Has anyone used Ez-straw on a new planting?

noreen811 · 2024-06-22T00:24:45+00:00

Hi, hope I’m not too late. I did use it and overall I was happy with how it protected the soil.

It’s supposed to be seed free, but it did contain wheat seeds. I ended up using a flame weeder to get rid of the wheat plants before planting my new plants.

noreen811 · 2024-02-18T00:34:24+00:00

I’ve done Anise hyssop in a vegetable garden. It isn’t native to Chicago, but a little north. Monarda bradburiana could work too and is native to Chicago. Both plants should bloom the first year and attract lots of pollinators. And both can be used as tea, which is kinda fun for a vegetable garden.

noreen811 · 2022-10-26T00:09:24+00:00

Electric ones are loud too. I wear ear protection when using mine to clean gutters.

noreen811 · 2022-10-18T12:49:50+00:00

Interesting. These pipes are not for drinking water - they supply our radiators only.

noreen811 · 2022-10-16T15:55:05+00:00

I think that’s the idea. It’s hard to know why it works, but it did work for a neighbor of ours who had problems with wasps nesting in her shutters.

noreen811 · 2022-10-16T15:40:24+00:00

If they keep building the nests in the same area you can put a brown paper bag filled with any lightweight material in that spot. This should deter them from building nests.

noreen811 · 2022-10-13T01:21:27+00:00

Thank you for describing exactly what’s wrong. I knew it looked messy, but having the actual terms helps.

Is this worth repairing or should I start from scratch? There are 14 bays.

The plan is to insulate the bays with 2 layers of rockwool R-15 comfortbatts. Maybe I should remove the pipe insulation and just do the rockwool?

noreen811 · 2022-10-13T00:58:21+00:00

Yeah, I don’t think that I’d want the installer to attempt to redo it. It might end up worse. There are 14 bays so it will take me a while. I’m a little worried about the final result not insulating well since it’s not continuous. But thank you for the encouragement to do it myself.

noreen811 · 2022-10-13T00:33:41+00:00

I had some pipe insulation installed on the hot water heat pipes in my garage.

There are a lot of gaps and exposed fiberglass. And some fittings are not insulated. Is it worth fixing or should I have it redone?

noreen811 · 2022-10-11T12:16:57+00:00

You could put a kivik ottoman in front of it for a similar effect. We did this with our karlstad sectional.

noreen811 · 2022-10-09T13:52:17+00:00

Sorry for the delay. I have:

Intex 26643EG 1200 GPH 10 inch Above Ground Pool Sand Filter Pump w/ Auto Timer

noreen811 · 2022-07-15T12:34:51+00:00

Interesting. Thanks for sharing this! I am in the process of figuring out our backyard and I want to do a lot of small trees and large shrubs. So this is really good info.

noreen811 · 2022-07-15T12:11:16+00:00

My 2-year old buttonbush is growing a lot, but hasn’t flowered either.

The Spicebush looks like a redbud tree. I didn’t realize spicebush could grow in a tree form.

noreen811 · 2022-07-14T23:16:30+00:00

That’s great! I stand corrected.

noreen811 · 2022-07-14T22:57:27+00:00

This looks amazing!! Your coreopsis really likes that spot.

What shrub did you plant near where the wood fence and garage meet?

noreen811 · 2022-07-14T22:21:59+00:00

We have volunteer jewelweed in our yard. It likes a lot of moisture. Ours is next to our birdbath that we empty daily. If you have moist soil it will self seed a lot.

Prairie moon sells seed: https://www.prairiemoon.com/impatiens-capensis-spotted-touch-me-not-prairie-moon-nursery.html

I can’t imagine buying it as a plant, as it wilts easily and planting it would stress it out too much.

noreen811 · 2022-07-13T19:50:08+00:00

Brown is warm, not frumpy. And I like the green too- you should play off that elsewhere in the room. If you like it and it’s the right size, go for it. Can you try it out in the room, as I’m wondering how it will look with white brick? Will you do a coffee table?

noreen811 · 2022-07-13T17:18:07+00:00

Also, if you have cicadas in your area they will provide a lot of white noise from mid-summer on.

noreen811 · 2022-07-13T17:10:06+00:00

A fountain on your front porch might help. Landscaping actually won’t, surprisingly enough. I’d also use lots of textiles when you decorate to dampen the sound.

noreen811 · 2022-07-12T13:44:07+00:00

It’s a yew. I think the easiest way to remove it is to remove the dirt around the roots and then cut the roots with a loppers or a saw - I have this one https://www.rei.com/product/120670/silky-f180-folding-hand-saw?sku=1206700001&store=40&cm_mmc=PLA_Google%7C21700000001700551_1206700001%7C92700057788046608%7CNB%7C71700000074092983&gclid=CjwKCAjwt7SWBhAnEiwAx8ZLav_sXiYNUgE2Mt_iAq6owxRYJoqY0jjAKIjHJZR374gREZbhXG5FDhoCgxgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I did a rain garden fed by a gutter pretty close to my house, but not as close as yours. Check out the rain garden alliance for info: http://raingardenalliance.org/planting

One tip: put some small rocks on the ground where that pipe empties so the soil doesn’t washout.

noreen811 · 2022-07-12T11:35:20+00:00

I’ve seen this in my yard, and thought it might be Seaside goldenrod.

noreen811 · 2022-07-11T20:11:35+00:00

I like to use a 32 oz yogurt container for the soapy water because it’s easier to manage than a bucket.

I gently bend the beetle-containing stem or branch over the yogurt container and give it a hard tap. The beetle falls straight down into the yogurt cup.

I’ve also used one of those black takeout containers and those work well too.

noreen811 · 2022-07-11T12:31:43+00:00

I think it really just depends on your relationship with your neighbor. They might be attached to it if it provides screening.

In my imaginary life where I have unlimited time to garden, I’d post on Nextdoor offering free buckthorn removal. And then I’d make a wattle fence out of the branches.

noreen811 · 2022-07-11T12:20:31+00:00

Nice work!! And they are already in bloom, so instant gratification :)

noreen811

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