NZ Lifestyle Block magazine

In the June issue of NZ Lifestyle Block

noreply@blogger.com (NZ Lifestyle Block) — Mon, 28 May 2012 10:41:00 +0000

Click here to subscribe and save & be in to win a great hen house!

Country Calendar: surviving winter
The best strategies for livestock care, estimating feed and how to build a stand-off pad for sheep and cattle.

How to give a chicken a bath
When you want a bird to look good for a show, they need a wash, dry and blow wave like any other model.

15,000 shelter trees but which one is best of all?
We continue our look at the best shelter trees for the regions, and find out which one is the best of the best.

POO happens but can you make it count?
All the waste products from your livestock can make you a tidy little profit, and improve soil at the same time.

How to make cheese
Get the blues with farmhouse Stilton

Plus

How to destroy woolly nightshade
5 organic ways to weed without spraying
Rhubarb confessions
A rooster without a doodle do
How to raise a queen beeAre you organic? Or close enough?
A very lucky duck

Permaculture in motion: chickens in the garden

noreply@blogger.com (NZ Lifestyle Block) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 00:02:00 +0000

The best way to illustrate how permaculture creates a self-sustaining environment is with one of its most popular aspects; the chicken tractor.

If you could set up a machine to weed your garden beds when you’re finished with them, get rid of the pest insects, slugs and snails, fertilise it, turn it over and over so it composts well, all for nothing, you’d probably be quite pleased.

Photo: VanTucky

A chicken tractor not only saves you this time and hassle, it also provides you with eggs, a simple, easy, healthy meal, and meat if you wish to fully utilize every part of the system.

However, even if you never eat an egg or a bird, it’s still an incredibly useful garden tool, purely for its simple set-up and multiple functions. Here’s how it works.

1. Build a moveable “chicken tractor”, or better yet a “chook dome”. This is a simple, light contraption that if built properly requires just one person to move it around the garden. It is easy to lift and move but can be secured to the ground. It should provide shelter and come with waterers and feeders for extra protein.

In her book “Permaculture Home Garden”, Linda Woodrow shows how she built her chook dome using very few new materials and quite a few used ones. It has perches, a covered roof and a secure door, but can be picked up by one person and moved to a new garden area with very little effort and fits neatly over her round garden beds. This works well because round garden beds are a very efficient use of space, with very little waste for garden paths. For nest boxes, Linda suggests using old lawn mower catchers; they are a good size for most breeds, naturally dark inside and have a handle on top so they’re easy to move.

2. Match your garden beds to the tractor or dome. If they are the same size, you can easily move your tractor or dome and cover the garden area that you need work done on. If you have a new area that you want to cultivate, place your ark or tractor over it, spread straw, hay and some grains about, and leave them to get the fertilization and ploughing process started. By adding garden scraps (and offering them a balanced poultry feed), the birds will slowly start the process of soil improvement and composting on site.

Be careful with how long you leave the chickens in place; leave them too long and the soil will form a hard pan and be too thick with manure. Add a layer of hay every day, and you should get a good composting layer forming, helping your garden bed to “raise” itself up with little effort on your part. This is the beautiful part of permaculture; in a traditional chook house, clearing out the manure would be a smelly chore. If you let them free-range manure is just dropped at random, often somewhere that is of no use to you (ie on the lawn) or is a nuisance (ie on the verandah). By using a simple structure and a simple idea, you can utilize all the good points of a chicken, with very few, if any, negative points.

3. Other uses for a chicken tractor/dome include pasture improvement. A tractor or dome that is moved once or twice a day around a paddock helps you clean up grass grubs and other insect pests, it adds nitrogen to the soil and you don’t have to spend any time at all cleaning out the chicken run. Think of it like rotational grazing that you would naturally use with most other types of livestock. Depending on your livestock, you can use a dome or tractor for most types of farm bird or animal; turkeys, pheasant,

Isn’t free-range better?
While you may want your birds to roam around free, in some form of chicken tractor they still have plenty of room to move around and enjoy your garden. In a chicken dome they have room to fly and be even more natural in their behaviour, with the down sides; no worries about free-ranging predators, your vegetable, herb and flowers will be safe from foraging birds and you can control where their manure goes. It also means there is no danger of losing eggs to other animals or to a broody hen.

What should be in a permaculture chicken dome?
A dome can have perches, a roof for shelter and shade, a couple of nesting boxes, feeders and waterers. If you area is cold, consider using hay bales to build a warm “house” and use an old piece of plywood or iron as a roof. Once the bad weather is over and your birds are happy to use their roosts, the hay can be laid down in the same area to help you create good compost.

More from permaculture co-originator Bill Mollison on the brilliance of the chicken tractor/dome model:
"Just look at all the ways you produce energy in this system: the chickens' body heat, the direct sunlight that reflects off the pond and hits the greenhouse, the radiation of the trees at the rear, the decomposition of chicken manure, and on and on. If you sit down and sketch this system out, you'll find that it's fantastically complex — with thousands of functional interactions — and will run itself . Operating on its own energy, the system automatically switches on and off. As the sun gets high in the sky, the greenhouse absorbs more heat . . . so the chickens get hot and go out, thus removing the source of animal heat. While they're outside, the birds forage in the forest and leave their manure to enrich the soil. After dark, of course, they'll go back inside to keep warm . . . taking their body heat with them.
Look at each chicken by itself and the variety of functions it's performing in this one simple model: In the coop the hen operates as a radiator, an egg producer, and a manurial system. In the forest the bird acts as a self-forager, a tree-disease controller, a fireproofer, a fertilizer producer, and a rake. One can use chickens to do quantities of useful work . . . in fact, I don't know what you can't do with chickens, once you get started! The ideal, of course, would be a system that requires no maintenance, which is a really difficult possibility to accept."
The Plowboy Interview, Mother Earth News, 1980

NZ Lifestyle Block magazine has everything you need to know about living the good life on your block, PLUS you'll save money when you choose one of our great discounts: click here to read more or call us toll-free on 0800 113-488.

Interested in making cheese?

noreply@blogger.com (NZ Lifestyle Block) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 22:43:00 +0000

How to Make Cheese

By Jean Mansfield
Soft cover, A4 size, full colour pictures, 72 pages

NZ Price $19.90 (includes postage within New Zealand)

How to Make Cheese is currently sold out, but if you'd like to go on our waiting list for a copy, we can email to let you know when we do reprint it. Just email editor@nzlifestyleblock.co.nz with your name, phone number and postal address and we'll be in touch.

If you'd like to see inside How to Make Cheese, please click here, however please ignore the ordering details at the bottom.

Check out our Facebook page too for great cheese info.

Take a look at what's in the April issue of NZ Lifestyle Block magazine

noreply@blogger.com (NZ Lifestyle Block) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:26:00 +0000

At the cutting edge
Can you answer these 8 questions about homekill meat?

Light up
How to use a lighting system to extend the working year for your hens.

Finding some old classics
You definitely won’t have eaten as many apples as a couple on a crusade for heritage varieties.

NZ Lifestyle Block guide: Catalogues 2012
Whether you’re planning your winter plantings or for next spring, these are the catalogues you need.

A little bit of wonderland
If you want a happy ending, create your own fairy tale, like this Bay of Plenty couple who built their own wonderland.

Plus:

You’ll never guess what goes best with apple pie
Concoct your own beauty tonic
Will it be City vs Country?
How to weed in an organic orchard
More reasons why gorse is good
Designing a block from scratch
Cooking with geraniums
How to build a live capture trap

Block news & info from NZ Lifestyle Block magazine

noreply@blogger.com (NZ Lifestyle Block) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 22:42:00 +0000

Check out this week's enewsletter which includes:

Farmer's eye in the sky
A farm that enjoys the best of both worlds (note: this is the correct link)
The Goat Cheese Guru
Why this one plant is everywhere you go
Back to basics: a great cleaner hiding in your kitchen cupboard

To have a look, click here and to subscribe, just email us and we'll add you to our mailing list

Which is the best chicken of all?

noreply@blogger.com (NZ Lifestyle Block) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 04:46:00 +0000

2012 National Poultry & Pigeon Show
Hosted by the Waikato Poultry & Pigeon Club
July 5 – 8
Hamilton Boys High School gymnasium

Peachgrove Road
Hamilton East

www.waikatopoultryandpigeonclub.com

Every year, the best chickens in the country are brought together by the nation's best breeders to find out who is top bird.

This is a great opportunity to see some of the most stunning, rarest and most unusual poultry all in one place, including all the top breeds, from Barnevelders to Sussex to Wyandottes, plus ducks and pigeons.

These aren't your usual birds: you'll get to see new colours, rare breeds of duck and the amazing array of pigeons that aren't like any pigeons you'll have seen before!

You'll be able to check out the birds up close, talk to breeders and get tips and advice from the very best bird brains in the country. There'll be plenty for children to see as well, with newly hatched chicks, games and more.

NZ Lifestyle Block magazine is the major sponsor of this event and will have an information stall on site selling copies of How to Care for Your Poultry and taking pre-orders for a second volume.

There will also be chick displays, a poultry-related competition and several stalls with poultry products for sale.

Public viewing times
Saturday, July 7th: 9am to 5pm
Sunday, July 8th: 9am to 12pm

Entry fees
$5 per adult
Children under 16 free

Saturday, July 7th:
All day: purchase birds
A silent auction of poultry for sale will run throughout the day.

All day: guided tours
Visitors will go through the venue in groups led by experienced poultry people. The Waikato Poultry & Pigeon Club have arranged guided tours, each led by a senior club member, who will take visitors to selected exhibits –poultry or pigeons – and explain the strengths and weaknesses of the birds on display. He or she will also be available to answer visitor questions. Enquire at the information desk for tour times.

1pm to 4pm: Everything you ever wanted to know about chickens
These three information sessions will be open to everyone and very relaxed - you will be encouraged to interact and talk to the presenters so get your questions ready.
•   Mark Goldby from Precious Poultry in Ngatea and poultrywoman Marina Steinke from Canterbury will be tackling topics and relevant issues to do with incubation and hatching-rearing, both natural and artificial.
www.preciouspoultry.co.nz
•   Sue Clarke, author of How to Care for Your Poultry, will be covering health and husbandry.
•   Experienced poultry judge Ian Selby will give an introduction to poultry genetics and talk about colour breeding, and relevance to the poultry standard.
www.poultrynz.com

Sunday, July 8th:
11am: Silent auction finishes.
12pm: Show finishes

For more details visit: www.waikatopoultryandpigeonclub.com

Colin Oram

Waikato Poultry & Pigeon Club

3 Maidstone Place

Rototuna North

Hamilton 3210

Ph 07-8525529

candcoram@kol.co.nz

Would you like to take a look at our newsletter?

noreply@blogger.com (NZ Lifestyle Block) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 04:34:00 +0000

Each week, NZ Lifestyle Block magazine's enewsletter helps you to keep up with news, research and the latest developments in farming,
gardening and living self-sufficiently from all over New Zealand and around the world.

Click here to take a look at the NZ Lifestyle Block enewsletter for March 8.

It's free to sign up, and if you don't like it, it's even easier to unsubscribe if you decide it's not for you.

Permaculture – a beginner’s guide

noreply@blogger.com (NZ Lifestyle Block) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 20:46:00 +0000

Photo: Ewig Lernender

Permaculture is about more than being organic; it’s about looking at your garden, your farm and your life in a whole new way.

“Permaculture offers a radical approach to food production and urban renewal, water, energy and pollution. It integrates ecology, landscape, organic gardening, architecture and agro-forestry in creating a rich and sustainable way of living. It uses appropriate technology giving high yields for low energy inputs, achieving a resource of great diversity and stability. The design principles are equally applicable to both urban and rural dwellers"
Bill Mollison, permaculture co-originator, Introduction to Permaculture

"Permaculture" originally derived from the words "permanent agriculture", a phrase coined by Australian ecologists David Holmgren and Bill Mollison in the mid-1970s. Both were concerned with how the world was choosing to farm, using poisonous chemicals, destroying soil and biodiversity.

Mollison actually went bush for a time, and began to notice the way nature was self-sustaining. Together with David Holmgren, he came up with the idea for a farming system that was self-sustaining, requiring no inputs.

However, over the past 30-odd years, permaculture has grown to be more than just a way of growing food sustainably. A definition of permaculture often cited today is:

“Creating sustainable human habitants following nature’s patterns.”

Designing by permaculture
Setting up your property using the principles of permaculture requires a change in thinking for most people.

Bill Mollison says in essence what you are attempting to do is create a Garden of Eden; you are devising a framework of plants and animals that is self-steering, something that supports itself with no extra energy required once the design is up and running.

The basic principles
In their book “Introduction to Permaculture”, Bill Mollison and Rena Mia Slay outline the basic principles of permaculture. These include:

Relative location
The areas required the most attention ie the vegetable and herb garden are as close to the house as possible, next is the chicken coop. In permaculture, there are zones so the house is zone 0, the eating garden is zone 1 and the chook house is zone 2 (see more on zones below).
Each element performs many functions

The best example of this is the “Chicken Model”, as outlined here in an interview with Mother Earth News magazine in 1980.

“Take four separate elements: a hen coop, a greenhouse, a pond, and a small forest. Now you can have these on your farm and place them wherever you like, in no particular relationship to each other.

“In that situation each one functions individually, and they all consume energy. But if you make the forest a forage range for the chickens by putting the coop in or near that forest . . . if you attach the greenhouse to the front of the chickens' shelter . . . and if you set the pond in front of the greenhouse. Well, then you've got a nice system of interrelating functions, the familiar checks and balances.

“Just look at all the ways you produce energy in this system: the chickens' body heat, the direct sunlight that reflects off the pond and hits the greenhouse, the radiation of the trees at the rear, the decomposition of chicken manure, and on and on. If you sit down and sketch this system out, you'll find that it's fantastically complex — with thousands of functional interactions — and will run itself.

“Operating on its own energy, the system automatically switches on and off. As the sun gets high in the sky, the greenhouse absorbs more heat . . . so the chickens get hot and go out, thus removing the source of animal heat. While they're outside, the birds forage in the forest and leave their manure to enrich the soil. After dark, of course, they'll go back inside to keep warm . . . taking their body heat with them.

“Look at each chicken by itself and the variety of functions it's performing in this one simple model: In the coop the hen operates as a radiator, an egg producer, and a manurial system. In the forest the bird acts as a self-forager, a tree-disease controller, a fireproofer, a fertilizer producer, and a rake. One can use chickens to do quantities of useful work . . . in fact, I don't know what you can't do with chickens, once you get started! “
The Plowboy Interview, Mother Earth News, 1980

More reading: Introduction to Permaculture Design Series

Home for a duck

noreply@blogger.com (NZ Lifestyle Block) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Ducks don't need a fancy house for shelter but they do like secure nesting boxes, and if you have predators around, a pen is a great idea.

Ducks like dry, clean, comfortable nesting boxes, big enough for one duck only (30xm long by 30cm high by 40cm deep is fine). Wood shavings to a depth of approximately 7cm will keep them happy but you’ll find ducks will tend to line their nest with their own feathers.

Other than that, ducks are pretty low key birds, happy to fend for themselves.

If you are wanting to pen your ducks in overnight, or create an enclosed run for them that they will stay in full-time, you should follow the same principles as you would for a chicken coop.

1. Site: a slight slope is best, to allow for good drainage, facing north to north-east. Ducks can over-heat in the sun so the duck house and run will need to have plenty of shade.

2. Housing: a well-ventilated shelter that allows at most 5 birds per square metre, preferably with a concrete floor so it can be easily cleaned. Litter should be something absorbent (ie wood shavings) to a depth of 7-10cm. It needs to be dry but still have adequate ventilation, and include waterers and feeders if you’re keeping them locked in overnight.

3. Nest boxes: inside the duck house, nesting boxes should be built along one wall (sized as above).

4. The run: drainage is key in the run. Some duck breeders use slatted floors over their run, but anything that can be easily cleaned is good. Some use a concretef floor and cover it with litter, while still others use dirt. However bare ground will become a risk for disease, especially during summer.

5. Feeders and waterers: most people use the same feeders as they would for chickens, although ducks double the number you would use for the same number of chickens. Ducks need about 12cm of clear space on each side of them to feel safe during feeding. A waterer should be large enough that a duck can dunk its head under the water (to clear dirt and food out of its nasal passages), easily cleaned and refilled, and in the shade. However, don’t make it too big or they’ll go swimming.

6. A paddling pool: ducks don’t have to swim but if you want yours to have a pool, place it as far away from the duck house as possible, so wet feet don’t carry water inside. It will need to have some sort of drainage system so you can clean it out. A paddling pool should be about 25cm deep.

Whether you have ducks in a run or not, keep them locked up until about 10am or so for optimum egg production. This also avoids ducks laying their eggs in or near the paddling pond.

If you do have a naturally-formed pond that your ducks can use, be aware that shallow areas will warm up considerably during summer, increasing the risk of botulism. A better idea is to dig out the sides so they go straight down for about 30cm, to avoid having shallow areas.

Farm diary: what to do in March

noreply@blogger.com (NZ Lifestyle Block) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:00:00 +0000

All animals

▫ Work out a winter feed budget. If you haven’t had the opportunity to make your own hay, baleage or silage, you need to start making enquiries (if you haven’t already).

▫ Facial eczema season is still in full swing in March in affected areas, so check weekly updates from vets - click here to receive RD1's free weekly spore counts by email - which will give you a low, medium or high risk warning, or click here to catch up on what's going on in your area by clicking here

▫ Worm levels will be building in most species, so make sure you keep a close eye on them. While older cattle and sheep do build up some immunity, last year’s calves and lambs should be on a drenching regime, while horses and goats will require vigilance all their lives.

▫ Knowing the correct weight of animal is vital. If you can get access to scales and know the correct weight of an animal, you will be able to get a far more accurate dose for your animals. Under-dosing is one of the worst things you can do; it allows worms that are more drench-resistant to live, which then pass on their drench-resistant genetics to a new generation. By constantly under-dosing, you create super worms that will eventually be resistant to all chemicals you may try.

▫ A drench effectiveness test can be done by your vet 10 days after drenching. An effective drench will mean no worm eggs are present in a faecal test, but if there are, it may be a sign that drench resistance is present. Talk to your vet about strategies if this is the case.

Sheep
▫ Autumn means quick grass growth, which can mean scours and it will still be warm enough for blowflies to “blow” an animal, so check stock morning and night and address the problem of why the animals are scouring. While worms may be the top suspect, you also need to consider coccidiosis, yersiniosis, high levels of potassium, nitrates and/or sugars in autumn grass.

▫ Keep up random checks of mucous membranes for colour. The inside of the eyelid and the gums should be pink; pale pink, white or turning blue and you have a sure sign of worms, possibly the worst kind and the quickest killer – barbers pole.

▫ Your grazing rotation now will have a big effect on this year’s spring lambs. Make sure that wherever you are grazing your 2011 spring lambs this summer-autumn is not where ewes will be birthing their lambs this spring, so you avoid leaving a big parasite burden when ewes and newborn lambs will be most vulnerable.

▫ Watch rams for lameness and condition if you are putting them out with the girls this month. Sore feet (especially if it rains after a long dry period) can make it very difficult for a ram to lift his weight up onto a ewe, so the numbers fertilised will be lower.

Cattle
▫ You’ll know by now whether it’s going to be economic to keep your stock levels at their current level or not, as hay, baleage and silage will now be away for winter. Because autumn is a time of good feed for most farmers, it’s also a good time to think about off-loading any stock you don’t want to carry through winter.

▫ Rain in March will bring on a spurt of grass growth; watch for nitrate poisoning if cattle are out there munching down on the newly green grass, especially if it’s newly sown. Nitrate builds up in the soil during dry, hot summers, then is taken up by plants when they begin to grow after rain.

▫ Symptoms of nitrate poisoning in cattle will occur very quickly, from 30 minutes to four hours after eating and include: rapid/difficult breathing, muscle tremours, staggering, lying down, sleepyness, bluish/chocolate brown mucous membranes. Death comes very quickly so you suspect nitrate poisoning, call your vet immediately.

▫ If you are going to put livestock onto fresh autumn grass, feed them up on hay or another type of forage first, break feed it to them in small amounts through the day, monitor cattle very carefully for the first few hours on new grass, or take a sample of grass to your vet for testing; they will tell you the level of nitrate build-up present in leaf and whether it poses a risk or not.

Goats
▫ Checking goats morning and night for signs of worm infestation is all important at this time of the year, particularly with goats, because they never build up any immunity throughout their lifetimes.

▫ Check mucous membranes (inside of eyelid, gums) for pinkness, check general attitude (Normal? Depressed?), check breathing rate (10-30 breaths per minute), check for bottlejaw (a deposit of fluid under the jaw that causes the skin to hang down) and obviously check for scouring. While these can be symptoms of other health problems, a parasite infestation should be top of the list, especially during autumn.

Pigs
▫ If you don’t have a boar, you can lease the services of one. It’s best to take the sow to the boar (so there are no territory issues). The boar should be the same size as the sow.

▫ Gilts must possess sound legs and feet; pasterns should be strong, sloping to toes of even size. Gilts should be wide through the hindquarters with depth and squareness in the body cavity; ribs should be well sprung.

▫ Behaviour is important. Gilts should be quiet but alert and active. If there is any tendency to be flighty or overly aggressive, they should be disregarded as future breeders.

NZ Lifestyle Block magazine has everything you need to know about running your block, PLUS you'll save money when you choose one of our great discounts: click here to read more or call us toll-free on 0800 113-488.

Have a look at the March issue of NZ Lifestyle Block magazine

noreply@blogger.com (NZ Lifestyle Block) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 04:32:00 +0000

How to breed the best lambs
Wise choices now will mean you get the best dollar for
next spring's lambs.

PLUS: the really easy DIY pasture stick test

Turn your harvest into happy hour
If you’re sick of making jam or have a preserves
overload, why not turn your surplus into a sozzlingly
good drop.

Off the grid
The dream of being 100% self-sufficient is nearly
reality, but it hasn’t always been a happy tale for
this Northland couple.

What lives on the wild side
Meet some of the more unusual and beautiful native
plants that make their home in the soggy, boggy soil
of our wetlands.

Your Poultry
Sue Clarke investigates mysterious tumours on a hen,
a rooster with a frog in its throat, and why good feed
during moulting is vital.

Plus:

Dealing with a carrot overload
Eggplant made exquisite
How to host wwoofers
How soil tests save you money
Ditching the slug bait
Crowning a new queen
Are trees the solution to pollution?
Sweet scent of a first love
Trapping: how to up your kill rate

Click here to subscribe and save up to 26% off the cover price!

13 maintenance checks for your ATV - tips 8-13

noreply@blogger.com (NZ Lifestyle Block) — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 20:00:00 +0000

An ATV is just like your car - without regular maintenance it's not going to last as long, nor will it be as safe.

8. Replace spark plugs twice a year.

9. If you detect a difference in the performance of your bike, it will always pay to get it checked out. A slight change in noise that is checked out by a professional ATV mechanic can save you thousands of dollars.

10. Test your brakes often at slow speeds and before you go out riding. Check your brake pads and shoes every six months. Replace immediately if worn down excessively. Disc brake pads and shoes will be easy to see and replace. Drum brakes are more difficult and you will probably need help from a professional to check and replace them. Lubricate brake cables and check brake fluid levels.

11. Check the radiator fluid, and check for leaks. The radiator will require cleaning but this should be done carefully so no dirt, air or liquid is forced into anything. Only do this before the ATV is used, as after use the radiator and the fluid inside will be very hot.

12. Cables and levers should be inspected often as they make up a major part of the bike’s working parts. Check your ATV's manual for the appropriate points to lubricate. Debris building up, especially under the levers, can eventually result in brakes not working efficiently or the clutch burning out.

13. If you are not mechanically minded, find a professional mechanic who is experienced in ATV maintenance and repair and pay them to do the job for you. It’s not just a matter of maintaining parts, it’s also a safety factor.

13 maintenance checks for your ATV - tips 1-7

noreply@blogger.com (NZ Lifestyle Block) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:21:00 +0000

An ATV is often an expensive piece of machinery to buy new, but even if it’s second-hand you should be taking care of it with regular maintenance.

Check oil levels every time you ride. Look for condensation – if the oil looks milky, it has water in it. Drain it out and replace with new oil. Oil should be replaced every 3-5 months even if you don’t ride a lot, as the oil will naturally deteriorate.
Check your tyre pressure every time you ride. Tyres play a huge part in keeping an ATV at optimum performance and balanced. Unlike a car (28psi) or a 2-wheel motorbike (17-22psi), ATV tyres need to be at 3-4psi and should come with their own meter, specially calibrated to measure low tyre pressures. Don’t trust a car tyre-pressure meter as it won’t be accurate enough at low pressure.
Keep your ATV clean. Use a high pressure hose but don’t aim at the radiator or engine area. Make sure you clean the brake pads/discs; roll the bike forward to allow debris to fall out, then wash out again. Allow to dry out before using again.
Check the CV boots often. It’s much cheaper to replace the boots than the CV joint/s.
Check your filters – the air filter can often be rinsed out and washed with soap. The oil filter will need to be replaced once a year or more depending on use.
Check battery leads for tightness and corrosion. Check grease nipples twice a year. Refer to your ATVs manual for reference points.
Look for signs of anything leaking onto the body work of the engine. It can be an early sign of gasket failure.

5 tips to planning your orchard - tip 5

noreply@blogger.com (NZ Lifestyle Block) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 20:00:00 +0000

5. Order Now!

Yes, you’ll be planting in June or July, but if you want to get your favourite heritage fruit tree, you need to order early – this month preferably!

The earlier you order, the more likely you are to get the trees you want. It takes a big investment of time and money to grow on fruit trees, especially the more rare heritage fruit tree varieties.

NZ Lifestyle Block magazine tip: while most of us love a bargain, there are some things worth paying a little extra for, to ensure quality. Paying a little extra for quality fruit trees that you know aren’t root bound can make all the difference to your planting success rate and your tree's overall health and production long-term.

Did you know?

Each month NZ Lifestyle Block magazine has a column from orchard expert and tree cropper Ben Gaia, covering everything from plant choice to pest control. You can share in all Ben's knowledge and much more on gardening, livestock and block business by subscribing now to NZ Lifestyle Block magazine, and save up to 26%, or try our new pay quarterly option to suit your budget!