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The short answer is that organic gardening means not using synthetic products, including pesticides and fertilizers. Ideally, organic gardening replenishes the resources as it makes use of them. This can be like feeding depleted soil with composted plants or planting legumes to add nitrogen to an area that had been planted with a heavy feeder. The bigger picture involves working in cooperation with nature, viewing your garden as a small part of all the natural system....

Choosing the best lights for your hydro system can be daunting. There are many options on the market. Factors should include your system size and what type of plants you are growing. Some types may be better than others, or more efficient. Outside, a vegetable garden requires around eight hours of direct sun per day. Artificial lighting for a hydroponic garden should imitate direct and indirect sunlight requirements. Allow for at least 14 to 16 hours of artificial light, followed by 10 to 12 hours of darkness every day for annuals....

Let’s take a look at the important components of making a carpet great for stairs. Durability Stairs are the highest-traffic area of any home. Therefore, it is crucial that the carpet covering them be durable enough to stand up to the heavy traffic and still look good. This means that if you are carpeting your bedrooms, hall, and stairs, the carpet that is suitable for your bedrooms may not be appropriate for your stairs....

To prevent germs from spreading and reduce the need for deep cleaning, Angela Brown, the founder and CEO of Savvy Cleaner, suggests wiping down your laptop, monitor, and keyboard every night after using it. “This simple process [of cleaning a keyboard] takes less than two minutes to do daily and will keep a workstation clean and welcoming and keep the germs at bay,” Brown says. We researched dozens of keyboard cleaner options, evaluating them on ease of use, compatibility, safety, and value....

Surprisingly, one of the main fears people hold about metal roofs is without merit: Metal roofs do not attract lightning. Metal Roofs and Lighting The misconception that metal roofs attract lightning is probably because metal itself is known as a good conductor of electricity, and people, therefore, assume that a metal roof must attract lightning. In reality, when lightning strikes, it is seeking a path to ground and almost always will strike whatever object is highest in the area that also has a direct path to ground....

Know What Type of Mover You Need to Hire Before you start searching for a good mover, make sure you understand what type of move you’ll be making. The type of move will determine the type of moving company you should hire. You can start by understanding the difference between an interstate and intrastate move along with knowing just how far you’ll be moving—all of which will limit the type of mover you’ll need....

Because I love filling my spaces with photos, I’m always on the hunt for great frames. Though, oddly, frames can be really pricey for not having any photos in them. So, I was determined to score one that only looked expensive—and I found a great brass option from none other than Target. As you can see, I have the frame styled atop my bookshelf, which complements the rest of my neutral decor pieces perfectly....

A home movie room is not a sofa and a screen in a room. If you want to do this right, you’ll want to meet some bare minimums, like controlling outside light and casting a large enough picture. Follow these tips for creating a movie room in your home. When the home movie room shares space with other activities, the cinematic experience is lessened. When the non-dedicated home theater shares open floor plan space with the kitchen, cooking sounds and smells invade....

Deal With Thatch Thatch is a naturally occurring layer of primarily dead grass the lies on top of the soil of your lawn. It is made up of undecomposed stems, stolons, rhizomes, and roots. If the thatch layer gets to be more than about 1/2 inch thick, it can be unhealthy for your grass and should be removed through a process called dethatching. If your lawn’s thatch buildup is right around 1/2 inch, you have a minor lawn thatch problem that is fairly easy to deal with....

Placing Bird Feeders for Birds The most important factors to consider when choosing where to hang bird feeders are those that affect how the birds will see and use the feeder. If birds do not find the placement comfortable, safe, or convenient, they will not use the feeder as frequently. When placing feeders in your yard, keep these considerations in mind: Natural Feeding: The best place to put a feeder will simulate a bird’s natural feeding preferences....

Typical Projects With a Caulk Gun Any material that comes in a correctly sized tube can be used in caulk guns—caulk, adhesive, epoxy, silicone, and even cementitious materials. Caulk guns are typically used in projects for dispensing: Caulk around windows and doors Silicone sealant in bathrooms, around tubs and showers Viscuous sealants such as epoxies for concrete Construction adhesive for supplementary attachment of drywall to studs Caulk in cracks and other areas that permit airflow to the interior Landscape adhesive for attaching caps to retaining wall blocks Exterior-grade caulk around outdoor lights, outlets, and other points of penetration in the siding Paintable caulk along the tops of baseboards Caulk in cracks to help soundproof a room...

While it is usually not a problem outdoors, all members of the nightshade family, including tomatoes, contain substances in the green plant parts (i.e., the leaves, stems, and roots) that are toxic to people and pets, so care should be taken not to allow cats, dogs, or curious children to nibble on the plants. Can You Grow Tomatoes Indoors? Tomatoes are not a common indoor plant, but they can be grown there if you take care to provide conditions that are very similar to an outdoor summer garden....

USDA Growing Zones: 2 to 11, depending on cultivarSize: Depends on cultivarExposure: Full sun The western redbud can also attract hummingbirds. USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 9Size: 20 to 30 feet tall and 25 to 35 feet wideExposure: Full sun-part shade USDA Growing Zones: Varies by species, mostly in the warmer zones, with some as low as Zone 7.Size: Varies by speciesExposure: Full sun Other species of Crataegus trees also attract hummingbirds....

How Important Is Face Weight? Face weight has become the main selling feature for a lot of carpet retailers. This is unfortunate and somewhat misleading since it leads consumers to believe that face weight is the most important criteria for determining the quality of a carpet. It is a common understanding that a higher face weight means a more durable carpet. As you will soon learn, however, this is not always the case....

Even though interior trim doesn’t cover much space compared to walls or ceilings, it’s a small thing that calls big attention to itself. Since trim is normally at least somewhat decorative, stands out from the wall surface, and stretches all the way around the room, it adds more impact than you might expect. Additionally, trim serves to protect the lower portion of the wall from scrapes and scratches, as well as conceal the junction of wall and floor, window, or door....

At the same time, there are inherent properties of real wood flooring that no manufacturing process can fully mimic. Vinyl Wood Flooring Defined Hardwood is a natural material that is produced when trees are harvested from forested areas. Vinyl is a man-made material, manufactured from petroleum. Vinyl wood flooring refers to vinyl that has been printed with the colors and markings found in natural hardwood. Recent advances in printing technology now allow vinyl products to simulate the look of a variety of wood species accurately....

Shaving down the edge of a door that sticks in its frame Planing down crown molding, door trim, window trim, or baseboards that do not fit Slicing off an edge of a solid wood or engineered wood floorboard to make it fit Shaving down the edges of sticky cabinet doors or drawers Safety Considerations The blade on a hand plane is literally razor-sharp. While the blade is secured within the tool and is generally out of harm’s way, be careful whenever changing the blade....