Article: Preparing walnut seeds can take months of waiting, and success rate can be low. You may choose to purchase a seedling and skip to that section instead. Before using either method, be aware that walnut trees, especially of the black walnut species, release chemicals into the soil that kill many nearby plants, including pine trees, apple trees, tomatoes, and others. This, along with their massive size and sometimes aggressive spreading of new walnut plants, can make them unpopular in cities and suburbs. In the autumn, gather nuts that have fallen from walnut trees, or gently hit walnut branches with a PVC pipe to cause ripe nuts to fall. Even when ripe and fallen, most nuts will still be encased in a thick green or brown husk around the nutshell. Warning: walnut husks can stain and irritate skin and clothing. Waterproof gloves are recommended. If you plan to start a walnut orchard to produce nuts or timber, ask a local forester or look online for a species and variety specialized for your climate and your intended purpose. Ideally, purchase walnut seed from trees within 100 miles (160 km) of your planting location, as these may be better adapted. Walnuts typically grow in USDA hardiness zones 49, or areas with a -30 to +30F (-34 to -1C) minimum temperature, but some varieties are better suited to cold than others. Black walnut is highly expensive and in-demand for its timber, while English walnut (also called Persian walnut) is commonly grown for either nuts or timber. Many varieties of each exist, along with other, less widely available species. Walnuts from a grocery store are unlikely to have the moisture necessary to germinate. Even if they do, the nuts were likely produced by a hybrid tree or a tree variety suited for a different climate, making success in your area unlikely. Walnuts can grow without the husks being removed, but many people remove the husks to check the walnuts inside are undamaged, and to make them easier to handle. To remove the husk, soak the walnuts in a bucket of water until the outer husk is soft to the touch, waiting up to three days for the hardest nuts. Crack and peel off the softened husk by hand. If the husks have dried out, they can be almost impossible to remove. Try driving over them in a car. For a larger quantity of walnuts, run them through a corn sheller, or even rotate them in a cement mixer with gravel and water for 30 minutes. Walnuts, like many plant seeds, need to experience a moist, cold environment before the plant awakens from its dormancy and emerges from the shell. This takes 34 months for walnuts, depending on the variety, during which they should be kept moist. Keeping seeds in an environment for this purpose is called stratification, and for walnuts can be done in one of the following ways: Keep small amounts of walnuts in moist peat moss or moist sand, inside plastic bags kept in a refrigerator, or in another location between 34 and 41F (25C). For a large quantity of nuts, dig a pit in fast-draining soil, 1 to 2 feet (.3 to .6 meters) deep. Fill this pit by alternating single layers of nuts with 2 inch (5 cm) layers of sand, leaves, or mulch. Cover the pit with screening to keep out rodents.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Understand the effort involved, and the risks to your garden. Collect fallen walnuts. Purchase walnuts instead. Remove the husks (optional). Keep the nuts moist over the winter, for 90120 days.
Article: Whether you're participating in an Olympic sport or trying to improve your diet and exercise regimen, you'll want to consult with your doctor first. A doctor will be able to advise you on whether your diet or exercise plan will meet your nutritional needs, as well as whether your body can handle the physical stress of such a regimen. Staying hydrated is crucial for your day-to-day survival, and it's particularly important when you exercise. To properly monitor your hydration levels, you should weigh yourself before and after every workout so you know how much water you lost through sweat. It's imperative that you stay hydrated before, during, and after training to prevent dehydration. Prior to your training session, drink at least 16 ounces of fluids two to three hours before exercising, then another 8 ounces of fluids about 15 minutes before your workout. You should also weigh yourself before exercising. During your training session, drink just enough water to prevent dehydration. Sip on water periodically whenever you feel thirsty. If you are able to closely monitor your body weight before and after training, you'll know approximately how much of your body weight is lost through sweat. Aim to keep that figure below two percent of your total body weight loss. Weigh yourself after training and drink 16 to 24 ounces of fluids for every pound of body weight you lost through sweat. If you're out of shape or working in intense environmental conditions like heat and high altitude, you'll need to drink more water than someone who has a more developed level of fitness. If you do not drink enough fluids before, during, and after exercising, your body will become susceptible to dehydration. Some common symptoms of dehydration include: darker urine color muscle cramps headache nausea and/or vomiting elevated heart rate difficulty concentrating fatigue early in your training sessions and/or difficulty recovering after training Alcohol generally impairs your body's ability to perform by over 11 percent the day after drinking. There are no benefits to drinking alcohol during training periods. For this reason, it's generally recommended that athletes avoid drinking alcohol within 48 hours of training or competition. Some caffeine can improve your performance by increasing your endurance while improving your concentration and reaction time. However, too much caffeine can leave you feeling jittery, sick, and unfocused. For this reason, it's best to use caffeine strategically and in limited doses. Everyone's tolerance varies, but it's generally recommended that you limit yourself to one to three milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight. If you weigh 150 pounds (68 kilograms), that works out to 68 to 204 milligrams of caffeine. There are approximately 95 milligrams of caffeine in one 8-ounce cup of coffee. By comparison, there are approximately 26 milligrams of caffeine in one 9-ounce cup of green tea and 47 milligrams of caffeine in the same size serving of black tea. Drink caffeine approximately one hour before training or competing. If you will be training for over two hours, you may consume low doses of caffeine (80 to 120 milligrams) during your workout. Avoid caffeinated energy drinks. These have very high concentrations of caffeine and may contain derivatives of banned substances like geranium or ma huang, which could disqualify you from the competition. Vitamins and minerals are an important component of your diet. When you're training and competing, you'll need iron to help produce red blood cells and oxygenate your muscles. You'll also want to get enough vitamin D, which helps foster healthy bones, well-functioning muscles, and strong cell regrowth. Athletes under 50 years of age need approximately 600 International Units (IU) of vitamin D each day and between 8 and 18 milligrams of iron. Vegetarians and vegans need almost twice as much iron (1.8 times the daily recommended intake). Good sources of vitamin D include fish, mushrooms, and fortified milk, soy milk, or juice. You can also get most of the vitamin D you need by spending at least 30 minutes in the sun each day. You can get rapidly-absorbed heme iron from animal products, while non-heme iron (which is not very well-absorbed) can be found in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and enriched grains. Some foods and beverages inhibit your body's ability to absorb iron, and should therefore be limited in your diet. These include coffee, tea, cocoa, and foods rich in calcium. You can increase your body's absorption of non-heme iron by pairing fruits and vegetables with foods rich in vitamin C. This includes citrus fruits and juices, strawberries, kiwis, tomatoes, broccoli, and peppers.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Talk to your doctor. Drink enough fluids. Recognize the signs of dehydration. Avoid alcohol. Use caffeine wisely. Monitor your vitamin and mineral intake.