Gitgal
Yes you can. I have mine screwed together and drag them all over the yard and they do fine.
Yardening mid March 2015
yehudith---
Really! SO--How do you rate these "Pocket Hoses"--in your opinion?
The 1st version was total c-p. So many people were returning them.
The second version, which is still the one on shelves, seemed to fare a bit better.
I hope this 3rd version, with the all brass fittings, does the best.
Many Sr. citizens with small gardens buy these. They are lightweight and easy to use.
We will see.....we will see.....G.
We have lots of bats flying around our neighborhood at night, but some neighbors still bring in the Mosquito Squad. I can't see how those services work, anyway, because mosquitoes will fly in from untreated yards. Even if they eventually die, they can get a few bites in first.
About hoses: Sally and SSG, I think this is the Water Right hose closest to the size of the Clear Flow hose that Sally found. It's not that much more expensive. http://www.amazon.com/Water-Right-PSH3-100-MG-Polyurethane-Lightweight/dp/B00OFZF9KW/ref=sr_1_21?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1427153998&sr=1-21&keywords=water+right+garden+hose
I got very frustrated with "Never Kink" hoses; they always kinked when I used them, and they didn't last very long. I replaced them with Goodyear rubber hoses, which fall between the above 2 options, price-wise. I've been very happy with them.
Yikes, that one on amazon is really expensive! The factory second one their website is much cheaper.
Happy has a neighbor who uses a mosquito spray company. They were commenting on how many fireflies Happy had in her yard. Well, that's because she's not killing them off!
What really gets me is customers that want to buy a spray for spiders.
We ALL have spiders in out homes. Here and there---tiny ones hiding in corners.
They are harmless--yet people freak out and want to kill them all...
I guess spiders, of any kind, have a negative impact on people.
I guess if I saw a Tarantula in my house--I would freak out too.
Would I know a Killer spider on sight--I do not think so...I know we have some
in this area. In fear--I would, probably, get a can of spray to kill them.
G.
In Loudoun County they have a Lyme Disease Commission, and for a second year in a row now they have opted for public education on avoiding ticks rather than spraying the county parks as was done in the past. Progress is being made in at least some quarters.
That's good, Greenthumb. In addition to its other downsides, the spraying probably gave people a false sense of security anyway.
Gita, you made me curious, so I did some research on dangerous spiders in our area. According to Virginia Tech, "The only dangerous spiders we have in Virginia are the brown recluse spider and the black widow spider. The brown recluse is not common. The black widow is common, but reports of it biting people are infrequent."
Black Widow: http://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/444/444-422/444-422.html
and http://www.spiders.us/species/latrodectus-mactans/
Brown Recluse: http://www.spiders.us/species/loxosceles-reclusa/
You have to scroll to the bottom of the last two links in order to see photos of the spiders.
These spiders are more likely to be outside than in houses.
This message was edited Mar 23, 2015 10:27 PM
When I've been working in the yard, I've come across two black widow spiders, I just moved over and let them be.
David, that is great news. Did you happen to hear about the connection between invasive Japanese barberry and Lyme, (I wrote about it).
Black widows are VERY common in my yard! They like to be close to the ground. They seem to like hot spots, like under or in something black- empty plastic pot for example. They have a distinctly strong messy web. Because they are so toxic, we destroy them when we find them. We had one in the house once.
There are so many bugs around all the time that we never "see." Lightning bugs are a good example. "Suddenly" there are dozens all over the yard.
Catbird, you're kinder than I am!
Gitgal
I love my pocket hoses. They are so lovely and light and easy to use. I had one burst a couple years ago but HD replaced it with no problems. I've also had better more expensive ones burst or what ever so I'm not going to point fingers. Aside from being so light in weight they're really easy to store 'cause they squish up to nothing. I've hooked several together and can reach the whole front and side yards without ripping my back and shoulders out with the weight even when there's water in them. Yes I do love my pocket hoses. I do, I do, I do!
Oh as to the question about the chicken poop fertilizer, its called Chicken Doo Doo. Apt name, don't you think? The first year I used it (should have known better since we had chickens growing up) I mixed it with compost then dug it into planting holes. I watered well, thank G-d, and can you believe the ground was hot (not warm the touch, HOT) and steam was coming up. Point is becareful oh and don't let it sit around and get wet. Your garage will smell just like a dung heap. Other than that its great and its cheap and its helping to use a very sustainable resource that in some areas of the country is overwhelming the environment.
Black widow spiders are very common in our yard too. I routinely encounter them when working with black landscape pots stored outside. I usually just shake the pot and fling them across the yard. The only time I have purposely dispatched them was when I went to install a black pond shell I had stored upside-down. When I turned it over it had some eight of those gals inside. I do have my limits.
Mostly I don't mind spiders, but we do spray the crawlspace under the house for pretty much any bug. We had what I think are Wolf Spiders they are huge. I'm sitting here and see this thing scurrying down the hallway and I think "is that a mouse" nope it's a huge spider and when I found on in my bed (waterbed on the floor) one night that was the beginning of Ric getting under the house and spraying for bugs.
Yeah Holly, finding a spider that large in bed is unacceptable. We have a service spray around the house on a regular basis. The also put out mole/vole bait so those little jerks don't eat my tulips and other roots.
Speaking of little jerks, a fourth rabbit found it's way into my trap last night. I'm elated that many have been caught so far this spring.
Some years back I lived in a log cabin. I shared the residence with a couple of wolf spiders the size of the palm of my hand. They would sit in one place on the wall all day waiting for prey. I considered them "pets" along with the flying squirrels that lived in the attic.
Oh my GT, now I know you're crazy! You just confirmed it. I wouldn't be able to sleep with those giant spiders. That's super creepy. Every time I hear about those things, I'm glad I live in suburbia and the larges ones are the size of half dollars.
The wolf spiders are fascinating. The mothers have the babies on their back, and I've seen them with just tons of them, moving around and giving her quite an appearance with all the motion going on. Not a fan of having them in the house, though. David had a pet bat when he was growing up, and also did not mention that the cabin was shared with flying squirrels who lived in the walls.
Will have to go look for your barberry article, Sally.
:0========
You are right GreenThumb, they are large enough to be pets, LOL
I see them all the time in the yard still, but like the snakes I see out there I really don't want them in the house.
Wolf spiders in suburbia will grow large too if allowed to live long enough. The cabin I lived in had sat vacant for several years before my arrival, hence well established fauna.
On the subject of ticks and Lyme disease:
New literature notes that many suburban yards are NOT tick habitats - a la the University of Rhode Island Tick Encounter Resource Center, which states: "In most situations, treatment is NOT needed on open or sunny LAWNS"
New research is indicating that tick ecology is more complex than originally believed, and that preserving a rich array of wildlife may be one key to reducing the spread of tick-borne diseases.
One example is a study in the July 2012 Proceedings of the National
Academy of Science, which found "that increases in Lyme disease are frequently uncorrelated with deer abundance and instead coincide with a decline of a key small-mammal predator,
the red fox." Another example is research described at http://www.caryinstitute.org/newsroom/biodiversity-impacts-lyme-disease, indicating that animals that are the greater sources of Lyme disease tend to dominate when biodiversity declines - and that, therefore, the greater the diversity of animal species, the less chance Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases will spread to people.
Muddy--thanks for all the pictures---it will help me if I ever see one...
I think I have seen a Wolf Spider--down by my front door (outside)
It was huge! I think I knew it was a Wolf Spider,,,,,it quickly crawled
in/under something.
Are Wolf Spiders harmful? Do they bite? G.
They can give a painful bite "if carelessly handled" but it is not poisonous to humans, so don't handle them carelessly Gita.
Thanks, David---Ihave NO intention to handle any spider....:o
I recall that mice play a key role in the transmission of Lyme disease, so that must be where the red foxes come in.
Edited to add Sally's article, which is very informative. There should be copies of it by Japanese Barberry displays in garden centers ; - ) http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/4976/
So Barberry is bad because mice can escape from foxes by dashing under it, and the crowded conditions lead to more Lyme disease in mice.
"Blacklegged (deer) ticks do not get infected with Lyme disease, babesiosis, or granulocytic anaplasmosis by feeding on deer. Instead, white-footed mice, other small rodents, and some birds carry the infections and pass them to ticks that blood feed on them." http://www.tickencounter.org/faq/deer_and_rodents
This message was edited Mar 24, 2015 9:54 PM
well, not. by far, the first time that rodents and their parasites cause big problems with human disease, eh?
Got another rabbit! I'm up to 5 now :)
Rabbits ate my new blue berry bushes this winter, them Rascally Rabbits.
Can't help but be terribly disappointed when critters eat something we've worked on or paid for!
Yes, hence the trapping. I can't believe the damage they've done this winter. Unprotected blue berry shrubs are a delicacy to rabbits for sure. I'm happy to decimate the population in my immediate area. It doesn't last long though, maybe a season.
We passed along Sally's article to the Loudoun Wildllife Conservancy member who will be at the Lyme Commission meeting later this week. Great article.
It sure is disappointing when our garden plants get destroyed by hungry critters.
No wonder you had so much rabbit damage, Sequoia.
Yeah my only hope is that all the rabbit droppings give a jolt to the soil and the pyracantha hedge has a banner year.
I have a small weed burner and like it, just need to do it more regularly. Don't try to actually burn up the weeds; a little heat damage should do the trick... leaves will look a little shiny. Some weeds are stubborn and need a second pass. And it's really only good for the patio & similar areas, not near "good" plants... also, I'm a little leary of starting a fire by using it out in the garden.
Had a lot of rabbit or groundhog damage here also to newly planted bushes this winter... pretty sure the rose of sharon will bounce back at least! (I pulled & potted lots of volunteers and planted a dozen along the back line of the property.)
Interesting note on the weed burner Jill. I keep forgetting to look at the weeds I burned on Sunday.
My ROS has been caged for the last couple years. I wanted to give some of the volunteers a chance to get bigger. I'll probably take it down this year though.
I think Holly meant to say "Wascally Wabbit".LOL
I plan to make cages for over the blueberries, so we get more than the birds. I guess I'll have to use them over winter too, to keep the rabbits from them. Our rabbits do little damage, usually, but when the ground is snow covered for long periods they will much out on any tender shoots.
Lol...yeah wascally wabbits! Too bad their aren't more natural predators to rabbits in our suburban landscape. Maybe I'll get a pet owl and he can keep watch over the yard at night. Although hearing a rabbit squeal when as it gets eaten is a terrible thing to hear.
At one time we had so many foxes in the area, you were most likely to see a fox before a rabbit. I'm guessing the population exceeded the food supply and they moved on, or since there was a large out break of Parvo in the area it is a the possibility that something like that did them in. When populations area too dense disease and famine are not uncommon.
Yeah, nature's equalizer: disease.
I see far more foxes than rabbits. I'd say I see a rabbit every 3 years and a fox every few months. Go foxes!!