Reasons Why Your Door Is Sticking The door sticks in the door frame when you try to open it. Or if you try to close it, it doesn’t close completely. Or if it does move, it’s always scraping and making noises. Why is your door sticking in the first place? If this is an older home, one common cause is that your home’s foundation may be subsiding. Subsiding foundations affect many parts of the house....
Instead of building up ceramic tile bases from wet mortar, installers only need to set them in place on a mortar bed before the walls are finished, then connect them to the drain system. Some pans do not require mortar. Pans can be paired up with tiled walls for more design possibilities. For homeowners, single-piece shower pans are easier to clean than tiled shower floors. Yet for all of their advantages, shower pans do have a few downsides....
Here are some tips to force flowering of trees and shrubs. Good Candidates to Force Into Bloom There are many spring-flowering plants that will easily blossom early indoors, and you can experiment with whatever you have growing in your garden. Some are more easily forced than others. You might be surprised by how readily the branches will bloom. Some traditional trees and shrubs to try forcing include: Azalea Beauty bush Crabapple Flowering quince Forsythia Magnolia Pussy willow Redbud Rhododendron Serviceberry Spirea Witch hazel Cherry trees Pear trees Apples trees...
Part of the order Chiroptera, bats are not inherently destructive, but their waste is high in uric acid which makes it corrosive; it is also incredibly stinky, especially when it piles up on absorbent interior insulation. When large amounts of corrosive bat waste pile up over time, it can compromise a variety of materials and structures. What Do Bats Look Like? If you can catch a glimpse of them, bats have noticeably scalloped wings and an incredibly distinct way of flying....
You could be seeing drain flies, fruit flies, biting gnats, midges, or mosquitoes, all of which can be mistaken for gnats. These pests require different removal methods. For example, if you’re seeing small, gnat-like insects in rooms with sinks, pouring diluted bleach down the drains can effectively deter them for a short time—but further steps are necessary to clear a drain fly infestation. When it comes to household gnats, the infestation is typically due to a source of organic material they’re drawn to....
Feral cats not only kill birds and other wildlife but also cause other problems when they become accustomed to visiting the same yards. Carefully cultivated flower beds can become open litter boxes. Garden sheds can become breeding grounds for litters of unwanted kittens. Trees, fences, or other structures can be territorial markers for spraying males. Aggressive cats can attack pets or fight for territory, causing neighborhood disturbances. Wandering cats may even transmit diseases, fleas, or other pests to your pets....
Light This tropical plant does best with several hours of bright, indirect light. Avoid exposing your Aglaonema pictum tricolor to any direct sunlight — particularly harsh afternoon sun — which will burn its variegated leaves. That being said, short periods of morning sunlight, which is less intense than afternoon light, are usually fine. Soil As with most plants in the Aglaonema genus, the pictum tricolor appreciates consistently moist conditions but is also sensitive to root rot....
Like many pine trees, Austrian pines do best if they are planted in fairly warm soil; late summer can be an ideal time to plant an Austrian pine. You can expect this pine to grow at a moderate rate of 12 to 18 inches per year in most circumstances. Be aware that this pine has some serious drawbacks for many regions of the country. It is extremely susceptible to the tip blight fungus Sphaeropsis (Diplodia)—so much so that planting the tree is strongly discouraged in many parts of the U....
If you’re looking for an easy-keeping annual member of the coreopsis family, look no further than the calliopsis—available in both single-hued petal and variegated petal varieties. Snails and aphids seem drawn to calliopsis. For combating the snails, collecting them from the plants is often the only effective way to deal with the problem. Light Like other flowering plants, the calliopsis loves the sun. With direct sunshine, this plant thrives and produces abundant blooms....
Cauliflower is not the easiest vegetable to grow, because it is very sensitive to temperature changes. However, with a little TLC, it can be a very rewarding vegetable for your garden. You’ll have many more variety options if you start your cauliflower from seed. All varieties, but especially white cauliflower, need to be blanched, by covering the head with its leaves. The purple varieties get their color from anthocyanin, an antioxidant....
Luckily, slow-growing chocolate soldier succulents are not prone to any serious pests or diseases, beyond occasional mealybugs or spider mites. These small, hardy succulents will thrive year-round planted in pots inside your home. All kalanchoes, including K. tomentosa, are toxic to cats and dogs and mildly toxic to humans if the leaves are eaten. Light Chocolate soldier plants appreciate bright, indirect light. Kalanchoe tomentosa does not do well in direct sun and is susceptible to leaf burn....
Also sometimes referred to as Christmas holly or common holly, this slow-growing shrub can grow to the size of a tree, reaching up to 50 feet tall if not pruned to remain smaller. Their attractive evergreen nature makes them an excellent choice for winter landscaping, either individually or to develop a hedgerow. Holly berries ripen in the fall and remain on the branches throughout the winter. They make an excellent food source for wildlife during this period....
The leaves on Epidendrum orchids are leathery and waxy; the most common shades of flowers are red, purple, yellow, orange, and white. These plants are easier to keep indoors. But, if you live in a warm climate, you could try the trickier task of growing them outdoors. There are several dwarf species of Epidendrum, but some can grow to be as high as six feet tall and won’t be great options as houseplants....
Whether you’re a fan of onions or not is irrelevant, since giant ornamental onions aren’t meant to be eaten. Moreover, they’re popular in the garden for their whimsical, Dr. Seuss-like appearance. The blooms last for a long while, attract bees and butterflies, and add an eye-popping burst of color as cut flowers. It is best to plant giant ornamental onions in the fall. While all alliums are edible, most ornamental varieties including the giant allium are generally considered too strong for human consumption....
Globe amaranth is started from seed in the late winter or early spring and planted outdoors after all danger of frost is past. Light Globe amaranth grows best in full sun to part shade. Too much shade reduces blooming and makes the plants lanky as they reach for sun. Soil Gomphrena grows well in average garden soil to slightly sandy soil. Plants still bloom in heavy clay, but the height may be somewhat stunted....
If you are looking for a low-maintenance shrub in a non-formal landscape, gray dogwood is a good choice. It will also make the birds happy—almost 100 species of birds eat the berries, and use it for shelter and nesting. However, bear in mind that gray dogwood needs space to spread in every direction. It sends out rapidly growing suckers from the original plant so it should be planted in a naturalized setting where it is allowed to form colonies....
But although once among the most popular shade trees for public and private properties, green ash trees are now deeply threatened by the devastating and fast-spreading emerald ash borer (EAB). EAB is treatable, but it’s quite costly. As a result, purposefully planting new green ash trees is not recommended and is even banned in some regions. Check your state’s regulations and think carefully before you introduce a new green ash tree to your area—it may end up being subject to removal and could spread the disease to trees situated nearby....
Japanese black pine is best planted in the spring as a container-grown or balled-and-burlap plant. It has a moderately fast growth rate, sometimes as much as 2 to 3 feet per year. Be aware that mature trees may become susceptible to fungal diseases as they approach maturity at 20 years or so. Until then, though, this is an excellent, easy-to-grow landscape tree with a unique appearance. Light Japanese black pine should get at least six hours of direct sunlight daily....
Mountain cornflower likes to be planted in the spring, though starts may take a full year or two to establish themselves. Once mature, this plant colonizes nicely and can live for 15 years or more. Do note, however, that mountain cornflower can be invasive when not cared for properly and kept in check. Because of its drought tolerance, mountain cornflower makes a good addition to rock gardens. It’s also a good choice for a butterfly or pollinator garden....
