Just moved in. Help!
Rachel Anderson
6 years ago
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groveraxle
6 years agoRachel Anderson
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Lemon tree, bark splitting, and cater-yallin'
Comments (2)We had a hard freeze this year and what your seeing could be a result of that. Ficus trees seem to have taken the bigest hit, but some citrus had problems, especially if they weren't being watered. If it is a newly planted tree, the bark buckling could be sun damage. Nursery grown trees are grown close together and shade each others' roots. When they are planted, they loose that protection. It's a goood idea to paint the trunks white for at least the first few years until the branches hang low enough to give some protection, and the bark toughens up on the sunward sides. That's also why when you move or transplant cactus, you always mark the north side of the cactus so you plant it in the same orientation. Hope this helps....See MoreWhat fruits can survive squirrels?
Comments (9)Squirrels are a tough nut to crack--so to speak, Cat! The squirrel baffles David mentioned are a possibility, but squirrels seem to be smarter than human beings, and it's not at all unusual for them to figure out how to get past the baffle. If you were using one on a tree you'd need to be absolutely certain it was high enough on the trunk that they couldn't just jump up past it--and they can really jump! And if the tree(s) is anywhere near another tree or a building, or ANYTHING they could go up and then jump down onto the tree, they will very definitely do it! At the last house I lived at there was a BIG silver maple in the backyard and I tried for YEARS to hang bird feeders from the tree that the squirrels couldn't get to! Total failure! I tried store bought and homemade baffles and they ALWAYS figured out how to get past them eventually. The last thing I tried was hanging a feeder with a wire that was as thin as sewing thread, and the feeder was at least 6' down from the branch. The squirrels just shinnied down the wire---so fine that I couldn't even see it from inside the house! Sometimes they'd slip and fall when they were "going down the wire," and when they eventually got tired of doing it that way they just chewed thru the wire so the feeder fell to the ground! I never did find a way to stop them and after the "wire" experiment I stopped hanging feeders in the tree and kept them hung from the eaves of the house over the concrete patio on the back of the house, and that way I could at least scare them away as soon as I saw them, and I pretty much switched to feeding thistle and safflower, which squirrels don't like, but when I put even just a little bit of sunflower out they continued to be a Public Nuisance right up until I moved out! Like I said, if they really want something, they're definitely smarter than humans! About the only thing I can think of that "might" help (really not sure!) would be to get one of the motion-activated water thingies that spray anything that comes into the field of the sensor. They're supposed to work pretty well for domestic animals--dogs, cats, etc., but I don't know if a squirrel would eventually decide it was just a nice bath and ignore it or not! They supposedly work because of the element of surprise, and squirrels are definitely skittish things, so maybe it would work. The couple times I checked them out, they're not cheap, and you need to leave the water turned on for them to work, so you need to be sure you're using a GOOD hose that isn't gonna blow out or you could wind up with a BIG water bill! But it is at least something for you to consider, and it seems to me that it could conceivably work to scare birds away too if you got one that could be aimed high enough to cause considerable sudden motion of the leaves. Other than that I don't have any suggestions. Cutting down some of the big trees should help--a LITTLE bit--to "redirect" some of them to other yards with more trees, but if there's something in your yard they want, they'll find it and keep on looking for ways to get it! This year shortly after I started planting fall bulbs I found a couple places where they were digging DEEP looking for them! I'm still waiting on a couple things to see how many come up and how many became expensive Squirrel Chowder! I was able to solve that problem for the rest of the winter by laying chicken wire and my pea and cuke trellises over the areas where they had been digging and where I was afraid they might start digging! That, of course, was in addition to all the chicken wire I have on top of my veggie garden to keep the neighbor's cats from using it as a sandbox! My backyard looked like a wire factory! You might want to keep an eye out for squirrel nests in your or any neighbor trees that you're friends with and if you see them building a nest destroy it so they'll seek out a friendlier place to set up housekeeping. If they're nesting very close to you the babies will become accustomed to making themselves at home in your yard, just making the situation even worse. And be sure you're not attracting them by having dog food outside or anything else they might want like fruit/food scraps on a compost pile. If you're not familiar with squirrel baffles, I'm linking a search page so you can see what David and I are talking about. Good luck in your battle with Squirrelus obnoxiousii! Skybird Here is a link that might be useful: Squirrel baffles!...See MoreJust moved in- Plain exterior help!
Comments (16)No window boxes. Your question about where to put them suggests you are not a gardener. Window boxes will require that you spend a couple of hundred dollars every spring for annuals to plant them up, unless you have the space and light to start your own plants from seed. You will be watering them once a day EVERY DAY. Boxes on the second floor will require you to lug cans of water so you can water them from inside the house through the windows. I don’t even know how you would water the big center window as it appears to be stationary. Nice looking window boxes are expensive, the little plastic ones you buy at walmart are hideous. I love windows boxes, I think they are beautiful if done well and kept healthy. I’m taking the four boxes off the front of my house this year because I don’t want to lug water and they are going to start rotting out the siding....See MoreJust moved in! Any ideas on how to decorate theses spaces?
Comments (10)Thanks for the wonderful suggestions, the person that sold us the house left this tv stand. I have someone picking it up on Monday. I think it’s too huge for the space. My sectional is from Macy’s and it’s a 6 piece set, so I’m able to remove sections if needed. The fireplace has black granite and I think it looks horrible. The house also has very little light coming in. I will definitely be getting the LEDS that we’re suggested. The floors will also be getting removed. I’m going to put in some new ones. They are lighter and warm light brown color....See Moregroveraxle
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