Category: News

The overwhelming majority of houseplants get most of what they need by their own efforts, from decent soil and adequate sunlight. But, unlike their outdoor cousins, houseplants are very much at the mercy of their owners for proper watering.

It’s estimated by professional sources that up to 90% of houseplants are watered incorrectly – receiving too much leading to root rot and other diseases or too little. But getting it right doesn’t have to be an impossible dream. Some simple tips will help keep your plants healthy by receiving the right amount at the right time. (more…)

As a homeowner, when something breaks or stops functioning properly in your home, it is on your proverbial shoulders to take care of the problem. Some of these things come with pretty big price tags and can cause one to want to sit back and really evaluate the situation. Take for example, a hot water heater. This is not a luxury one’s home can do without, this is where all the heated water for your home comes from – hot water for cooking, laundry, showering and more. But this is a big investment, and with all the talk about possible fuel hikes and environmental degradation, are alternatives such as solar water heaters worth considering? (more…)

There are a few common mistakes people make when drawing up their own landscape plans. These mistakes are not usually made by landscape contractors, who are trained to avoid them.

The first group of mistakes relates to the idea of scale. We have all seen the conifer that has “taken over” a plot of land and now towers over the house, dropping the occasional branch in a high wind, shedding needles onto the roof and, although beautiful, being a general nuisance. Bought as a tiny tree, it was planted in the wrong place – too close to the house – and its owners are living to regret it. Similarly, shrubs are frequently planted too close together, because the planting plan did not take into account the size to which each would grow, or, worse, there never were any landscaping planting plans. (more…)

This is an overview of a simple gravity drip irrigation system that I have installed in my garden. Fill up the 5 gallon “reservoir bucket” and watch it go! If you have …

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