Home & Garden

Friday, March 27, 2009

How do you keep an indoor gardenia plant living longer?

Besides watering it and giving it the proper sunlight.



add a tspoon of epsom salts to the water every month or so , the salts contain magnesium plus other elements




Make sure the soil its in is acidic and it receives enough moisture.

How should I organize my room?

Whatever way you want. First clean it up and then organize your stuff. Throw away anything you haven't used in 6 months. Keep the rest and organize it any way that you want to. I like putting my stuff in clear storage boxes. So its out of the way.




take everything out, then sort and put back half of the stuff...good luck!

Is there any type of Dogwood tree that will do well in zone 8?

Or is the soil not acidic enough?





Any recommendations?


(I'm getting mixed answers from different nurseries here. I'm in Temple, TX.)



flowering and korean

I planted my flowers to early, how do I best protect them from the cold?

I planted some daisies, tulips, and daffodils and seeded some blanket flowers in my garden early this week, but we are getting colder and its suppose to get to 34 degrees and maybe snow this weekend, what can I do to save my flowers. Note it has been raining most of this week too.



As long as it doesn't freeze, they should be okay. Any time you think you need to cover plants, make sure you use something like an old sheet that is secured in a way that it won't actually touch the plant and make sure you remove it as soon as the danger of frost is over. I have used pieces of wood driven into the ground with the sheet sort of raised like a tent above my plants to keep the frost from getting them. You don't want it raised too much, you don't want it to touch them either.





I've also used large coffee cans and other large plastic containers to cover flowers and since you've had a lot of rain this week, that might work better for you. Just make sure that whatever you use is removed as soon as the temperature starts to come back up and that it's large enough to not touch the plant. I live in Texas and the temp can be 32 when I get up in the morning and 50 by the time I'm showered and ready to go outside, so I've been in the flower beds in my pajamas more than once.......




The best thing you can do at this point is to place plastic bags over the plants. This will keep them protected from frost. Make sure that you place the bags over your flowers when it is 45 degrees and lower.





As for the future, my mother told me that it is best play it safe and plant the flowers after Mother's Day because most of the cold weather is over after that point. BTW, I live in Indiana, so the weather changes a lot here during the season transition. :)




Daisies tulips and daffodils should be frostproof, even if the tulips and daffs look a bit wilted in the frost they soon recover when it warms up. As the seeds have only just been planted and therefore have not yet germinated, the cold won't affect them. If it's raining then it's above freezing anyway. You don't say where you live, this would have been helpful when answering. Good luck!




Evil is right about the sheet.... don't use plastic bags or sheeting... plastic transfers the cold straight to the plant if it touches any part of it..... now, if you had a frame that would keep the plastic up off the plants, that would be okay....





you should cover the daisy.... everthing else should be fine....
lets say they are 10mm wat sort of coverage will i get out of a ton bag



Measure the depth of the bag. Decide how deep a layer you will want the stones to cover and then work out how many layers of this depth would go into the bag. (Eg if the bag is 100cm deep and you want 10cm depth of stones, you will get 10 layers.) Then work out the area of the top of the bag and multipy this by the number of layers you think the bag will give you. (Eg if the bag is 100cm square, you will get 10 square metres of cover.)




What depth?

Whats wrong with my toilet sometimes it will fill with water sometimes it wont even when i fill it my self?

it wont flush and i see no water trying to fill the tank and the floating thing seems to be in order but then again what do i know . when i shut off the water valve for a few minutes it came back on why would it do that this is my first home so im new to all this please help



the fill valve has debris in it. just put in a new fill valve assembly.




It almost seems like you have 2 different issues here.





First, if the water is running in the toilet but the tank is not filling, the likely culprit would be the flap at the bottom of the tank. It's not unusual for these to get stuck open. Just jiggle the handle, it should settle in the closed position.





If the water is not running at all, you have an obvious plumbing problem. It could be a faulty shut off valve or something could be stuck in the water hose from the valve to the toilet tank. Try replacing the hose or even the valve itself and see if that resolves your problem. Are you having any other problem with plumbing in the rest of the house?

How do you make an adjustment on vinyl replacement windows........?

I believe there is a way to adjust the vinyl replacement windows, but I have forgotten how I was told when we bought them a few years back. When I open the bottom window and push it up all the way, it wants to slide back down about 3 or 4 inches. Isn't there an adjustment on the sides, and can you walk me through how to do this?



Because each brand is different, you will need to call the company...Sorry I could not be of more help.


(Unless you can give a brand name?)


EDIT: My brother works for a window/door manufacturer, he installed our windows...This is his advice...


Tilt lower window in towards you, IF you SEE a screw on each side (half-way up,inside the window track) Turn right to tighten, left to loosen. Turn 1/4 turn on each screw, always adjust both sides evenly!




If you can't make it work put a stick in the window until you find out the brand name or have someone come over to check them out.




you will probably have to contact a window installer to find out how to do it.




sounds like a broken cord. call the window co.

I have 50 smaller tree stumps (4 - 6

Some say drill a hole into it, but then what...?



If you drill a hole in them, then water will rot them faster and you can just kick them over in a year or two




Hire a stump grinding service. They can grind the stump below the level of your yard and you won't have stumps to trip over for the next few years waiting for them to rot.




I have hear that if you pour buttermilk into the hole it will speed up rotting




if you have 50 of them hire a backhoe or if it is in a field use a dozer...




pull them out with a truck

Floral arrangement judging?

I'm thinking about entering a flower arrangement in the fair this year. I was wondering if anyone knows from experience how the judges might judge the arrangements? Like what they would look for and all that jazz.





P.s: I'm going to be doing a single flower arrangement with greenery.



I use to do Floral design when I was in school and entered in many contest. The judges look for color, if it look appealing to the eye, even, everything has to match on all sides, if it is full, you can't be able to see through it,




blue with a little yellow.

Check, 1, 2, check, 1,2, check valve WTF?

what is the difference between a check valve and a backflow preventor?



Back flow prevents can also be tested and certified. Back flow prevents are commonly used to prevent ground water from siphoning back in to your tap water system in the event of a loss in water pressure in your house.





In other words if your sprinkler heads were submersed in water outside above where your water enters the house and you experience a sudden pressure drop in your house water pressure the ground water can gravitate in to your system. Then you drink it.





BUT a back flow preventer is just a really expensive set of check valves invented by plumbers and lobbyist then required by code in a lot of areas to get you to spend money and recertify the thing every year for a fee.




a check valve is just a component of a back-flow preventer. A back-flow preventer is a device usually containing 2 check valves and possibly a relief valve venting to outside the system.




About a buck and a half.

What is this funny ticking noise coming from my back boiler on my gas fire it is like a loud grasshopper?

my gas fire in my front room is making this loud noise, but the pilot light is still on





it sounds like a loud grasshopper it seems to happen early in the morning for an hour after the timer goes on and again in the evening





each time the noise lasts about 2 seconds then stops for about a minute then it happens again





the pilot light is still on





do you know what this is





thanks for your help





xxx vici



maybe it is a really loud grasshopper?

Make my dress bigger with steam?

am i crazy? im doing a pageant in two days. the dress i want to wear is just kind of tight. if i steam for a while it is it possible to stretch it? will that just make it smaller? I have another dress to wear however this "smaller" one is the one i want to wear. is there another way to make it kinda bigger? it is a gown, it cannot be washed could i put it in a larger mannequin to stretch it? the fabric is not "stretchy"



First try to wear it around for a couple of hours. It may stretch out on its own. If that doesn't work, you'll just have to get it altered. The heat from the steam will actually shrink the fabric.




Steam may work. You should just get it altered, with gowns like that, there is very little you can do.




no you will ruin the fabric

Foot valve and check valve?

am i speaking of the same thing or is there a difference?



They are similar. A foot valve is usually installed on the inlet side of a water pump to keep it from losing it's prime during the off cycle. A check valve can be found just about anywhere in fluid system including hydraulic, pneumatic, refrigeration, water, etc.... A check valve prevents the fluid from flowing the opposite way for any reason.





A foot valve is essentially a check valve that is submersed below the pump on the suction side.




check valve is the "generic" name, foot valve is where it is located in apumping system- they are both check valves. A "foot valve" is called that because it is fitted to the very end,(bottom) of a suction line




a check valve is a one way valve that lets fluid like gas travel only one way and a foot valve seems to be the same

Help! Permanent glue.?

Years before we met, my husband put up those tacky ceiling borders. He used permanent glue and a lot of it. When I redid the bathroom, I tried everything, bt I ended up scraping it off bit by bit. Now it's time for the rest of the house... and he did every room that way. How can I get rid of these yukky thngs?



try asking at hardware stores to see if they have a product that will make it easier.

My Whirlpool Dishwasher won

I make sure that I use the hot water temp. and the hot drying cycle. This is the third time I 'm running it. I use the little prepackets of detergent and spot remover. Anyone have any ideas what's up???



Read the owner's manual. Look in the back of the owner's manual for the troubleshooter section and see what it says about your situation. Call Whirlpool. The number should be in the back of the owner's manual. You can also look the manual up online.


Sometimes it's the crappy cheap soap. I use those little square things and they work fine.




If you KNOW the water is hot, then the problem is with the detergent. Switch brands or go to a liquid.




your water probably isnt heating to a high enough temp...or there may be some thing wrong with the flow of water inside of it




switch to the liquid form

How much money will I save per month using a 75 watt lightbulb instead of a 100 watt lightbulb?

With an average use of about 7 hours a day?



1000 watt hours equals 1 kilowat hour. times your rate per kwh.




less than a dollar




only on that light bulb you will save 25% of your bill


%0D%0A

Is it true that dryer sheets contain cancer causing chemicals?

No. FDA regulations would not permit that. Most dryer sheets are nothing more than perfumes anyways. Even if there were a cancer causing agent, I imagine that you'd have to be exposed to extremely large quantities of it.




I doubt it but what doesnt cause cancer these days? I heard star light causes cancer but I still gaze at them. I dont think you can absorb cancer through freash laundry. : )




I don't know about that, but they and clothes that have been treated by them are highly flammable.




everything causes cancer today .




I've never heard of that..I dont think so...It seems like everything causes cancer now days..lol

Friday, March 13, 2009

Can tankless hot water heaters be installed in a new manufactured home?

Can tankless hot water heaters be installed in a new manufactured home?
Just wondering if we can do away with the regular hot water heater if/when we order a new manufactured home. Also looking to install some solar shingles

Most manufactured home companies will build anything you are ready to pay for. They have their standard models but they can do custom work. the water heater won't be an issue. Solar shingles might be because of the home manufacturers warranty.

If they can't install one for you, just ask them to deduct the price of the regular one and have one installed yourself. Try to find a brand that has a local service representative in your area or you could run into problems later on.

sure reckon you can ask if that's a option

Ceiling fan 3 speed switch replacement doesn't work when wired the same as old switch whats wrong?

Ceiling fan 3 speed switch replacement doesn't work when wired the same as old switch whats wrong?

not all 3way switches wires the same,you have to go by the instructions and the diagram on the switch.

D2 is 100% correct: go by the instructions, not by how the old one worked.

Most self-install fans and things include a toll-free phone-number to call with problems. Use it -- I installed a ceiling fan last summer and encountered a similar problem and they were very helpful. (Yes, I felt dumb for having to ask, but I'm not an electrician, so it didn't last long).

I have a really tough stain on a pair of my jeans.......?

I have a really tough stain on a pair of my jeans.......?
I was dyeing my hair and the hair dye solution had stained my jeans. There are a few marks and I don't know how to wash it off because I already gave it a machine wash, but that didn't do much good, and now I don't know what to do. Is there any way that the stains are going to come off?

Additional Details
Is there nothing I can do to get the stain off?

I found this article that tells you different methods for different shades of fabric. I'm sure it won't be an easy task though.

ain't gonna come off....might fade as the jeans wear out.... but.... here's your chance for some fun.... next time you do your hair color, get the gloves good and messy and put hand prints on the spots where there's stain/spots..... or make 'fingerprint flowers'.... get creative!..... it's about all you can do.... short of dying the jeans black!!!....

How would i get kilz out of my boyfriends hair?

How would i get kilz out of my boyfriends hair?
he's messy and painting.. it's been five minutes and he's covered. lol he's more like my child.
12 hours ago
Additional Details
yeah its everywhere.. we're gonna need a lot of paint thinner.


and no his hairs not long. very short actually, just uncoordinated so those comments weren't necessary. thanks.
soak a corner of a rag in paint thinner and slowly wipe it to break it up. Then it should shampoo out. Just don't do it near and open flame or cigarette.

When he showers have him use a good conditioner on his hair before he washes it, and then shampoo.

I hope he used a drop cloth, or your next question will be how to get the Kilz off the carpet/floor.

A butch cut,it's so manly.I have semi long hair and never had that happen,it is what it is.It's a water base paint,shower and a brush should do it.

My Best

I just washed mine and it came out. The natural oils in your hair should prevent it from soaking in.

Use some baby oil! On his hair of course......

A shorter hair cut!

Need help with choosing colors?

Need help with choosing colors?
Bedroom: So I have dark brown bed room furniture and blue sheets and bedding and blue accents and white walls. What other color goes well with these colors?

Living room: white walls, beige couch and love seat, black end table, tv stand, coffee table. What colors would work well with these?

Kitchen: Theme: apples. Red everything! White walls, light oak cabinits, white refrigerator and dish washer, red everything else.

For the bedroom you could add some navy blue or sandy beige. but with the brown, blue and white you sound like you're all set. Maybe you just need to add some interesting patterns in those colors in pillows, rugs, or draperies. I think I'd paint the walls a soft coffee (with cream!) color or a light blue.

For the living room, I think the walls need to be painted in this room too. WIth the biege and black you have two ways to go: contemporary with a teal blue or aqua on the walls or earthier with a mocha shade or even cinnamon if you aren't afraid of dark colors. Finding an accent pillowor piece of art you love can be the inspiration for your entire color scheme. Maybe something here will inspire you:
http://www.72ba.com


In a kitchen, I love yellow with red the most. It's so cheerful!
You could also use black and white for a very contemporary look, but with the apple theme I think I'd use a soft buttery yellow instead.

bedroom : im going with coffee color or mocha color, just so you could stay in the middle of dark and light colors,

living room: since your room is bare when it comes with colors, this time, mix in some vibrant ones, but try to go with dark shades though since you have a black end table and very light walls and couch/love seat

kitchen: mix match red and green and beige since that your theme is apples

bedroom: beige or peach
living room: burgundy or red, dark green
kitchen: green with touches of silver

Bedroom- Lime green goes well with blue
Living room-Sage green and burgundy
Kitchen-Navy blue

Will primer or white cover dark neon green paint?

Will primer or white cover dark neon green paint?
My husband and I decided to paint our bathroom green. It turned out to be a horrible mess, I hate it! It came out way darker then intended. Do any of you know how to cover up very dark colors? I don't know if I should use a primer or if white will cover it alone. I need to get back in my bathroom, please help!!

A zinc-based primer of either white or gray will definitely cover the error of your color selection. As a hint, use white primers for light paint colors, and gray primers for dark wall paint colors. Dark paints for metal surfaces usually require a red or dark gray pigmented primer.

Use Kilz primer first then repaint the room. Read the label on your paint. If it states one coat coverage and it did not cover in one coat you can be reimbursed for it. Some paints have this warranty.

Use a quality primer/sealer. KILZ is a good one. You may still have to use two or three coats of new paint, but if you don't use a good primer, you'll always have the green bleeding through.


grey is the best color to use. It covers almost any color without show through.


Usually "Kilz" will cover anything.

Good luck

Washing whites with darks?

Washing whites with darks?
what would happen if i washed a white shirt with my dark clothes, with woolite for dark clothes?? i put it on cold setting, and i dry them with low heat, i just dont want it to shrink or or get ruined, someone help

If you don't know if all of the dark clothes are not going to run or bleed, don't do it or you will end up with a different color than white shirt. It's not about shrinking, it's about having some of the dyes from the dark clothes get into the water and make your white shirt dingy(or worse, another lovely pastel color). Why don't you hand wash the white shirt in the sink and throw the rest in the washing machine to be safe?

Those dye catcher sheets works really well. You put one in the wash to catch loose dye from colours. But that Woolite might have too much dye in it. The shirt would probably come out grayish.

Building A Dog House Today - Got Any Practical Tips or Building Plans For a Dog House?

Building A Dog House Today - Got Any Practical Tips or Building Plans For a Dog House?
I've always wanted to build one for him.

1. Make sure the dog house is big enough to accomodate your dog's size as he grows into an adult. A comfortable moving space is 1/3 his standing height: He should be able to look out the entrance both standing up and sitting down.

2. Raise the floor of the house a few inches above the ground to keep pests from entering easily. To prevent rain coming in, make the doorway end of the house (along with the roof) a little slanted.

3. Avoid painting the interior of the dog house. Instead, provide enough insulation and ventilation. It is best that the house entrance faces east.

use a piece of exterior paneling for the walls one 4x8 sheet should do the trick.

the also make a clear plastic doggie door for the winter.

put singles on the roof to keep it cooler in summer, and a flap of vinyl over the entry to keep it warmer in the winter

and then when you are finished, the mutt will want to sleep on top of the dog house!