Filed under: Gardening — admin @ 12:19
Sun catchers add sparkle and beauty to any room in your home. Far beyond the paint-n-bake sun catchers of childhood, sun catchers come in a huge variety of styles that dazzle the eye.
The most common window-hanging style bring charm and flair to any room. Choose a color and pattern that complements your decor. Window-hanging sun catchers can be the focal point of a room, or a finishing detail. Whichever you choose, you’ll be delighted with the beauty sun catchers add to your decor.
Wind chime style and dangling sun catchers are also great additions to a room. Hang small crystal sun catchers from the center of a valance, or from a chandelier or lamp to add light and sparkle.
Dangling sun catchers are beautiful on patios and sun rooms where they really capture the light. Place a sun catcher in a garden shed window where it can be seen from the outside.
Sun catchers are also a great way to express your own personality or reflect your favorite hobby. celestial, lighthouse, butterfly, and floral sun catchers are just a few of the unique styles available.
Custom sun catchers, including ones based on your own photographs or family crest, are also a great choice for adding a personal touch to your home.
Seasonal sun catchers are also fun and easy to decorate with. Choose a sun catcher for each holiday, or change your sun catcher with every season. It’s a quick way to bring a bit of holiday decor to a room without a lot of work or dragging boxes of holiday decorations out of storage.
Sun catchers aren’t limited to windows. You can find sun catchers for your garden, indoor plants, and even for the rear view mirror of your car. Use sun catchers as garden stakes, or to add color to your flower garden in the off-season.
While glass sun catchers are the most popular, don’t forget about crystal sun catchers that reflects prisms of light, and translucent stones such as thinly sliced agate that make gorgeous natural sun catchers.
There are sun catchers with pressed flowers, beads, gemstones, and even character themes for a child’s room.
Let your imagination run wild, you can find a sun catcher to reflect any decorating idea.
About The AuthorÂ
Johann Erickson is the owner of Online Discount Mart http://www.onlinediscountmart.com
Filed under: Gardening — admin @ 17:45
All conventional sources of light produce heat as well as light. While some lights sources like the incandescent filament lamp are quite inefficient, producing huge amounts of heat, others like the sodium vapor lamp are somewhat more efficient and run comparatively “coolâ€. In applications like hydroponics this heat produced in the lamp can have several deleterious effects on the plants in an indoor grow room. It is imperative in such applications that the heat generated in the lamp is dissipated effectively and efficiently so that plant growth is not adversely affected.
Perhaps, the best approach is to deal with the problem at the source. Water cooled lighting attempts to address the problem by conducting the heat away from the source, using a water circulating system. There are several such systems to choose from, which allows growers a degree of flexibility in selecting the system best suited to their needs and preference.
Water cooled lighting is typically available in the higher wattage range with 400W and 600 W high pressure sodium (HPS) or metal halide (MH) lamps along with accessories such as reflector, remote ballast, contactor, relay timer etc. The basic lighting system is the same as the one used commonly, the special feature being the replaceable lamp which is encased within two tubes. Water flows thru the tubes that allow for maximum heat transfer leaving the casing cold to the touch. This is ideally suited for mounting the lights in close proximity to plants, which ensures availability of more light for plant growth. This also eliminates the problem of plants burning due to their proximity to the intense heat of the high wattage lights.Â
Cooling Systems
The cold water is taken from a reservoir; for best results large reservoirs are preferable. Large reservoirs enable greater heat dissipation which allows several lamps to share a common reservoir. The water may be obtained from any clean source, like the local municipally water supply as this will reduce maintenance, though other sources may also suffice. Growers can choose from a number of cooling systems. These include:
Run to Waste
This system is cheap, easy to set up and requires minimal hardware support. Best suited for growers with just a few lights it basically comprises a hose connected to a tap at one end. At the other end, the hose is connected to the first of the lights that are arranged serially. The water finally exits through the last light and is vented to waste. This system will require a good quality water supply such as the municipal supply.
Recirculation System
This system saves on water costs and uses a heat exchanger to cool the heated water thus saving on the consumption of water and electricity. It comprises a reservoir, filter, hose and heat exchanger and pump. Water is pumped from the reservoir through the filter, passes through the lights and is then cooled in the heat exchanger prior to flowing back to the reservoir.
This system is recommended by many manufactures of water-cooled-lights.Â
System for Venting Heat to Lakes, Streams etc.
This system offers an easy way of getting rid of the heat produced in the lights for people who live near large bodies of water like lakes, streams etc. The system involves stringing several hundred feet of garden hose from the pump in the reservoir to the lake. From the lake it is connected back to the house to the inlet to the lights. The water is pumped from the reservoir, through the hose in the lake where it gives off its heat before re-entering the lights.
The systems described above comprise only a few of the cooling options for use with water cooled lights available to growers today. Several advanced systems incorporating the basic features of the above cooling systems can be built to optimize lighting performance and enhance grow-room productivity.Â
Water cooled lighting systems have been around since a decade; growers have reported all-round benefits of incorporating such systems in their grow rooms. The following benefits reported by growers will perhaps help you in making informed decisions about water cooled lighting your grow room -
Enhanced grow tent productivity
Better control over pests
Reduction in installation size
All weather operation through out the year
Modular design for rapid, easy setup and expansion.
Easy and fast dismantling and disassemblyÂ
Get more information on grow room and indoor greenhouse visit at hydrohuts.com.
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com
Filed under: Gardening — admin @ 17:40
With vegetable gardening you will need to do a little advanced planning to prepare the gardening area before planting time. The ground has been sitting there all winter and will need tilling. This serves to aerate the soil which allows for easier planting and more productive root growth. This is a good time to apply any compost you have collected over the winter months. You can till the compost in to mix with the soil, creating a more nutritional environment for the plants.
If you use commercial fertilizer on your vegetables you might want to also till in some fertilizer at the same time you are preparing your ground. Vegetable gardening requires certain nutrients in the soil to produce strong and healthy plants.
Vegetable gardening will require a place that gets several hours of sunlight each day. Shady vegetable gardens will not do very well since most vegetables thrive on direct sunlight. Try to choose an area that is close to a water source since you might need to help supplement Mother Nature. Many areas do not get sufficient rainfall in the summer months to support vegetable growth. It is always a good idea to have containers which collect rainwater throughout the rainy season. This will provide you with a free water source on those days when it is too hot and dry.
Choosing Which Vegetables To Grow
Often this is the hardest decision to make in vegetable gardening. Choose vegetables that your family likes to eat. Most people love vine ripened tomatoes and these are fairly easy to grow. If you have several plants you might want to can some for use in soup and chili during the winter months. Corn is another popular vegetable which is easy to grow. Once the corn plants reach a certain size they will pretty well be self sufficient. After the initial planting and weeding, there is not much left to do until it is ready to be picked.
Summer squash is probably the easiest vegetable there is to grow. Once they start bearing, you will have to pick them about every other day. You need to keep this in mind when planting since you can easily become overwhelmed with squash.
Many people enjoy growing summer salad vegetables such as leafy lettuce, green onions, and radishes. All of these are fairly easy to grow but keep in mind they do not have a long growing season. Unlike squash, these vegetables will not continue to bear.
For many people vegetable gardening is fun and relaxing. There is a definite advantage to growing your own vegetables. You know how they have been raised and what has been used to raise them. There is also a distinct difference in flavor as opposed to those bought in the store. Having your own fresh vegetables can be a healthy and tasty treat and might even save you a few bucks at the store.
For more information about Vegetable Gardening visit: Vegetable Gardening Guides - Complete Gardeners Online Encyclopedia
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com
Filed under: Gardening — admin @ 11:21
Surprisingly enough, it is usually in mid-summer that many gardeners begin to think about installing a small pond or water garden. Ponds don’t need to be weeded or watered, and they can supply exuberant color in the form of water lilies and bog plants.
The sound of a splashing fountain or waterfall is more appealing than weeding a flower bed or mowing that section of lawn. Best of all, no matter how hot or wet it gets, the pond just keeps on blooming!
At this point you may start to think about the expense and labor of installing a concrete pond, and our 95 degree days are just about enough to stop this pond daydream in its tracks.
However, with the advent of newer pond liners and pre-formed pools, the misery associated with concrete mixing and finishing is a thing of the past. Heavy duty pool liners with 10 year guarantees are now common, and can sell for as little as $1.00 a square foot.
Preformed ponds in many different shapes and sizes are also an alternative method to create a quick pond at less cost than using concrete. Using these materials, the average gardener can install a decent size pond in less than one day, and have it stocked with plants, fish and fountain by the following morning.
The simplest kind of pond to build is an above-the-ground pond. Since no digging is required, it usually takes much longer to fill this pond with water than it does to build it!
There are many variations on this theme, but as an example, one can use treated lumber planks which are at least 2 inches thick by 12 inches wide, nail them together to form a rectangular shape of the desired dimensions, and place the form where the pond is desired.
This bottomless “box” can be placed directly on the grass, concrete, a deck, etc., and then the bottom is covered with some kind of padding or cushioning material. Most books say to use sand, but I think the perfect material is roofing felt. It is cheap, convenient, lies flat, makes a barrier to weeds, and provides a good cushion for the pool liner.
Once the roofing felt is in place, the pool liner can be dropped into the form and you begin filling the pond with water. A few staples on the outside of the pond form may be needed to keep the liner from blowing into the pond, but be sure to use just a few, and place them at the edge of the liner.
As the pond fills, the weight of the water will do a good job in smoothing out wrinkles, but if you are a perfectionist, you can help smooth them out by hand before there is more than one inch of water in the bottom of the pond. While the pond is beginning to fill, you can check the level of the form, and if it needs to be raised a little on one or two sides, this can be done by carefully inserting some shims to raise the forms where needed.
If you prefer the pond to overflow on a certain side (like, into the flower bed, rather than onto the deck!) then you may want to leave the overflow side a quarter inch lower than the rest of the pond.
You should wait until the pond is completely filled before cutting any excess liner or doing any permanent stapling. This will give the water pressure enough time to pull the liner into every nook and cranny where it needs to go; some of those few holding staples which you used to hold the liner in place may actually tear loose as the pond fills, but if you stapled the liner on the outside of the form, near the edges, then no harm is done… you will be trimming some of that excess liner off, anyway.
It really does take longer to fill this kind of pond than it does to build it. I once built a twenty-by-thirty foot pond in two hours but it took all night for it to fill with water.
I think an ideal depth for an above ground pond is about 14 inches, but it can be deeper or more shallow than that, depending on what materials you are using for the form. Railroad ties, landscape timbers, concrete blocks, etc. are all possible materials for pond building.
Remember that any kind of wood must be pressure treated if you want it to last more than a year! Although I mentioned rectangular shape, if you have some carpentry skills, you can also do triangles, pentagons, ponds within ponds, etc.
Ponds built with treated lumber planks do not need any side support if they are less than 8 feet or 10 feet long; if you are building larger than that, you will want to drive a stake into the ground where the planks are to be nailed together, so the water pressure won’t make the planks bow outward.
So, if you know how to use twelve nails to nail four planks together, then you can build a pond. If you are feeling lazy, have the lumber yard cut the planks to size you need. Borrow your neighbor’s staple gun, find those scissors buried in the kitchen drawer, and you are in business!
Pond liners can also be used to make an in the ground pond. The advantage is that you can make any shape pond you want, and the ground itself supports the sides of the liner.
It is a good idea to use a flexible garden hose to lay out the pool shape you want. Once everyone agrees that it is a pleasant shape, and it is large enough, you can dig a trench along side the hose, and start digging.
Remember, the pool does not have to be more than 12 to 16 inches deep, so don’t get carried away. If you want a waterfall, some of the excavated soil can be mounded up near the pond for later waterfall construction.
In some cases, it may be useful to use some of the soil for a berm around the pond, so that is another way to dispose of excavated soil.
Once the pond is excavated, check the level, decide which side you want excess rainfall to flow from, and then you are ready to line the hole with roofing felt, running it across the pond, up the sides onto the edges of the pond. Drop the liner in, weigh it down lightly with some rocks around the edges, and start filling.
Again, do not trim any excess liner until the pond is completely filled. Some pond books say you should create a shallow shelf in the pond before putting in the liner, but they don’t have our river sand and rainfall to deal with. I think it is better to build the pond to a depth of 14-16 inches, and just use bricks to prop up those bog plants that don’t want to sit too deep in water.
This gives greater flexibility in rearranging the pond plants as you wish, and avoids the calamity of a shelf suddenly slumping into the pool. When using pool liners, whether in the ground or above the ground, it is important to conceal the edges from sunlight, since that is what eventually breaks down most liners.
Using stones or lumber planks to finish off the edge of your pond will make it more appealing, and enable the liner to live up to its ten year guarantee. Even the heavier, preformed plastic ponds should have their edges covered by sod or some paving material, so the sun can’t reach it.
Some final pointers: if possible, locate your pond away from trees, in a place that gets at least five hours of direct sun daily. This will allow you to grow a wide variety of pond plants.
Be sure to use a dechlorinating product when you first fill the ponds… the new chemicals in our drinking water do not dissipate quickly and they will kill your fish and damage your plants, even ten days after you have filled the pond!
Be sure you are pleased with the size and shape of your pond before you start - so you won’t say “I should have made it bigger, or longer, or rounder, etc.”, within two hours of filling it!
Rule number one in pond building is that no matter how big your pond is, you always want a bigger one.
Last, but not least, if you decide to do an in-the-ground pond, why not serve refreshments and get some friends to help . . . friends will have all kinds of useful ideas on how you should do it … which is fine, as long as they keep digging…
About The AuthorÂ
Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several pond-related websites including http://www.macarthurwatergardens.com and http://www.pond-filters-online.com
He also publishes a free monthly newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over 6,000 pond owners. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive a complimentary ‘New Pond Owners Guide’ for joining, just visit MacArthur Water Gardens                       Â
