Show Notes: Late Summer Gardening – On the House

Show Notes: Late Summer Gardening

By on August 8, 2015
gardening

Kids  are heading back to school and that means summer is coming to an end. For the avid gardeners out there, you still have time to get the last vegetable garden planted and to finish up summer gardening, if you start now.

 Thank you to this weeks guest: Mike Bagg with HomeStory

www.myhomestory.com

 

3/D Inspiration for Your Ceiling

It’s time for that ugly cracked or popcorn ceiling to go, and you may be looking for solutions that won’t involve messy scraping. Instead of scraping, consider other alternatives for covering a popcorn ceiling. An easy, affordable, and fast option to cover a popcorn ceiling involves decorative Styrofoam ceiling tiles. This installation process is not complicated, but learning how to cover popcorn ceiling textures can help you avoid frustrating mistakes. These tile come in white and painted finishes.

http://www.decorativeceilingtiles.net/styrofoam-ceiling-tiles-20x 

  

Late Summer Gardening Tips

Lawn

Prepare your lawn for the cooler days and nights ahead.

Now is an excellent time to establish fescue, perennial ryegrass, and bluegrass. If you are sowing the seeds for a new lawn, use a lower nitrogen, higher phosphorus fertilizer, such as 18-24-10. If you have an established lawn, go with a higher nitrogen formula like 31-2-4.

Flower Bulbs

Refrigerate flower bulbs for a more beautiful display after planting.

Did your tulips and hyacinths come up short last year? They needed more chill time. Purchase bulbs now, and place them in the vegetable bins of your refrigerator for at least six to eight weeks before planting. Plant autumn crocus (Colchicum sp.) bulbs and you will be rewarded with a multitude of pink blooms.

Roses

Prune and fertilize your everblooming roses now for a big show of fall flowers.

Remove dead stems and shorten healthy canes by about one-third. Feed with rose fertilizer and add clean mulch to conserve moisture and reduce disease. Water well once each week if it doesn’t rain. To avoid black spot, powdery mildew, and rust, don’t use an overhead sprinkler.

Autumn Perennials

Plant autumn perennials for breathtaking fall color.

Plant old-fashioned mums, such as ‘Sheffield Pink’ and ‘Single Apricot Korean’ along the front of your flowerbed; their blooms will mound and spill over the edges. Use asters like ‘Purple Dome’, ‘September Ruby’, and ‘Harrington’s Pink’, along with Japanese anemones, such as ‘Honorine Jobert’ (shown here), ‘Queen Charlotte’, and ‘September Charm’ for the middle and back of the border.

Pinch off loose or unkempt growth with your fingers. This will help maintain the plants’ compact habits and produce more flowers for a great fall show.

http://www.myhomeideas.com/outdoor-living/gardening/9-late-summer-garden-ideas

 

Air Conditioner Appreciation, Check Your Filters

When temperatures soar, we find the air conditioner is no more.

To beat the heat, check filters first. Clean or replace as needed; and check often. The hotter the weather and the more it runs, the faster filters clog up again. This makes units work harder and break down even faster. For both central air and window-mounted room units, check intake vents and condenser coils monthly. Remove leaves, hose out dirt and debris and clear condensation drain hoses. Why wait for problems? Check NOW and often.

https://onthehouse.com/air-conditioning-appreciation-check-filters/

 

Quick Tip: Easy Way to Brighten Your Closets

Do you have dark closets and cabinets in your home? If you need a little more light and want to forgo the cost of an electrician, we have found a simple and cost effect solution for you.

Battery operated, motion sensor closet lights. You can use them in closets, drawers, cabinets, under cabinets, you name it. The models we found were between $12.00 and $23.00.

These lights will turn on automatically when you get near them, and will go out 15 seconds after you walk out of its sensing range.

http://www.amazon.com/JEBSENS-Activated-Automatic-Continuous-Installation/dp/B00W70O1I8/ref=pd_sim_sbs_60_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=013W97CY5J03RQN6AFRG

http://www.homedepot.com/p/LightIt-White-10-LED-Wireless-Sensor-Closet-Light-30050-308/204205375

 

More About HomeStory and Door Replacement

HomeStory, a young nationwide company specializing in custom door replacement for the entire house, has radically simplified and shortened the tedious procedure.

  • By using proprietary digital technology to optimize and integrate measuring, ordering, production, delivery, and installation services, HomeStory’s network of local dealers has not only eliminated the need for any messy onsite carpentry, construction, or finishing but also dramatically reduced installation time.
  • Since door frames shift as old houses settle over time, replacement doors almost never fit existing openings without being trimmed, cut, planed, and refinished onsite. Often extensive construction, such as ripping out and replacing door jambs, is necessary to achieve a working fit.
  • HomeStory measures the existing door jamb in 7 locations and cuts a door to custom fit the opening. Where it used to take two or three days to install all the doors in an average house, now the complete job can be done in two or three hours. Existing doors are removed and new doors are hung in a matter of minutes.
  • Replacing all the old, ugly, and outdated doors with new designer doors makes a big difference to the style, appearance, and value of a home.
  • This simplified door replacement process is the quickest, easiest, and most affordable home improvement project you can invest in. You won’t believe the way it transforms the look and feel of an entire home.
  • HomeStory is a reliable and honest company you can trust in your home. We pride ourselves on hiring the right people, training them well, and offering a superior product so that customers are fully satisfied with their project.
  • Customers can shop online and build their dream doors using our website. We offer free, no-obligation, in-home estimates so customers to make the purchasing process simple and straightforward.
  • Visit myhomestory.com to request a product catalog or a free in-home estimate.

 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/HomeStoryVideos

www.myhomestory.com

 

Refrigerator Noises

Your frostless refrigerator whistles and wheezes. Is it a meltdown, a breakdown or is it getting ready to freeze up?

Your frostless refrigerator whistles and wheezes. Is it a meltdown, a breakdown or is it getting ready to freeze up? Whistles, wheezes, hisses and other strange noises that sound like squeals or chirping are not signals from outer space. Nor are they indications of an impending major breakdown. Rather, most often, they come from the fan motor of the evaporator mounted on the back wall of the freezer compartment.

To be certain, open the freezer when you hear it, and it’ll get louder – if this is, indeed, the source. If so, it’s just the small fan motor’s bearings, which are worn and ready to give out. Your local appliance center should stock a replacement. It’s an easy repair. Do it yourself, or call in a pro.

https://onthehouse.com/refrigerator-noises/

 

Tips to Outsmart Termites

Be armed with the following simple tips to remain termite-free and avoid the worst kind of damage:

Limit the supply of moisture to the foundation.

Prevent shrubs, bushes and vines from growing over vents or touching the house. Rake, bag or burn leaves immediately.

Wood mulch can also attract termites. When using wood mulch in a flowerbed or garden, avoid contact with siding or frames of doors and windows.

Keep gutters free of leaves and other debris. Downspouts must drain freely and away from the house, at a distance of at least three feet.

Do not keep wooden items close to the house. For example, firewood should be stored away from the home.

Because termites need only the width of a piece of paper to gain access to a house, make sure that all entry points, like cracks in the foundation or utility openings, are sealed. You should also caulk windows and doors – favorite stomping grounds for termites.

As a rule of thumb, monitor those areas of the home that are chronically damp or where wood comes in contact with the structure.

 

It’s Not Too Late To Plant Vegetables

If you have a summer vegetable garden this is the perfect time to plant a second crop. It usually takes 55 to 65 days to grow vegetables to harvest, so it’s a great time to sow cold crops for the fall

The second planting can include green beans, wax beans, broccoli, chard, brussel sprouts, kale, collards, beets, turnips, carrots, lettuces, cucumbers and zucchini.

 

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