De - fogging mirrors & saving energy dollars

If your mirrors fog up after a hot shower there is a way to prevent this. Shaving cream combats fog and keeps it off glass surfaces. Just rub it on mirroirs, shower doors, windows, and even eyeglasses - wipe clean and they will stay fog free for a few weeks.

Also, during the months that you are using your air conditioner you will save energy dollars if you close the door to the bathroom and turn on the exhaust fan while showering. The humidity put into the air from the shower causes your air condition to turn on so it can eliminate the extra humidity. The exhaust fan draws the humid air out of the house. Be sure to turn it off before you open the bathroom door.

Springtime cleaning tip

Artificial flowers and greenery inside a house will collects dust and dirt over the winter. To clean, pour some salt into a paper or plastic bag, add the flowers or greenery and shake vigorously for a couple of minutes. The salt will remove dirt and absorb dust leaving the flowers and greenery looking clean and fresh.

Planting and caring for annuals

Your annuals will grow bigger and produce more flowers if you use a root starter. Root starter is a type of liquid fertilizer that promotes quick and robust root development and at the same time provides nutrients for good top growth.

When you are ready to plant your annuals mix enough root starter according to package directions to water each plant at the time you place it in the ground. Continue to use the root starter every three weeks for the first three months then switch to Miracle Grow.

What to do about ants

I usually rely on a professional exterminator to remove ants and any other pests found inside or outside the house because I have pets and worry about their safety. If you do not have pets it is certainly worth the effort to try extermination on your own.

The first thing I would do is perform a through inspection of the entire outside circumference of your house looking for ant highways. A professional exterminator taught me to look for a trail of ants on the side of your house or somewhere around the foundation. If you find any trails you can possibly see where they are getting into your house and more importantly, follow them back to the colony.

If you are successful in locating the colony, there are several products you can use. I’m only familiar with the bait stations you place close to the colony. If the colony can’t be found, place the bait near their trail. The ants will eat the bait and then carry it back to the colony and ultimately eliminate all of them.

Transplanting perennials such as day lilies

“Transplant shock” can occur when transplanting any type of plant. To minimize the shock for day lilies and other perennials that have already emerged, do the following:

• Leave a small ball of soil around the plant when removing it from the ground
• Keep the soil ball a little moist
• Transport it in a container that will allow the ball to stay intact

The new bed where the lilies will be transplanted should be filled with good fertile dirt or a type of premixed bedding soil.

The next step is very important and will greatly increase your lilies chances of becoming well established in their new bed: only use root starter at the time of planting. Root starter is a type of liquid fertilizer that promotes quick and robust root development and at the same time provides nutrients for good top growth. Continue to use root starter once a week for six weeks, thereafter use a granular bulb food (I like Johnson’s Bulb Food) at a rate of one cup per ten square feet of bedding. Repeat the granular bulb food again in eight weeks.

See my blog entry about Fertilizer for bulbs and tubers for more information on caring for established perennials

Fertilizer for bulbs and tubers

For your daffodils and other bulb type perennials I recommend Howard Johnson’s Bulb Food. No, I am not suggesting you go to the nearest Howard Johnson Motel and steal their fertilizer! This is a brand of bulb food I purchased a few years ago and have been pleased with the results.

The primary nutrients your bulbs and/or tubers need are found in this product. These nutrients are phosphorus, potash, and nitrogen in a 9-8-6 formulary, ideal for new or established flower beds.

The product is clean and easy to use. It is granular, not liquid, and can be sprinkled directly in your garden. The package includes additional instructions for soil preparation and planting new flowers or vegetables.

Drop spreaders vs. rotary spreaders

Application of granular type pesticides, fertilizers, and grass seed is most commonly done using either a drop spreader or a rotary spreader. The drop spreader distributes product straight down on the ground with a coverage pattern only as wide as the spreader hopper. Compared to a rotary spreader, application time is increased with a drop spreader and makes it difficult to get even coverage. If a slight bit of overlap of each pass is not accomplished the edge of the spread lines will show. If you have ever seen a lawn that looks like it has broad darker stripes and narrow lighter stripes it usually means that a nitrogen rich fertilizer was applied with a drop spreader.

Rotary spreaders have a spreading spinner under the hopper which broadcasts the product being used six feet across and three feet forward. Less time is needed for application and there is no concern with “edge of spread lines” showing.