The lady beetle is a beneficial insect that will eat some pest insects. There are natural, organic ways to deal with pest and disease problems in the garden. Many of these ways have proved effective over hundreds and even thousands of years. Today these techniques are often called integrated pest management (IPM) or organic pest
Average frost dates–the last frost in spring and the first frost in autumn–can be used to set seed starting dates for the crops you plan to grow. They can also be used to set harvest dates and to plan the extension of the growing season–both early and late. Most crops grow best during the frost-free
Plants require nutrients to grow and for good health. Most plant nutrients are common chemical elements. Elemental plant nutrients are generally used in one of three ways: They become part of plant cells and are basic to the structure of plants.They are metabolic, required for biochemical functions within the plant such as photosynthesis or reproduction.They
The lives of soil microorganisms and earthworms are essential to the health of vegetable garden soil. Microorganisms and worms are important to the decay cycle—nature’s way of recycling dead and dying organic material. Through the decay cycle, plants and animals of all sizes die, decompose, and return to the soil becoming essential nutrients needed to
What Is Complex Capital Structure? The use of different forms of securities, rather than relying solely on one class of common stock. A company with a complex capital structure might have a combination of several different varieties of common stock classes—each carrying different voting privileges and dividend rates. For example, a company with a complex
What Is Compliance Cost? Compliance cost refers to all the expenses that a firm incurs to adhere to industry regulations. Compliance costs include salaries of people working in compliance, time and money spent on reporting, new systems required to meet retention, and so on. Key Takeaways Compliance costs refer to all of the expenses a
What Is the Compliance Department? The compliance department ensures that a business adheres to external rules and internal controls. In the financial services sector, compliance departments work to meet key regulatory objectives to protect investors and ensure that markets are fair, efficient and transparent. They also seek to reduce system risk and financial crime. These
What Is a Compliance Examination? The term compliance examination refers to the periodic examination of banks to make sure they operate according to consumer protection laws, fair lending statutes, and the Community Reinvestment Act. Compliance examinations are typically focused on operational areas that pose the biggest compliance risks. They specifically focus on management processes and
What Is a Composite? In the financial world, a composite is a grouping of equities, indexes, or other investment securities in a standardized way. When applied to stock prices, a composite index can provide a useful statistical measure for the performance of the overall market, a specific sector, or an industry group. Composites are also
What Is Composite Cost of Capital? Composite cost of capital is a company’s cost to finance its business, determined by and also referred to as “weighted average cost of capital” or WACC. Composite cost of capital is calculated by multiplying the cost of each capital component by its proportional weight. A company’s debt and equity, or
