Got rid of our mosquitos
20 years ago
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Got rid of Japanese Beetles only to now have Spider Mites
Comments (7)OP: "...the Sevin I used set up a nice cozy care free environment for the mites." Here's a paragraph (from the link below) that would implicate Sevin (and some other insecticides): "Spider mites frequently become a problem after applying insecticides. Such outbreaks are commonly a result of the insecticide killing off the mites natural enemies but also occur when certain insecticides stimulate mite reproduction. For example, spider mites exposed to carbaryl (Sevin) in the laboratory have been shown to reproduce faster than untreated populations. Carbaryl, some organophosphates, and some pyrethroids apparently also favor spider mites by increasing the level of nitrogen in leaves. Insecticides applied during hot weather usually appear to have the greatest effect, causing dramatic spider mite outbreaks within a few days." Here is a link that might be useful: Spider Mites, UCDavis...See MoreGot rid of airgap, now dishwasher sounds strange
Comments (4)I just went through a similar situation. Our DW was installed without an airgap and sounded horrible! We recently had the air gap installed and now the DW sounds much better. Double check your DW's manual. It may state that you are required to have an air gap. It also depends on where your DW is installed (next to sink or not), type/model of DW and where you live....See MoreHow I got rid of the musty cave of noxious chemicals under sink.
Comments (10)The smell was especially pungent for years because of the enclosed Cabinet. Previously we had a cabinet. Prior-reno. Now we have drawers. Now, with drawers, we have the storage that drawers provide. And things are airy. Every time a drawer is opened, air is forced to circulate. The action of drawer-moving pushes air around. I like to put a piece of paper towel covering the powder residue on the top of the Ajax/Comet, just to help keep it from going air-borne. (I think the powder can also go airborne even when you open a cabinet door.) This fine powdered product has some solid bleach in its granules, so we still do have a form of bleach under the sink. But the big old bleach bottle is history. It's amazing how much bleach bottles leak out pungent odors. Vinegar doesn't do that. It was a leap of faith to go all-drawer under the sink. Nobody ever confirmed that having not one single cabinet was a fine way to go. Many people opined that my proposed compact plumbing was impossible or not up to code. (Not true). Millions of people can confirm that the first bend in a drain can be and often is a "Tight" bend. (e.g. under a bathtub, under a WC, it's a tight bend), and Master plumbers can explain why a tight bend is OK as the first bend under a drain. As luck would have it, Franke, Elkay, Dornbracht, Blanco and others all sell a remote pop-up button that you turn to open / close the strainer in the drain. It's a cable that moves a lever. One thing they don't advertise is that your kitchen sink drain pipe ends up going sideways instead of straight down. THAT was the big advantage I had been looking for and found in this Ready Made Product that saved time since I did not need to Reinvent a Tight Bend in 1.5" diameter pipe. Result achieved: under the sink drain, my drawer floor is intact; it was not cut out to leave a notch for the drain pipe, because the drain pipe is horizontal and goes backwards to the wall. The P trap is in the empty space behind the drawer, close to the wall. I notched out the drawer's back panel, not the drawer floor. -- My drawer support structure is Really Airy. I have cabinet sides holding drawer glides. And Not One More Panel Than That. Drawers need no cabinet floor under them. We figured we could safely forego the cabinet floor as long as cabinet sides remained parallel and square (not parallelogram-y). This is another subject that could take time to describe, on another day. Our lowest drawer we can open with a foot since there is no wood panel under it. Having no cabinet floor gives you an airy open space. When you remove all the drawers (an easy operation) you can work in that space with room to spare. ((P.S. I also removed the cabinet back panel; i can see the wall and the plumbing very easily.)) -- Combining several thought processes we were able to get the final result that achieved our goals, satisfied our desires, (and made us proud). One was the radical rethinking of product inventory; we got out of the chemical storage business and got into the nano mechanical stocking business: we buy and try out scotch brite type and mIcrofiber cleaning cloths and pads now, and find them all good. Secondly, we got the drain pipe horizontally aligned and notched the drawer back not bottom. A third thought was that drawers need side panels for the glides but not the other parts of a typical six sided cube that they sell at the "cube" store....See MoreGot rid of the ivy, now what?
Comments (4)In general, Coast Live Oaks and irrigated lawns are not a good combination for long term health of the trees. There are plenty of lists available on-line and in reference books such as the Sunset Western Garden Book that make recommendations for suitable lower water needing plantings, be they California native oak woodland species, or similar shade and drought tolerant plants from other Mediterranean climate zones. The degree of sun versus shade will influence what plants work best. The Mediterranean Garden Society also has a website with recommendations for your conditions. A visit up to Tilden Botanic Garden or the UC Berkeley Botanic Garden would be good places to see plantings in similar situations to yours. As to irrigation requirements, depending on plants chosen and timing of initial plantings, you may get by with just occasional hand watering the first several summers, but an automated drip irrigation system designed around your plant choices and water needs is more reliable and certainly gives faster establishment. Late fall/early winter plantings are the ideal establishment period here in the Bay Area....See More- 20 years ago
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