West January

Protect Trees from Rodents, Sun Injury

Sunscald is an injury prevalent in the prairie sections of the country. It appears as dead sunken areas of bark on the trunks of trees particularly on the south and southwest sides. Exposed trunks of fruit trees, especially apple and pear, and some ornamental trees such as the mountain ash, suffer from this condition. Apparently the injury occurs in late winter. Day temperatures above the freezing point followed by below-freezing nights cause damage to the wood on the exposed side of the tree. Most damage occurs on the southwest side of the trunk.

One of the more popular ways to add to the attractiveness of your back yard is to provide a habitat that draws in your bird population. Birds are a delightful member of your “estate” adding not only a pleasing visual improvement, but the wonderful sounds that accompany many bird species.

But the story is incomplete unless we recognize that putting a birdhouse in the backyard also allows for flights of fancy as well. These are miniature houses, and generally the birds are indifferent to the exterior of the house, so it provides a great opportunity to add a twist that reflects the personality of the owner of the property.

Bird house making is really easy as long as you love what you are doing. It is also an effective way to make your house – as well as you – feel chirpy and bright in the morning. Believe it or not, nothing beats having birds outside your homes. The following are tips and advice to make the dream bird house that you always imagined you would have. Also included are the ways and methods of appropriately setting up the bird houses.

With the abounding beautiful basement pictures contained in magazines and home improvement websites, you’re likely to get inspired to remodel your very own basement. You want to make it look good and functional. Perhaps you dream that your friends would take pictures of it and send it to some of their friends too. So how do you make your finished basement idea come to life and beautiful?

Pre-Remodeling – Beautifying your basement requires preliminary stages. It all begins with your concept. You had it pictured in your mind right from the start. Assuming your basement is 50% complete, it should be the right time to lead this project into how you want your basement to really look like.