Tropical Style

How to Plant Beans as Seeds

Beans grow readily in the vegetable garden from seeds sown directly in the ground once soil temperatures reach about 60 degrees Fahrenheit in spring or early summer. Pole beans grow as long vines that need support, while 2-foot-tall bush bean plants need no support. Beans come in green snap varieties or those used as a tree that is dry. All bean plants need similar planting procedures, irrespective of the variety. The seeds germinate quickly; snap beans are ready to harvest in about 60 days. Turn the top 6 to 8 inches of dirt in a full-sun garden bed, with a shovel or hoe. Break up any dirt clods, and remove all weeds. Mix a 2-inch layer of compost into the soil to provide necessary nutrients to the growing beans. Smooth the surface of the bed after amending the ground. Pull the corner of a hoe blade down every planting row…

Tropical Style

How to Prune Goldmound Spirea

Using its brilliant yellow leaves that hold their color all season, “Goldmound” spirea (Spiraea japonica “Goldmound”) is a deciduous shrub that adds a spot of sunshine wherever you plant it. “Goldmound” grows 2-3 feet tall and up to 4 feet wide in sunlight in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 8 and in regions of greater zones where summers are not extreme. The vibrant yellow leaves are topped in late spring from flat clusters of bright pink blossoms that resemble yarrow. As with other late-spring flowering shrubs, harassing “Goldmound” spirea in late winter to early spring before new growth starts. Wipe the blades of your hand pruners with full-strength household antiseptic cleaner. A family antiseptic cleaner is just as successful as bleach or rubbing alcohol at preventing the transfer of plant disorders from resources, but is less corrosive to metal tools. Cut all the stems of the…

Eclectic Homes

How to Replace a Lamp Post Photo Cell

When darkness falls and also a dusk-to-dawn lamp post tends to light, the first thing you should do is check the bulb. But if a new bulb does not fix the issue, or the lamp continues to exhibit odd behavior like flickering or turning on during the day, it is probably a terrible photocell. You’ll have to do some wiring to replace a lamp post photocell, but with the proper precautions it is a secure, straightforward process. Turn off power to the lamp post in the support panel circuit breaker. Lock the support panel if at all possible, or put a piece of tape across the breaker and a warning signal on the panel cover so that the circuit is not accidentally turned on while you work. Determine the location of the photocell. Look for a round protrusion using a plastic or glass lens located close to the surface of…

Gardening and Landscaping

The way to Put Ridge Tiles

Ridge tiles are a specific type of tile that are designed to cover the ridge or hip of a concrete tile, clay tile or slate roof. The roof tiles are held in position to the existing roof with mortar made of Portland cement and two kinds of mud, that most closely approximates the makeup of concrete roof tiles. It is possible to lay ridge tiles to guard the ridges and hips on your roof with some common masonry tools. Fill an empty coffee can or large plastic cup to the brim with Portland cement. Pour the cement into the base of a wheelbarrow, followed by 1 1/2 cups of soft mud and also the same amount of screeding mud. Mix the 3 dry ingredients thoroughly with a scoop, then mix in enough water to ensure a ball of this mortar will only hold together without spreading. Fill a 5-gallon bucket halfway…

Fireplaces

The way to Eliminate Paver Grass and Moss

While weeds and grass can’t grow under pavers, it’s practically impossible to keep them from springing up in cracks, crevices, joints and spaces between them. If the areas are shaded and stay moist, moss often develops there, also. Unlike weeds and grass, these tiny plants spread across paved surfaces as well as in between. Though some gardeners enjoy the informal rustic look moss can impart others prefer to eliminate it along with paver weeds and grass. You can easily make short work of those landscaping inconveniences with homemade solutions. Eliminating Paver Grass Treat cracks and crevices in spaces between pavers using a pre-emergent herbicide to reduce weed seeds from germinating. You have to do this before the plants begin sprouting, therefore treat in early spring immediately after the last predicted freeze to your region. Some gardeners prefer spring pre-emergent therapies to coping with paver bud later in this season. Hand-pull…

Tropical Style

The ideal time to Treat Your Yard for Fire Ants

Red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta Buren) are aggressive, reddish brown to black ants which build dome-shaped mounds of soil when they construct their nests. Fire ants prefer to construct mounds in sunny, open areas of your lawn, but are not restricted to these areas. Their mounds might be found in rotting logs, under buildings and pavement, round trees and stumps, and even inside. Powerful control of red imported fire ants is dependent on applying treatment at the right time of day and in ideal conditions. Best Time of Year In Mediterranean climates, winters are wet and summers can be hot and dry, so use of therapy products for crimson fire ant control are usually ineffective because they either gets washed off in the wintertime, or so the ants don’t come in contact with them because it’s too hot for the ants to appear. Spring and fall applications are more…

Eclectic Homes

DIY Fence Post Fix

Fences are both aesthetic and functional as they visually define areas of your yard while keeping animals or people in or out. A broken fence may still appear interesting in the ideal conditions, but it will not work well. Over time, a broken fence pole can result in greater problems, like a bent or bent bar. Or the fencing itself could collapse, allowing free passage to all. Reset It One common ailment of aging fences is the article slowly leans evenly until it pulls entirely free of the earth. When this happens, the article will pull on the fencing down as well, and the fence may become damaged beyond repair. Reset the fence pole before this occurs by digging a larger hole, then adding gravel in the base, bracing the pole upright with two-by-fours or cement blocks and filling the hole with quick-dry cement. You may need an assistant to…

Tropical Style

The way to Dig Up Flowering Quince

Flowering quince (Chaenomeles ) is also a early-blooming shrub that creates beautiful 1 1/2- to 2-inch flowers in hues of white, pink, orange or red. Following the showy screen, which last only a couple weeks, the plant yields into a tangle of thorny, bare branches. Flowering quince is easy to grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9. You can easily dig up and transfer the plant if needed to transplant or eliminate it from your lawn. Prepare the brand new area for the flowering quince before digging up the plant, if you intend to transplant it in a brand new site. Choose a sunny site with enough room to accommodate the mature size of a flowering quince, which is generally 6 to 10 feet wide and tall. Dig a planting hole that is 2 to 3 times wider than the root ball, that is estimated in…

Fireplaces

DIY Front Yard Walkways

A backyard walkway creates a defined route that provides visual appeal and accents your house’s entrance. A walkway additionally prevents worn paths through your lawn, helps you to keep dirt from being tracked inside and relieves muddy shoes during wet weather. If you want to dress up your front lawn, there is no need to call a contractor; a walkway is a home-improvement endeavor you can design and build yourself. Design A walkway may be straight path from your front door into your driveway, or a winding trail which winds and curves around existing plants and other factors of interest. Straight walkways are more formal than the ones that have curves or loosely defined borders. Draw an aerial view of your lawn and the planned walkway. This gives you the chance to change the walkway’s settings until you are satisfied with the design. Materials Walkway materials vary as to price,…