Riccos Beach

[JimX]

A bulldozer moves in to finish the Bar off, this morning, sad sight, even if like me you did not like the bar.

[Dominic]

I feel sorry for Al. He's been pining for the place for years and they knock it down a couple of days before he arrives.

[Kili01]

Hudswell, you and I are on the same wavelength about what could be done with this sea weed. It needs an entrepreneur to step in and organise some form of processing. I have already posted that we have used dried sea weed as a mulch, eventually it breaks down under the sun and becomes a powdery substance which can be dug into the garden soil.
It is a good general organic fertilizer.
If it were to be processed and packed into poly bags or bales it could be sold in the local garden centres.

Dee

[WHL]

The Cypriots arnt backward when it comes to earning a Shekel or two, Im sure people have looked into this, but probably its not financially viable.

[Ancient History]

Two points. Mr. Riccos will be serving drinks (coffees, etc.) from the small (temporary) bar area that has been created at one end of the area. It should be possible to continue sitting outside for the time being at least. The sea weed will be cleared by the municipality in March, as always.

[JimX]

Again the seaweed on this particular beach is unusable for anything, but if you feel you can make food from it or grow your Roses then help yourselves, if you can stand the stink. And again Hudswell it will NOT burn. A shame as this would be the answer to this problem, and it is a problem go and ask at the Municipality as I have. I do not think it is the edible type of seaweed either but give it a try, plenty there to dig into to.

Back to the beach bar, it looks as if this is the start of the planned regeneration of the beach that includes bars, cafe's etc, but also walkways from one end to the other, this I feel will be a big bonus as the beach is not used to its full potential, the sea defenses are mostly done now and this had to be done to secure what little sand is on this beach, I hope to see a big improvement in this area. We will see.

I will take photos of any work that we hope will start soon, money permitting of course.

Big Al will be fine plenty of other better beach bars further west to Coral Bay, where you can watch the sun setting with a reasonably priced bottle of Keo.

[JimX]

Not according to Yeroskipou Municipality, although in the sort of Blast furnaces I used to operate, seaweed would not last seconds, 1250 degrees. nor indeed would most things.

Also, I still do not understand the quote, no need to do this! you can just read my post above yours?

[Fisherman Phil]

Riccos Beach cafe up and running again this morning, a little building alongside the old tree house.

[JimX]

The point is hudswell who is going into the crap business you? as I have said there is tons of the stuff go and help yourself, as you will see if you ever take the time to look it has never rotted or turned to dust as you say, if it was that good the Cypriots would have long used it, they haven't it is just laying in huge piles at the back of the hotel, it has been there for many years, long before you came along..

Phil yes the owner is open again but a temporary small hut, he will have to take up a new business that will be built eventually, as the area of Yerouskipou is eventually developed, on this I wish him well, but he may have to wait a very long time, and the new cafe will maybe expensive regarding rent.

[Anarita John]

I have found a use for seaweed. Perhaps Lloyd will finance me in my new business venture of making cat cushions.

20180216_143217 (800 x 600).jpg (151.83 KiB) Viewed 7310 times

This is the pile of seaweed on the beach at the first hotel after Penelope's Church. It really does stink. And, the main topic of conversation of holidaymakers is, Why has it not been cleared, especially as Cyprus has tried to set itself up as a year round holiday resort.

20180216_143230 (800 x 600).jpg (96.72 KiB) Viewed 7303 times

[STELIOSBWFC]

I have found a use for seaweed. Perhaps Lloyd will finance me in my new business venture of making cat cushions.

Nice try John. But I believe there's no more motivated an entrepreneur than one who has put his last dime and nickel into his fledgeling enterprise.

As Jim says, this business is a non-starter, a no-hoper, a dead parrot. Assuming that someone was mug enough to invest quarter to half a million, other than two people on this forum saying they "think" seaweed will make a good fertliser, they have so far not come up with a scientific analysis of Cyprus seaweed to prove that that is the case.

So as they say on Dragons Den "T'm out"
Or just maybe the new alternative to smoking. Try Pafos tobacco the new organic smoke.

[WHL]

I would be interested to hear what our resident scientist Devil, view is on this subject,,,

[Kili01]

All this negative talk appears to assume that any entrepreneur would have to start up in a very big way. However, when people start a new business it must be possible to start off in a small way with limited production, to test the product and to assess its marketability?

I have just done a quick internet search and there is lots of good information about the use of organic fertilisers including seaweed on gardens and for growing vegetables. Seaweed fertilisers are used in many countries.Wet seaweed should be dried in the sun. There is information about the types of seaweed found on Cyprus shores. The ‘Cyprus Gardener’ says that seaweed can be used as a mulch, or can be turned into a liquid fertiser by submerging in water for 45-60 days! It is rich in potassium and many trace elements.

There is a warning though that rotting seaweed is a potent source of hydrogen sulphide, a highly toxic gas. It can cause hydrogen sulphide poisoning if inhaled, and can cause vomiting and diarrhoea. Did someone says that large heaps of it are dumped behind one of the hotels?


Dee

[WHL]

Dee, possibly without realising it you've just put forward half a dozen good reaons not to touch this "business" with a bargepole...not least this from Google:

"Hydrogen sulfide is a highly flammable, explosive gas, and can cause possible life-threatening situations if not properly handled. ... In addition to exposure to hydrogen sulfide in the air, exposure to liquid hydrogen sulfide can cause "blue skin" or frostbite".

If anyone were to set up a seaweed composing business within 5 kms of your home, would you be making a stink (forgive the pun) about it? You bet your boots you would. So would most other people.

And do you really think you could set up this business with a shovel, bucket, wheelbarrow and a pile of empty polythene bags? I've said it would take 1/4 to 1/2 million euros. Anything less is pie-in-the-sky dreaming

If you want a better quality of much more nutricious mulch/manure, there are plenty of horse-riding stables in the area.

I think your being conservative in your costs, I would double that at least...its people who dont have a clue about running a business that dream up these pie in the sky ideas...as ive said theres many Cypriots out there who are very smart in making dosh....Im sure they have thought of making money out of sea weed especially the municipality's that are responsible for their stretch of coastlines...Lidls sell bags of compost for under two euro, why would you try and compete with that?

[Kili01]

Lloyd,
Sorry that you make such scathing comments about making use of seaweed. Of course it needs to be handled properly and of course a processing plant needs to be set up away from towns and residential areas. It also needs plenty of space to enable sea weed to dry out. Obviously placing it in large heaps will only help it to rot and create the gas. Having dried some sea weed out in our garden,spread out thinly its dries quickly under the scorching summer sun here. There was no smell. If you have used animal manure from a farm here you will know how sheep, goat, pig or poutry manure smells, Horse manure is good for growing mushrooms and properly rotted is good for garden plants.Fresh manure is often too strong and the amonia scorches plants. Horse manure isn’t particularly rich in nutrients though, whereas as previously. as I previosly posted, seaweed is, provided it is the right kind!
Whether you pessimists believe me or not!

De
Dee

[glowred]

A couple of winters ago I collected several bin liners of seaweed, spread it on my vegetable plot and after it had dried I dug it in. Not only is it a soil conditioner for the heavy clay but provided plenty of nutrients for a crop of sweet corn in the summer and broccoli in the autumn and winter. It did take a few months to rot in the ground but not the easiest stuff to collect.

The only reason I didn't get anymore this winter is that I had access to well rotted horse manure

Neil

[Kili01]

HIC,
OK, you’re not interested in organic fertilisers, prefering to use artificial stuff full of nitrates! So be it. That is your choice.
I have a large garden, part covered with stones, but also with flower beds and borders. Thats my choice.
But please don’t deride organic methods as they also work.

Dee

[cyprusmax47]

HIC,
OK, you’re not interested in organic fertilisers, prefering to use artificial stuff full of nitrates! So be it. That is your choice.
I have a large garden, part covered with stones, but also with flower beds and borders. Thats my choice.
But please don’t deride organic methods as they also work.

Dee

I provide nourishment to my trees and shrubs four times a year by dropping two tablespoonfuls of 20/20/20 into a watering can, filling with water, then spraying directly where it is required. Works a treat and couldn't be simpler or quicker. The landscape gardeners you see all over Paphos do it the same way too. I'm not sure, but possibly farmers as well.

HIC,

Whatever topic it is, you know everything better. Providing two tablespoonful of 20-20-20 for larger shrubs is laughable even when you put it 4x a year.
The formula 20-20-20 makes no sense anyhow as the soil in Cyprus does NOT need phosphorous as there is already plenty in the soil. What is good in Cyprus dry and hot weather conditions is a fertilizer high in potassium to keep the soil more moist in Summer. (seaweed for example, but then you have to know how to use it) A formula 12-8-26 (NPK) for a Cypriot garden with mixed shrubs and trees would be suitable if you go artificial.
(not trees of the lemon family) For my friends garden, (mature) which I look after, I need 25 kg per season ( not some tablespoons) and for his lemon and grapefruit trees some 5 kg of 36-0-0 in spring time. For my own garden I go the organic way using nettle as a N-fertilizer and ash for
potassium. Sometimes I get some loads of old sheep/goat manure in spring time.

I tried to use seaweed 25 years ago, when I had my organic farm in the Polis area but one was not allowed to touch the beaches to collect anything from there, also sand and stones were forbitten. I would have fermented the seaweed like I did it with nettles and blood powder....
Looking back to my organic farming experiences I was very successful with my organic produced Mineolas (type of Orange) and the demand for my fruits was great. Laura Hotel and Philipps supermarket were phoning me everyday to bring them fresh delivery when farmers around me could not sell anything from their normal produced fruits.

Max

[Kili01]

Max,
Thanks for your post which I found very interesting. Unfortunately, there seems to be little information about organic gardening here which isn’t in Greek! So, your recommendations based on experience are helpful to me.

Dee

[cyprusmax47]

Max,
Thanks for your post which I found very interesting. Unfortunately, there seems to be little information about organic gardening here which isn’t in Greek! So, your recommendations based on experience are helpful to me.

Dee

It is nice to know that there are at least a few people interested in organic cultivation/gardening...

The idea to become a organic farmer in the past here in Cyprus came when I realized the huge problem people have with the citrus fruit miner. I started a fruit tree plantation with 100 Mineola trees (Orange variety) and in the second year I had the same problem like other farmers with it.
I used the fertilizer like they did which was recommended from the Government. (34.5-0-0 Nitric ammonia, or Urea 46-0-0) and the leave miner had to be sprayed every 2 weeks on the leaves. Later on even this was not good enough and only watering the roots with the chemical had a result. In the end experts told me to paint the stems of the trees with the poison undiluted. From this moment I had enough with this methods and changed into organic fertilizer for my trees and became after 2 more years a organic farmer. As the leave miner for a sudden not appeared anymore I knew that I proved that organic farming is not only more healthy for the fruits you are harvesting but also to control certain diseases without spraying chemicals.

The first thing however is to improve the quality of your soil, as in Cyprus there is NO humus in it. Also the so called good "red soil" is not that special.
For my farm I bought several lorries of rotten needles and half rotten soil from the forest near Kampos as there was not much organic material
in the shops that time and very expensive. (is different now) But it needed 6 more month and fertilizer, that good bacteria were doing their job and produce humus. Suddenly I had all kind of life in the soil, every shovel had a least one rain worm etc. After that I continued and produced my own organic fertilizers with great success. One can read my earlier post: Organic fertilizer, home made .....

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1247&p=12945&hilit=organic#p12945

Max