Home and Garden Spring 2016

Home and Garden Spring 2016 Edition

INSIDE Photo by Moses Leos III

• Keeping away pet stink • Purify the air with plants • 10 helpful tips around the home and garden • Give your plants a boost, au naturale • Making a difference with solar power • Light up your living space

Published by the Hays Free Press and News-Dispatch

Tips for keeping away the pet stink

Lavender oil

Lavender oil can be applied to your pet and his/her surroundings a few different ways. You can mix some of the oil with water in a mister to spray on your dog’s coat and bedding. You can also mix it with corn starch or baby powder to make a safe deodorizing powder.

Baby wipes

Baby wipes come in handy for a quick wipe-down, especially when wiping off muddy paws. The wipes contain gentle cleansers, conditioners and deodorizers. Just don’t wipe too close around the eyes.

Clean bedding

Be sure to clean your dog’s surroundings as well as your dog.

If your pet has a dirty bed, it will smell like its bed again in no time.

And don’t forget to clean your dogs collar, too. The collar will continue to harbor bacteria and smells, so just give it a rub in some soapy water and dry before putting it back on.

W

ith the dog days of summer just around the corner, it can be quite the challenge keeping your home and pets smelling spring-fresh.

There are a variety of factors that contribute to Fido’s funk and they become more prevalent in the summer months when dogs begin to sweat more.

Many smells from your dog can be associated with dry skin, bacteria and fungus. Sometimes it’s just something nasty your pet decided to roll in.

While bathing your dog may be the obvious answer, one should not bathe their pet more than once a month, so

Clean ears

as to not dry out your pet’s skin and rid them of their natural oils.

So, given that you gave your dog one bath in the last month or so, here are some ideas for keeping them smelling fresh.

Dogs can have smelly ears if not cleaned every once in a while.

This can be done by putting a few drops of mineral oil in each ear, folding the flap of the ear down and very gently rubbing the

ear, letting the oil drip down into the ear canal. As soon as you let go of the ear, your dog will shake out the excess oil. You can then wipe up the excess oil and gunk with a cotton ball. Mineral oil won’t eradicate mites, however, so if your dog shakes his head excessively or scratches at his ears a lot – and you notice a smell – there could be mites or possibly and infection or fungus, in which case you should consult your veterinarian and get a prescribed medication for your dog’s individual problem.

Brush coat regularly This is just a good idea and most dogs love it.

Fruits and Veggies

Fruits and vegetables chopped up in your dogs food can help your dog’s breath.

Skunk Solution

Sometimes it’s hard to keep your dog from chasing those big black cats with a white stripe down their backs. Yes, we know them as skunks, but unfortunately most dogs learn the hard way what they are. If your dog gets sprayed, a concoction of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and dish liquid can be applied to your animal’s coat; soak for ten minutes; and rinse.

Summer safety tips for dogs I

f your dog spends time in the yard, make sure there is plenty of fresh water and shade. A kiddie pool is inexpensive and serves as drinking water and a place to cool off. Change the water frequently so mosquitos do not start breeding.

When walking your dog, please remember the ground radiates heat, especially on pavement and this affects the dog more than us, especially short dogs. The pavement is also very hot on the pads of their feet. Bring water along for your dog. Keep your dog cool by misting him gently with a squirt bottle.

Periodically stop in the shade and give your dog a rest.

Water activates are fun for everybody.

Remember, not all dogs are created equal.

Spring 2016 ◆ page 2

When going to the river keep in mind the physical condition and age of your dog.

Not all dogs have webbed feet for swimming, and when on a boat all dogs should have a life vest. In case of emergency the shore can be a long swim for a dog and they do panic with deathly results.

Never leave your dog in a car. It is fun to take your dog with you for a drive.

Most dogs love a car ride. If you do find yourself in a position where you have to run into the store, keep the car running with the A/C on. Even though it may seem like you’re running in the store for a quick errand, temperatures in a car can easily reach in to the 120’s and higher after mere minutes. Dogs overheat quickly in a car even if the windows are cracked open. It is against

the law to leave your dog in a locked car. Please be responsible.

Signs of heat stroke Excessive panting, excessive drooling and thick saliva, frantic breathing, tongue and gums are bright red, vomiting, staggering, confusion and collapse. If your dog exhibits any of these signs, cool them down with water immediately, use a water hose, wet towels or place them in the bathtub.

Get them into the air conditioning either in your house or your car. Take your dog to the Veterinarian immediately. It is a matter of life and death.

Information courtesy of WAG Rescue

Clear the air and beautify the home I

n 1989, NASA did a clean air study that focused on houseplants to see which plants filtered out the most allergens out of a room. The information was intended to see plants would perform best in space stations. Below is a list of the 10 best plants for filtering the air, according to NASA.

Peace Lilly

Evergreen plant. Easy to care for. Requires low light. Also makes a good groundcover outside in shady areas. Most effiicient in filtering the air. Mildly toxic to humans and pets.

Chrysanthemum

Perennial plant. Various colors of blooms.

Does best in direct sunlight. Poisonous to animals.

Devil’s Ivy or Golden Pothos

Evergreen vines, commonly found in hanging baskets. Easy to care for. Best kept near a window without direct sunlight. Toxic to humans and pets.

Red-Edged Dracaena

Upright evergreen. Easy to care for. Keep in area with indirect sunlight and keep the soil slightly moist. Can be toxic to animals when ingested.

Snake Plant or Mother-in-Law’s Tongue Evergreen perennial. Can endure low light for long periods of time even though it

prefers plenty of bright light. Water lightly, but regularly. Can be toxic to animals when ingested.

Lady Palm

Perennial fan palm reaching a maximum height of six feet. Tolerant of low light, a lot of water and a wide range of temperatures.

Provide good drainage to avoid root rot.

Flamingo Lily

Evergreen plant with colorful red flowers. Not as easy to maintain as other plants. Requires a lot of indirect light and humidity above 50 percent. A humidifier in the home will help keep this plant alive. Poisonous to humans and animals.

English Ivy

An evergreen climbing plant. It’s known to reduce mold in the home as well as filtering the air. Likes consistent temperature, direct sunlight and lots of water in soil that drains well.

Gerbera Jamesonii or Barberton Daisy

A flowering plant that likes direct sunlight and lots of water in soil that drains well. Tolerates a wide range of temperatures.

Ficus or Weeping Fig

A house plant that kind of looks like a tree, the ficus is relatively low maintenance. Likes a lot of indirect sunlight. Direct sunlight will burn the leaves. Water frequently, allowing the soil to completely dry, before watering again.

Likes humidity above 50 percent. This plant is poisonous to animals.

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10 helpful tips around the home and garden Soap your nails

If you like to get your hands dirty in the garden, but would like to have clean nails the rest of the time, try rubbing a bar of soap under your fingernails. The soap will create a barrier keeping the dirt out and when you’re done gardening, just wash the soap away using water and a soft brush.

Away with aphids

If you notice aphids on your plants, you can simply rinse the plants with water or insecticidal soap and water, or you can take a really direct approach and wrap tape around your hand and dab the underside of the leaves where the aphids like to live.

Clean your pots

Drying herbs

One of the best way to dry your herbs is to wrap them in newspaper and put them in the front seat of your car. They will dry in no time in the Texas heat.

When you use your pots over and over they can get calcium buildup. To make your pots look new again soak or scrub them with a solution of equal parts vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and water.

Citrus planter

Cut your citrus in half and use the half-sphereshaped peels to start seeds for your herbs or garden plants. When the small plants mature, you can plant them in the garden inside the peel. Just leave a little hole in the bottom of the peel so water can drain.

Coffee or tea

Fighting fungus

A little chamomile tea can kill fungus that may be growing on or near your plants. Just pour a little on the affected area.

Certain plants enjoy some coffee and tea as much as you do. Use your coffee grounds and used tea leaves to spread on acid-loving plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons, blueberries, strawberries and heathers.

Measuring up

Try marking your rake or hoe with a tape measure, so instead of keeping a tape measure handy for measuring stuff in your yard, you can use your garden

tool for quick reference, like when spacing your plants in the garden.

Soup for your veggies

If and when you boil your vegetables on the stove, use the leftover water, once it is cooled, to poor on your vegetable garden. The water will be rich in nutrients and give your plants a boost.

Wine not?

Use a wine bottle to create a gradual water feeder for your potted plants.

Just fill the bottle with water and push the bottle in the soil near the base of your plant and voilá. Your potted plant should be good for several days without any watering.

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Give your plants a boost, au naturale

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Since 1957, Garden-Ville has been making natural garden products, and according to Wendy Bradley, spokesperson for the company, “Garden-Ville feels a personal responsibility to make a difference in our communities and our environment. Our ‘closed loop’ process diverts green waste, brush and tree trimmings from all over Texas and repurposes it to make quality mulches, soils and composts.”

The company collects food waste from local schools and businesses and incorporates it in to their compost and soil blends to make natural products rich in organic matter that’s effective in the garden and good for the environment.

Garden-Ville also specializes in natural soil amendments, organic pest and disease solutions, bulk and bagged soils, plants, trees, tools, landscape supplies and everything else you need to keep your lawn and garden green.

There are seven Garden-Ville locations across Central Texas.

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• The Nitro Gem granular fertilizer provides a rich blend of nutrients for your landscape while promoting lush green growth. It’s a slow-release fertilizer that will feed throughout the growing season. The ideal time to apply is before a rainfall.

• The above products will help get your late plantings established quickly before the heat of the summer and keep them strong and resilient during the most challenging time of the year.

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Spring 2016 ◆ page 5

The power to make a difference

by Moses Leos III

T

hrough the use of a source that’s “proven”, Eric Hoffman, owner of a local solar panel installation business, said the technology gives residents an option that really works.

“It’s outlasted wind power and hydroelectricity,” Eric Hoffman said. “It’s proven itself because it’s a small scale renewable energy for the residential market.”

According to Eric Hoffman, the use of solar panels is a “tried and true way” for homeowners to produce energy.

He said a solar panel system could also take a “big chunk” out of a homeowner’s electricity bill, depending on the size and type of their installation.

Hoffman said solar panel installations can run anywhere from $20,000 to upward of $60,000 and more.

How solar panels work, according to Hoffman by taking energy output from the sun and collecting the energy in a silicone wafer. The wafer, when exposed to light, causes a current to flow through it.

Hoffman said the current produced by solar panels, direct current (DC), goes through an inverter, which transfers it to alternating current (AC), which is the energy current delivered to U.S. homes by electric companies.

But the current produced by solar panels, which is measured at 1,000 watts per meter squared, isn’t enough for an entire home.

“Solar production follows the sun’s exposure,” he said.

“It’s not a fully reliable current.”

To offset that issue, solar panel companies either tie solar panel systems to an existing power grid, or install large battery storage units to collect enough electricity for use.

A grid-tied system uses col-

Spring 2016 ◆ page 6

lected solar power first before tapping into a utility system grid.

Due to a slightly higher voltage created by the inverter, any excess flow would go back into the utility system’s grid, and in turn, to neighbors.

He said off-grid systems are common in rural areas, where residents are miles from a nearest power poles.

Hoffman said his company works grid-tied, which works in tandem with a utility company’s grid, and off-grid, which features large battery storage tanks for continuous use.

While the cost of a system is initially steep, Hoffman said there is a return on investment, but that it’s “years down the line.”

Hoffman said most solar panel units have a 25-year warranty.

“You’re paying up front for energy instead of buying it from utility companies,” Hoffman said. “Solar panels have a return on investment that’s proven by offsetting energy costs. You have a power plant on your roof.”

Hays County currently does not have a rebate program for solar panel installation. A 30 percent federal tax credit is available through the federal government for solar panel installations.

In 2015, Pedernales Electric Cooperative, which is the electric utility provider for almost all of Hays County, implemented a “System Interconnection” service. It was done to take advantage of solar panel, wind energy and turbine technology.

The service, according to PEC’s website, uses net metering, which routes power through a meter which measures PEC electricity a customer receives. The meter then subtracts the amount of electricity exported by the sustainable equipment.

Prices for solar panels, Hoffman said, is “reliably stable” and hasn’t moved much. With the streamlining technology, he said it could help consumers make the investment.

“On a global scale, as energy storage comes along, people can have de-centralized power for their house,” he said. “It’s great for the country to be self-sustainable and reliant.”

For the city of Buda, the use of solar panels is expected soon to power its new Parks Maintenance Building.

With the implementation of a $20,000 system, the city estimates saving roughly $1,000 in electricity costs per year.

While the return on investment will take time, Ruge said it was a “great idea.”

“Not only that, but it lessens our carbon footprint,” Ruge said.

The city is also exploring options of installing solar panels in their new city hall and police department facility.

Ruge said the city could in the future encourage residential developments to consider sustainable options such as solar panels and xeriscaping.

According to Ruge, residents would be more inclined to consider installing solar panels as the technology becomes more cost effective.

“With any technology, the older the technology is, the cheaper it becomes,” Ruge said.

“You’re paying up front for energy instead of buying it from utility companies. Solar panels have a return on investment that’s proven by offsetting energy costs. You have a power plant on your roof.”

–Eric Hoffman, local solar dealer

Light up your outside living space I

n addition to saving money on your home energy bill, homeowners can use solar technology to add a little pizzazz to the outside of the home.

There are three basic types of outdoor solar lighting to choose from, which are accent lights, path lights and spotlights or task lights.

Accent lights are great for adding a little color to your landscaping and for marking hazard areas and

such. These lights will put off the least amount of light, but will have the longest charge.

Path lights are just what they sound like. Usually mounted on a plastic or metal stake, the path lights emit a little more light than the accent light. Most solar lights are made with LEDs and typically put off a white light, if not shaded by a color filter. Look for path lights that say amber or soft white if you

want a warmer light.

The third type of outdoor solar lighting is spotlights or task lights.

Some lights that are marketed as task lights illuminate as bright as some 40 watt incandescent bulbs, which isn’t as bright as some of your typical lightbulbs around the house, but may be enough to do the job.

When placing the lights in your yard, it’s good to have them located

where they receive at least eight hours of sun a day if you want them to last all night. Accent lights may last several nights on one day’s charge. But if you’re not getting enough light output at night, you can group the lights together for more illumination. Or if you can’t get enough light to your solar cells, you might consider having a professional install a solar panel on your or somewhere up high where.

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