How Often Do Lime Trees Bear Fruit?
January 31, 2020
There are two varieties of true limes, the Mexican lime (Citrus aurantifolia), sometimes called the Key lime, and the bigger, less popular Tahiti lime (Citrus latifolia). In addition, you will find just two citrus fruits commonly called limes which are botanically different. Even though limes can be grown in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 and 11, they need to be implanted in places protected from the wind and cold in zone 10.
Mexican Lime
There are just a only a few cultivars of the Mexican algae, the most commonly known lime and the one most frequently found in supermarkets. The Mexican lime tree rises in 6 1/2 to 13 feet tall; it enjoys moist, warm climates and yields smooth, green limes which are 1 to 2 inches in diameter. The Mexican lime is greatly grown from the Florida Keys and could be grown along parts of the Gulf Coast and in secure places in California. The tree grows limes year-round but with heavier yields during two major seasons, in May and June and November and December.
Tahiti Lime
The Tahiti lime is much less widely known or used as the Mexican lime. At 15 to 20 feet high, the Tahiti lime tree is far bigger than the Mexican lime, and yields bigger pale yellow limes 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches wide and 2 to 3 inches high which have greenish yellow pulp. The Tahiti lime can withstand more cold compared to the Mexican lime. Approximately 70 percent of all Tahiti limes mature throughout its peak production time, from May to September with the heaviest crop from July to September.
Rangpur Lime
The Rangpur lime (Citrus x limonia), not a legitimate lime, is thought to be a hybrid between the lemon (C. limon) and the mandarin orange (C. reticulate.) It rises from 15 to 20 feet high and yields reddish-orange vegetables which taste like limes. The fruits peel easily and split into bright orange sections with greenish seeds. Rangpur trees yield rich fruit from November through the winter. They can be grown in USDA plant hardiness zones 8 through 11.
Kaffir Lime
The Kaffir lime (Citrus hystrix) is a dwarf citrus tree which grows up to 5 feet tall. It is grown for its shiny, aromatic leaves, not its sour, wrinkled fruits which are not true limes. The leaves are a favorite season in southeast Asian cuisine, particularly Thailand, even though the rind of its fruit is sometime ground as a seasoning. The leaves for which it’s grown may be removed any time of year. Unlike true limes, the Kaffir lime is much more cold hardy than true limes and may be grown in USDA plant hardiness zones 9b and warmer.
The way to Fix Rotting Wood in a Skylight
January 28, 2020
Rotting wood is common on almost any fixture that’s open to the components. Skylights are especially prone to this due to their proximity to glass which can leak humidity, or the deteriorating effects of sunlight. You do not have to tear everything out and start over. You can repair decay in the origin and prolong the life of skylight trim or framework with powdered wax adhesive.
Clean It
If the timber has deteriorated into little fibers or splinters, the damaged area will have to be eliminated before beginning your repair job. If it looks really terrible, it’s a sure bet that the old finish is mostly gone, too. Use a wire brush to scrub and scrape off any remaining finish, loose fibers or splinters. Ensure to use the brush with power. If anything is loose, then scrub it off until you get down to solid timber. When you’ve got long splinters which are still joined at one end, leave those in place as pulling them loose may cause more harm. You can glue those.
Glue It
Mix the powdered leaf adhesive with water based on the manufacturer’s directions. Powdered resign glue employs a chemical reaction to dry as tough as tough as glass. It’s also colored brown to conceal and match the timber. It sinks into open pores where it hardens and also fills empty spaces. Mix the glue for a couple minutes until it becomes the consistency of thick, heavy syrup. Use a putty knife to smear and drive the glue to the rotten timber. Smear it on heavily. The glue will get thicker as you use it, therefore it won’t run off. Ensure to cover each one of the rotten timber using the glue. For those who have extended splinters that won’t remain down, then use masking tape to carry them into the glue. Wait overnight for the glue to dry.
Sand It
Use a glue scraper to remove any residual glue. There will be hardened globs and drips of glue. Scrape them off flush with the skylight. Glue scrapers are sharp and will cut the hardened surplus off smoothly. Run the scraper down the sides and face of the skylight to cut and shape off the accumulation. When all of glue is scraped, use a 100-grit sandpaper attached to your hand block to keep on sanding the glue to match the profile of their timber. Switch to a folded piece of sandpaper to finish sanding with additional detail.
Finish It
Good protection will be needed to preserve and finish the job. If you use varnish, lacquer, polyurethane or paint, then you’ll have the same issue again in a few decades when it deteriorates. But if you utilize permeable stain, it is possible to expect the skylight to continue longer since oil-based products penetrate into the pores of the timber where they harden to guard from the inside out. Liberally employ olive oil stain to the wood using a soft cloth. Allow it to soak for 15 minutes, then rub it off. Apply another coat of Danish oil every three times for a week. After that, apply the oil to the skylight after every six months to get permanent protection. For an added luster, you can apply paste wax to the wood.
The way to Retouch Stained Molding
January 25, 2020
Moldings, especially across the ground, around windows or on the bottoms of door jambs can observe some real abuse from shoes, vacuum cleaners and pets. This type of damage is localized in small areas and can be repaired without sanding off the finish. There are a couple of commonly used methods employed by professionals and homeowners alike to touch-up stained molding that do not involve sanding. It only takes moments to repair the most common issues.
Clean any loose fibers or splinters in the scratch, gouge, abrasion or damaged area with the hint of a utility knife. Blow the region clean with air in the cheeks.
Rub a color-matched putty crayon over scrapes, gouges and seams hard enough to scrape off the end of the crayon flat. Immediately rub off the crayon residue using a soft, dry cloth until shiny and smooth.
Color small abrasions or light scratches in the lacquer or varnish using a cotton swab dipped in acrylic stain that matches the existing stain. Allow the stain to stay on the surface for 3 minutes. Wipe it off using a soft cotton cloth. If the scratch is lighter in color than the existing stain and it is still possible to see it, apply another program of stain, then wait three minutes and wipe it off. If you can still find the scratch, then use the putty crayon.
Color hairline scratches or stains using a color-matched stain marker. This kind of marker works nicely as borders and at straight-line cracks that aren’t severe. Use stain markers once the harm is upwards higher or even above your head.
Spray a fine coat of aerosol lacquer onto abrasions on the finish. This can appear to be a scuff mark that will not go away, or possibly a sanded location. Gently spray above the abrasion holding the can about 10 inches in the scratch. Cover it gently with lacquer. It is OK if the lacquer overlaps the hurt. Enable the lacquer to dry for 15 minutes.
Rub the lacquered area hard. Use a bit of denim with authority to vigorously rub off all the lacquer particles. Also known as burnishing, you can also rub very light scratches using denim without lacquer. Rub hard using a circular motion until the finish is warm to the touch and gleams with a new-looking glow.
Tips on Cleaning Kerosene From Carpets
January 22, 2020
Kerosene leaves more than just an oily stain when spilled on carpet. In addition to removing a possible stain in the kerosene, you will have to deal with the odor kerosene leaves behind. Massive quantities of kerosene can signify the end of a carpet; however, small quantities, like drips in a kerosene lamp, which can be readily eliminated. Several household cleaners will be convenient. In addition, airing out the place naturally will get your carpet back to normal.
Open windows to permit fresh air and ventilation; remove or remove the padding beneath the carpet if it’s filled with kerosene.
Blot the affected area thoroughly with white, absorbent towels. Continue blotting until fluid stops appearing on the towel.
Clean the affected area with a clean towel dipped in an oil-fighting detergent mixture. You can mix your own with a 1/4 teaspoon of liquid dish detergent in a quart of warm water. Continue to blot after every round of cleaning to pull on the kerosene out of the carpeting.
Wash the affected area with clean water in a spray bottle. Blot the rinse water with dry towels. Allow to dry.
Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda to the affected area to absorb remaining odor. Allow it to sit for many hours or days depending on the severity of the odor. Then vacuum the used baking soda. Repeat as necessary.
How to Refinish Micro Bevel Flooring
January 19, 2020
Even though they are all milled identically, flooring boards often have variants in depth that become evident after setup. You can level bare boards using floor sanding gear as part of this setup, but you will need a different strategy once the boards are prefinished. One approach will be to mill the boards with beveled edges so the depth variations are not as noticeable. All these micro-bevels collect dirt and make issues once the time arrives to refinish the floor.
Problems with Micro-Beveled Floors
The micro-bevels on prefinished floors boards create valleys between pairs of boards which quickly collect dirt. The dirt discolors the borders of the boards, particularly in the event that you wax over it, and the overall look of the floor suffers as a result. Water may also gather from the valleys once you mop the floor, and if you wait there, then it can result in problems associated with warping, like curling and separation of their borders. You can’t always correct these problems by refinishing unless you are ready to sand enough off the boards to erase the bevels.
Cleaning the Bevels During Refinishing
If your micro-beveled floor simply wants a new end, but is in good shape, you can sand it as you would sand any additional hardwood floor. Now you will need an additional procedure to clean out the valleys between boards, however. After making the final move with the drum sander and edger, vacuum all of the dust from between boards and remove the finish from the edges of the boards. The best approach to do this is with a pull-scraper, drawing it along either side of each groove and then vacuuming once more to remove the scrapings.
Staining and Finishing
Staining a micro-beveled floor is not much different from staining every other, except that you need more services to get the stain into all of the grooves. It can help to apply the stain with a paintbrush and to paint in the direction of the flux. In order to avoid loading finish into the flux, where it may collect dirt and dry unevenly, you should apply it with a pad in thinner layers than you would use for a floor without bevels and use a paintbrush to brush inside the flux. The process is a bit more painstaking, but the flux will be evenly coated.
Considerations
The finish coat on prefinished flooring is durable, and by the time it wears out, the floors boards are usually in poor condition. To properly repair them, you may need to sand as much as 1/8 inch from the surfaces. That may wear down the bevels enough to the stage where sanding a bit more to fully erase them will be a better option than leaving them as they are. This aggressive approach won’t work if the boards are engineered, because you’ll wear through the veneer. Inspect the cross-sections of their boards in a door before beginning. When there is a veneer, you will have the ability to see it.
The way to Command a Willow Fence
January 15, 2020
A willow fence is really a combination of hedge and fence — which is why it gets the nickname “fedge” in some places. Simply by placing cuttings of willow into the ground and then organizing them in a pattern, you may produce a living barrier between your yard and the neighbors’, or make a wall to define your garden area. Once it is planted, take some actions to control the increase of this willow fence so that it will not spread out too far. If you do not cut it back or train it periodically, the willow fence may eventually take over large swaths of your outdoor space.
Pull up any weeds growing in the base of the fence or even better, put a layer of black plastic sheeting or landscaping cloth around the willow spots to stop weeds from growing. Examine the base of your fence periodically to eliminate new weeds.
Weave new shoots into the weaved layout of your willow fence, even if you’d like your fence to be filled in with a great deal of leaf. Take a branch that is sticking out in the fence and then bend it back — carefully so that it does not break — and weave it under, over or around other branches which are firmly attached to the primary structure.
Trim side offshoots in the spring or fall, if you’re seeking to maintain your willow fence fairly sparse and maintain the first pattern visible. New shoots will tend to pop out vertically and horizontally in the established branches; take a hedge trimmer, loppers or hand trimmer and cut the newest shoots off as close to the origin stem as possible.
Cut the tops of the fence into your preferred height at the spring or fall, employing a hedge trimmers, loppers or hand trimmer. Also track the ground around the willow fence, since some varieties will send out root suckers that may spread widely throughout the yard.
Shade-Loving & Steppable Groundcover Plants With Fern-Like Foliage
January 12, 2020
When you understand precisely what you have to have in your garden, plant options narrow and the selection is far easier. In a shady area of your garden which needs a hardy groundcover, adding texture using fern-like foliage is an attractive option. Before selecting your plant, review your options to ensure the plant fulfills your specific requirements.
Shade Definitions
When choosing a fern-like groundcover to support a heavily traveled area, understand the sort of shade your garden offers. Color is not an all-encompassing phrase. Instead, it has variations from partial shade to full shade. For gardening functions, even complete shade receives some lighting, typically two hours or less. The lighting does not need to happen all at one time. Light may filter through canopy cover or happen briefly during the morning and again in the afternoon. The secret is that the total amount of hours of lighting that the area receives. Partial shade receives extra light exposure, typically over 2 hours, but not more than 4 hours total.
Hardiness
When you’re planting a groundcover that needs to react well to foot traffic, hardiness is a crucial component. Planted among stepping stones or bordering a walkway, this low-lying plant needs to bounce back after a ball rolls over it, people step onto pets or it romp. Brass buttons (Leptinella squalida) fulfills the need for hardiness in a shady location whilst also providing delicate fern-like foliage. This mat-forming perennial, as the Missouri Botanical Garden calls it, requires well-draining, acidic soil to thrive. It grows well in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 10. Brass buttons rises to only 3 inches tall, so that it functions well when planted between stepping stones in a walkway.
Dramatic Appeal
Brass buttons provides a couple of alternatives to consider when planting. “Platt’s Black” (Leptinella x “Platt’s Black”) includes all the main characteristics of this species: hardiness, fern-like foliage and shade tolerance. It adds another component of texture, however, with dramatic black and green foliage. “Platt’s Black” is hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9. It grows as many as two inches tall and spreads quickly to fill at a walkway place.
Tiny Leaves
Miniature brass buttons (Leptinella gruveri) is a miniaturized version of metallic buttons. With tiny leaves, this fern-like, hardy perennial adds a carpet of texture set against flagstones or stone walkways. It is very low-growing, to just about 1 inch tall, mitigating any potential trip hazard when planted among pavers. It is fast-growing, quickly forming a solid mat of light green at a shaded, moist part of your garden.
Washing Memory Foam Rugs
January 9, 2020
A memory foam rug puts cushiony softness underfoot, relieving foot and leg fatigue should you stand for extended periods. The soft foam additionally creates a comfortable floor for children and their toys. Offered in a variety of sizes for any room, little versions are frequently used in front of the kitchen sink or as a bathmat. The microfiber construction holds a great deal of water, along with also the non-slip backing helps makes these rugs a safe choice.
Wash the Rug
Vacuum the rug surface to remove all loose debris and dirt, or even brush it off with a broom. Put clean stains or pre-treat heavily soiled areas with laundry solutions. Set the rug in the washing machine using its right side exposed. Place the machine to a delicate cycle, add standard laundry soap or soap, and fill the machine using rather cool water, never hot, according to the maker’s instructions. Because the polyurethane foam is synthetic stuff, don’t dry clean the rug. Avoid bleach and other cleaning solvents and substances.
Dry the Rug
After the cycle ends, remove the rug in the washing machine. Check the care label for drying hints. Some manufacturers suggest machine drying low and also removing the rug while it’s still moist, allowing it to complete air drying to avoid a peeled backing. Other makers recommend laying the rug flat to dry, or hanging it out from supplied loops. Avoid using clothespins; they pinch the polyurethane and leave compression marks. You may need to gently stretch or reshape some polyurethane foam rugs after laundering to renew the original dimensions. Foam rugs hold water so that it may take longer than expected to dry.
How Do I Get a Surface Scratch Away of a Wood Floor?
January 6, 2020
Most modern wood floors possess a polyurethane finish, and whether the finish was implemented in a factory or even on-site, it’s not indestructible. It can be inadvertently scratched when you move furniture or even if you have pets with sharp claws. More often than not, scratches stay on the surface and are simple to repair.
Surface Scratches
You can often make surface scratches evaporate by applying paste wax and buffing the area, but that’s a temporary solution at best, since wax finally wears off or discolors. To make a longlasting repair, clean the part of the floor around the scratch with a soft fabric and a 1-to-1 way of water and vinegar. After drying it with another cloth, rub the scratch with 220-grit sandpaper or 000 steel wool, going with the grain of the wood. Wipe on a coat of the same finish that’s on the floor — generally polyurethane — and you are done.
Deep Scratches
When a scratch has penetrated to the wood, the consequent discoloration makes it more evident, and you can generally take take care of this with wood stain. Wipe around the stain once you clean the floor, and then allow it to dry before rubbing down the surrounding finish with sandpaper or steel wool. Rubbing removes all the stain except what has penetrated the wood. It also scuffs the finish so the new touch-up finish you apply with a fabric will adhere better.
What Makes My Violet Switch White?
January 3, 2020
African violets (Saintpaulia ionantha), which potentially grow outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 11 through 12, but are often grown as houseplants, are classic indoor flowering plants. The plants are distinctive for their leaves and flowers in purple, white, blue-purple, rose, yellow or pink. To find out why an African American”turns white,” it’s important that which has changed color — flowers, leaves or equally. A color change does not indicate the plant is unhealthy, but may be a indication of disease.
Powdery Mildew
Mildew afflicts African violets. The leaves become covered with a powdery. High humidity and air circulation bring about the spread of this disease, which starts with a few leaf spots. If all leaves have influenced, it’s ideal to throw out the plant. If only a few leaves have become white, eliminate and decrease humidity and crowding in the area. The affected leaves with a solution of 1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 quart of water and monitor.
Variegated Leaves
African violet leaves may be marked or green or variegated with cream or white. The variegation is usually caused by a genetic mutation. Green-leafed plants may occasionally produce”sport” or spontaneous genetic mutations that result in variegation so complete that the leaves appear almost entirely white. The leaves, may not grow more slowly than the white leaves, having little chlorophyll. Since the genetic mutations that result in those leaves are unstable, it is almost impossible to breed fresh plants in the leaves.
White Flowers
Flowers that seem to turn white may also be the result of sporting or spontaneous genetic mutation. A plant, for example, may bear sports at the kind of a couple of flowers. Flowers on the exact same plant might be combination. Modern African violets will be the result of a hybridization process, with some varieties having characteristics — such as leaf and blossom color — compared to others. There’s absolutely no method of knowing at buy time if the plant is stable, or prone to sports.
Violet Considerations
Subtle color changes in African violet leaves and flowers may be caused by abrupt changes in temperature or light. Such changes may also trigger the type of mutations that create more dramatic effects, like flowers that are white or leaves . To lessen the prospect of these changes, provide bright. Inside, this kind of lighting is generally found in windows and east or west-facing windows in the winter. Keep the plants in a temperature that is consistent and try to keep them.