Question on Water
Bill M.
3 years ago
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stupidlazydog CT zone 5b/6a
3 years agopopmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Questions on watering+fertilizing containerized conifers
Comments (9)Can't tell you how well they will survive going without watering and with some hot temps predicted. Depends on how large the pots are versus root mass and if the plants are in full sun or in a more shaded, protected location. In general, a couple of days of drought stress will not kill them, although not a situation I would encourage :-) I'm not sure where you heard that about fertilizers. Pretty much ANY plant will need fertilizing if grown in a container - container soil is typically nutrient devoid and all necessary nutrients must be supplied by the grower via fertilization. Plus, the frequent watering containers require flushes any accumulated nutrients out of the soil and these need to be replaced. Potted conifers don't require a great deal of ferts but they DO need some. My preference is to include a controlled release like Osmocote in the potting soil while potting up. In subsequent years, I just top dress each container each spring with an additional application. I don't care for Miracle Gro products but many do use them....See MoreNewbie questions on water softener
Comments (1)Hi, 1.) Yes, salt usage can vary based on a number of factors including hardness levels. There are other factors as well including sizing and brine settings that will have a significant impact on salt and water usage. For example you can use a slightly larger softener and reduce salt usage by 50% (or often more) by reducing the brine settings. 2.) Yes, that is sometimes done, but usually only when a softening loop wasn't added and the plumbing isn't accessible. A better option is to soften everything but the outside faucets and then run a separate drinking water line to the kitchen if you decide you don't like drinking softened water. Soft water is really nice in the toilets, shower, and sink because it keeps those fixtures so much cleaner. In the shower and sink, hard water combines with soap residue to make everything seem dirty much faster. Not to mention what that does to your skin and hair. If you don't soften your cold water you don't get as much of those benefits....See MoreQuestion about watering late in the day
Comments (11)I think all your posts have arrived. That's fine. There's a little more info in each one. Now that we're much farther into this than I thought we'd be, where do you live? Zones don't help for grass. Need the nearest community or zip code. Looking forward it seems like you need a full renovation. That crabgrass really got a good foothold. Looking backward, your lawn guy did you no favors. This looks like a northern lawn situation. Chinch bugs can be found in the north, but normally they are a hot, hot, hotty-hot, hot type of bug. They always start adjacent to pavement because pavement holds the heat overnight. It sounds like you have a handle on lawn care. Too bad your guy didn't. Just to reiterate, for an established lawn (which yours is not but will be by next spring)... Overseed (if needed) in the early fall right when the summer heat breaks Water deeply and infrequently Mulch mow at the mower's highest setting Fertilize on Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgivingish (more below) Apply preemergent herbicide when the forsythia bloom in your neighborhood. Spot spray broadleaf weeds in mid April and mid to late September The Thanksgiving application of fertilizer should go down after the grass has fully stopped growing but it is still green. The idea is to pump fertilizer into the roots in preparation for next spring. If you do it too early while the grass is still growing, the plants will use the fert to put on a spurt of new growth which will be cut down quickly by the frost. This application should be a fast release, high N, fertilizer. Of course water it in before night time the day you apply. This application will awaken your lawn early the following spring. In addition to all that, assuming you use chemical fertilizers, I would use an organic fertilizer at least once a year. It can be in addition to the three apps or it can be instead of the May and/or Sept application. Organic and chemical fertilizers can go on at full bag rate on the same day. They do not interact or have any additive effect to each other. Organic fertilizers don't need to be watered down immediately, but they don't start working unless there is at least some moisture. Morning dew is enough to get it going. If you have any questions about the effectiveness of organic fertilizer, let me know....See MoreUrgent question about water heater.
Comments (22)mandy has the right idea, you should be able to figure out yourself, or your plumber can help to check. Personally I'd be surprised if the smaller model wasn't sufficient. I think the way to understand it is this: the water heater's size determines how quickly you can replenish the storage tank (or recover from all the water being used), and - at the margin - continuously heat. The storage tank's size drives how much hot water you can use in a short period before running out. Bottom line is basically, how many of your seven people take a shower in a short period of time? Does everyone expect to have a shower within a single hour in the morning? On paper, your 120 gallon tank would cover 4-5 standard showers, likely less than that in practice with other needs (handwashing, kitchen usage, etc). The 50k BTU heater should have a figure for recovery in gallons per hour - perhaps something like 50. That's basically its maximum output. It would then take two or three hours to heat up your large storage tank (whereas your current 200k unit would fully recover in an hour). The hot water heater itself will have storage (50 gallons?) to include in your calcs. It sounds like your current set-up is more or less sized to be able to meet maximum likely demand at all times, with no significant recovery period - i.e. it might be able to meet all demand without the storage tank just by running the heater. Of course, keep in mind there are losses in the system and the real world 'hot water at the tap' will be somewhat lower. So you should be able to figure out how to test this. But fairly simple logic test - if everyone takes showers at different times of day, likely no problem. Even spread out over 2-3 hours you may be fine. If everyone takes two extra-long showers a day and all within the same time periods, maybe not. A few additional thoughts: -Of course, keep in mind laundry and dishwashing needs. But also check if they even use household hot water - mine do not, they heat water internally. (Then considerations of when you run them, of course). -Have the plumber check the storage tank - it'd be a shame if it started having problems right after, and they're likely the same age. Also note, assuming this is gas-fired, it's not a bad thing to have a smaller one running for longer periods. (I'm also a bit surprised there are only two sizes available - surely there are in-between sizes available, like 75k or 100k BTU?) I'm in a seven person household, too - and in my experience it's rare that everyone takes showers within short periods. I can't compare my set-up (household heat and hot water from same boiler), but on paper I wouldn't think the extra expense worth it, just based on our actual usage. Of course, if you're the last person to shower after everyone else and you can't stand even once running out, you might think differently....See MoreBill M.
3 years agopopmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
3 years agohibiscus909
3 years agopopmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
3 years agoBill M.
3 years agopopmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
3 years agoBill M.
3 years agotropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
3 years agoBill M.
3 years agopopmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
3 years agotropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
3 years agopopmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
3 years agotropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
3 years agoBill M.
3 years agoPatti Chicago Zone 5b/6a
3 years agoBill M.
3 years agopopmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
3 years agoBill M.
3 years agoBill M.
3 years agotropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
3 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
3 years agotropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)
3 years agoBill M.
3 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
3 years agoBill M.
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoDave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
3 years agoRebecca/N. IN/z6A
3 years agoRebecca/N. IN/z6A
3 years agoBill M.
3 years agoMeyermike(Zone 6a Ma.)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
3 years ago
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tropicofcancer (6b SW-PA)