FAQ
How Do I Get Rid Of Unwanted Foliage?
I Have An Area In My Backyard That Is Kind Of Like A Mini Pine Tree Forest And, Instead Of Fighting The Pines, I'Ve Decided To Put Pine Straw Under The Trees. My Concern Is The Little Plants That Grow Up Through The Pine Straw. I Stay In A Very Rocky Area So I'M Not Too Concerned About Grass Sprouting Up But I Do Want To Get Rid Of Those Little Plants? I Heard That If You Salt The Ground, Nothing Will Grow There For Months But I Really Want A More Permanent Solution And I'M Concerned About Hurting The Pine Trees. Any Suggestions?
Hey Cabsmommy,
Landscape cloth will work for about 3 months, then the weeds will begin to put their roots through the cloth and be more difficult to pull. Clemson Master Gardner's courses recommended that we not use that.
Salt is a bad answer - it will also hurt the pines, since it is on top of the roots of the pines. So, if you can build up 4 inches of mulch, bark chips or some other mulch, that will be the best. You have to weed this area occasionally, or you can spray a Selective herbicide. You spray it on the leaves of the weeds, and do not over spray. The weeds die down to the roots, and the herbicide becomes ineffective when it hits the soil - perfect solution.
Where Do Pine Needles Tend To Fall Off Of Douglas Fur Or Spruce Trees?
I'll pass over the fact that fir or spruce trees are going to shed fir or spruce needles, not pine needles. The needles always fall off when they get to a carpeted area where they're hard to clean up, that is, the ones that didn't already make it into the carpet in your car. I thought everybody knew that.
More Rabbit Questions?
I Asked A Few Questions About A Rabbit Hutch And Stuff A Few Days Ago. Our Rabbit Is An Outdoor Rabbit (But He Might Come In For The Winter). I'M Building A New Hutch Tomorrow And Wanted To Attach A Run So He Can Run Around And Stuff. For A Medium Sized Rabbit How Large Of A Run Do You Suggest? I Was Thinking Of A Frame Made Out Of 2X4s With Chicken Wire And Probably Also Some Leftover Stock Fencing To Keep Him In And To Keep Things Out. The Hutch Will Be Placed At The End And Enclosed By The Run With A Ramp Going Up Inside. How Big Should I Make The Run? Any Other Ideas On How I Should Build It? Also, What Should I Look For On The Label When Choosing A Food? What Kind Of Supplementals Should I Give Him Like Veggies And Hay? Is Alfalfa Bad For Rabbits, Is Timothy Hay Okay? For The Hutch I'M Adding An Enclosed Space Where He Can Get Away From The Wind. Other Than The Door, It Will Be Sealed And He'Ll Be Protected From Rain And Wind. The Hutch Will Be Covered On The Sides And The Back As Well. What Kind Of Pet-Safe Bedding Can I Add In The Little &Quot;Den&Quot; I Want To Add To The Hutch? Should I Use Pine Bedding Or Should I Give Him A Blanket? Will He Destroy A Blanket?
if he's not going to get 4-5h a day outside of his hutch/run, then it's recommended he have 60+ square feet of space to run around in. it can be smaller if he gets supervised free-run time each day. depending on what your weather is like/where the run is placed, you might consider solid roofing (if you get snow, if it rains a lot, if you get hot weather and the run would be in sunlight, etc.) so that he can always get his exercise even when the weather's not great. if you get a lot of wind in the winter, you might even consider making two sides solid as well to block off some of the wind. I know he's got the hutch to hide from the elements, but some rabbits will stand out in their run anyway instead of taking shelter.
someone found this video and passed it along on the bunny forum I frequent - it looks like a pretty sweet set-up for outdoor bunnies - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXKe5tuw4...
with food, you want low protein (14% or less) and high fiber (mid-20s% or higher) with nothing in it but plain pellets. the best food (by far) that I've found is sherwood forest rabbit food - it's all natural and doesn't have any added sugars or molasses, which all other foods seem to. https://www.naturalrabbitfood.com/rabbit... (you can get a sample for just the cost of shipping)
my bunnies didn't like it at first (who could blame 'em for not preferring the "junk food" type pellets) but after about a month of picking at it they were diving right in like they did with their old pellets.
if you switch brands, be sure to make the transition gradually over the course of a week or two.
not sure how old your bunny is...
< 12 weeks - no veggies; just pellets and hay. at 12 weeks you can start introducing veggies one at a time... start with small quantities and wait a few days between each veggie to make sure nothing disagrees with your bunny.
< 7 mos - alfalfa hay is best
> 7 mos - gradually transition from alfalfa to timothy or other grass hays (orchard grass, coastal, bermuda, meadow, oat, etc.)
the reason alfalfa's only for babies is because it has higher protein and calcium than grass hays (alfalfa's actually a legume hay) and that can cause health issues in bunnies who are no longer growing.
pine bedding is a big no-no with bunnies; it can cause serious health problems (source: http://www.rabbit.org/care/shavings.html ). as far as blankets go, fleece is by far the safest as the fibers are very short and won't cause an obstruction if he accidentally ingests a little bit because he decides to rip it up. it's also pretty resistant to destructive bunnies. in the winter, you can also provide extra hay (or straw) for bedding in addition to the stuff for munching.
if you have more rabbit questions, I highly recommend http://rabbitsonline.net/ - it's a great forum; very active with lots of helpful members!
What Do I Do With My Azaleas?
So I Purchased A Pot Of Azaleas But I Have No Clue How To Take Care Of Them Nor Do I Know How To Care For Flowers In General ): I Want To Keep These Beautiful Cuties In Good Condition But I Lack The Skills To. Anyone Have Any Tips On How To Keep These Beauties Healthy? Are They An Indoor Or Outdoor Plant Because I Have Them Inside For The Time Being? How Much Water, Etc?
Generally azaleas are plants for a dappled shade situation though there are some sun tolerant varieties. Some of the old fashioned ones do well in the full sun. Climate has quite a bearing on this too. Areas with mild summers allow for growing in sunnier locations. However, moisture is imperative as is an acid soil. (certainly not alkaline). They often do well under conifers and deciduous trees and love a mulch to protect the very fine, surface feeding roots from drying out.
Where I live in Melbourne, Australia, they do very well outside but from what I understand some varieties do not like extremely cold climates with severe frosts. Likewise, intensely hot climates also may pose a problem especially with the formation of fungal infection and drying out. In hot climates avoid planting near concrete paths or brick fences which absorb and then radiate intense heat. This can kill the plant.
I plant them out with a mixture of old cow manure and peat-moss and mulch with anything from pine needles to old compost. The addition of plenty of well composted organic matter to the soil before planting is beneficial. They have a shallow root system so deep soil preparation is not essential. Drainage is required as soggy roots will rot. Avoid using chicken manure as this will end up being detrimental.
When keeping them in tubs (as they keep well in tubs outdoors) use a potting mix specifically for azaleas and avoid using concrete pots as they often leach lime into the soil and can kill the azalea.(Though I believe a paint sealant is available to stop this from happening.)
Azaleas may be brought inside for a short period of time during flowering but are essentially an outdoor plant.
Watch out for Red spider mite that causes an unsightly sandblasted appearance on the leafs and may even kill young plants. Spray with a systemic spray if it appears.
Feed bushes after flowering. If the azalea stays in a tub then best to use a slow release fertilizer to avoid burning the sensitive root system. If in the ground then use an Azalea/Camelia fertilizer but use sparingly. I have made the mistake of over feeding resulting in a dead plant.
Pick of dead flowers as this keeps the plants looking neater and helps avoid the formation of fungus.
Azalea respond well to pruning and shaping as well as standardizing on a single trunk.
All to be done after flowering.
All the best!
Winterizing My Seabright Bantams!!!?
I Recently Purchased 15 Seabright Chicks To Be Delivered Tomarrow. Since My Purchase Ive Discovered They Are Not Cold Hearty. I Live In Oklahoma Where The Winter Temperatures Can Be Extreme. Other Than Building A Coop In House, How Can I Keep Them Warm Enough?
I live in Ohio, and I think our winters actually get worse than yours (two years ago we had -25 for a week at a time!) But I know lots of people who keep seabrights and they do just fine.
They do need to be kept inside a barn or coop, but you don't necessarily have to have a heated building. With 15 birds, they will huddle together for additional warmth when sleeping. What I do for my bantams is hang a 250 watt brood lamp over their nest boxes and another over their waterer. This keeps the sleeping area warm and the water from freezing. I will also run an oscillating heat fan, but if you are using any type of heater, make sure it is BARN SAFE (has an automatic shut off if tipped or overheated) and away from where your animals may brush against it and singe feathers.
You can also put their nest boxes up on a pallet to keep it from losing heat through a concrete floor or through the ground. We keep a heavy layer of pine shavings on the floor and extra straw or hay for nest bedding.
Our birds free range but won't set foot in the snow. Feather legged bantams tend to have snow collect on leg feathers and this can result in freezing and frostbite. To keep them from getting bored, I make sure they get a daily treat of scratch grains or scrambled eggs scattered on the floor. It gives them something to hunt for all day and gets some extra nutrition into them when they've been used to hunting bugs all summer long.
Our barn is poorly insulated and unheated (it's a 120-year old building original to the property here), and I've never lost a bird during the winter. On the contrary, my little silkies actually hatch chicks during the winter if I don't keep taking their eggs away. Big surprise when you go out to break ice in water buckets and have to stuff chicks into your coat pockets. Laundry rooms can convert to brood pens when needed!
Khubsoorat – Ashok Kumar | Rekha | Rakesh Roshan – Hindi Full Movie – (With Eng Subtitles)
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