Gardening Gloves That Protect Your Fingernails

Many home gardeners can tell you nothing is like the sense of rich garden soil under your palms. When that soil receives under your fingernails, however, it might be a different story. Slipping on a pair of gardening gloves might help but isn’t a guarantee your fingernails will remain clean. That’s because not all of gardening gloves have been created equal. Protect your fingernails by selecting high-quality gloves which will let you work the soil without working through your nails.

Why Gloves Are Important

Gardening gloves are not just for maintaining your fingernails clean. A fantastic pair of gardening gloves will protect your skin from the chemicals in fertilizer along with your fingernails in the endless cycle of washing the dirt out of the hands and drying them . Frequent hand-washing can lead to split nails. Additionally, gardening gloves might help protect your skin from scratches and puncture wounds which are common when managing prickly plants and that can lead to infections if they get dirty.

Different Gloves Have Different Uses

The gardening gloves that you wear should fit nicely. Ill-fitting gloves can cause you all sorts of problems, from not being able to feel and traction a gardening or plant tool correctly to chafing and blisters. Never buy a set of gloves without even trying them on first. Also, choose the ideal set of gardening gloves for the job. If, for example, you use wet soil, then your gloves need to have a waterproof skin. Sometimes such gloves are tagged as with a nitrile coating. If you do some heavy-duty lifting, then select thick, sturdy gloves made of pigskin. If you plan to spread mulch, then avoid cotton gloves and rather choose gloves made of bamboo, which calms fungi, according to the Southern Living site. If you’ll tackle thorny vines or long canes, then your gloves must extend up your forearms to protect them from scratches. Gardening gloves which have breathable fabric and provide protection from ultraviolet rays are options for light jobs.

Before Beginning

Before you slip on your gardening gloves, coating your hands with a skin-care product containing petrolatum, glycerin or lanolin will protect them from moisture loss. Save a moisturizing cream and cream for after you are finished gardening, however. Both moisturizing cream and cream are too thin to stop water from evaporating from the skin into the air.

After You Are Done

Don’t neglect your hands once you are finished gardening. Even if you wore gloves, your hands still have to be scrubbed thoroughly. A nail brush is helpful in removing dirt that collected under fingernails. The dirt can accumulate if you remove your gloves to garden for a couple of minutes without them and should you use fingerless gloves for a delicate gardening job, such as grafting or tying up a plant. After you have washed and dried your hands, give your hands’ fingernails and skin an excess layer of security by coating them with moisturizer. Start at the fingernails, also include the skin beneath the endings of the fingernails. When deciphered skin develops , it is rather painful.

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Should You Prime a Wood Porch Floor Prior To Painting?

Generally, you need to prime any surface prior to applying paint, especially wood. Exterior wood surfaces, like the floor and railings of a porch, are always exposed to moisture, temperature, and continuous use and foot traffic, therefore priming is much more significant here than almost anywhere else to make sure a superbly finished project.

Why Prime

When dealing with wood, you’re handling a naturally porous substance. The grain of this wood absorbs whatever you use to it, and seldom is wood consistently porous using the same grain all the way through. Without repainting, the wood will absorb the paint at different rates, leading to an uneven paint finish. Priming fills in the small pores and grain of the wood, resulting in a level surface that won’t absorb extra moisture or paint from rain or clogs, which can result in mold and rotting. Priming also blocks inner oils, resins and stains from pops up through the paint.

Products to Use

Prime the wood porch flooring using a wood-specific primer. Read and follow your chosen primer’s instructions to make sure it is acceptable for outdoor use. Many outside primers contain sealers, and some even contain mildewcides that will help to prevent any buildup of mold or rot inside the wood. Some manufacturers create paint and primer in one so that you only need to apply 1 product rather than 2. Follow instructions to make certain that this substance is suitable to be used on outside wood.

Organizing to Prime

The wood surface of your porch has to be completely smooth and clean until you can correctly apply primer. Otherwise, you’ll have the ability to see dust and dirt through the primer and paint. In the same way, contaminants such as grease or oil can impact how in which the primer bonds into the wood, making an uneven application. Wash the surface with trisodium phosphate mixed with warm water follow specific cleaner instructions for dilution rates. This will remove all dirt, dust, grease and wax. Ensure that you peel away any loose or chipped old paint from the surface as well. Finally, sand the surface smooth; the primer is going to have a better bonding surface, and the finished paint job will probably be more attractive.

Priming Procedure

Mark off the region of your porch that you don’t want to paint; use plastic sheeting and painter’s tape. You should do exactly the same with the areas where the porch matches your home so you don’t accidentally get primer and paint on your house. Apply primer using a paintbrush or roller to each surface that you plan to cover with paint. You’ll need to apply at least 2 coats of primer; follow the special instructions on your chosen product to specify if you want some more. Allow the first coat to dry completely before applying the second; again, your product instructions can provide you with advice for that. Some may need only an hour or two of drying period, while some may want to dry immediately.

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Why Do My Lantana Stop Blooming?

Lantana (Lantana camara) is a tropical beauty, but do not let that convince you it’s difficult and fragile. Rather, it’s a difficult evergreen tree which reproduces so freely and establishes so easily that it is considered invasive in some nations. Lantana usually has no trouble blooming, so when your plant fails to flower, you are probably doing something wrong.

Location, Location, Location

The common lantana is indigenous to Central and South America and dozens of varieties and species exist. It can be scrubby in its native habitat but it blooms without stopping. Remove it from the warmer climes, and its flowering and health can endure. In case your lantana has stopped blooming abruptly, it may be that you don’t reside at U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 11, which is the point where the plant thrives. You may still develop the plant as an annual, flowering in summer and autumn.

Care and Feeding

Your goal in growing lantana would be to mimic as much as you can its indigenous conditions. In case your lantana has stopped flowering, it may be receiving too much water. Wild lantana only drinks when it rains and cultivated lantana demands little water after it is established. Reducing on water may be sufficient to make the plant restart flowering. And think twice before fertilizing this indigenous plant. Excess fertilizer decreases or eliminates flowering.

Transplant Shock

Sensors that wilt or quit blooming immediately after transplant may be suffering from transplant shock. In case your lantana was covered in flowers in the pot and starts to languish in your lawn, you may just need to give it more time to adjust to its new environment. To provide the tree its very best chance, transplant in autumn or early spring before the summer heat at a spot with well-draining soil. Water the tree at least once a week until it is created and you see new green shoots.

Containing the Beast

Lantana takes seriously the old adage to go forth and multiply. The plant grows quickly. Even in cooler climates, a lantana transplanted in spring can develop to more than 3 feet tall by the time summer wanes. And common lantanas spread so freely they’ve naturalized in the wild, forming grand thickets at Florida, Texas and Hawaii and muscling out indigenous plants. Choosing a sterile hybrid , like “New Gold,” reduces that issue significantly.

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When to Spread Weed Killer?

As there is no one-size-fits-all weed killer, a key element for maintaining your lawn weed-free is being aware of what weeds you’re dealing with — and what condition enabled them to acquire a foothold. This strategy lets you to apply the smallest amount of weed killer at the suitable time to bring about the infestation under control.

Ahead of Germination

Two components are essential for pre-emergent herbicides to be effective: timing and water. You must implement these herbicides in early spring or late winter before weeds emerge and provide the lawn around 1/2 inch of water within 24 hours to push the chemical to the soil. Because pre-emergent herbicides degrade significantly in six to 16 weeks, reapply the herbicide within 60 days. Use pre-emergent herbicides to control annual grasses such as crabgrass, though some pre-emergents can control broadleaf weeds.

Later Weeds Sprout

Apply post-emergent herbicides to a lawn after weeds emerge, however they are still young. When applying these substances, it is ideal to treat only the weedy area rather than the entire lawn. These herbicides fall in to two categories: contact and systemic. Contact herbicides only kill the segment of the plant they touch, whereas systemic chemicals absorb into the plant and cause injury throughout the plant — that is the reason why systemic herbicides are often more effective on perennial weeds.

Destroying Weeds Selectively

Post-emergent herbicides are further divided into two subcategories: selective and nonselective. The distinction is in what they kill. Nonselective herbicides kill any living vegetation; use them only in areas in which that is the desirable effect. Wherever you use this type of weed killer, expect to wait at least two weeks before replanting. Selective weed killers only ruin a specific type of plant, such as broadleaf weeds.

Weed and Feed

Despite the claims of manufacturers which weed-and-feed products will reduce your workload since you can apply two different chemicals at once — it doesn’t always work like that. This is because when your lawn needs fed does not always coincide with when hardened require killing. When using this product, double check the tag to find out if it comprises a pre- or post-emergent herbicide. If it comprises a pre-emergent herbicide, applying it after the weeds emerge will likely be ineffective.

Keep It Healthy

When your lawn is healthy there is minimal demand for grass killers. If you’re dealing with weeds, it’s a sign of specific problems in your lawn. You need to address these conditions, such as soil compaction, inadequate watering and feeding or improper mowing height, for a long term alternative. When you utilize pesticides with no proper maintenance program in place, you simply treat symptoms and not the cause. Until you solve the lawn maintenance complexities, weeds will return annually.

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Annual Dwarf Flowers That Bloom in Spring

Gardeners fortunate enough to reside in a Mediterranean climate get to begin their yearly flower garden in autumn and winter. This planting schedule stipulates the gardener fewer weeds and, consequently, a simpler time preparing the dirt. In addition, it allows for earlier bloom in the spring. Annie Hayes of Annie’s Annuals and Perennials indicate that you start your yearly dwarf flower garden no later than February.

California Poppy

For early spring bloom, plant dwarf California poppies (Eschscholzia caespitosa). These diminutive doppelgangers of the bigger California state flower develop from 6 to 12 inches in height — roughly half that of the standard poppy — and create the same sunny yellow-orange-colored blossom. Dwarf California poppies require full sun but do best in rocky, gravelly, unimproved dirt.

Cornflower

Not many plants blossom in blue blooms, which makes the bachelor’s button — which does — among the most popular for your yearly garden. The dwarf bachelor’s button, or cornflower (Centaurea cyanus dwarf “Tom Pouce Blue”), rises from 12 to 18 inches in height in sunlight. Seeds may be sown in autumn in mild winter areas for an early spring blossom.

Begonia

Ideal for the shady spot on your yearly garden, dwarf wax begonias (Begonia semperflorens ) blossom in mid-to-late spring. The Bada Bing collection involves the cultivar “Rose Bicolor,” which rises 8 to 10 inches tall and bears pale pink blooms with white centers. These delicious wax begonias are easy to grow in containers, so you could consider growing them on a sheltered terrace or even indoors.

Calendula

It is almost always a great idea to plan the yearly garden in order that something is constantly in blossom. Consider dwarf calendula (Calendula officinalis “Fiesta Gitana”), also called the pot marigold, when you need a late-spring bloomer to include various shades of orange. Even though standard-size calendula can rise to 3 feet in height, the dwarf variety stops growing when it reaches 1 foot tall. Give it full sun.

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What sort of Structural Damage Could Tree Roots Cause?

Trees are valued from the surroundings due to their ability to offer shade, wind protection, water filtration and beauty to the landscape. As lovely as trees are, the frequently significant damage sometimes due to their roots isn’t too wonderful and can mean thousands of dollars in repair costs to foundations, buildings, backyards, pipes and pavement systems. Bad planning is frequently the offender, as is selecting the incorrect type of tree to plant in a particular place.

Damage to Buildings and Foundations

Despite the fact that tree roots grow quite slowly, they exert tremendous amounts of stress on what they are growing through or close. As they go through the earth in their eternal search for water and nutrients, they displace the dirt around them. Clay soils compact more tightly, while loose, dry dirt in arid spaces shifts and becomes ineffective at supporting a structural load. While the roots themselves aren’t capable of causing direct damage to buildings and foundations, increasingly greater soil displacement can compromise the integrity of this dirt the construction sits on as well as its supporting structure. If dirt moves, then whatever is sitting it moves, also. Old construction materials which have deteriorated over the years can climb or settle as the dirt displaced by extensive tree root systems moves, and the structures might develop cracks which smaller tree roots may be able to penetrate.

Plumbing Damage

With the exception of garden sheds and treehouses, most buildings intended for human use or habitation have some sort of drainage system which disposes of water and sewage. By its very design, such a system is a potent attractant to tree roots, particularly in areas that see little annual rainfall. Many species of trees, such as willows, maples and aspens, are particularly invasive, as their root systems can develop as far as they have to in search of water. Standard drainage-field pipes are perforated to permit for movement of wastewater in the building’s interior plumbing to the ground. Roots can easily be able to develop in these holes and in severe cases can completely block pipes into the stage that they sometimes split and therefore are no longer usable. Old clay pipes whose joints have deteriorated over time can also be susceptible to invasion by neighboring roots and eventually crack under the pressure they exert.

Landscape Damage

While trees are viable additions to the landscape, their roots can take over areas intended for other plants and ruin elaborate and expensive plantings. As some species of trees era, roots become visible through the surface of the soil, a process assisted by wind and erosion. Trees that grow tightly together are sometimes forced to compete for water and nutrients, and gardening is limited from the spaces around and between them because of intertwined roots growing just beneath the surface of the dirt. If put down too thinly over a place close or between trees, asphalt might buckle, bulge and eventually crack. While tree roots typically don’t penetrate solid concrete, walkways and other paved areas may buckle because of soil movement that the roots generate.

Considerations

Prevention is key to avoiding expensive tree root damage. This includes selecting only those types of trees and shrubs which pose the least danger to structural systems of any type. While there is absolutely no ironclad guarantee that a tree roots will not someday make their way below a foundation or into a sloping bed, planting trees at least 50 feet away from all structures or systems is a good beginning. As for established plantings which are causing problems, sometimes the only solution would be to cut down the tree and remove as much of the root system as you can prior to making any repairs to damaged structures. According to the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors, there’s absolutely no reliable method for homeowners to predict precisely how far a tree’s roots will increase in search of water.

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How to Select Carpet That can be readily Maintained

When you’re choosing carpet for your residence or office, your selection criteria should contain more than merely style or looks. For many people, long-term value is vital. Choosing a carpet that can be readily maintained in addition to looking great will save you time and money. High-maintenance carpet stains readily, is expensive to clean and has a shorter lifespan. Fortunately, many options are available that are both stylish and functional.

Carpet Height

An important element in determining the best rug for you concerning maintenance is carpeting height, which is based on what you require and just how much traffic you expect the carpeted area to bear. The various materials and forms of carpeting have various levels of loops in the fabric that comes up from the rug foundation. Cut-and-loop carpet excels in stature; the material is cut down to form textures or designs. Multilevel carpet also varies in height and could be intricate or just designed. Level loop carpeting is smooth and even. This is the easiest to clean and maintain, since it supplies less area for dirt and debris to lodge and is less likely to snag.

Fabric

The material containing the carpeting can make a difference in maintenance. Choices run the gamut from animal hair to plant material to completely synthetic fibers. Synthetic fibers are a breeze to clean and resist staining and crushing more than plant fibers, such as cotton or saxony. Popular synthetic fibers comprise nylon and polyester. Wool, velvet and saxony are organic materials that provide a variety of textures, however they don’t offer much resistance to staining and other damage from liquids and soil.

Color

An often overlooked deciding factor in carpet maintenance is shade. Before choosing white or light colors, remember that you want your rug to both look great and function well. Medium-dark carpet provides more resistance to visible staining and harm than lighter rug does since it conceals problems better, but faux carpets may fade with lots of exposure to natural lighting. So depending on the space you’re carpet, a dark shade might hide damage and stains better, but it may fade faster.

Density

Also important is that the density of the carpet stuff. Whatever the material, carpeting consists of a flat sheet referred to as a backing or mat whereby fibers are braided, twisted or inserted. The more fibers per square inch, the more a carpeting will hold up to wear and traffic; however, high-density fabrics can be hard to wash. A great guideline is that the carpeting ought to be dense enough that you can not see the mat below it upon close review. If it’s too dense, however, cleaning becomes an issue.

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How to Test a Dripping T&P Valve on a Hot Water Heater

Every water heater, whether electric or gas, needs a temperature and pressure relief valve, because without one, it could begin to leak or even burst. The T-and-P valve, which is located on the top or side of the cylinder, opens and discharges steam or water once the temperature or pressure exceed preset limits. If your valve is dripping, which may be a indication that it’s doing its job. The temperature or pressure in the cylinder may be too high, and the valve may be going to open. A few straightforward tests can help you determine what is what.

Run hot water from the faucet nearest the heater for about a minute, or till you’re sure it has reached its highest temperature. Partially fill a cup and then measure the temperature with a thermometer. It should ideally be under 200 degrees Fahrenheit. If it’s more than that, the valve may be going to open, because most are set to open at 210 degrees Fahrenheit.

Check the pressure of your water system with water pressure meter. Screw the meter on a basement hot water faucet and turn on the faucet all the way. The reading should be between 60 and 80 pounds per square inch. If the value is close to 150 psi, which is the pre-set threshold for the majority of valves, then the T-and-P valve is dripping because it’s going to open.

Keep the valve on the faucet and empty the cylinder at least halfway by running a bath or taking a shower. Watch the valve as the water in the cylinder reheats. It might reach values greater than 80 psi, even if the system pressure is usually less than that, because of thermal expansion. If so, which could possibly be the cause of the drips in the T-and-P valve.

Test the valve itself to make sure it’s functioning correctly. Stand clear of the opening if the valve is not connected to an overflow tubing. Lift the rocker arm on top of the valve. Water should come out. When you release the arm, then it should snap back down and water should quit flowing. If it doesn’t snap down instantly try lifting and releasing it a few times to loosen it. If it doesn’t lift, the valve needs replacing.

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How to repair a Snagged Berber Carpet

When your Berber carpeting, or looped carpeting because it is sometimes called, is snagged, with one or more of the threads pulled out, then there’s no cause for panic. Since all the threads are interconnected, a snagged thread here or a snagged thread there does not signify the carpet is destroyed. The most damage which can be achieved is to snip the snagged end smooth and off the region over. But generally, the snagged thread can be saved and pulled back to position.

Insert a small screwdriver or the hint of a knitting needle through the loop of the snagged thread at the Berber rug. This keeps the loop from being pulled through the jute backing throughout the mend.

Find another thread at the carpet that is directly attached to the snagged thread. This thread may be difficult to find because it may be almost pulled through the jute backing and can be tight. Unbend a paper clip and add a conclusion beneath the loop of the thread. Pull on the paper clip and then notice that while you do so, the original snag gets smaller. Quit drawing on this thread when the original snag is slightly bigger than the loop you’re making in the thread.

Find the thread on the other side of the snag. Unbend a paper clip and then repeat the procedure. Insert the end of the paper clip beneath the loop and then pull it out. Pull the thread so that the snag goes back to its initial size.

Dab a little bit of super glue at the bottom of the fibers where they connect into the jute backing. This secures the snag in order that it can’t be pulled out again. Remove the screwdriver and the paper clips when done.

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Plant Food for Sparkling Citrus Trees

The normal citrus tree grows as tall as 25 feet, however a dwarf variety often merely attains a height of 8 feet. Not only does that let you match a citrus tree into a backyard garden, but it also makes it easier to prune the tree and harvest its juicy fruit. For the healthiest tree, enhanced disease and pest resistance, and much more prolific fruit production, feed your citrus tree regularly with a variety of food which range from organic matter to cautiously invented olive tree fertilizer.

Compost

Citrus trees favor well-draining growing conditions. Well-aged, organic compost provides just that, but it also feeds the citrus tree with sulfur and other micro and macro nutrients. Compost doesn’t just raise soil mineral levels; it also helps soil hold onto nutrients much better, which can help create a strong basis for future fertilization applications. For the best results, blend 3 inches of compost into the top foot of soil prior to planting your tree.

Mulch

Mulch helps to prevent soil erosion and water loss around your citrus tree, and also can help prevent weed growth that would compete with the citrus tree for soil nutrition and also rob it of its nutritional support. Additionally, as mulch decomposes, it also can help feed the citrus tree’s root system using fresh organic matter and nutrients. For optimum results, use 3 to 6 inches of mulch around the citrus tree, however don’t let the mulch touch the tree’s actual bark since that may encourage rotting.

Citrus Fertilizer

Since they don’t grow as quickly or as big as their larger cousins, dwarf bearded varieties need less fertilizer than usual. A newly planted dwarf citrus tree takes 0.5 pounds of 21-0-0 fertilizer in the first year after planting, followed by 2.33 pounds of fertilizer in years two and three, 3.5 pounds in years four and three, and 4.75 pounds every year thereafter. Always fertilize dwarf citrus trees throughout the active growing season. Divide the total quantity of fertilizer the tree needs in a year into three components and implement 1 component in February, 1 component in April and one component in September.

Exception for Indoor Dwarf Citrus Trees

Sometimes, gardeners decide to grow dwarf citrus trees indoors as an exotic houseplant and a convenient-to-reach supply of new fruit. Since they are within the confines of a pot, indoor citrus trees need more frequent fertilization. Instead of a thrice-annually fertilizer application, use a liquid houseplant fertilizer and feed the tree once every four weeks in the time of watering. Use the liquid fertilizer according to the labeled guidelines, as strength varies widely by product.

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