Tropical Style

How to Plant Vegetables in Clay Soil

Vegetables grow best in loamy soil, allowing plenty of drainage and contains high soil porosity so roots can access oxygen. Clay soil by temperament has poor soil structure that compacts easily, limiting oxygen and water flow through the soil. Water may stand on the soil surface, not able to penetrate the dirt, or the dirt only stays wet, which may result in root rot. Vegetables like cabbage, broccoli and brussels sprouts do well in heavy dirt, but frequent, heavy applications of organic matter are required before planting vegetables. Start amending the dirt annually before planting to get best results. Cover the ground with 4 inches of organic humus material in spring one year before starting a garden at the following spring. If grass is growing in the garden place, leave the grass in position because this is extra plant material to increase the dirt. Materials you may add include aged…

Tropical Style

Growth Rate for the Osage Orange

The Osage orange, Maclura pomifera, is named for the Osage Indians that lived from the tree’s native selection and to get the scent of its fruit. Originally found in an area of southern Oklahoma and northern Texas, farmers climbed Osage orange from the Plains states as a natural fence. The tree grows rapidly and adapts well to most soil conditions. The Osage orange might be found at USDA Hardiness plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. Other common names for this species comprise “bois d’arc” and hedge apple. Old Tree Size Most Osage orange trees grow to a height of approximately 35 feet, even though the tree can reach 50 foot heights under optimal growing conditions. The tree’s circular, irregularly shaped crown is almost as wide as the tree is tall, with a normal spread of approximately 25 feet. Sometimes, trees may spread out up to 60 feet. Old trees have…

Tropical Style

How Much Water a Citrus Tree Needs a Week?

Juicy oranges and lemons require a lot of moisture for development because the majority of the fruits’ composition is water. But ardent over-watering readily damages citrus trees and impedes healthy fruit production. A strict balance of weekly watering and well-drained land contributes to a wholesome citrus tree with vigorous growth and high fruit yields. Newly Planted Trees A youthful citrus tree does not have an expansive underground root system. Bearing this in mind, your weekly watering ought to be concentrated straight at the root ball. Because soil types vary widely, the total amount of weekly water to get your root ball depends on the region’s drainage capacity and climate. In general, you need to saturate the entire root ball so it is moist but not waterlogged, but your dirt must be well-draining to prevent soggy conditions which encourage pests and disease into the root ball. By maintaining your root ball…

Gardening and Landscaping

How to Landscape Small Homes

Small homes need proportionate and easy landscaping to prevent crowding the surrounding area and causing it to appear smaller than it actually is. Place appropriately sized structures and plants near your little home to accentuate details of the home and make the building appear bigger. Landscape your little home to make it appear quaint and inviting instead of overbearing and cluttered. Proportion Plant low-growing plants that are in proportion to the scale of your home. Low-growing plants comprise Pacific stonecrop (Sedum spathulifolium), which rises in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant hardiness zones 5 or 6 through 9 and requires sunlight. Plant shrubs and flowering plants across the house’s foundation to mix the home and landscape. Shrub options include California poppy shrub (Romneya coulteri), which grows well in sunlight inside USDA zones 7 through 10. A flowering plant option is shooting star (Dodecatheon pulchellum), which does best in partial shade…

Gardening and Landscaping

DIY Concrete Fire Pit

Outdoor fires may be used for warmth, cooking, roasting marshmallows and general fun when you have friends and family visiting. Installing a concrete fire pit provides convenience and safety and might be required by local ordinances regarding open fires. The pit will keep discharges from tilting, create a barrier between you and the fire and function as an accent into your home and property. Contact the local utility provider or dial 811 to reach the state one-call utility survey service to schedule the marking of any plumbing or utility lines in your property. Mark the outer border of your fire hole by putting a wooden kind designed for molding concrete in the region where you intend to install the pit and spraying around it with spray paint. Dig out the fire pit, which makes the hole a minimum of 8 inches deep and 2 to 3 inches bigger in diameter…

Tropical Style

Spider Plant Food

The easy-care spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum) is valuable for its ability to thrive in low-light states while cleaning the atmosphere, adding decorative flair and also proliferating in abundance. In U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 to 11 the South African indigenous does nicely outdoors in a timeless hanging basket or as a welcome addition to borders, edging or ground cover. Feeding the undemanding plant with a water-soluble fertilizer every couple of months will keep it in tip-top state. All-Purpose Plant Food Use a water-soluble, general-purpose houseplant fertilizer for plants. You can find inexpensive houseplant fertilizers at the garden part of discount or hardware stores, while nurseries typically carry the widest selection. Liquid fertilizers work well for all container plants because they’re easier to apply evenly to prevent burning. Don’t apply fertilizer directly on the plant, since this can damage leaves. Mix the plant food with water with the…

Tropical Style

The way to Prune an Asian Pear Tree

Asian pear trees (Pyrus pyrifolia) are deciduous fruit trees which grow in well-draining, somewhat acidic soil. They’re more tolerant of moist conditions than a number of other trees, but they still need very good drainage. Asian pears reach about 20 feet tall. They’re spring blooming and summer fruiting, and grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 9. Young trees need pruning to give them a good structure. Older trees are pruned for upkeep and to remove old non-bearing spurs. Pruning is done during the winter dormant period. Cut the tree back to one major whip two to three feet from the ground in the time of planting. Loppers or pruners will work for limb removal until the divisions are bigger than an inch in diameter. After that, a pruning saw is necessary. Prune the tree again during the winter dormant period after it has gone through…

Eclectic Homes

The way to Replace the Drain Hose in an Automatic Washing Machine

The drain hose to a washing machine conducts the discharged, filthy water from the pump to your home’s drain. On a few washers, the hose is one piece, though other units use a hose assembly. The assembly contains two seams linked by means of a separator plate on the washer’s back panel. The cabinet, that’s the steel cover of the washing machine, usually must be removed to access the pump-out hose. Over time, the hose may become clogged, crack or split, leading to leaks, so it has to be replaced. Unplug the washing machine from the electrical outlet. Turn off the hot and cold water supply spigots. Remove the screws securing the control panel to the peak of the washing machine. The screw could be located at the front or back corners of the panel. If there are no screws, add a putty knife between the panel and the top…

Tropical Style

Strawberry Varieties for a Greenhouse

Growing strawberries in your garden can be fun and rewarding. However, the crops are generally sensitive to cold and produce fruit only through a short and comparatively warm season. If you’ve got a greenhouse, you can protect your plants from chilly days and expand the strawberry harvest. Picking the best varieties for greenhouse growing is the first step in ensuring a permanent and successful harvest. Tristar Traditional, antique strawberry varieties flower and set fruit in the spring or early summer, generally stopping production when days become more in late summer. But some varieties such as “Tristar” are day-neutral, setting fruit regardless of the period of daylight. Should you plant “Tristar” strawberries in trays or pots in the greenhouse in early spring, then they could produce fruit throughout the summer and under controlled greenhouse temperatures, continue to set fruit well into autumn after chilly weather arrives. “Tristar” creates particularly high yields…

Tropical Style

The Disadvantages of Greenhouses

Possessing a greenhouse is the best way to garden year by tilting the seasons, especially in cooler climates. Enjoying homegrown tomatoes in winter and beginning bedding plants early permit you to garden outside inland limits. The controlled environment of a greenhouse does bring disadvantages through upkeep costs and pest management. Considering these and other challenges helps you determine if it’s the greenhouse is the perfect fit for your gardening needs. Location Careful consideration of a proper site for your greenhouse often reveals this primary downside of constructing one. A greenhouse should be put where it catches full sunlight, especially in winter. The Clemson Cooperative Extension notes that places on the east side of the property receive maximum sunlight from November to February. Deciduous trees shade greenhouse plants out of intense sunlight during hot seasons, and they also allow more sunlight to reach plants in cool seasons after they shed their…