Tropical Style

When to Harvest Irish Potatoes

Irish potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) a term used to distinguish them from sweet potatoes, are indigenous to South America and never Ireland, in which they were a staple food. Potatoes are annuals that may be grown in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 through 11. Depending on the number, potato vines will start to wilt and turn brown between 90 and 120 days after you plant them. This is the time to crop them. The Way Potatoes Mature Potato blooming is just a sign that potatoes are growing. New potatoes that have low starch and high water content grow from the next month. Since the potatoes get larger from the fourth month, their water content decreases, their starch increases and their skins thicken. Their dying vines will tell you that it is time to dig them up. Complete harvesting before freezing weather arrives if you have frost in your…

Tropical Style

How Large a Garden Do I Need for Zucchini?

A kind of summer squash, zucchini (Cucurbita pepa) grows as a yearly during spring and summer. Some varieties have a bushy form and also take up less dirt space, even while vining varieties that take up more space can be trained to grow on supports in case you have limited garden space. Plan on devoting enough space between the plants and the borders of the garden to enable the vines to spread without crowding out other plants or every other. Hill and Row Spacing You may grow zucchini in rows or in hills. When you plant a hill, plant four to five seeds spaced about 2 inches apart. Space rows 4 to 5 feet apart, along with slopes 3 to 4 feet apart. Using these distances, you’ll need a garden space measuring roughly 12 from 12 feet for four hills, which also allows for space between them and other plants….

Fireplaces

Can You Kill the Roots of Ivy by Smothering Them With Plastic?

Many varieties of ivy (Hedera spp.) Grow throughout the USA, and a few varieties are thought to be invasive trousers. English ivy (Hedera helix), for example, which is hardy at U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9, is considered invasive throughout the Pacific Northwest and at other places. Roots and the other parts of unwanted ivy and additional garden weeds can be killed using a plastic covering to smother the plants. More environmentally friendly techniques of smothering ivy exist, however. These procedures ultimately require less labor since they remove the need to reposition the plastic following weather and animals transfer and/or tear it. Covering Weeds The easiest way to kill ivy and other unwanted crops will be to cover them with a 12-inch-thick layer of coarse, wood chip mulch. Most covered ivy dies entirely after about three months. Another option is to cover ivy with paper, arranged…

Wine Cellars

How to Cross Breed a Pepper

Based on the match you’ve got in mind, cross breeding peppers is a straightforward undertaking. Most common peppers grown as annuals in the U.S. cross with abandon in nature and at the hybridizer’s hand. Armed with a basic knowledge of a few tools and pepper species to simplify the pollinating job, you are able to cross breed peppers just like a pro. A part of the equation is beating peppers and then waiting till next year to your results. Pepper Species and Compatibility Common peppers are dominated by five species. The most-widely grown, Capsicum annuum, is composed of sweet bell-type peppers along with sexy jalapenos (Capsicum annuum var. jalapeno). Capsicum chinense provides a number of the hottest of the hot, from habanero (Capsicum chinense var. Habanero) to Scotch bonnet (Capsicum chinense var. Scotch bonnet). Capsicum frutescens includes tabasco pepper (Capsicum frutescens var. tabasco) and Thai hot chile (Capsicum frutescens var….

Tropical Style

How to Start a Baby Azalea Plant

With leathery or hairy leaves and trusses of all funnel-shaped blooms in white, purple and pink, azaleas (Rhododendron spp.) Add spring color to the garden. They grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. Baby plants can be produced by seeds, layering or cuttings, although plants from seed may not look the same as the parent plant. Beginning From Seeds You may harvest azalea seed pods once they begin to brown in autumn, storing them in paper envelopes to complete the drying process. Prepare a pot for those seeds in late autumn of the identical year, filling it up to within 1 inch of its top using a damp mix of 1 part peat moss and 1 part sand. After moistening milled sphagnum moss, squeeze out the excess water and distribute a 1/2-inch layer of the moss over the peat and sand mix. Scatter the azalea…

Fireplaces

Are My Bottle Brush Leaves Ends Dry?

Bottle brush trees and shrubs (Callistemon spp.) Suffer few problems, so dry or dead leaves are a cause for concern. Most varieties of those flowering plants grow at U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11, though some forms grow in USDA zone 8. The causes of foliage damage are treatable, so that you may quickly assist your bottle brush recover it prior glory. Site Concerns Wind and cold may result in foliage, which results in the ends of the leaves turn brown to dry and die back. Wind desiccates the leaves, causing any moisture to evaporate more quickly. Even though most bottle brushes are drought-tolerant and scorch will not kill the tree, planting in an area with wind protection can continue to keep the plant equally healthy and attractive. Bottle brushes suffer damage if temperatures drop below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, so in moderate climates some leaf damage…

Eclectic Homes

The Way to Set Up a Stihl Chain Saw's Chain Sharpening Guide

All chainsaws require sharpening. Dull blades result in inefficient operation, such as jagged patterns and the capacity for kickback that is dangerous, according Stihl. You don’t have to use a Stihl sharpening manual along with your Stihl chainsaw; any brand should work to help you guide your round file as you sharpen the teeth. The manual ensures fast sharpening to keep the chainsaw. Use the file guide that will help you sharpen the teeth each time you add gas into the machine. Place the chainsaw cutting bar in a vise. Tighten the straps on the bar the visen’t holds the chain; you ought to be able to move the chain to get the teeth. Pull down the chain break to keep the chain immobile as you sharpen. Locate the tooth with the cutting edge that is shortest. This is the master cutter. During sharpening after sharpening the master cutter, file…

Gardening and Landscaping

How to Generate a Corner Lot More Private Without a Fence

Sitting on a corner lot may mean a decline when relaxing or working outdoors because you have road views on either side of your home. You have to contend not just foot traffic along the sides of your home but also with automobile traffic if sidewalks are also held by those sections of road. It’s possible to produce a corner lot more private with no fence by simply planting offensively with two-way gardening, which forms a living fence and makes your corner lot seem good. Put a garden seat on an angle in the corner of the property so that it faces the street . Position this seat as close to the corner as you can, while still being comfortable for sitting with some yard in front to separate it from the sidewalk or curb for to. Plant trees of moderate height (roughly 10 to 15 feet tall when mature)…

Eclectic Homes

The Way to Transfer a Dryer & Washer Upstairs

Laundry is accumulated in bedrooms and bathrooms. It becomes a major inconvenience to haul it down a flight of stairs to the laundry room and back up when it’s clean again when these rooms are upstairs. That’s why it’s becoming increasingly popular to relocate washing machines and dryers upstairs. To relocate your washer and dryer, you need to have a floor which can support vibrations and the weight of the machines. The space should also include a electric hookup for the dryer, water hookups and drainage . Disconnect the vent pipe in the lint trap and also from the rear of the dryer or vent hole on the outside wall. Close the cold and hot water valves off to the washing machine. Turn the machine on for 30 seconds to drain the water in the hoses. Disconnect the rear of this machine and both hoses in the water faucet ,…