Whether trees are being planted for reforestation, ornament, shade, or fruit, the first step is selecting the species to be grown. The choice depends on such factors as the characteristics of the soil, the location of the site, and drainage. For example, sycamore and cottonwood trees will not grow on dry exposed slopes or ridges, or in fields with a thin topsoil over a heavy compact subsoil. Walnut trees will not grow in swampy places, and jack pines grow especially well on loose sandy soils with good drainage. A good rule of thumb is to plant native trees–trees that have demonstrated their ability to thrive in the local environment without harming other local species. The hole for a seedling should be deep enough to hold the fully expanded root system of the seedling. Larger plants should be placed in a hole 60 cm (2 ft) deep with a diameter 60 cm greater than that of the ball of the roots. In poor soil the hole should be 1.8 m (6 ft) wide and 60 cm deep for a 2.5-m (8-ft) tree, and proportionately wider for taller trees. After the tree is placed in the hole, the soil should be firmly pressed around the roots, and the ground should be thoroughly soaked with water. Mixing bone meal or well-rotted manure into the soil will help the tree become established quickly. Most deciduous trees should be planted in the fall when they are not growing, but evergreens are usually planted in the spring, at the beginning or middle of their period of vigorous growth. Watering Trees After planting, the soil around a tree should be kept moist, but not soaked. If artificial watering is not practical, a layer of mulch 7 to 15 cm (3 to 6 in) deep should be placed around the tree to conserve moisture and to discourage the growth of weeds. Because a transplanted tree does not adequately absorb water through its damaged roots, it is important to prevent water loss from the plant by pruning top limbs to limit transpiration. Fertilizing Trees In good soils it is less important to fertilize than in poor soils. However, all trees grow better and faster and are less likely to become diseased if fertilizer is supplied in the proper amounts. This may be done most easily by placing a large handful of fertilizer in holes made by a crowbar at the edge of the spread of the tree’s limbs. The holes should be about 60 cm (2 ft) deep and about 5 cm (2 in) in diameter, and they should be spaced about 90 cm (3 ft) apart. After the fertilizer has been introduced, the holes should be filled in with soil. Organic fertilizers such as manure and mulch are preferable to chemicals that may replace or destroy natural organisms in the soil. Pruning Trees Pruning of ornamental trees maintains the form of the tree, removes weak or sickly branches, and rejuvenates old or unhealthy plants. If performed during a period of vigorous growth, pruning often also results in an increased production of flowers. In pruning, cuts are made just above the buds that point in the direction branches are desired. When large branches are removed, the cut should be made close to the trunk, and then covered for a time. Always be careful when pruning trees. More information about Tree Care right here

Hot Water Demand Systems & Tankless Water Heaters – Great Home Improvement Products!

If you are looking for home improvement products, here is a great combination. Tankless hot water is energy efficient but it wastes water. Adding a hot water demand system will make your tankless unit water efficient as well. It will make turn your plumbing system into a green hot water system. Tankless water heaters are more energy efficient than standard tank type water heaters because they don’t have the standby losses of a big tank of hot water. By eliminating the standby losses associated with storage water heaters they can save about 20 percent of the energy consumed for heating water when compared with storage heaters. However, the tankless units also take longer to deliver hot water to your fixtures. For the water to be heated to full temperature it must pass completely through the heat exchanger all the way from the inlet to the outlet. The water in the center of the heat exchanger doesn’t ever reach full temperature before it exits the heater. Thus tankless waters take longer to get hot water to the fixture. A lot more water is being run down the drain while you are waiting. Tankless water heaters really need a hot water demand system to address this problem. Hot water demand systems typically consist of a pump located at the furthest sink from the water heater and connected to the hot and cold water lines. When hot water is “demanded” at the fixture you activate the system. The demand system speeds the water from the water heater to the fixture at high velocity and shuts off when the hot water reaches the pump. The cold hot water in the hot water pipes left over from the last use gets sent to the water heater inlet through the cold water pipes. Instant hot water when you turn on the hot water faucet, and no water was wastefully run down the drain. Traditional hot water recirculation systems with their low powered pumps won’t produce enough water flow in the pipes to turn on a tankless heater. Most tankless water heaters won’t work with traditional circulating systems and can void the warranty of the tankless heaters. Hot water demand systems are different. Since demand systems are activated only when hot water is used they do not cause the tankless heater to cycle on and off over and over as is the case with traditional recirculation pumps. Demand systems do not affect the warranties for the tankless units. Not all demand systems are created equal and there are models that don’t have enough power to turn on a tankless water heater. Be sure to find a pump that has the power to you need to send at least the ½ to ¾ gallons per minute normally required to turn on the heater. Longer pipe runs require more horsepower from the pump to produce the required flow, so take that into account as well. Add a hot water demand system to your water heater and you will conserve energy, water, and money. At the same time you are turning your plumbing system green, and you will be reducing your carbon footprint. You will feel good every time you use hot water.

If you’re looking to get into this business as cheaply and as quickly as possible, you might have already started looking at the various listings on eBay aimed at people like yourself. A simple search for “t-shirt printing machine” or “t-shirt printing business” on eBay will bring up a lot of listings for what appears to be a “business in a box”, usually offering a package of equipment & consumables along with promises of instant riches! While many of these packages are very good, many of the sellers are making too many wild claims or pretending that making a living in this business is easier than it really is. In this article I’m going to show you what to look out for, so that you can avoid these dodgy deals and pick out the kinds of eBay packages that really can help you get started in this lucrative business.

First of all, it’s important to mention that the quality of the equipment in these packages is usually less than adequate for commercial use. I’m talking about the heat presses made in China and the cheap & nasty vinyl cutters that you find in cheap “business in a box” packages. It’s fine if you’re a hobbyist making t-shirts at home for fun, but if you start getting orders for larger quantities of printed t-shirts (with short deadlines) then you need equipment you can rely on.

While you may want to keep your costs down when you’re starting out, cheap vinyl cutters are notoriously slow and prone to misalignment (messing up your designs). When the heat is on and your customers are putting pressure on you to complete a job, your reputation is at stake if you’re relying on poor quality equipment. I should also point out that I’ve had problems with cheap Chinese heat presses having cold spots on the heat platen. Prints seem okay at first but because the glue underneath the vinyl hasn’t heated up properly, it soon begins to peel away from the fabric, sometimes even before washing. I had a nightmare with this myself and it affected the reputation of my business – I’ll never know the full extent of the damage because it’s a fact that many customers don’t complain, instead they just never come back (but they do tell their friends and family about the bad experience they had!). As soon as the first customer came back to my shop with print coming off their t-shirt, I replaced my machine for a top quality professional model. It was expensive, but definitely worth every penny.

Beware of eBay listings with titles like “Start your own sublimation printing business”. These packages tend to contain stock that people simply don’t buy. For example plates, mugs, caps etc. There is very little demand for these products compared to t-shirts and hoodies. Plus there is a huge limitation with sublimation printing – you can only print onto light coloured garments. Black is the biggest selling t-shirt colour. If you can’t print onto the most popular t-shirt colour, your business will be severely limited.

A vinyl printing setup is much better, and you can often find listings featuring all the equipment you need to get up and running. There are many advantages to vinyl printing, the main one being that you can customize a t-shirt in minutes at very low cost. The equipment you need is as follows:

Computer (which you probably already have).
Software (usually comes with vinyl cutter)
Vinyl cutter
Heat Press
Vinyl
T-Shirts
Creating custom printed t-shirts is so easy with this equipment. It’s simply a matter of quickly designing something on the software, cutting the design into vinyl using a vinyl cutter, and then applying the vinyl to the t-shirt using the heat press. Not only is it simple, it’s also a popular IN-DEMAND product – all kinds of people love to get t-shirts printed, for all kinds of purposes. Whether it’s a local business looking to promote their products or services, sports teams, or even just your friends and family, the market is huge and there is serious money to be made.

More Information on this website