Build Your Own Eco-friendly Water Soaker Garden Irrigation System - Conserve Water

You looked at installing a underground sprinkler system on your property. And then stopped short when you realized the thousands of dollars it would cost! How could plastic pipe and sprinkler heads cost so much? Here is a lasting inexpensive water irrigation system that is near maintenance free and will have your neighbors wondering why they never see you watering your garden and plants. You can claim yours to be an environmentally friendly garden soaker system (or water drip system), using the minimum amount of water to sustain your plants and shrubs.Get the water as close to the plant roots as possible. Using less water is important to our global environment.Communities now encourage water soaker systems instead of sprinkler systems. Water applied near the ground will mostly be absorbed into the earth where it is needed by the plant and grass roots. Water sprayed above the plants and grass lands on the leaves and flowers before dripping to the ground. This longer exposure to the air will cause much of the sprayed or sprinkled water to evaporate into the hot summer air.More than ever now communities control the watering of lawns and gardens during the summer months. Sometimes you are restricted to garden watering only - not lawns. An automatic water timer system combined with a soaker hose system makes plenty of sense in reducing the amount of water dispensed to water your garden plants and shrubs. So how can I make an effective soaker system for my garden for under $500?With some off-the-shelf components, you can have a simple but elegant soaker system that with be automatic and near maintenance free. With a simple water timer system, Y-connectors, faucet multipliers, some 1 1/2" abs pipe, quality 1/2" garden hose and your choice of soaker hoses or irrigation hoses for potted or hanging plants, border gardens, row gardens or (dare I say) even lawn sprinklers. You now have the elements for a simple soaker irrigation system for your garden. This do-it-yourself automatic water irrigation system will ensure you water plants at the best time every day; specifically, early morning and late afternoon. As an added home security feature, when you are away from home your garden will sustain its beauty and make it look like someone is at home.Here is the material list required for your automatic garden soaker system. (Note: there is a complete Picasa image gallery of all the required components of this inexpensive soaker system at http://picasaweb.google.com/carl.chesal/GardenIrrigationSystem ):1) Select your water timer I selected Orbit from Home Depot. Make sure it has a battery timer so power outages won't alter your scheduled watering times. It should allow for at least 3 watering zones.2) Select your main faucet multiplier (or Valve splitter) that will attach to your outside water faucet and can accommodate the 3-4 water zones plus a spare to allow for regular garden hose watering. You can secure these special faucet multipliers from garden centers or at Lee Valley Tools. 3) Enough 1 1/2" ABS pipe (and glue) and 22.5 degree elbows to run underground (6" - 10" depth). Use the 22.5 degree elbows only to allow for easy insertion of the garden hose into the ABS pipe. You can cut further costs by burying the garden hoses directly underground. The ABS piping does provide added protection from accidental puncture from aerators, pitch forks and other garden tools. This ABS pipe can also serve double duty to run low voltage wire or speaker wire to the remote areas of your garden.4) Enough quality garden hoses to run through the ABS pipe and connect to the soaker hoses in all your garden beds.5) Soaker hoses for all your garden beds.6) Enough Faucet multipliers (Valve splitters) to extend each watering zone with soaker hose as required.Creating your automatic garden soaker system involves more of a landscaping effort than anything else. Here are 3 steps to completing your eco-friendly automatic garden soaker system (Note: refer to the Picasa image gallery for details of component assembly):1) Bury the ABS pipe feeding the garden hose through it as you connect and glue the pipe sections. Bury the pipe 6"-10" under your lawn or sidewalk. Have both ends extend out of the ground using the 22.5 degrees elbows so that the stiff hose can still be easily pulled through the pipe.2) Connect the soaker hoses to the ends of the garden hoses and weave the soaker hoses through your garden under plants and around shrubs. Follow the installation instructions of the soaker hose manufacturer.3) Install the water timer and water zone valves on the faucet multiplier. Connect the hoses for each zone. Follow the installation instructions of the water timer manufacturer. Do not set the water time for each zone more than 20 minutes each. Set two water times early morning (around 6 am) and late afternoon (around 7 pm).Maintenance of your Irrigation System and Preparation for Freezing Winter Temperatures:1) Disconnect the [zone] hoses at the main faucet where the Water Timer is located. 2) Using a Shop Wet Vac, suck the excess water from each zone hose. Use electrical tape to secure the vacuum pipe against the end of the hose. Turn on the wet vac and let it run for 10-15 minutes. Empty the water extracted before repeating this for each hose at the main faucet. You will extract enough water from the hoses so as not to incur any winter damage to your hoses from freezing water.3) Tape a plastic bag over the ends of each of the [zone] hoses. This will prevent little critters from getting in the hoses and clogging them when you reconnect the system in the spring.4) Remove the water timer and faucet multiplier. Store them in a warm place where they will not freeze.5) Note: you DO NOT need to disconnect and remove the soaker hoses. They should last 4-6 years before you need to replace them. Check the soaker hoses each spring for holes. You can patch these holes with high-friction Silicone tape. You may also leave outdoors all-year-round any valve splitters that were used to increase the soaker hoses in a particular water zone.You now have an inexpensive water soaker system that won't break the bank. You have saved thousands of dollars and can boast of being a friend to our environment. You clearly are doing your part for water conservation and the ecology. Nice going!

The Cleaning Secret - How to Fight Mold on Wooden Furniture

The mold is one of the biggest problems for many households. Numerous houses have suffered from this unpleasant type of fungus, which can easily multiply in warm and moist environment. The materials usually targeted by the mold are wood, paper, leather, natural fibers or food. When it comes to mold, many people prefer to call professional services. However, you can actually handle this problem by yourself when you find traces of mildew on your wooden furniture.

Here in this article I can offer you a few steps to get rid of mold on wooden furniture. So, let's get started. Firstly, you have to know that the mold should be treated right away when you find it. The sooner you find mildew the better. You can easily spot the growing mold, if you know what to look for. When you see moist and misty odor, well, the mold is probably already on your furniture. Inspect it carefully and locate the damaged area.


Now when you have determined the mold source, it is time to make your home-made cleaning solution. Mix 3 parts of water and 1 part of mild detergent to make a good cleaner. Then you need a clean cloth, where you are going to apply the cleaning solution. Make sure to wipe down one area at a time. Afterwards you have to use a cloth slightly dipped in water and follow with a dry cloth. Ensure that all the areas are well cleaned and all the traces of mold are gone.

Sometimes you will surely notice a white, greasy film on your furniture. This is, without any doubt, wax buildup, which has to be cleaned fast. The mold may reappear, if you don't act quickly. However, sometimes when you are unable to locate the source of the mold, you have one effective option. The cleaned furniture can be exposed to sunlight for a couple of hours. This technique will efficiently eliminate the source of mildew as the sunlight helps in oxidation.

Anyway after reading these tips, if you feel unsure about the right way to clean your furniture, then you'd better consult the professionals. Especially if you possess valuable antiques, don't hesitate and call any cleaning company or furniture removals in Melbourne or your local area. Antique furnitures should be professionally cleaned by any means, because you probably don't want to mess your expensive furniture.

Japanese Garden Building In Your Backyard!

Learning to build your very own Japanese Style Garden is easy and will turn your otherwise boring garden into a green and vibrant getaway to be enjoyed.

Anyone who has been to Japan has probably been lucky enough to have visited the world famous KOKOEN gardens located in Himeji. The city known for having the only remaining original feudal castle in Japan.

KOKOEN is an absolute fascination in terms of design and serenity. A truly great way to spend a few hours relaxing with your family and friends.

It is really not at all hard to build your own little mini KOKOEN garden out on your patio or in a section of your garden. Your entire garden can be transformed in a single weekend. Imagine taking a few days off to transform your garden and then inviting all of your relatives over to see your creation. Amazing!

Anyway, the biggest obstacle that most people run into when deciding to build their own Japanese Style Garden is a lack of reputable information regarding what kind of plants to use and how to actually design the garden in a way that it will end up looking like an authentic piece of Japan.

There is a guide that doesn't cost much more than a pizza that is the most comprehensive guide available for people wishing to build their own Japanese gardens. This guide is chock full of designs and pictures of what kind of plants and trees to use and makes building your own Japanese Style Garden a real breeze.

To learn how you can transform your garden into your own little piece of the world famous KOKOEN gardens, I recommend this amazingly easy to follow guidebook. Build Your Own Japanese Garden!

Save Your Room Space With Dining Furniture New York

In case you have a small apartment where your furniture accessories struggle for space, then you are required being extra cautious about the size of the furniture you take home. Furniture designers try hard to pace up with ever increasing demands of compact and stylish furniture for small homes. Dining Furniture New York has always been appreciated and adorned for fulfilling the demands and expectations of the New York residents. Keeping in consideration the less available space in the homes, the designers of New York have come up with splendid range of compact dining furniture New York.

Dining Furniture New York grants you the opportunity to beautify your home with the most stylish and trendy furniture set in your dining room without occupying much space. The dining furniture New York offers a vast range of variety that makes it easy for you to save enough of space even after placing all the essential furniture items required. Lets check out how dining furniture New York lets you save a commendable amount of space in your home.

Dining furniture New York features a stunning range of space saving dining furniture items. It includes dining tables that can be folded and stored when not in use and also can be easily expanded when you want it to use for your dining purposes. The dining furniture New York offers enough space to your children t play and also enables you to make free movement in your home while cleaning.

Dining furniture New York includes striking range of furniture that retracts, tucks, and gets folded as per your needs and requirements. The furniture offered by dining furniture New York simply gets fit in your home decor without making your home look cluttered or disordered.

A good choice in dining furniture New York will make it look fit with the every home dcor. While looking for some space saving furniture accessories you will also come across the options of small size tables, like shaker table of two that is sufficient for having two place settings. The fabulous make of this elite space saving table works as the most suitable dining spot if you are planning to gift a surprise dinner to your beloved.

The dining furniture New York offers you to the dining set that comes with completely removable center leaf for the table. This extremely handy and space saving dining set is perfect for you in case you have a small dining room or a combination of dining and living room. Such kind of table when gain a leaf in the center is ready to provide seating arrangement for six people. The leaf can be expanded and the seats can be increased as per the individual requirements and needs.

Another such examples of space saving Dining furniture New York is the drop leaf table which is perfect for special dining for two. Also you can head for the modular furniture in case you want to have special saving dining set that will create a pleasant spot for dining for your large gatherings.

New York offers the well designed dining accessories that impart a gorgeous look to your interior.

Dealing With Hail And Your Garden

One of the most hazardous things that can happen to your plants is weather. Many a garden has been demolished overnight because of this phenomenon. And seemingly, there is nothing we can do to prevent it. Of course, if weather didn't exist at all then we wouldn't have those nice sunny days that are beneficial to the growth of our plants. But then again, we wouldn't have the tragic hailstorms that tear down everything we've worked for so many hours to grow.

When rain starts to fall, usually the first reaction in a gardener is pure joy. After all, this means you don't have to worry about going out and watering it manually. The natural rain fall can't be anything but good for all your thirsty plants, can it? Well once that same gardener starts to see the gorgeous rain drops turn into small globules of ice, usually a complete emotional breakdown is in order. I know this from experience, because when I was a blooming gardener I had my garden completely demolished by about 10 minutes of severe hail.

When I first learned my lesson on the damage hail can do, I quickly devised a method of coping. I began to keep large clay pots within 10 feet of my garden, so that at any sign of hail I could run outside and have the plants sheltered in a matter of seconds. This saved me from being forced to watch my plants be ripped to pieces on multiple occasions. I've never dealt with hail more than an inch in diameter, but I'm guessing that if there had been any baseball sized chunks then those pots would have been quickly demolished.

However, as the number of fragile plants in my garden grew, it became slightly impractical to have a pot for each plant, and run outside to place each one before significant damage had already occurred. After much thought, I ended up building a horizontal, retractable screen mechanism made out of a strong but flexible wire mesh. At any sign of rain I could pull the screen out over my entire garden and have instant protection. Not only did it let the rain through, but the collected hail provided a steady drip of water for as much as a day afterwards. This project cost me several hundred dollars, and more blood, sweat, and tears than can be measured with earth dollars. Therefore I wouldn't recommend it to everyone.

If it's too late for you, and you've recently lost your precious plants to those wicked balls of ice, then you're probably looking for some way to help the plants recover. Unfortunately there aren't many choices for you. The best thing you can do is give them the tender care they deserve, and attempt to nurse them back to health over a long period of time. The several weeks after being severely damaged by hail are vital to whether the plant survives or not. If you expect more rain or wind, you should keep the plant covered. In this brittle stage, even raindrops or a strong breeze could cause more damage.

So if you live in an area that experiences frequent hail, you should definitely have some emergency plan for protecting your plants. Sitting by and watching them be ripped to shreds should never be an option!

Garden Planters and Garden Hand Tools for the Urban Gardner

If you love gardening, it can be done easily in your apartment. Garden planters and a little creativity are all that's needed to start your own patch of green. Here are some gardening projects that are suited for modest spaces.

Window Boxes From simple wooden boxes to trendy concrete ones, window boxes are the easiest way to grow plants in your apartment. Choose window boxes based on the size and layout of your windows, make sure they are secure and you are ready to start your home garden. Herbs such as oregano, basil, chives, and rosemary are ideal choices for window boxes in the kitchen window. Choose plants that can withstand hot sun or part shade and have easy watering requirements. Some Garden Hand Tools you will need for window box gardening are a watering can with a long spout and shears for pruning branches or harvesting herbs.


Container Garden There are many types of garden planters available for different types of container gardens. Self-watering planters are excellent choices for gardens on fire escapes and roofs. Garden Planters with drip trays can be used for window-sill gardening. Any container from a wooden pallet to a large coffee mug can be used as a planter based on what you wish to grow.

With the right choice of garden planters you can grow herbs, flowers and even vegetables in your apartment garden. If you wish to grow vegetables, bring home bags of soilless mix for the containers. This lightweight mixture is fast-draining so it's ideal for growing vegetables. Place the containers in a spot in your apartment that gets about six to eight hours of bright light daily.

Vertical Solutions Wooden garden stands are simple space-saving solutions for urban gardens. These stands are available in different sizes with multiple shelves so you can easily choose ones that are suited for the space you have available. Add one or two in the balcony, deck or patio to grow herbs and flowers.

Garden Hand Tools The biggest advantage of these small space gardening solutions is that they don't need special garden hand tools and equipment. Watering cans and shears are all you need for a flourishing garden. There are also many DIY answers to modestly sized gardens. An old shoe organizer can be repurposed as a hanging planter. It's an excellent idea for small herbs.

Authors Profile: Lavina Dcostaa is a certified interior designer and runs his own interior decoration consultancy. Lavina especially loves decorating a home in wooden furniture and believes that nothing gives a home as warm and cozy a touch as all-wood furniture and decor. Lavina loves reading up on new design ideas, and has a special interest in space saving techniques. Here Lavina writes about Garden Planters and Garden Hand Tools.

Beautiful Garden Shed Designs

Garden shed designs form the creative basis for any garden storage shed project. They can be born from a creative architectural mind, or maybe from ideas you may get from home and garden magazines and the likes. Your will have to choose from designs, which you find both aesthetically pleasing and that provide the best practical solution for your particular garden site.

The variety of type of garden shed designs available include the following:

Wooden Sheds.
Plastic Garden Sheds.
Metal Garden Sheds.
Overlap Garden Sheds.
Tongue and Groove Sheds.
Potting Sheds.
Log Cabin Sheds.
Corner Sheds.
Windowless Security Sheds.
Wheelie Bin Stores.

Each type is suited to varying needs and each one has its own particular use and appearance. Having so many options to choose from therefore entails time, to scrutinise the merits of each, before opting for the type of garden shed which best suits your storage needs.

You want to find the best available garden shed designs, which will allow you to construct the perfect solution for your personal garden storage needs. You will be able to produce a good structural timber building much cheaper than the overpriced ready-made ones that you see around. The best garden shed designs will keep everything simple and should aim to make woodworking and joinery good fun activities for you to get involved with.

There are a lot of garden shed designs youll be able to choose from, varying from the most simple rectangular designs to far more elaborate architectural design ideas. Before you start building your garden storage building, make sure you have the perfect garden shed designs to meet your proposed garden storage shed requirements.

With literally thousands of garden shed designs available to you, including step by step instructions, there is very little reason to construct a poor building that will not still be standing a short time later. Build your shed well, and you will be proud of your efforts and save a LOT of money in the process!

As an architect myself, I have over 35 years experience in building design and construction. As such, I understand and appreciate the need for good production drawings, which result in the most suitable garden shed designs. Such garden shed designs are just as important, even vital to, the overall creative planning and resulting finished building, as any bigger engineering or major building projects. Attention to detail is all important if you want to create the shed of your dreams.

Another possibility is that you may want to build a luxury garden shed as a form of extending your house, providing an economic and sensible solution, as opposed to the alternative high cost involved in building a traditional extension. These particular sheds can be fitted with electricity and even a phone line, providing an excellent solution to form an extra bedroom or office.

Our recommended garden shed designs provide a complete guide which details how to build a very attractive shed from scratch. You will receive detailed blueprints and step by step instructions that even a novice will be able to follow. Choose from 12,000 shed plans, designs and woodworking patterns.