WHAT causes this smell?
arlinek
12 years ago
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pris
12 years agoarlinek
12 years agoRelated Discussions
a smell coming from the containers
Comments (10)Hi Balconygirl! I grow in containers and I've had a couple of times where I have a faint rotting smell coming from one or more of my pots. I'm certainly not an expert and maybe someone else will have a better answer for you. I have to water often because it gets so hot here and I find that the deeper the container, the more likely the smell is coming from that pot. I don't have the smell when it's cooler. Most of the purchased potting mixes have things added like worm castings or some kind of compost materials. I think the smell I get is the high moisture content, heat and those materials all baking at the bottom of the pot. Even with good drainage, it the container is deep, it still stays moister down there than at the top closer to where moisture can also evaporate. I just repotted some raspberry bushes. 2 were growing beautifully and the roots were extending out and no smell from the soil other than a garden smell. The 3rd bush never grew so it was just literally a stick in the mud. That pot of soil stunk so bad. Maybe the roots taking up moisture and nutrients keep the rotting from happening and with the short roots your grasses have, a shorter pot would be better. I also will try and make sure that I keep the saucers drained. That stagnant water draining out of the pot can get awful stinky. I would also lift up the bottom of your pot and see if the gravel didn't shift in the holes and plug them up. That happened to me with a small fruit tree. Poor thing was drowning and I thought it didn't have enough water and kept putting in more. I hope that helps a little. I'm not sure if there's anything other you can do....See MoreCauses and Solutions for FL Smells
Comments (20)debrak_2008, Why not simply add a recirculation system to your hot water line? This will ensure every tap in the house has almost instant hot water. gates1, I don't think you'll get much build-up from powder detergents. For the most part, when you add water to a substance and then evaporate the water, you're left with the original substance. Liquid detergents are so gooey and sticky that they are bound to cause build-up problems in the detergent drawer as well as the machine. I've never had powder detergent cause build-up in the drawer, ever, and it's unlikely that it would cause problems in the washer either. I also think overuse of cold washes and fabric softener are definitely factors. Fabric softener is released during the final rinse. That means whatever is left in your machine after the final rinse will evaporate and leave a slight oily residue in its place. If the next wash uses cold water, it's unlikely to pick up that residue and may actually deposit more residue on top. I think this whole issue starts and stops with fabric softeners and liquid detergents. Hot water washes in themselves don't necessarily solve the problem, but can prevent it from happening in the first place by limiting the amount of residue left in the machine. Cold water washing exacerbates the problem because it is not hot enough to remove the fabric softener/liquid detergent buildup left from the previous wash/rinse. Use powder detergent, dilute the fabric softener or use less, and wash regularly on HOT. For those using liquid fabric softener, it may be advisable to start your "laundry day" with a load of whites on the HOT cycle and progress to cooler cycles and darker colors. The reason for this is simple. The last time you did laundry, your machine had a very slight fabric softener residue left in it from the final rinse. To have the best shot of removing that residue, start out with a HOT wash....See MoreWhat causes this smell?
Comments (79)Have had the same smell like the above letters, but it was off and on. Except for this summer, and it stayed on! I live in a condo and they sent a repairman who noticed, like me, that it was on and off. We took off a switchplate cover which backs up to the outside wall on my front entry, and the smell hit us full strength. The repairman took off the stucco board, the blue foam insulation and the pink insulation. On the wallboard, the paper backing of the insulation had left oily residue and that is what was smelling. The problem is, we can still smell it even after removing the above. The repairman thinks it is off gassing of the insulation. He's probably right but now what? Right now, I told him not to repair it right away as maybe some of it will air out. I can still smell it, but fainter. At some point he will have to complete the repairs and we're both worried that I will still have that smell. Wallboard is porous so maybe it got into that , but I can't start tearing apart walls! And why now after living here for 9 years?...See MoreSmells like cinnamon & brown sugar!
Comments (4)Well that looks a lot like a Lactuca species. I've never noticed, or heard of, any of them having a sweet smell. I've never seen or smelled a Carolina Spice Bush, Calycanthus floridus, but do you think there could be one of those around somewhere? Do they even grow in Texas? Another possibility might be Lindera benzoin. Again I've never seen or smelled one....See Morecentralcacyclist
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