Month: December 2019

Tibouchina Species

The large, velvety leaves and vibrant purple, showy blooms have earned tibouchina (Tibouchina spp.) The name of glory blossom or glory bush. Native to South America, about 350 species of tibouchina exist, some with pink or white blossoms, but only a few species are under cultivation. Grow them outdoors in mild-winter, basically frost-free climates. In cold winter climates, grow tibouchina for a container plant that can go outdoors for the summer and inside for the winter, or as a greenhouse plant.

Tibouchina Urvilleana

The most frequently developed tibouchina, glory bush (Tibouchina urvilleana) includes 3-inch-wide flowers that are a glowing, violet-purple. Also called princess blossom, the bush contains non-woody stems to 15 feet tall and 10 to 12 feet wide, growing in a mound. Heavy flowering occurs all during the summertime, with irregular flowering at other times of the year. Hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 12, the plant is killed back to the ground in zones 8 throughout the winter, but usually recovers the next spring. The cultivar “Athens Blue” (Tibouchina urvilleana “Athens Blue,” USDA zones 10 through 11) contains deeper purple blossoms.

Tibouchina Grandiflora

A species with grayer, more velvety leaves, glory flower (Tibouchina grandiflora) is smaller compared to glory bush. It typically reaches 5 to 8 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide in USDA zones 9 through 11, although it can grow to 10 feet tall. Its smaller, royal purple blooms occur in spring, summer and fall in showy panicles, which can be loosely-branching clusters of blossoms, atop blossom stalks that rise above the leaf. Cut off the old flower stalks to showcase the dramatic leaf once the plant isn’t in bloom.

Other Species

Capable of being educated as a little tree and with the name glory bush, Tibouchina lepidota has regal purple blossoms that nearly fully cover the bush to get a few weeks throughout the summer. Hardy in USDA zones 10 through 11, in warm winter climates it blooms nearly annually. The taller-growing purple glory tree (Tibouchina granulosa, USDA zones 10b through 11) grows 10 to 15 feet tall and may reach 20 feet. For a tree, this is actually the tibouchina of selection. Panicles of all 2-inch-wide, purple flowers appear in spring, summer and fall. Grow it as a shrub or prune and shape it if it’s young to form a tree.

Plant Care

Reflecting their tropical origins, tibouchinas need moist but not soggy conditions and also an organic-rich, well-draining dirt. Grow glory bush in full sun except in regions with hot summers, where it conquers daytime shade. Prune the trees to keep them to shape and size after they’re done blooming; use pruning shears cleaned with a cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol to prevent disease spread. In spring, apply a controlled-release fertilizer to the soil around the base of the plant, evenly scattering it under the branches and out a little past the drip line. Mix it into the upper layer of dirt and water well. Use a product such as 15-9-12 at the rate of 1.3 lbs per 100 square foot of landscaping area. Tibouchina are almost pest- and disease-free. They are classified as invasive in Hawaii, in which they seed into native habitats. Remove seed pods so seedlings can’t volunteer should youn’t want tibouchina to propagate.

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Growth Stages of Fox Tail

Foxtails (Setaria spp.) Inhabit disturbed areas such as agricultural land, orchards, roadsides, ditches and gardens; yellow foxtails (Setaria pumila) will even spread to yards. These summer annual grasses are among the most severe of the summer annual weeds due to their abilities to successfully invade — and take over — many types of habitats.

Seedling Stage

Foxtail seedlings are tough to spot and even harder to identify since the distinctive seed head has not developed yet. They begin parallel to the bottom with their leaves developing in their thick stem. Seedlings can vary in appearance depending on species. The foxtail’s first true leaf reaches nearly 1 inch long and 1/8-inch wide. Once germinated, the plants can reach maturity and develop seed within 40 days.

Old Acids

Many foxtails grow in loosely gathered clumps; a few, however, may erect a single stem. At maturity, foxtails can reach over 4 feet tall. Leaves branch near the base of the plant; mature plants have thick, pointed leaves which spiral slightly. Leaves often have slightly hairy surfaces. Old foxtail plants might cover a large area, especially in disturbed areas where the soil is ideal for their growth.

Seed Heads

Mature foxtails possess a distinguishing, fuzzy-looking tree head which changes in colour depending on species. Green foxtail (Setaria viridis), for example, often has green seed heads, but deep, purplish-red isn’t uncommon. This species typically blooms May through November. Yellow foxtail has yellowish seed heads which reach 2 to 5 inches long. Yellow foxtail blooms June through December. Giant foxtail (Setaria faberi) blooms June through November with 3- to 7-inch seed heads. The seed heads often turn tawny or yellowish in fall.

Reproductive Cycle

The seeds blow in the wind, latch onto the fur of animals or are otherwise removed from the plant. Seeds can remain dormant for nearly three years. The seeds will germinate almost immediately if the conditions are appropriate — between 68 and 95 degrees F, beginning the life cycle over again for all these species that are competitive. Because of this, foxtails are especially harmful to spring-sown crops.

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Is a Chinese Elm Tree Softwood or Hardwood?

The Chinese elm (Ulmus parvifolia) rises in United States Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5b through 10a. It produces colorful autumn leaves at the northernmost portion of its growing variety but stays evergreen when implanted further south. It makes an superb landscape tree as it has little invasive potential, doesn’t create litter and doesn’t attract unwanted animal traffic. The Chinese elm is a tree.

Hard or Soft?

The names hardwood and softwood can be deceiving, and they don’t really refer to the consistency or strength of the timber. Even though the wood of the majority of softwood trees is less dense than hardwoods and often contains more air bubbles, whether a tree is a hardwood and softwood actually depends upon the way that trees reproduce. Softwood trees are known as gymnosperms and reproduce by producing cones that contain pollen. After the end spreads the pollen to other trees, a bare tree is produced and dropped onto the ground to generate a new tree. Pine trees and other evergreen conifers reproduce in this way, which is what classifies them as softwoods. Hardwoods, however, are known as angiosperms. These trees reproduce by producing seeds housed in nuts or fruits and usually spread their feces by flowering. Most deciduous trees reproduce in this way and are hardwoods.

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Can I Grow a Mango Tree From a Neighbor's Tree?

Unlike many tropical fruit trees, the mango (Mangifera indica) grows well from seed. It’s the easiest method for home propagation and can yield a fruit-bearing tree in three to six decades, depending on the cultivar. A seed from a home-grown fruit in your own tree or your neighbor’s tree is favored over those bought from a grocery shop, since commercially produced mangoes are often treated or cooled to render their seeds sterile.

Seed Collection and Preparation

Starting mango trees in home is easy, but it requires new seed to be successful, since the seeds are most viable when new. Take seed out of a ripe mango in late summer or fall, based on the local climate. Evaluation for ripeness by gently squeezing the fruit; it must yield to stress without being too soft. Remove the flat, kidney-shaped seed with a knife and then gently wash it with warm water to remove any clinging flesh. Using a paring knife, score the husk along the convex outer border. Take care not to slip the knife within the seed because it might harm the kernel inside. Pry open the husk and slip out the flat, beige kernel.

Sowing Tips

Mango seeds germinate reliably without any pretreatment, even though they do require the right bud, medium and alignment to execute well. Sow the mango seed in a draining, 6- to 8-inch bud full of sterile seed-starting compost. Mango seeds have a convex and a concave border. Sow the seed with the concave, or hollow side from the expanding medium. Press the seed on the soil and cover it with a 1-inch-thick layer of dirt. Sprinkle a light layer of mud over the soil to help regulate its moisture level during the germination process.

Germination Procedure

Mango seeds demand very little during their germination process apart from constant warmth and dampness. Water the seed whenever the expanding medium feels hardly damp beneath the surface. Don’t saturate the soil, since excess moisture may cause fungal or bacterial growth. Heat the pot with a seed-starting mat put to between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do not have a seed-starting mat, set the pot in a warm place such as atop a refrigerator or near a hot water heater. Wholesome mango seeds will sprout in two to three weeks, at which stage move them to a warm, sheltered place with bright, indirect sunlight.

Aftercare and Transplant

Mango seedlings mature relatively fast and require just a while under nursery conditions. Transplant newly sprouted mangoes to 1-gallon nursery pots full of standard potting soil and grow them under bright, sheltered conditions until their foliage turns from bronzy-red to green. They can be planted in a sunny, fast-draining garden bed or in a permanent pot as soon as they hit two feet in height. As tropical trees, mangoes will only grow outdoors within U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10b to 11. Outside their preferred variety, they may be grown as potted trees in a greenhouse or well-lighted room indoors.

Unique Factors

Although seeds are the easiest means of growing new mango trees in home, there is one significant drawback that has to be considered. Mango trees might not grow true from seed, meaning that their fruit quality and quantity might not resemble their parent tree. However, their glossy, evergreen foliage and umbrellalike growth habit aren’t altered by seed propagation, which makes seed-grown specimens worthy of use in ornamental cultivation.

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Suede Paint Technique for Interior Walls

Faux paint techniques allow you to make an illusion in your walls. Paint any fake finish, from marble to wood grain into Venetian plaster, with textured paint and easy tools. Cover a library, bedroom or dining room wall using a synthetic suede finish by employing a specially textured paint along with specific application patterns, or even a synthetic finishing technique that mimics suede. The results play and absorb with light. Soften the wall colour, and give the feeling of a brushed leather surface. Anyone who has painted a wall before can utilize this technique. But open the windows and make sure adequate ventilation before you begin.

Brush Technique for Faux Suede Paint

Clean and stain walls before starting. Fill cracks, holes or gouges with plaster and sand smooth when dry. Wipe down grimy or dusty walls using a dry cloth and then a moist sponge or a sponge soaked in a 1:1 ratio of a water and vinegar solution.

Tape the edges of this washed dry wall before priming it using latex interior paint. A light shade prime coat will not affect the shade of suede paint you choose.

Apply the first coat of suede paint using a paint roller. Start by edging in the corners and the angles in window and door frames and the ceiling with a little brush. Work in small sections to roll up the suede paint on the wall using a medium-size roller, applying paint in overlapping V-shapes. Combine each section with the previous one since you cover the whole wall.

Allow the first coat to dry thoroughly. It will look somewhat streaky and patchy — exactly the way you want it to appear. Apply another coat using a 3-inch brush, starting in one top corner and then working outward to cover the wall.

Crisscross your brush strokes as you apply the second coat — quite important. Make your pattern random and blend each “X” to the wet paint next to it. Both irregular paint application patterns help to create the illusion of texture to the wall when the paint is dry.

Eliminate the painter’s tape while the paint is still wet so you do not risk pulling away any dried paint using the tape. Let the wall dry for 24 hours.

Adapting Ragging Technique to Create Faux Suede

Modify a rag technique to approximate the appearance of suede paint on your walls, using ordinary wall paint. Prepare the walls as you would for any paint job: clean and stain them, filling any cracks or holes with plaster and sanding the dried patches smooth, and tape the edges along ceiling, baseboards and trim having low-adhesive painter’s tape.

Prime the walls using a soft, matte shade with hexagonal inside paint. Neutrals allow the topcoat colour dominate the wall; a coloured prime coat tints or reveals through a thinned surface coat. Let the primer dry before ragging the next coat of paint.

Thin matte latex paint to make a wash concerning the consistency of glue to produce the suede effect. Brush the wash above one little section of the wall at one time, moving the brush in overlapping massive X-shapes to prevent a uniform appearance.

Bunch a clean rag and then dab it in the wet wash fast, before the paint has a opportunity to dry. Use a light touch the rag will eliminate some of this paint, leaving a softly mottled, irregular finish. Change the direction of this rag and shake out and re-bunch the rag to prevent creating a discernible pattern on the wall.

Overlap the next coat of wash, taking care that you don’t produce a thick or hard border of shade where the two sections meet. Continue ragging every new wash of colour over the whole wall. Change to a new clean rag if the one you’re using gets overly saturated with paint.

Eliminate the painter’s tape while the paint is still wet or moist to prevent any disturbance of this faux finish. The water-based paint finish should be thoroughly dry within hours.

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Should the Wood Be to Get a Beaded Backsplash?

Wooden beadboard is a classic favored. Beadboard paneling is created to boards, which you can still purchase – from 1/2. Simulated products abound, and you’ll be able to find big panels to get beefy, shop-made boards for a little fortune or a few bucks each. Think about board thickness, as well as quality when planning a backsplash.

Attention to Detail

Beaded boards, 1/2-inch or authentic allow for sharp detail. They are subject to a movement that is seasonal but warping. More will warp. On the opposite end of the spectrum are 1/8-inch paneling sheets with grooves. In between, quality beadboard panels made from 1/4-inch medium density fiberboard, or MDF, have sufficient depth and crispness to mimic beadboard that is true. MDF move like wood or will not warp, but the material is highly prone to moisture damage. For a backsplash, make sure that the paneling is protected with another finish or paint, and seal all joints across the countertop with caulk.

Factors

If you use a 1/4-inch product which snuggles neatly against window or door trim, you won’t have to alter the woodwork. To reduce moisture problems each surface of the boards with fast-drying or oil shellac primer before you install them. For locations, including a backsplash right supporting a kitchen sink, exterior-grade beaded panels provide warmth protection.

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How Long Are Spores in Soil with Early Blight?

Early blight generally affects tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) and potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants, dispersing quickly enough to infect your complete crop before it is time to harvest, though many infected crops are still produce fruit. Your crops are not secure this season last year, if you had a problem with the infection. The spores survive more than one season, meaning by overwintering in the dirt that they are able to live to infect new plants.

Early Blight Basics

Caused by the Alternaria fungus, early blight generally starts as brown dots on the leaves of the curry and tomato plants, though it also affects fruit and stems. The circles develop eventually causing the leaves to yellow or the fruit . Infected leaves drop off, also it a lot of leaves are lost by that the plant, it’ might die or produce fruit that is less.

Overwintering at Soil

They spread primarily through rain and wind After the fungus produces spores; the rain washes off them splashes on them upwards onto leaves from the ground and then leaves. Spores that property in the soil at fall survive by overwintering in organic matter, such as plant debris. Spores such as under the surface of the soil or under the foliage stack of last year — survive fluctuating temperatures, including being continuously frozen and thawed although they like weather. The spores are all set to attack a new generation of potatoes and tomatoes when you plant .

Potential Lifespan

Early blight spores can live in the dirt — one year normally is the minimal. The precise lifespan is not known, but if you’re planning to help control the disease by crops out of infected areas, maintain the regions bare for four years, recommends the Colorado State University Extension. Rotation demands a degree of separation, and shifting rows a few feet to one side will not rescue them from traveling spores, but moving your garden.

Requirements for Spore Growth

Regardless of how long the spores have dwelt in the soilthey have the best possibility of infecting your tomatoes and potatoes and reproducing as soon as the conditions exist. Early blight spores favor warm weather — 80 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. They require moisture to survive, but they require alternating periods of moisture and dryness to correctly reproduce. By maintaining the crops dry as you can, using drip irrigation rather than overhead watering can help reduce the spread of the disease.

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Refinishing Old House Gutters

In case the aluminum gutters on your home are older, faded and weather-worn, have them replaced by a professional and they’re not adding to your house’s curb appeal, but don’t hurry to devote hard-earned cash. This is the refinishing project for your DIY homeowner that is budget-minded. The key to a professional appearance would be to use the right primer and then to prepare the gutters with a good cleaning and paint.

Protect your hands. Position your ladder securely and large enough to get to the gutters. Climb the ladder and wash all leaves and debris from the gutters out using a garden hose. Scrape flaking paint with a scraper. Use a wire brush to remove any rust stains. Sand the uneven areas with sandpaper to ensure a smooth surface.

Create water in a skillet and a sudsy mixture of liquid dish soap. Wearing rubber gloves, use a grout sponge to wash and wash the gutters thoroughly with the sterile mixture. The gutters must be as clean as you can, to ensure a good bond with the paint. Rinse all the soap away and permit the gutters to wash.

Apply a coat of clear acrylic bonding primer with a paint brush. This is the second vital step to refinishing your gutters. Before you use it, check the components of the primer. Do not use one that contains ammonia, since this can have an adverse chemical reaction with the aluminum, creating gas bubbles. After the primer has dried, apply another coat. Permit the gutters to wash.

Apply a coat of exterior oil-based paint utilizing an excellent brush. This should be done within 48 hours of applying the primer, to ensure a good bond between the primer and the coat. Permit the paint to dry completely and then inspect the end. Where the primer shows or the surface is rough in spots, lightly sand with fine-grit sandpaper, wipe the dust off with a damp rag and apply another coat of paint.

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How to Install Mounting Screws on a Dishwasher

Your dishwasher is prepared to be mounted under the counter When you’ve hooked up its water supply lines and electrical wiring . If your counter top is made out of granite, marble, concrete or another material that is difficult that cannot be drilled to easily or safely, the dishwasher has to be side mounted. If your counter top is made out of plywood or wood that is easily drilled, you can top-mount the dishwasher.

Side Mount

Assess the distance from the ground to the bottom of the cabinet opening to find the elevation of the cabinet opening. A cupboard opening that is 34 1/8 inches to 36 inches in height can use side mount brackets using the screw holes facing upward. A cupboard opening having a height of 34 inches to 34 1/8 inches includes a side mount bracket.

Slide the side mount brackets into the slots located on the front left and right corners of this dishwasher, together with the screw holes facing depending on this counter’s elevation or either facing up.

Drill pilot holes through the screw holes of the side mount bracket into the cabinet’s face. Attach the side mount brackets to the cabinet sides with an electrical screwdriver along with screws.

Top Mount

Position bracket is mounted by the single-hole finish of the best over the screw hole left corner beside the side-mount bracket slot. The other end of the bracket fits over the front edge of the dishwasher to rest against the bottom of the counter. Loosely attach the bracket to the dishwasher using the screw by hand-tightening it. Attach the right-corner top-mount bracket.

Slide the dishwasher into position where the top-mount brackets end, and analyze. If they protrude out from under the counter and are too long, draw a mark on the mounts in the edge with a pen. Pull the dishwasher out. Eliminate the brackets. Firmly take hold of the end of the bracket with pliers near a point and twist it off. Do exactly the same with the other top-mount bracket.

Set the brackets back on the surface of the dishwasher. Insert the screws into the screw holes and then tighten with electrical screwdriver. Move the dishwasher back into position. Drill pilot holes through the screw holes on the top mount brackets into the bottom of the top. Drive screws upwards through the bracket screw holes into the counter having an electrical screwdriver.

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