It’s difficult to find someone to prune several kinds of fruit trees. In fruit-producing areas, such skilled workers are easier to find.
Home and Garden
Ask the Handyman: I’ve heard a lot about the dangers of carbon monoxide in the home. Would I be smart to install a carbon monoxide alarm?
I have a garden that I want to let my tortoise roam in. What plants do they like and which ones are bad for them?
There are many choices in wood flooring, including laminated, real wood and engineered products.
Older streaks are from the accumulation of suber, or corky tissue. These “rashes” also may happen when a cactus is damaged by disease.
Compost and peat moss are added to soils for similar reasons, but the addition of compost provides a lot more nutrients to the soil.
I was asked by several people about my reaction to the recent change in the USDA’s plant hardiness zone map.
It’s a good idea to change the weatherstripping when you see daylight or, in my case, when you smell something foul.
With the valley’s housing developments, landscape soil can undergo a wide variety of changes that might not relate to the original soil at all.
Many people complain about the annoying “chirp” indicating a weak battery, but knowing the detector is completely broken is enough to keep anyone awake at night.
A gardener writes that his raised garden bed just hasn’t been as productive the past five years. What’s the solution?
Gutters will catch the rainfall and divert it. I prefer vinyl gutters because they are durable and assemble by snapping the pieces together.
I have been growing fruit trees here since 1996. Watching them grow and produce fruit and maintaining them can be very rewarding.
I suggest that you attempt this repair yourself only if the pipes are PVC. If your house isn’t too old, you probably have PVC or a plastic pipe.
A reader asks if he should plant persimmon, Persian mulberry, walnut or pecan. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses.
