Sprinkler Systems & Wells

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Sprinkler systems supply even watering for your lawn or garden on a program which you control. Setting up a sprinkler system typically involves measuring the pressure and water circulation of your home’s water main and designing the sprinkler system accordingly. If you plan on using a well to feed the sprinkler system, then there are a few things that you must keep in mind to avoid potential system issues or damage.

Water Pressure

Wells operate differently than a municipal water system, pulling water from the ground and then pumping it to your house. Instead of maintaining a constant pressure like lots of municipal systems do, the water provided by your nicely uses local pumps to give pressure. This pressure might differ based on the size and power of the pumps used and may be lower than what you would have access to on a bigger system. Another pump is frequently used to power the sprinkler system, providing more pressure inside the system and preventing pressure drops in the event you utilize water at the house while the sprinklers are functioning.

Variable Flow Rate

Calculating the flow speed supplied by means of a well is tricky since most wells feature a cylinder where your house draws its water. The flow rate provided by the cylinder frequently differs from that of the well itself, causing the speed of flow to fall if the tank gets empty. As sprinkler systems utilize a lot of water, your sprinklers can utilize all the water on your well tank if they pull more water than your principal well pump supplies. If your system attempts to draw more water when the cylinder is empty, air is pulled into the pump which can lead to overheating and eventual breakdown.

Backflow Prevention

A backflow prevention module is an significant part any sprinkler system. This is especially important for a well-fed sprinkler system, as it prevents dust, dirt and other unwanted contaminants that might get in the sprinkler pipes from leeching into the water storage tank which also provides your home. Various grades of backflow prevention modules are available and local statutes may specify a minimum grade for you to utilize to avoid waterborne illness or other possible issues.

Size Limitations

The pressure and flow rate limitations of a well produce a limit to the magnitude of sprinkler program you can install on your premises. You should consult the performance graphs for different sprinkler heads and pump systems to determine how much area you can cover the pressure and flow speed that your nicely supplies. Optimizing the design of your sprinkler system will help as well, as each bend or curve from the system reduces pressure marginally. Increasing the magnitude of the heels in your well will increase output pressure and flow speed, though this growth is limited by the magnitude of the pipes and other equipment employed from the well.

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Muscadine Varieties for Wine

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All grapes are not created equal. Some are cultivated for fresh eating, and others for pressing into making and juice wine. Muscadines (Vitis rotundifolia) are grapes that boom from the heat, humidity and long growing seasons of the native southeastern United States. Several muscadine varieties are grown especially for wine-making due to their juice grade and pigment firmness.

Grape Species

Muscadines differ in look, taste and culture from other grape species. Other American native grapes (V. labrusca) develop in colder regions of the USA, and European grapes (V. vinifera) thrive from the Mediterranean climate of California vineyards. French hybrids are crosses of European and American grapes. In areas outside the southeastern United States, muscadines do not boom, but their rootstock is favored. Because of its natural resistance to diseases and insects, viticulturists prefer muscadine rootstock for grafting other grape species.

Muscadine Wine Grapes

Muscadine grapes mature individually in loose clusters instead of simultaneously in bunches such as other grapes. Harvesting muscadines leaves a stem scar at the point where individual grapes attach to stems. Grapes for ingesting should have a “dry stem scar” so they pull from vines and hold well after harvest. Wine grape varieties have “wet stem scars” that make them suitable for making and pressing juice. Another varietal thought for muscadine wine grapes is pigment firmness. Muscadine grape pigments are more unstable than other species, which causes juice to undertake a brown cast over time. Selecting muscadine varieties with stable pigments makes the best wine.

Red Wine Varieties

Purple and purplish-black muscadine grapes make red wine. “Noble” is the principal variety for creating red muscadine wine due to its many desirable traits over its counterparts. Its purple shells have more stability than most other muscadines. “Noble” is a productive, disease-resistant vine that bears grapes with high-quality flavor. The muscadine grape breeding program in the University of Georgia lists “Noble” as the leading red-wine cultivar and recommends it as the premier choice for this particular use. “Regale” has a distinctive flavor and productive habit, making it a different desirable red-wine grape.

White Wine Varieties

Bronze-colored muscadines make wine. “Carlos” is the top bronze collection for juice processing and wine making. In certain areas where “Carlos” is susceptible to berry decay, “Doreen” is a suitable substitute due to its higher disease resistance. “Doreen” bears exceptional football-shaped grapes on productive and vigorous vines. “Magnolia” has greater cold tolerance than other varieties although it ripens unevenly, which necessitates staggered harvests. “Welder” is just another bronze collection which bears prolifically on powerful vines.

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The way to Grow Vegetables Close Eucalyptus Shade

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For gardeners with small yards and large trees, vegetable growing is something of a struggle. If the tree in question is in the Eucalyptus family, the challenge is much greater, because the leaves are evergreen, providing year-found shade, and they shed copious amounts of leaves and bark peelings which are toxic to some plants. To get around these challenges, develop sturdy edible perennial vegetables under the canopy, and utilize containers or raised beds in the sunniest spaces near the tree.

Remove or prune some of the eucalyptus’ divisions, if possible. Opening up the tree even marginally can bring a surprising amount of light to plants growing under or just past the tree.

Plant shade-tolerant, perennial vegetables under the outer canopy of this eucalyptus. Bamboo, New Zealand spinach and daylilies, all that have edible plant parts, tolerate the tree’s leaf litter and dry, partial shade.

Establish raised beds or containers to get annual vegetables as far outside the tree’s canopy as you can. These growing systems avoid competition between vegetable roots and tree roots. Additionally, by removing the need to dig into the dirt, you wo not need to worry that alleopathins from decayed leaf litter will damage your vegetable crops.

Fill containers and raised beds using top soil or potting compost and soil.

Plant seeds or seedlings of leafy vegetables that can tolerate partial shade. Good choices include beets, onions, cooking greens — kale, mustard greens, spinach, collards, cabbage and chard — along with leafy greens.

Mulch that the annual vegetables to conserve water, suppress weeds and form a barrier between the soil and the eucalyptus leaf litter.

Water annual vegetables often. Even in the shade, raised beds and containers dry out more rapidly than traditional garden beds. Examine the dirt at least once every day.

Handpick bark and leaf litter from chlorine beds, or use a leaf blower. This not only cuts down on the risk of eucalyptus allelopathins from harming the vegetables, but prevents the litter from crushing or smothering smaller vegetables.

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The way to look for Indian Hawthorn Seeds

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Don’t confuse the Indian hawthorn (Raphiolepis indica) with the thorned and hardy native hawthorn tree. Indian hawthorns are low-growing, low-maintenance flowering shrubs indigenous to China, offering dense evergreen mounds of leaf around 6 feet high. The bush explodes with fragrant white or pink blossoms in springtime, from that develop the curved fruit or pomes, similar to rose hips. Generally tolerant of soil and shade, Indian hawthorns are somewhat drought resistant and largely maintenance free once launched. This tree thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 11.

Explain Indian hawthorn plants when they begin to blossom in mid-April. Start looking for fragrant flower clusters resembling these crabapples, either white or pink. The plant’s leaves are rounded, leathery and dark green with serrated edges. Even though the Indian hawthorn is evergreen, some of the old leaves turn vibrant colours and drop in autumn.

Assess the Indian hawthorn bush above the summer. As the blooms fade, berries begin to grow. They are curved but slightly flattened, about 1/2-inch in diameter. They are ripe when they turn bluish-black in late summer or early fall and are soft to the touch.

Gather the berries in autumn before all are absorbed by hungry birds. Split open a berry. Inside are two little seeds that can be used to grow new Indian hawthorn bushes. Wash the seeds prior to planting.

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How to Measure for a Butterfly Chair Cover

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Butterfly chairs, first brought to the United States to grace the famous Fallingwater house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, are a magical and comfortable cross between a folding seat and a hammock. The simplicity of design makes it easy to change covers, even though the special shape of the material can make measuring for a replacement appear a bit daunting. Fortunately, it’s no more difficult to quantify to get a new cover than it is to install one.

Open the frame of the seat so it’s fully unfolded.

Measure the rear of the butterfly seat at its widest point. Most butterfly chairs are between 29 and 33 inches wide, so you need to get the exact size.

Gauge the frame where the front of the seat attaches at its widest point. This generally is between 26 and 29 inches.

Run the measuring tape in the tip of the seat back frame into the tip of the seat front frame, enabling it to sag in the center the way the fabric of the chair does.

Use the dimensions to order the proper chair cover dimension. If you are sewing your new cover rather than purchasing a ready-made one, then add two inches to each of dimensions for seam allowances, and an additional 10 inches in length to make the pockets that hold the seat to the frame.

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Size of a Mature Persimmon Tree

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Two types of persimmon trees are commonly developed in the western United States, Japanese or Oriental persimmon (Diospyros kaki) and American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana). The oriental species produces larger fruit, but the American species is much larger and more cold tolerant. The size of mature persimmon trees is based on the species and cultivars, but a lot of them grow to heights of up to 30 feet or taller.

American Persimmon

American persimmon trees may grow up to 60 feet tall with a 25 to 30 foot spread. Often utilized in landscapes as a decorative tree, they do create edible fruit. The flowers are white to yellowish and generally look in march. This deciduous persimmon tree grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 though 9, producing oval glossy-green, 6-inch leaves which turn yellow or pink in autumn. The fruit is round, 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide and yellow. Trees need both male and female trees for pollination and to set fruit.

Oriental Persimmon

Oriental persimmon attains heights of 25 to 30 feet tall with about a 25 foot spread. This assortment of persimmon grows in USDA plant hardiness zones 7 though 10, producing oval, dark green leaves which turn, red, yellow and orange in autumn. In winter bright-red 3- to 4-inch fruits appear and remain on the tree through winter if not picked. Trees do set fruit without pollination, but pollinated trees create a sweeter, tastier and more abundant crop.

Astringent and Non-Astringent Fruit

Depending on number, persimmon trees may create astringent or non-astringent fruit. Both American and Oriental persimmon trees create astringent or bitter fruit, which are just sweet and delicious when allowed to fully ripen. Fully ripe persimmons are soft with a mushy consistency. Non-astringent persimmons are crunchy and firm when ripe and frequently eaten like an apple sliced into salads. The cultivar “Fuyu” produces smooth, non-astringent orange-red persimmons.

Attention of Persimmon Trees

Oriental and American persimmons trees are simple to grow and tolerate a number of soils when grown in areas with good drainage. Persimmon trees prefer full sunlight, but do tolerate partial shade. They withstand some drought, but intense drought may cause premature fruit drop. The persimmon fruit is larger and much better quality once the tree is given routine water; many trees require about 36 to 48 inches of water annually. Trees require small fertilization, as too much nitrogen causes fruit fall. You can apply balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer under the tree canopy in late winter or early spring, using one pound of fertilizer per each inch of trunk diameter at ground level. The persimmon tree requires about 7 to 8 years to mature to full size and bear fruit.

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Red Thread-Resistant Grasses

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Red thread is a fungal disease which kills turf grass. This fungus covers a huge area without killing the grass since it spreads, but after 2- to 8-inch-wide regions of dead grass appear. Look for a reddish-pink jelly-like webbing, which glues the grass blades together. In areas prone to crimson thread illness, plant crimson thread-resistant grass varieties.

Susceptible Varieties

Some turf grasses are prone to red thread strikes. These grasses include cultivars of bentgrass, bluegrass, fescue, ryegrass and Bermuda grass. Infestations occur more often along coastal areas in which the temperatures are light, between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Long periods of dampness also raise red thread development.

Ryegrasses

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium spp.) Is a tough native North American grass commonly planted for agricultural functions like livestock grazing. This vigorous grass produces green stalks, narrow leaves and summer flowers in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 1 through 12. In zones with warm summer weather, this grass variety does not survive the heat and is employed as a winter annual. Even though ryegrass is vulnerable to red thread fungus, enhanced perennial varieties demonstrate strong immunity to the respiratory disorder. According to the University of Illinois Extension, the following varieties comprise “Birdie II,” “Citation II,” “Linn,” “Pennant,” “Pippin,” “Premier” and “Tara.”

Fine-Leaf Fescue

Fine-leaf fescue (Festuca spp.) Grows best as a cool-season continued grass. Suited for USDA zones 1 through 9, this grass seems like a clumping or creeping narrow-blade grass forming a dense lawn. Many fescue grasses perish from crimson thread infections, but a few new varieties are immune to this disease. Resistant or reasonably resistant fine-leaf fescue grasses comprise “Atlanta,” “Aurora,” “Bighorn,” “Biljart,” “Dawson,” “Epsom,” “Flyer,” “Golfrood,” “Reliant,” “Scaldis,” “Shadow,” “Spartan,” “Valda,” “Weekend” and “Wintergreen.”

Kentucky Bluegrass

Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) is a cool season grass that grows best in fall, winter and spring in USDA zones 1 through 8. The green grass blades produce a dense turf. Recently developed Kentucky bluegrass cultivars show good levels of immunity to crimson thread. The University of Illinois Extension reports which “Adelphi,” “Admiral,” “Aspen,” “Banff,” “Barblue,” “Bonnieblue,” “Bono,” “Bristol,” “Classic,” “Dormie,” “Eclipse,” “Haga,” “Harmony,” “Holiday,” “Midnight,” “Nassau,” “Trenton” and “Welcome” are immune to red thread.

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What is the Fastest Growing Fruit Tree?

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Few things are as annoying to a home gardener as the let down when you realize that the tree you just planted won’t bear fruit tomorrow, or even the next day, or even the day after that. Some patience is required when growing a home orchard. However, fast-growing fruit trees which add at least 2 feet of growth in 1 season can be found at your neighborhood nursery. They nevertheless won’t offer instant gratification, but they will produce fruit within a relatively brief time period.

Apples

A few apple trees grow two or more feet a season, like the “Golden Delicious,” (Malus x domestica “Golden Delicious”), “Red Delicious,” (Malus x domestica “Red Delicious”) and Ancient Harvest (Malus x domestica “Early Harvest”). The “Red Delicious” and “Golden Delicious” cultivars, which develop in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 8, bloom mid-season, producing white or pink blossoms, followed by sweet, crisp fruit in autumn. As its name suggests, the “Ancient Harvest,” which is suited for growing in USDA zone 3 through 8, ripens earlier than other kinds, but creates comparable flowers and fruit.

Pears

Fast-growing pear trees incorporate the Oriental pear (Pyrus communis), which thrives in USDA zones 5 to 8, along with also the Kieffer pear (Pyrus communis x P. pyrifolia), located in USDA zones 4 to 9. They grow up to 20 feet high and produce profuse white blossoms before fruiting. The large hot yellow fruit of the Oriental pear is ready for harvesting in the summer season. Kieffer pears, also yellowish but crisp, ripen in the early autumn.

Peaches

Meanwhile, the “Belle of Georgia” (Prunus persica “Belle of Georgia”), “Elberta” (Prunus persica “Elberta”), “Golden Jubilee” (Prunus persica “Golden Jubilee”) and also “Hale-Haven” (Prunus persica “Hale-Haven”) striped trees develop at least 2 feet a season. All these are freestone varieties that flourish in USDA zones 5 through 8, but the “Elberta” will also rise in zone 9. Meanwhile, the “Belle of Georgia,” which flowers in showy red flowers, creates white-fleshed fruit, while the other three produce fruit with yellow flesh in the summer months.

Apricots

Two varieties of apricot trees grow rapidly, the “Moorpark” (Prunus armeniaca “Moorpark”), which thrives in USDA zones 4 to 8, along with also the “Ancient Golden (Prunus armeniaca “Ancient Golden”), adapt to growing in USDA zones 5 to 8. Both produce showy white or pink blossoms followed by big, flavorful fruit. The yellow-skinned fruit of the “Moorpark” turns a deep orange or red when ripe, while the fruit of the “Ancient Golden” is orange inside and orange or golden outside when ready to select in the summertime.

Other Fruit Trees

Other fast-growing fruit trees comprise the black cherry (Prunus serotina), which grows up to 3 feet a season in USDA zones 3 to 9, reaching 50 feet in height. It produces showy white blossoms in the spring along with cherries in early summer. The “Hass” (Persea americana “Hass”) along with also the “Fuerte” (Persea americana “Fuerte”), each of which develop best in USDA zones 9 and 10, are types of avocados that grow 3 feet a season. The “Hass” creates fruit all year except in the winter, while the “Fuerte” creates every season but the autumn. Citrus, like the “Meyer” lemon tree (Citrus limon “Meyer”), located in USDA zones 8 to 11, may grow up to 4 feet a season when young, depending on variables which include climate, rootstock and spacing.

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Ideas for Flower Containers for Shaded Entrances

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Potted flowers brighten shaded entrances and welcome guests with refreshing colour or scent. Portable containers may be removed easily after a flowering show finishes, and permanent planters hold seasonal colour according to your preferences and whims. Shade-tolerant shrubs, perennials, vines or yearly flowers can fill pots, hanging baskets or urns with individual specimens or in stunning seasonal combinations. Arrange to get a steady water supply to keep your container garden perky since containers tend to dry out quickly.

Flowering Shrubs

Obviously modest, container-grown Japanese maple trees (Acer palmatum), for U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9, retain their diminutive height over several phases. Heavy pots that are 2 or 3 inches wider than the root ball and wider than they are heavy work best for slow growing, weeping varieties, like “Red Dragon.” Spring blooms and extravagantly colored leaf make for year-long interest. Rhododendrons and azaleas (Rhododendron spp.) , for USDA zones 4 through 9, come in every flowering shade except true blue. Plants vary from under two feet tall into towering, 20-foot-high giants, but the small and medium ranges bring reliable spring shade to shaded entryways. Move off-season “rhodies” out of sight or plant them in permanent garden places to make room for summertime entryway shade.

Perennial Flowers

Pots restrict the vigorous development of fragrant, tropical ginger lilies (Hedychium spp.) , which can be most attractive from the moist, coastal areas of USDA zones 8b through 11. In late summer through early fall, bring spectacular, 3- to 7-foot-high potted butterfly ginger (H. coronarium) seeds into the entryway because of their 12-inch-long clusters of fragrant white blossoms to welcome guests. Try grouping different-sized pots together with a variety of colorful flowering perennials. Trailing tuberous begonias (Begonia), for USDA zones 6 through 9, overflow pots with brilliant summertime shade. At USDA zones 5 through 9, hardy cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium) plants bloom in early fall with pink or white winged flowers one of silvery green, heart-shaped leaves. Lenten rose (Helleborus orientalis), for USDA zones 4 through 9, blossom in winter with colour choices in pink, white and plum shades. Consider including colorful, spiky, 18-inch-high “Red Baron” blood grass (Imperata cylindrica) for textural contrast.

Flowering Vines

Permit perennial vines spill from hanging baskets, window boxes, wall containers or tall urns in nesting entrances. The evergreen bleeding glorybower (Clerodendrum thomsoniae) graces entryways in USDA zones 9 and 10 with showy red and white flower clusters from summer through fall. The intoxicating scent of Chilean jasmine’s (Mandevilla suaveolens) whitened to blushed-pink blossom clusters welcome guests from late spring through midsummer in USDA zones 9 and 10 or within an annual everywhere. Charming orange, white or yellow cedar trumpet flowers marked with dark-chocolate-colored center dots cover black-eyed Susan (Thunbergia alata) vines in summer as an annual or in perennial pots in USDA zone 10. For striking entry shows, install classes of hanging baskets at different speeds with mixed or matched flowering vines.

Annual Flowers

Annual wax begonias (Begonia spp.) , with succulent foliage, flower in red, pink or white from summer through frost on shrubby plants beneath a feet tall and broad. Tropical coleus (Solenostemon) plants blossom with alluring blue flower spikes, but since their real glory is in their brilliant leaf, pinch flowers right back for dense, bushy growth. The crops grow 2 feet tall and broad and match mixed flowerpots or hanging baskets, leading velvety leaves splotched with vibrant reds, greens, pinks, oranges and yellows. Low-growing impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) cover themselves with masses of all 2-inch-wide spurred blooms in shades of pink, red, white or peach from spring through frost. Pansies (Viola cornuta) bring winter and spring cheer to nesting containers with their smiling “faces .” Edge a big perennial flowering tub with dark begonias, coleus, impatiens or pansies.

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English vs. French Lavender

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The generic title “lavender” refers to many different aromatic perennial shrubs from the genus Lavendula. Lavender is grown primarily for its fragrant oil, which will be valued for perfumery and medicinal purposes. The most commonly cultivated species is English lavender (Lavendula angustifolia), while French lavender (Lavendula dentata) is one of numerous less-common species.

Hardiness

Probably the most basic difference between English lavender and French lavender is their ability to withstand cold temperatures. English lavender, which is thought to be the most cold-hardy species, which can successfully over-winter in many areas of the USA. French lavender, which is indigenous to Spain, is often grown as an annual because it’s susceptible to dying in colder climates.

Aroma

English lavender produces a high-quality oil that’s most closely associated with the true “lavender” odor. A hybrid species called Lavandin is much more productive than English lavender, but often the oil from Lavandin varieties have to be combined using English lavender oil to attain a satisfactory aroma. The odor of French lavender is fine and includes a scent like that of rosemary.

Appearance

English lavender grows from 1 to 3 feet tall. The leaves are narrow with smooth borders, and also the flowers take on several different hues of purple, white and blue. French lavender is similar to English cedar in dimension, but the leaves are differentiated by tooth whitening teeth along the borders — the species name dentata comes from the Latin word for “having teeth” The flowers of French lavender are usually purple or violet.

Length of Bloom

French lavender has the desired capability to bloom for a very long section of the growing season, with flowers appearing in early spring and persisting through the warmer months. English lavender, on the other hand, flowers from late spring to midsummer, and the blooming period may be as brief as mid-June to early July. As with a number of other flowering plants, the two types of lavender will bloom more always if flowers are eliminated as they begin to fade.

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