Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Checking CO2 Levels in the Home - and a bit at the end about hedging...









It’s getting cold.  January to early February is usually seen as the depth of winter and this year is no exception. Yes, the daylight is getting longer by a minute or two a day but that doesn’t make spring seem any closer. I’ve no complaints though as a nice cold spell works wonders on the garden, clearing up a lot of the old foliage after it’s turned to mush.

Checking CO2 Levels in the Home

There’s a tendency to keep the doors and windows tightly shut in this cold weather. A lot of houses are now really well insulated and with the addition of double glazing there’s very little chance for a good stream of fresh air to come into the house.  We recently bought a carbon dioxide (Co2) tester for the home as assess the parts per million in the rooms (ppm). Even with houseplants photosynthesising absorbing the Co2 and pumping out oxygen in the night time we saw the read out reach quite unacceptable levels in rooms where we spent a lot of time. 

Exposure to high levels of carbon dioxide can produce a variety of health effects. These may include headaches, dizziness, restlessness, a tingling or pins or needles feeling, difficulty breathing, sweating, tiredness, and increased heart rate and it’s very rarely tested for in homes unlike carbon monoxide. 
The levels weren’t high enough for concern though (up to 1700ppm) but the recommended healthy amount is but it is enough to get a bit drowsy or complain of stale air. 250/300 ppm is the usual outdoor range and the polytunnel confirmed this when the doors were open. Rotting vegetation can produces a lot of Co2 but as this is outside it soon dissipates into the air. Open fires can increase the levels though even with a through draft. 5000ppm is the maximum amount for a work environment but it wouldn’t be very safe, making you lose cognitive abilities such as reason and reflexes and that’s alarmingly the amount that can build up inside a motorbike helmet.

That’s shown me that forcing myself outside to do some work warms me up so when it’s time to go back indoors I don’t mind so much that I have had the windows opened for an hour or two a day.  I used to think the stale air feeling came from condensation but the “Sick Building Syndrome” a lot of us face in winter is a bit more complex than that. Open those windows folks.

Hedges
Many mixed hedges are pulled down to make way for fences and walls.  Hard barriers that are often made with treated wood or plastic. Building solid structures like these can also divide wildlife habitats and impede the flow of traffic for animals that may have traditionally crossed in the area. Freedom of movement is very important in nature.

There are two main hedging styles we can adopt for our own garden dividers that will offer privacy but allow for free movement. Formal hedging and mixed wildlife hedging are available, both of which absorb Co2.

Wildlife hedges
Not only will a mixed wildlife hedge provide habitat for birds, pollinators and others, but it also assumes the services that a regular fence would, like creating privacy, noise reduction, and defining the edge of a property. And for the lazy gardeners out there, it doesn't take much work once it's up and running. There are plenty of lists to choose from when it comes to deciding what’s best for a particular location. You’ll always be adding hawthorn though as that does well everywhere and the bees will thank you for it.

Planting Time
Plants sold without any soil on their roots, known as bare-rooted, could be planted during the dormant season only (November to March). These are my favourite option because of the low price and the success rate is far higher than container plants.

Container-grown hedging plants can be planted at any time of the year, except when the soil is frozen or waterlogged, but autumn is the ideal time for deciduous hedges because the soil is still warm enough to encourage some root growth before the onset of winter. This helps the hedging plants establish quickly so that they are more able to withstand any hot, dry spells the following summer. They can be very costly though and the bare root plants will soon catch up.

Formal hedge
There are a lot of formal hedge plants to choose from. I like the box hedge as its slow growing but I also have a soft spot for privet. Lavender, photinia, eleagnus, laurel and escallonia are all great choices depending on the location.

Ideally position boundary hedges so they are set back a little way (e.g. 90cm/3ft) from the boundary line. This will allow the hedge to fill out before it becomes an issue with overhanging the pavement or a neighbour's property.

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