effective when they dry slowly, so spraying in the evening or at night is best.

• Pepper Spray

  I found several sets of instructions online that all suggested infusing water with chopped or minced hot peppers (any kind) overnight, then straining out the solids and using the liquid as a bug spray. Apparently the spice we feel on our tongues is the spice the bugs feel all over their bodies and they die. If this is true then I would imagine that it would also be true of acidic liquids like lemon juice, but that’s speculation and may harm your plants. I’m not sure what affect the pepper water has on beneficial insects, but I did stumble onto a few reports that said chili spray also works as a repellent for both insects and larger pests like dogs and cats.

  The exact pepper to water ratio seems to be a matter of opinion, but generally its 3-4 of the hottest peppers you can find to every quart of water. Chili powder should also work, but keep in mind that if you use a powder it may clog your spray nozzle and separating all of it from the water is virtually impossible.

  IMPORTANT NOTES:

  Please remember that water infused with chili peppers will irritate the skin and eyes on contact, so use precaution when spraying your plants.

  I have not tried this method. If you do please let me know how it goes.

• All-in-One Aphid Killer

  I discovered this organic home-made pesticide from OrganicGardening.com. Its an all-purpose pest control spray inspired by all the remedies and recipes their readers sent in over the years using ingredients found in most kitchens. This spray combines the repellent effects of garlic, onion, and hot pepper with the insecticidal and surfactant properties of soap. Please note that any home-made pesticide that includes spicy ingredients like chili peppers can irritate the skin and eyes, so use precaution when spraying your plants.

  INSTRUCTIONS:

  Chop, grind, or liquefy one garlic bulb and one small onion.
  Add 1 teaspoon of powdered cayenne pepper.
  Mix with 1 quart of water and steep 1 hour.
  Strain through cheesecloth or a fine mesh.
  Add 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap to the strained liquid. (preferably organic soap)
  Mix well then spray your plants thoroughly, including leaf undersides.
  Store the mixture for up to 1 week in a labeled, covered container in the refrigerator.

  I have not tried this recipe. If you do please let me know how it goes.

• Fun Organic Aphid Control

  If all else fails then just squish the little [censored] bugs with your fingers. This method is defiantly organic and in my opinion the most satisfying, especially if you add a sinister laugh like I do. They are accustomed to going unnoticed, not running, so you can devastate hundreds or thousands in a matter of a few minutes. Whether or not this is ultimately a realistic solution to your problem depends on how severe the infestation is and the volume of plant foliage. Since I only have a few small seedlings this method works great for me.

Organic Fraud

Finding “organic” soap is more complicated that you might think. Most well recognized companies that use words like “herbal”, “natural”, “green”, and “organic” in their product marketing make those products entirely with unnatural and inorganic chemicals. “How can they do that,” you ask? Popular marketing buzz words like “herbal”, “natural”, “green”, and even “organic”, have no legal definition, so they get away with saying it’s not false advertising. That means anybody can put ANYTHING in a bottle and call it “all-natural and organic”… and they do!

To be certain that a product marketed as organic is actually all-natural and organic you have to look for the USDA National Organic Program seal (shown to the right). Misleading marketing is an unfortunate side-effect of a capitalist economy, which I do still support.

NOTE: My bottle of Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap does not have the USDA National Organic Program seal on it. It does have the seal of Oregon Tilth, which is one of the USDA National Organic Program accredited certifiers. Dr. Bronner’s website says the 18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Soap is USDA NOP certified, so I assume they got the cert through Oregon Tilth.

18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap

While I was all caught up researching which companies were using lies to manipulate my desire to avoid their toxic crap, my wife was actually looking up which organic soap would be best for making a pesticide (thanks hun). She ordered a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap online. If you’re not comfortable purchasing things online then what the heck is wrong with you, this is the 21st century, err, I mean, you can also buy Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps at GNC, Walgreens, and a few other major stores. Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps is the brand name and 18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Pure-Castile (liquid) Soap is the actual product my wife purchased.

• Ingredients

  These are the ingredients listed on my bottle of Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap:

  • Water  ~ self-explanatory
  • Mentha Arvensis  ~ A species of mint that is most likely added for scent.
  • Citric Acid  ~ A weak organic acid that is a natural preservative.
  • Tocopherol  ~ A fat-soluble compound which is most likely added because it contains vitamin E.
  • Potassium Hydroxide  ~ Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) is not an organic compound. However, it is only used in the manufacturing process. When potassium hydroxide is mixed with oil it creates a reaction that chemically changes the compounds into liquid soap. Thus, there is no potassium hydroxide in Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap by the time the bottle gets to you. Also, I don’t believe there are any liquid soaps made today that do not use potassium hydroxide or some other inorganic high alkali in the manufacturing process. If I am wrong please educate me.
  • Organic Coconut, Olive, Hemp, Jojoba, and Peppermint Oils  ~ Each of these oils has unique benefits; coconut oil is resilient in hard water, olive oil rejuvenates damaged skin, hemp oil produces a creamy lather, jojoba oil is a natural fungicide and moisturizer, and peppermint oil is a natural preservative (just to name a few). I grouped the oils together because of how soap works. Oils attract dirt. They do not normally mix with water, but once they have been saponified (the chemical process that makes them into soap) they suspend in water. That means that they will attach to dirt then be easily rinsed off with water.
• What Are the 18-in-1 Uses?

  By now you’re probably wondering what the 18-in-1 means. Well, according to drbronner.com the 18-in-1 uses as they were originally recorded on that label are as follows:

  

  1. Always dilute for Shave-Shampoo-Massage-Dental Soap-Bath!
  2. Peppermint is nature’s own unsurpassed fragrant Deodorant!
  3. A drop is best Mint Toothpaste; brushes Dentures Clean!
  4. A dash in water is the ideal Breath Freshener Mouth Wash!
  5. Peppermint Oil Soap for Dispensers, Uniforms, Baby, Beach!
  6. Dilute for ideal After Shave, Body Rub, Foot Bath, Douche.
  7. Hot Towel-Massage the entire body, always towards your heart.
  8. Pets, silk, wool & body tingles head to toe – keeps cool!
  9. 3 dashes in water rinse most Sprays Off fruit & vegetables!
  10. 1/4 oz in qt H2O is Pest Spray! Dash, no rash Diaper-Soap!

  Obviously this list is 8 items short of 18, but some of the list items hold more than one use. For example, the first half of number 10 is about making an organic bug spray and the second half is about a “no rash” diaper soap. Number 1 says, “Shave-Shampoo-Massage-Dental”, so that is really four uses. However, number 3 on the list is for a toothpaste, which is dental and number 7 is for massage, so we can’t count those twice. Long story short, there may be more or less than 18 uses listed above but Dr. Bronner is sticking with 18.

• What Does ‘Castile’ Mean?

  “Castile Soap” is olive oil based and made in a style similar to that originating in the Castile region of Spain.

• Organic Bug Spray

  So back to the start of this post; I wanted to use Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap to make an organic insecticide to kill the aphids that were destroying my pepper plants. According to the 18-in-1 uses on drbronner.com, “1/4 oz in qt H2O is Pest Spray!” I also found a YouTube video by Lisa Bronner that walked through the process of making their organic bug spray.

  I followed their instructions and put 1/4 oz of Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap in a 1 quart bottle of water. I also added some cayenne pepper powder, let it seep for an hour or so, and filtered it out using a coffee filter. The coffee filter removed the larger specks, but most were small enough to pass through. Unfortunately these specks sank to the bottom of the spray bottle. The first few sprays sucked up lots of these specks and they clogged the nozzle. Once it was clogged it was a royal pain to unclog. Lesson learned; if you add any solids make sure that you have a fine enough mesh to remove even the smallest specks.

  Anyway, it generally worked, but it did not kill the aphids the first day. I sprayed the aphids directly multiple times a day for several days before I noticed a significant reduction in aphid population. I was also impatient and had started squishing them, so some of the success can be attributed to that. The downside is that my pepper plants health took a nose dive shortly after applying the spray. They lost their bright green luster and started developing brown spots on the leaves (my pepper plant). A couple months later and they have not fully recovered. Most of the new leaves do not have any brown spots, but some do, and they are slowly turning a healthier shade of green. Still many of the leaves turn yellow and fall off before they really get started.

  Perhaps I sprayed the pepper plants too much or used too much soap in my mix, and “burned” them as Lisa Bronner warned about in the video. Maybe the crawling speed of recovery is due to the average nightly temperature being in the 40′s the last two months. It could also be the case that my organic home-made soap insecticide wasn’t the problem at all. Maybe plants usually take this long to recover from an aphid infestation. Also, around the same time my tomato plant (potted a few feet beneath the hanging pepper planter) got septoria leaf spot. Unless septoria leaf spot looks different on pepper plants – they don’t have it, but maybe the pepper plants are simply showing signs of some other disease they contracted from the aphids.

  So, did the organic bug spray I made with Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap do more damage than good, are my pepper plants slow to recover because of the temperature and time of year, am I expecting a faster recovery than is normal for an aphid attack, are my pepper plants suffering from a plant disease, or is there some other factor to blame? I simply don’t know. Any insight from the gardening experts reading this would be greatly appreciated.

• Testing Water Hardness

  Did you know you can use soap to test water hardness? It makes total sense when you stop and think about it, but I never stopped to think about it. This video shows you how, but keep in mind that you do not need to use Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap to do this; any soap should work.

• Hippie Gibberish on the Label

  The 18-in-1 Hemp Pepperment Pure-Castile Soap bottle’s label is covered in fine print fruity hippie gibberish. Apparently the company (now run by his son) has kept the label virtually untouched since the passing of Dr. Bronner in 1997. Here’s a passage…

  Each swallow works hard to be perfect pilot – provider – builder – trainer – teacher – lover – mate, no half-true hate! So, each day like a bird, perfect thyself first! Have courage and smile my friend. Think and act 10 years ahead! And the man without fault? He’s dead! Do one thing at a time, work hard! Get done! Then teach friend and enemy the Moral ABC that unites all mankind free! Uniting One! All-One! Face the world with a smile, life is always worthwile! To the fearless are given crowns, keep out the past, disappointments won’t last! Help unite mankind, or we’re wandering clowns! Diligent preparation, precede spectacular restoration! So, help teach the whole Human race, the Moral ABC’s All-One-God-Faith, lightning-like, for we’re All-One or none! All-One!

  Click this link to view the label, then click in the upper right-hand corner, to see it closeup.
• My 2 Cents

  The official 18-in-1 uses are not clear, the label is covered with hippy gibberish, and (according to various sources) in 1947 Dr. Bronner was put in a mental institution where he underwent electroshock therapy before escaping on his third attempt, but in the end this crazy hippy made a quality soap. I like and recommend Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Hemp Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap.

I checked with the Financial Aid Department (online) and found that my federal grant did not cover the courses I was registered for because they are not part of my degree program. I checked the course requirements for my degree program and cross referenced that with my up-to-date transcript. I have not already taken these course numbers, and they certainly are part of the program. So I dug around a bit and discovered the real problem; in the schools system it shows that I am committed to the Web Design program, not Programming and System Analysis as I thought. This seems very odd because last semester I took courses that are not a part of the Web Design program, and the Financial Aid Department did use my federal grant money to pay for those. It seems that my degree program changed between last semester and this semester without me being involved, which is not too comforting.

I’m not sure who should be holding the blame, but I have a gut feeling that the discrepancy originated somewhere behind a maze of cubical walls deep within in the notoriously efficient heart of the government funded college’s bureaucratic system. I tried to call them this morning to sort everything out, but its a government holiday so that went nowhere. Ideally, they will click a few buttons to switch me to the correct degree program, re-enroll me, and tell me to call Financial Aid who will see the change and happily allocate the funds. Realistically, I’m probably going to have to go down to the school, wait in line, fill out forms, wait a couple days for approval, then go back and wait in new lines to fill out new forms and wait for new stamps. Visions of the bureaucracy planet in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy are flashing through my mind, sigh. Cross your fingers for me!

P.S. This semester I will (hopefully) be taking C# Programming and MySQL Database Administration, WOOT!

UPDATE: I just talked to the Registration and Financial Aid Departments. They re-enrolled me in the classes, I still have to go down to the school, see an academic counselor to get a signature, and take that form to the Financial Aid Department. Once Financial Aid has the form it will take 15 days for them to allocate the funds from my federal grant. Because it will take so long I will be dropped again. Once they process that form I can re-enroll in these classes (for the third time this semester). So, I’m off to wait in endless lines at the school. I wonder if they’ve installed those fly swatters that smack you in the face for thinking.

One of the most sobering thoughts I have ever been confronted with is this. “What you are someday going to be you are now becoming.” You are now, this moment, exactly what you have been in the process of becoming all your life.

Are you now the person you dreamed about becoming? If you had written down several years ago exactly the type of person you wanted to be now, what kind of person would you have described? How close are you to becoming that person?

What kind of person do you want to be a year from now? Or two years from now? Or five years from now? Or 10? Or 20? Right now you are in the process of becoming the person you will be in a year, or two, or five, or 10 or 20 years from now. The habits you have now will determine the kind of person you will become unless you change those habits now.

What attitude would you like to have someday? The attitude you have now is a good indication of the attitude you will have someday, unless right now you begin to develop a new kind of attitude.

If you are not now doing those things you need to do to become what you want to become, what makes you believe that you ever will?

Do you have situations or circumstances that are preventing you from becoming what you want to become? Those situations and circumstances will pass but they will be replaced by new situations or new circumstances. If you want to become a better (or different) kind of person, you better get started now. You cannot wait for situations or circumstances that are just right.

Have you ever told yourself, “Someday I am going to begin to save some money on a regular basis?” Are you saving now? If you are not now, you probably won’t ever…unless you begin now. It will never be any easier, even if your income doubles or triples. It will never be any easier, even if you someday earn ten times as much as you do now. Saving money regularly has little to do with income. It relates to the decisions you make. If you want to develop a good savings account, you better begin now. In all probability, it is now or never.

Do you plan to have good “work habits” someday? Do you now have good “work habits?” If not, you probably never will…unless you are willing to begin to develop them right now. What you are someday going to be, you are now becoming.

Many years ago Spencer Hays asked me, “Jim, what kind of person do you want to be in five years? What kind of husband do you want to be? What kind of father do you want to be? I answered Spencer by telling him the kind of person I wanted to become. I told him what I wanted to become as a husband and as a father. Spencer then told me one of the most frightening things I have ever heard. He said, “What you are someday going to be you are now becoming.” Then he asked me, “If you are not willing to do those things now, what makes you think you ever will?” I resolved then to begin doing those things which would enable me to become the person, the husband and the father I wanted to become.

We are faced with a choice. We can either begin to do those things that will enable us to become what we someday want to become…or we can learn to live with regret. I would prefer to do even those very difficult tasks that will enable me to become what I want to become than to live with regret. Every time you do those things you know you ought to do, you feel good about yourself. When you do not do what you ought to do, you feel bad about yourself. Either way you are in the process of becoming what you are someday going to be.

Albert Gray said, “The secret of success of every man who has ever been successful lies in the fact that he formed the habit of doing things failures don’t like to do.” To become what we want to become requires forming the habit of doing the right things, the things failures don’t like to do. The best time to begin forming a good habit is right now.

I’ve had the privilege of hearing many outstanding success stories. The achievers of those successes invariably stated, “I decided to.” Immediately after deciding, they took action that enabled them to begin achieving that which they decided to do. It is through action that we become.

This world is littered with failures. These people did not intend to become what they are. They intended to achieve great things. They intended to become much more than average, but they waited for the right set of circumstances.

What are people waiting for? Children are waiting until they finish school. Adults are waiting until they get promoted. Middle-aged people are waiting until they can retire. Many are waiting for circumstances to be “normal.” In the process of waiting they are becoming what they are someday going to be, even though that is not what they intend to become. Life doesn’t wait. You’re, right now, becoming what you are someday going to be. What are you doing right now to become what you want to someday become?

Losers don’t intend to become losers. They become losers while waiting for circumstances to get right. Winners don’t wait. They do what it takes to become what they want to become. They do it now.

When I saw it I had flashbacks of when I was a kid watching the hummingbirds through our living room window (thanks mom, cool memory), and I figured that my little boys would also be fascinated by them so I bought it. The hummingbird feeder is a little cheap plastic one that you would normally see at some chain store for $6-$10. The hummingbirds discovered it two days after I put it up, and maybe sooner.

Within the first couple days after hanging the hummingbird feeder I noticed one in a nearby tree (hummingbirds have a distinct chirp). It was not the first time I had seen this hummingbird visiting my feeder, but he still didn’t trust me so he was waiting for me to step away from the feeder before approaching. I went to the patio door a few feet away and called my kids.  Both of my sons stood behind the glass door practically screeching with excitement when he flew up close.  Without a doubt worth the dollar.

I have had the feeder up for about a month and there are three to five different hummingbirds that visit it regularly at this point. I can tell because they are different sizes, some are males, some are females, and there are different types. There is at least one male Ruby-throated Hummingbird. I think one or two of them are female ruby-throated hummingbirds, but I haven’t identified the other type(s) yet. Almost all of them have lost their fear of me. They are bold enough to visit the feeder while I’m watering my pepper plants, which are in a hanging pot within arms reach of the hummingbird feeder (see pictures below).

When I first got the hummingbird feeder I searched the intertubes for info on what to fill it with. Turns out its easiest to make hummingbird food at home. I happened to have pure cane sugar, so that’s what I made the nectar with (instructions below), which gives it a golden brown color. I learned a few things along the way so I’m going to share that knowledge with you.  Here is what Google taught me “in a nutshell” (details below).

• How to Make Hummingbird Nectar

  I highly recommend that you read the extended Google research (below) before making your own hummingbird nectar.

  • Mix 4 parts water to 1 part pure sugar (ex: 1 full cup of water and 1/4 cup of sugar) in stove top pot.
  • Stir it (until all the sugar has dissolved), while you bring it to a boil.
  • After the sugar is dissolved and the water has reached the boiling point take it off the stove and let it cool.
  • Once the sugar water is room temperature fill the hummingbird feeder.
  • Hang it and you’re done.
• Hummingbird Feeder – Extended Google Research

  What is Hummingbird Nectar
  Hummingbird nectar is the same thing as hummingbird food – it’s just sugar water.  Yes, you can buy a bottle labeled “Hummingbird Nectar” from the store, but there is nothing special about the more expensive “nectar” from the store. Some of them advertise various flavors and vitamins, but everything I found online says it’s just bloated marketing. A few people that called themselves experts said those selling points might be beneficial in other applications, but they don’t do anything for hummingbirds so you might as well save the money and make the nectar at home. Making hummingbird nectar at home is easy, cheap, and only takes a few minutes, but before you get started I recommend reading the rest of this post to avoid some headache.

  Only Use Pure Natural Sugar
  Things like honey, molasses, brown sugar, and artificial sweeteners (ex: Equal, Sweet and Low, etc) do not make a solution suitable for hummingbirds and/or they quickly develop a hard-to-clean mold that can actually harm the hummingbirds. For that reason, and others, only use pure cane sugar or regular table sugar.

  Do Not Add Extra Sugar
  You may feel inclined to add extra sugar to make your nectar a little sweeter. Don’t do it. The ratio of water to sugar is 4 to 1 (ex: 1 full cup of water and 1/4 cup of sugar) because that is approximately the amount of sucrose found in natural nectar. It doesn’t have to be exact, but if you make the nectar too sweet its hard for the hummingbirds to digest it and if its not sweet enough then they wont return. Plus, a higher sugar to water ratio will cause your nectar to grow mold and bacteria and require more frequent cleaning.

  Water From the Kitchen Faucet
  You do not need to use purified water when making hummingbird nectar, but many people prefer to. If you do use tap water make sure you bring it to a boil when making it (instructions below) because that will ensure that many of the harsh chemicals used to purify tap water (ex: chlorine, chloride, etc) fully “gas off”, which means they convert to a gas and evaporate. It also kills any mold or yeast spores that may have been in the sugar, which is good for the birds and means the nectar will last longer.

  Do Not Add Red Food Dye
  There seems to be a lot of debate online about adding red food coloring to the nectar. Some people say that its unnatural and unhealthy for the hummingbirds. Other people say that may have been true in the past but most red food coloring made today is hummingbird safe, and hummingbirds are attracted to the color red. I personally don’t recommend it. Most hummingbird feeders already have red parts and even if yours doesn’t you can always tie a couple long red ribbons to it or hang it next to something red (ex: flowers). Plus, I found several things online that said that hummingbirds have no trouble discovering feeders even if they have no red at all. Since it doesn’t seem to be necessary and no one seems to have credible source for saying that its safe, why go through the extra effort when doing so could potentially give the birds cancer?

  Replace the Nectar Regularly
  Your hummingbird nectar will contaminate naturally. Yeasts will ferment the nectar and it will grow mold and bacteria, so the nectar will need to be replaced regularly. How regularly depends on how quickly it becomes contaminated, which is largely influenced by temperature (chart below).

  IMPORTANT NOTE: If the nectar starts getting cloudy its going bad, so clean the feeder and replace the nectar even if it happens sooner than indicated by the chart below.

  Highest Temp
  93+
  89-92
  85-88
  81-84
  76-80
  71-75
  70-

  Replace Every
  1 Day
  2 Days
  3 Days
  4 Days
  5 Days
  6 Days
  7 Days

  NOTE: I rinse mine in hot soapy water (no sponge or brush) every time I take it down to refill it, and that seems to be working just fine. I’ve had it for about a month and there are no signs of any type of contamination at all. I live in Phoenix Arizona, so even during January its been getting into the 80′s almost every day.

  Making Extra Nectar
  You can make large batches of nectar and store the extra in the refrigerator for about 7 days. Obviously this reduces the amount of effort it takes to maintain your hummingbird feeder.

  Bugs and Other Pests
  Leaky hummingbird feeders can attract pests (bees, ants, etc). The hummingbird feeder I have leaks a few drips almost every time the birds leave, and the ants were having a picnic under it before I moved it (for that reason). It’s now on the far side of my patio overhanging gravel. So far it hasn’t attracted any pests, and where its at now I don’t really care if it does.

• Tips and Advice

  Tip: Fill the Hummingbird Feeder Outside
  Reason: You can avoid the hassle of a sticky sugar water spill by filling the feeder outside.

  Tip: Don’t Overfill the Hummingbird Feeder
  Reason: The nectar will go bad and you will need to clean out the feeder when it does. When you clean the hummingbird feeder the excess nectar needs to be discarded. To avoid waste only put in as much nectar as the birds will eat before its time to clean it again (timetable above).

  Tip: Hang Your Hummingbird Feeder in the Shade
  Reason: Hanging the hummingbird feeder in the shade will slow the growth of contaminants, which means you won’t have to replace the nectar as often.

Hummingbird Pictures

These pictures were all taken from 3 to 5 feet from the feeder. There is one that tries to intimidate me if I’m that close to the feeder when (s)he arrives, but the others have all grown accustom to me. I’ve tried to capture more than one at the feeder at a time, but they’re busy playing so they don’t stay still long enough for the shutter to close (no joke).

News Years parties are filled with small talk of long-term self-improvement that will only see short term results. We all know the cliches; “I’m going to get in shape” and “I’m going to quit enter_some_bad_habit_here“. Most of us entertain the conversations with low expectations knowing the odds are against true success, but we genuinely wish the best of luck. And that’s exactly what’s needed; luck, because most of these earnest moments of dedication to self-improvement completely fail before February. Have you ever asked yourself why?

Modern society teaches us from childhood that we can do anything and be anything we want as long as we put our minds to it and believe in ourselves. Unfortunately, this is a feel-good, warm and fuzzy lie. If it weren’t a lie then honest self-evaluation and genuine intent would be enough to change peoples lives every New Years, but we all know from personal experience that it doesn’t actually work that way in the real world.

So what’s missing? What does it take to actually make a life altering change? The answer lies in the logistics of human nature. I believe most people’s New Years resolutions fail because they overwhelm themselves. The changes they are attempting to form into an automatic behavior are simply too grand. Because of this they loose all hope (the foundation of motivation) the first time they slip-up and their delusions implode. To resolve this issue we need only to reject the overly socialized teachings of modern society and look to nature for an answer.

The Nature of Habits

Despite what your high school science teacher told you, all habits are not formed after 21 days of consistent repetition. Newer research suggests what seems to be common sense; if a change is difficult for you it will require a longer period of repetition before that behavior becomes automatic. So, dedicating yourself to something simple like drinking a glass of water every day will take less time to become a habit than waking up early every morning to run a mile before breakfast. That’s the bad news if you have higher aspirations than drinking more water. The good news is that consistent repetition is not paramount, meaning that you can miss a day and it won’t affect your progress.

A recent study on the formation of habits conducted by researchers at University College London (UCL) found that there is no set amount of time for a habit to form. It all depends on how difficult the change is for each individual. Difficulty is then measured by a combination of self-control, strength of will, determination, resistance to the change, and your biological tendency towards adaptation (aka: your genetics) – meaning the rate at which your brain is physically capable of developing and supporting new neural pathways. Modern society doesn’t like to recognize that anyone has a genetic advantage over another person. Instead they want you to believe that everyone is on a level paying field so that life can be “fair”, but this simply is not true. Get over it.

My Self-Improvement Goals for 2012

With the above in mind I decided to take on several life changes of my own in 2012. My plan recognizes that failure comes in the form of a “burn out” and is most often a direct result of mammoth goals that would take Herculean self-control to maintain. Rather than expecting to eat the entire elephant in one bite on January 1st, I will be spending 30 days at a time to focus on a smaller goal that is worthwhile in and of itself. Once I have formed the new desired habit, I will continue it into the following months and for the rest of my life.

I know that it will not take a full 30 days for me to reach automaticity for some of my smaller goals and some will take much longer than 30 days. I’m still sticking to a general “one month each” approach to give my plan structure and to help me measure my progress. Plus, if I reach automaticity before the end of the month then I can take a breather from the stress associated with making yourself do something that your body or mind is resisting, and if I have not reached automaticity then at least I will have 30 days of practice before taking on an additional challenge. After all, while the research suggests that skipping single days isn’t detrimental in the long-term, it’s those early repetitions that give us the greatest boost in automaticity.

Another common reason for the failure of New Years resolutions is the old “out of site – out of mind” principle. For this reason I will be documenting my monthly challenges on this blog as a way to keep myself actively involved. Here is a general blueprint of my goals for 2012.

NYRP Blueprint

I am referring to my plan as the New Years Resolution Project, or NYRP (pronounced “nerp”). This outline is not written in stone. I may change my future goals based on my current and past performance. I am also coordinating my efforts with Brianne’s NYRP timeline.