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Big tree roots penetrate the ground for extended distances, sending out smaller feeder roots that have the ability to sense potential sources of nutrients. Sewer and septic lines give an ongoing and constant source of nutrients and water. When feeder roots detect this source through small cracks or drain holes, the lines may get clogged by development of new roots taking advantage of this food resource. Copper sulfate, sold in the form of blue crystals, which can kill the roots that clog lines without undermining the whole tree.

Treating Septic Lines

After the leak in septic lines becomes slow due to tree roots starting to grow in number, it is possible to care for the backed-up lines with copper sulfate. The roots will absorb the copper, but it is going to only spread a short distance to the main system. The localized copper toxicity will likely destroy the offending roots that then break down over the length of several weeks or days. To deal with septic systems, add copper sulfate to the distribution box in which the lateral lines connect. However, if there is not any access to this box from above, you can add two pounds of copper sulfate to a 300 gallon septic tank by flushing down the toilet, 1/2 cup at a time.

Treating Sewer Lines

Some nations, like California, don’t allow copper compounds for sewer root control since copper is not adequately eliminated in waste water treatment plants. Copper sulfate also corrodes the thin metals used in the plumbing of sinks and bathtubs. If tree roots are an issue in sewer lines, utilize physical removal of origins by a plumber, and root barriers. For serious recurring problems, consider removal of the trees.

Tree Root Growth

Tree roots grow the most during the fall and early winter when the above-ground region of the tree starts to go dormant. If roots are the cause of your plumbing problems, fall and early winter is when you should pay more focus on leak rates. Copper sulfate works best when you treat the problem early so the time it takes for the dead roots to decay and reopen the lines is as short as possible.

Permanent Septic Solutions

You may add small quantities of copper sulfate many times a year to prevent roots from discontinuing up septic lines so long as a single septic tank does not receive more than 4 pounds a year. However, feeder roots will continue to find the mineral supply if you don’t find a permanent solution. After removing the stoppage using copper sulfate, permanently block the origins using a barrier placed in the ground, like commercially available copper sulfate-soaked cloths.

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Hummingbirds feed mainly on nectar from flowering plants and are particularly drawn to species using tubular flowers that bloom in shades of red, orange or purple. To attract hummingbirds from March through May, plant a blend of vines, annuals and perennials using nectar-rich blooms. Flowering shrubs and trees can also provide nectar, along with cover and nesting sites. To create the ideal habitat, provide a continuous water supply as well.

Trees and Shrubs

Forsythia (Forsythia x intermedia), hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 through 9, attributes tubular yellow flowers on long arching branches. Depending on the variety, it flowers from early to mid-spring. Hummingbirds will also sip nectar from the yellow-green flowers of tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), hardy in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 9. Another spring bloomer that attracts hummingbirds is western azalea (Rhododendron occidentalis), hardy in USDA plant hardiness zones 7 through 9 or even 10. It has white blooms and blooms in May.

Vines

In May, early flowering anemone clematis (Clematis montana) bloom, attracting hummingbirds using a large number of pink or white flowers. Anemone clematis is hardy in USDA plant hardiness zones 6 through 9. Another spring flowering vine is scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus), that can climb 12 to 15 feet, and features big, red blooms. It is a hummingbird favorite, usually grown as an annual and hardy through USDA zone 10.

Perennials

Hummingbird favorites for March through May contain bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis, also known as Dicentra spectabilis), hardy in USDA zones 3 through 9. Bleeding center, with pendant blooms in white or red, features fern-like foliage and can grow in part sun or shade. Columbines, for instance, frequent columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris), hardy in USDA zones 3 through 8, and also the buff columbine (Aquilegia flabellata), hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9, feature spurred blooms in a range of colors. The dark green dissected foliage remains attractive after the blooms have faded.

Annuals

Petunias (Petunia), using their vibrant, trumpet-shaped flowers are annuals that bloom from April or May until frost and bring hummingbirds. The low-growing plants are hardy in USDA zones 10 through 11. Technically a perennial, hardy in USDA zones 3 through 9, sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) is often grown as an annual and blooms in May. Its bright flowers in shades of white, pink, red and purple offer nectar to hummingbirds.

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Three species of wild strawberries are indigenous to the United States, for instance, common strawberry (Fragaria virginiana), the hillside strawberry (F. vesca) and the sand strawberry (F. chiloensis). Those strawberries plus many hybrid cultivars of domestic strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa) grow on compressed stems known as shingles that send out aboveground stolons or runners which develop roots to form new plants. Domestic cultivars of strawberries can be grown in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 10.

Common Wild Strawberry

The common wild strawberry (F. Virginiana) is a cool season perennial plant which forms colonies in moist soil the edges of woodlands and savannas. It goes dormant after posture one-half to three-quarter-inch-long berries in the summer. The strawberries bear tiny seeds on sunken pits on their surface. Its leaves develop on hairy, dull red stems plus it sends out dull crimson runners or stolons as many as 2 feet long. Roots growing from such runners turn into new plants.

Hillside Wild Strawberry

The hillside wild strawberry (F. vesca) rises 4 to 8 inches tall and yields an edible strawberry about one-half inch, somewhat smaller than the common wild strawberry. It bears blossoms and strawberries simultaneously in the summertime. Unlike the common wild strawberry, its seeds develop directly on the surface of their strawberries, not in small seams. The Hillside strawberry is usually grown as an ornamental due to the small size of its fruit.

Sand Wild Strawberry

The main distinctions between the sand strawberry (F. chiloensis), also called the coast or beach strawberry, and other wild strawberry species is its habitat as well as the size of its strawberries. It sorts lush mats 6 to 12 inches high on sandy beaches and coastal dunes and bluffs from California to Alaska. Though its growing habits are very similar to F. Virginiana and F. vesca, its strawberry is larger. It may withstand light foot traffic and is sometimes grown as a decorative replacement for yards.

Domestic Strawberries

The national strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) is a cross involving the common wild strawberry as well as the sand strawberry and yields larger fruits. The many hybrid cultivars vary greatly in the size and shape of the strawberries. The three main varieties of domestic strawberries are June bearers, everbearers and day-neutrals. June bearers yield one harvest in June and July. Everbearers produce one harvest from June through early July and another in the autumn. Day-neutrals yield strawberries throughout the spring and summer growing season except during extremely hot weather. June bearers typically yield the most strawberries. Everbearers and day-neutrals yield smaller strawberries and fewer of these. June bearers produce more runners than everbearers or day-neutrals. All varieties will remain productive for three to four years.

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Corn (Zea mays) grows nicely in a Mediterranean climate. It germinates best in soil temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Gardeners should have success planting corn at U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones 9 and warmer everywhere between April and July. In cooler climates, give corn plenty of time to ripen before the first frost of the fall by planting when soil temperatures reach 60 degrees during April or May. Planting corn at a grid uses a limited quantity of garden space efficiently. The easiest way to have a grid-shaped corn crop is to plant the corn in rows and then thin the seedlings to form a grid.

Till the soil or mix it with a gardening fork to a depth of 12 to 15 inches.

Mix 2 to 4 inches of compost or aged manure into the soil with the tiller or gardening fork. Instead, apply a balanced fertilizer to the soil, including a 5-5-5 ratio fertilizer. Use enough to get the corn to get 30 to 50 pounds of nitrogen per acre.

Plant the corn seeds 1 to 2 inches deep in rows spaced at least 2 feet apart. Sow the seeds about 6 inches apart in the rows. If you would like to develop just as much corn as you can in the specified garden space, plant the corn in double rows spaced 8 to 10 inches apart. Space each group of double rows 24 to 36 inches apart.

Water the corn with at least 1 inch of water per week.

Thin the corn into a grid contour once the plants have three or four leaves and achieve heights of around 5 or 4 inches. Reduce the corn so that the plants have a minimum of 8 inches in between each other, ideally giving them 12 to 16 inches of distance.

Side dress that the corn with a high-nitrogen fertilizer once the plants reach 12 inches tall, or should they turn yellowish or show other signs of nitrogen deficiency. Fish emulsion produces a fantastic natural high-nitrogen fertilizer. Apply about 50 lbs per acre by sprinkling it along the surface of the soil next to the rows of corn. Instead, apply 10 to 15 lbs of nitrogen per week through a drip irrigation system.

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Blackberries (Rubus spp.) , which grow best in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 10, are usually propagated through cuttings or division. This technique provides an specific replica of the berry bush. It is possible to develop blackberry shrubs by planting seeds, however, the seedlings change in features. The ideal time to plant young blackberry seedlings outside is in September, but the germination process starts six months before.

Harvest the blackberry fruit. Use fresh berries to gather the seeds, not dried fruit. The germination rate drops once the seeds dry out. Place the fruit in a blender, then pulsing on low until the seeds and fruit independent. Highlight the berries from the juice, and select the seeds from the pulp with tweezers.

Examine every one of the seeds for scratches or nicks. Scratch any pore without damage with a sharp knife. Scarification helps break the powerful seed dormancy surrounding the embryo.

Put the blackberry seeds in a resealable plastic bag along with a handful of moist peat moss. Seal the bag, and put in a refrigerator with temperatures around 33 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the seeds cooled for 12 to 16 weeks.

Fill seed trays with seed starter dirt, and distribute the blackberry seeds on top of the ground. Lightly cover the seeds with soil, and set in a warm location. Blackberry seed germination does not want bright light because the seeds are covered with dirt. Mist the dirt with water in a spray bottle when the soil starts to dry out. Once seedlings start to sprout, move the tray to a room with bright light.

Remove the weeds from a planting area in full to partial sun. Pick a place with good drainage. Spread a 3- to 6-inch-layer of well-rotted compost over the planting area. Dig the organic material to the ground with a shovel. Utilize the compost to the top 8 inches of dirt. This provides that the blackberry plants a great source of slow-release nutrients. Smooth the ground with a rake.

Dig holes with a hand trowel only as deep and wide as the seedlings’ root balls. Space out the holes 4 to 6 feet apart. Put the seedlings in the holes, and fill with dirt. Gently firm the soil around the brambles so that they stand up. Space the rows 10 feet apart.

Water the ground around the foundation of the blackberry plants until it’s slightly muddy. Give the peel plants 1 inch of water each week if there’s no rain during the summer. Spread two to three inches of organic mulch around the base of their new shrubs. Mulching benefits blackberry bushes by reducing weed growth, slowing soil moisture evaporation and providing slow-release nutrients. Keep the mulch layer thick throughout the life of the blackberry bushes.

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