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Volume 2, Number 35, September 6, 2007 (Read It Online) Here's this week's featured request... Gardening Allergy Advice I have never before had allergies from gardening but, this year, I have it big time. My eyes and eyelids are so itchy that I want to take a brillo pad and scratch them. I realize that I could take Actifed or Sudafed, but that just makes me sleep which I can't afford to do during the day. Any suggestions out there from you smart people? Thanks in advance.
Thanks for reading, Susan
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Flower identification needs both foliage and the blossom to help differentiate between lookalikes. By 2oma from Oklahoma City, OK
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Rate It: Butterfly and Zinnia photo By Sue from Garrettsville, OH
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Rate It: My boyfriend "Bubba" built this also for his Mother's yard. By Tena from Champaign, IL
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Eggshells for Birds and Plants Over the many years that we kept chickens, people told us we could cook their egg shells in the oven for 30 minutes at 350, then crush them and feed them back. It reduced the amount of oyster shell we had to feed them and made their egg shells stronger. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf22884148.tip.html
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Rate It: Vinegar Or Pepper For Rabbit Repellent Tips for keeping rabbits out of your garden. Soak a cotton ball in white distilled vinegar and place it in a 35 mm film container. Poke a hole in the top and place in your garden. Rabbits hate the smell. You will have to keep refreshing the cotton ball and if you have a large garden you might want to spread a few of these around. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf15575785.tip.html
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Rate It: Hints for Using Rose Hips
From teas to preserves, a quick search of the Internet will produce a bounty of interesting recipes for rose hips. Before you harvest them for use, follow these simple guidelines:
By Ellen Brown
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Rate It: Why spend money of clear plastic coasters when you have access to dozens of free coasters monthly? I use the lids of perishable food items. Plus I paint them to match the decor in the room and each decoupaged planter. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf12630034.tip.html
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Rate It: Natural Looking Bird Feeders
Q: I would like to put up a number of bird feeders this winter (got a fantastic deal on bird feed) and would like some ideas of building and making good feeders that are cheap and as "natural" looking as possible. Can you help? Brenda from Beaverdam, Virginia A: Brenda, Different species of birds have different ways of feeding, just like they have different food preferences. To attract the widest variety of birds, you'll want hanging or platform feeders, a ground feeder and a feeder filled with suet. I'm an advocate of using recycled items for bird feeders (like plastic milk jugs, pie tins and scrap lumber). An easy and inexpensive way to make the non-natural look natural is to use silicone glue to add bits of moss, lichen, bark, stones, twigs, etc., to the outside of the feeder. Suet Feeders: Drill 1" to 1 1/2" wide holes into a 6" to 8" long log that is 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Drill the holes completely through. If you want to add perches, drill smaller holes below the large holes to insert dowels. Secure the dowel perches with wood glue. Attach an eye hook to one end of the long for hanging and fill the large holes with suet. For another easy suet feeder, fill a small onion sack or fruit sack with suit and hang. Hanging Feeders: Take a coffee can (with a lid) and using a bottle opener, punch three to four holes near the bottom of the can. Place the can on top of a saucer (like the type put under plant pots) and center both the can and saucer on top of a small block of wood. You're going to attach the saucer to the can by drilling a small hole through the center of the bottom of the can, and through the center of the saucer and screwing them into the block of wood. You can punch holes near the top of the can and attach a coat hanger to hang it from, or secure the can to a post. The lid will make it easy to fill and keep the birdseed from getting wet. With scraps of wood and a small piece of window screen, you can make a simple ground feeder. Nail together a rectangle frame and staple screen across the frame for the bottom. Attach a 1-2 inch leg on each corner of the frame. This will keep the feeder slightly off the ground to let water drain out. This is really all you need for a ground feeder. To convert this to a hanging feeder, skip the legs and attach an eye hook to each corner so you can secure ropes or small chains for hanging. If you want to make a roof, drill holes in each corner and insert dowel rods (use wood glue). For a flat roof, simply attach a piece of plywood with nails to each dowel. For a pitched roof, attach two pieces of wood together with L-brackets. Drill shallow holes in the roof at the four corners to attach the roof to the dowels. Other natural looking feeders that work well are hollow gourds and citrus halves, and pine cones rolled in peanut butter and birdseed. By Ellen Brown
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Rate It: Tips for saving money on landscaping supplies and plants. Free Plants I work around a very busy Metro area. Recently, the landscapers were replacing the spring flowers/bulbs with summer plantings. They were throwing the spring plants out! I asked them if I could have them and they said sure! Needless to say, I have enough tulips for next year and I planted the pansies in hanging baskets. It saved a lot of money by buying hanging baskets this year! So, next time you see landscapers or gardeners replacing plants at a business or business complex, be sure to ask! By Michelle Call The City I've also picked up flowers from city landscapers as they were dismantling one season's display to get ready for another. You might even be able to call city hall and get dates ahead of time so you don't have to rely on chance! By Anna Dig Up Saplings - Ask First If you are in the market for trees and can identify the different varieties easily, go to a wooded area (if you have one near) and transplant some saplings into your landscaping. Most landowners won't mind if you ask them. By mc2grants Use Freecycle Post on your local Freecycle group. Every spring/summer, I offer the things I have and invite people to share what they have. I've received some great plants and made some new garden friends. Rescue Plants! Definitely recycle plants! I have rescued a lot of potted/bedding plants and nursed them back to health, it's fun to see them responding. You can also get cuttings of plants like spider plants or mint which are really invasive. By pamphyila Grow Roses From Cuttings My mom, who REALLY had a green thumb used to plant roses by just planting the bloom. I have never tried this, but have seen it work in her yard. Cut a rose branch with a bloom and five leaf fronds. Dig a hole and submerge three leaf fronds under and two on top, pinch off the bloom and cover with a jar until the rose "catches". I would guess maybe month. She worked for the OSU botany department as a secretary an learned lots of neat stuff... she is gone now. I wish I had listened closer. By Margie Frugal Landscaping Tips We made a soaker hose out of an old hose that had two small holes in it by just adding over a hundred more holes to the hose. It was great fun for our older kids to stab the hose with an ice pick. It was a good family time and we saved $30.00. Use discarded items you find as unique planters... tires, rims, boots, wicker chairs, hard hats or buckets. Recycle your yard waste and veggie scraps to create your compost pile. Add coffee grinds, egg shells, veggie scraps, leaves, and yard waste into a pile and stir every week. It is great exercise and in one year you will have saved money for not paying a gym for a good work out and for not having to purchase fertilizer/top soil for your new plants. Also when you buy fresh foods at the farmers market save your seeds. Dry them on wax paper then store them in an envelope an freeze till next year and plant. Some will grow and not produce fruit but have pretty blooms others will prosper and give lots of produce, so either way it is free plants and possibly free food! Hey, who doesn't like that idea! I have five kids, what do you expect!? Visit your rural mill or seed store, not a Lowe's or a nursery but a dirt on the floor, bags of horse feed stacked to the ceiling, cat sleeping on the counter kind of mill. Place a wanted ad on their board and you will be surprised at how many local farmers have plants or seeds they are willing to share or sell for a reasonable price. We got several mature raspberry plants for $4.00 total, normally a start costs $5.00 each at Lowe's. The best thing we ever did to save money was to go to a home and garden show and take lots of pictures of all the expensive things we were wanting. Then we went home and with mostly scrap wood, fencing, iron, and whatnots, we were able to spend less than $75 and created an enchanted patio space instead of hiring the work out and spending $2000. Now that kind of saving is worth forfeiting a Saturday and working up a little sweat. By Hoffmann House Network Do you have any more ideas? Please post them below.
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Rate It: It's the time of year for raking leaves! Make it easier on your back by using an old sheet, large tablecloth or discarded shower curtain as a tarp. Rake the leaves onto your "tarp" and then simply pick up one corner and drag it to the roadside, then tip to pile the leaves for pick-up! Even if you have to bag the leaves, you will at least have them all in one spot. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf404013.tip.html
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Rate It: Shake Up Your Soil
Many of us know that our soil isn't as good as we want it to be. Some soils are extremely sandy and do not hold water at all. Other soils are mostly clay and hold water all too well. However, it can be maddeningly difficult to decipher what exactly your soil is composed of that keeps it from being your plant's dirt paradise. However, determining what type of soil that you have is not only easy, it can be very amusing. After all, for this experiment you get another chance to dig in the dirt. The soil in your yard is made up of three main components: sand, silt, and clay. The ideal ratio of these three components in your soil is 1:1:1, or about 33% of each; this is called a loamy soil. It provides good drainage while still has a good water-holding capacity. Knowing what percentage of each component you have in your soil gives you the information you need to amend your soil properly. To determine the amount of sand, silt, and clay in your soil, there is a simple test that you can do by just using materials around your home. First, you will need a glass jar with straight sides. A mason jar works really well, and make sure you have the top to the jar. Second, you will need some clean water. The third item on the list is a surfactant like liquid dishwashing detergent. Lastly, you need some soil from your yard. Try to remove all large rocks, pebbles, and plant material from the soil. Fill up the jar with water until it is about 1/2 to 3/4 full, then add one teaspoon of the detergent. Now, sprinkle in the soil from your yard until the jar is almost full; you need to leave a little space of air so the concoction will mix well. Screw on the top and check to make sure it is tightly sealed. Now for the fun part. Shake the jar vigorously to mix together the soil, water, and detergent. A good one to two minutes should do it; your goal is to break up all the soil chunks and mix them in with the soapy water. Once you think it's well-mixed, set the jar down on a flat surface. Sand is the heaviest particle in your soil, and it will settle first. Most of the sand should sink to the bottom within the first minute after you've stopped shaking the jar. Once you think the sand is all settled, mark the jar with a permanent marker where the top of the sand layer is. The silt is the next heaviest particle, and should settle during the next four hours. When it has settled, once again mark the top of the silt layer with a waterproof pen. The clay particles are the lightest, and should settle after 24 hours. Mark the top of the clay layer on the jar when it has settled. Once your soil layers are settled and marked, you can analyze the thickness of the levels to see how much of each component you have. Observe the layers and give each a percentage based on it's size compared to the entire soil sample. This number does not have to be exact, just make sure that the three percentages add up to be 100%. For example, your soil sample might look like it is 40% sand, 40% silt, and 20% clay. This adds up to 100% soil. You can use these three numbers to determine the texture of your soil using a table called the Soil Texture Triangle (see below). The Soil Texture Triangle:
To use the Soil Texture Triangle, find the percentage number of your three components on the table. To follow along with our previous example of 40-40-20, first look at the 'percent sand' section at the bottom of the triangle. 40% is a little to the right of center. The 'percent silt' section is the right side of the triangle, where 40% is just a little above center. Lastly, the 'percent clay' section is on the left side of the triangle, and 20% is near the bottom. Follow along with your eyes or use your fingers to trace the three lines coming from the percentage numbers until they all intersect at a point. For our example, all three lines intersect in the middle bottom of the triangle in the colored section called 'loam.' This means that your soil has a loamy texture, and will work quite well for growing plants and turf. Study the Soil Texture Triangle to see what different combinations create different soil textures. There are twelve main textures that your soil can have. It can range from clay to sandy clay loam to silt, with a whole lot more choices in between. By determining what type of soil texture you have, you can then make any necessary adjustments to create a good, loamy soil to support your plants. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf652228.tip.html
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Rate It: Geraniums Offer Great Cuttings If you are looking for a plant that will give you great cuttings to make new plants with, try geraniums. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf140651.tip.html
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Rate It: Preventing Deer From Eating Roses Tips from the ThriftyFun community for preventing deer from eating your roses. Human Hair To keep deer from eating plants: a friend goes to beauty shops and gets the hair that has been cut and takes it home and hangs it on fences around the plants. They do not like the smell or something to do with the human hair. Shrimp Shells A friend of mine goes to the coast and buys a lot of fresh shrimp to resell. He says that the shell peeled off of boiled shrimp and also the scraps they have from deheading and packaging the shrimp keep deer out of his garden. Sounds like an expensive deer repellent to me though, I would go with the human hair trick by Ladonna Wolf Urine The landscapers in my area had trouble with deer eating all the saplings they had planted and used wolf urine. I got it at a hunter's store. I've used it to keep cats out of my yard. If it rains, you must re-apply it. If you accidentally get it wet when watering your lawn, back up quickly. It really stinks. Do each corner of your yard and then just the odd drop or two around the perimeter. Worked for me! By Marianne Several Ideas The only thing I know of besides fencing out or shooting the deer is a repellent such as Predator Urine or Irish spring soap hung in things like panty hose or mesh produce bags in and around the rose beds. Also maybe a Large Yard Dog would discourage them. Linne Expert Advice
"Noise-makers and flashing lights, including loud radios and motion detecting devices startle deer, but the reaction from your nearest neighbors may startle you as well. Strong-smelling soaps and human hair hung in bushes did not work in CSU tests, but bars of Irish Spring soap "planted" on stakes kept deer out of my rose garden successfully last year, until my dogs ate them and spent several days foaming at the mouth. Carole Williams Source: http://www.gardenguides.com/articles/bambi.htm By ThriftyFun Deer Repellent Recipes Here is a couple deer repellent recipes: Dried Blood Repellent for Deer and Rabbits Dried blood should be available at your local garden store. It is a biproduct of cattle beef processing. It comes in a powdered form and is effective for discouraging deer and rabbits from eating your plants. Egg Deer RepellentDeer don't like eggs! This recipe is easy to make and fairly inexpensive, it calls for 18 eggs. You can also make small batches. If you have any advice, post it here!
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Harlequin Maple Leaves Browning On Edges Planted a Harlequin Maple in May this year...loved the color of these leaves. Just noticed lately that every leaf on it is brown along the edges. Here is a picture of a leaf. What can I do to stop this from happening next year or prevent it from dying if that is what is happening. Thanks for your always appreciated help. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf28933428.tip.html
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Rate It: Will chickens eat raspberries? I'm putting up a coop, with a yard for them, but should I keep them away from the berries? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf78710759.tip.html
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Rate It: Why my sunflowers turn brown from top to bottom as soon as they start to bloom? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf17701071.tip.html
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Rate It: I have pure layered tan clay and access to a lot of horse manure that I compost a hundred yards at a time. My question is how much compost should I mix with the clay to get a pretty loose soil. The clay is like concrete when dry. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf96194479.tip.html
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Rate It: Zucchini Flowers But No Zucchini I planted zucchini this year. I have had many blossoms for about 2 months, but not one zucchini. Why? Pretty soon it will be too cold for the plants. Should I expect them or not and why/not? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf33559800.tip.html
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Rate It: Where can I buy crushed or ground eggshells? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf31108479.tip.html
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Rate It: I have never before had allergies from gardening but, this year, I have it big time. My eyes and eyelids are so itchy that I want to take a brillo pad and scratch them. I realize that I could take Actifed or Sudafed, but that just makes me sleep which I can't afford to do during the day. Any suggestions out there from you smart people? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf58162230.tip.html
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Rate It: Does anyone know on how to start a butternut tree? I do know plant the nut but does it have to be dried out first or planted with the green shell on it or what can someone help me? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf43448832.tip.html
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Rate It: Does anyone know why my walnut tree is not throwing walnuts this year. It is 5 yrs. old now and it has been giving me walnuts until this year. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf77251729.tip.html
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Rate It: Safety of and Getting Rid of Bat Guano I want to install a bat house in my yard. If I do, how do I get rid of the guano? Is it safe to handle? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf82815879.tip.html
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Rate It: What type of pine tree can be planted along a leech bed and the root system doesn't go towards water? Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf20708927.tip.html
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Rate It: Do you have any natural bug spray recipes to share? Please submit them here. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf270015.tip.html
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Rate It: Looking for a frugal solution to an everyday problem? Submit your request here: Click Here
If you are an avid crafter, capable writer and own a digital camera, you are eligible to participate. Submit your craft projects to ThriftyFun and we will pay $15 for any crafts that we publish. More Information:
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