Sneeze-Free Gardening: Tips for Gardening With Summer Allergies

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In addition to my suggestions below, it is recommended that you see your personal physician regarding other preventative measures and/or medications you can take to make your gardening experience more enjoyable.

In selecting the plants for your garden, lean toward lightly-scented, bird-and-insect pollinated plants versus wind-pollinated plants and use only low-allergy plants in your garden. Bulbs are very good for allergy sufferers.

For a lawn, choose low pollen producing grass that does not need to be mowed often. Keep grass short so it doesn’t seed and since most lawn grasses release their pollen from around 3:00 am to 8:00 am, it is not a good idea to mow the lawn in the morning.

The days when the pollen count is at its lowest are the best days to garden. For example, on cool, rainy or damp days when airborne pollen is low, or early morning while there is still dew on the ground. Chilly and wet is good weather for us, unless you are particularly allergic to mold. On windy days it is best to stay indoors. This is the worst time outdoors for an allergy sufferer as this is when there is the most pollen in the air.

When out gardening wear long sleeves, a breathable hat, goggles (or sun glasses) and gloves. Take frequent breaks to wash your face and hands.

Before gardening in an area next to grass, wet the grass down first with a hose to keep allergens from rising into the air. After gardening wash all clothes and hair and be sure to wash your hair before bed so you don’t get pollen on your pillow. Also, wear the same gardening clothes each time you garden and throw them in the washing machine after use.

Avoid standing under flowering trees and also try to avoid cut grass. When the lawn is being cut, close all windows and use air purifiers. In addition, avoid shady areas on the south side of the house if you have a mold allergy.

If, like me, you bring some plants in to winter indoors at the end of the season, be sure to wash the pollen off of them immediately before bringing them in. Then see if you can leave the mulching to someone else, but if you do use mulch, consider avoiding the mold from bark mulches and use an inorganic source such as rock, pea gravel or crushed mulch and low maintenance ground covers to help control weeds which are wind pollinated plants that produce a lot of powdery,easily inhaled pollen that can trigger a response.

For information about plants rated for allergies and general information about gardening with allergies, visit http://www.allergyfree-gardening.com. Here is to your most sneeze free gardening season yet!

A History of Teak – How Teak Patio Furniture Became the Standard of Luxury

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We all know that teak patio furniture has become the pinnacle of those who want to live the high life on their decks all summer long. But what many have forgotten is how this miracle wood became the standard for those who want to live the good life. Teak is known for resisting the elements, and the natural beauty it retains for years to come because of oils that the wood retains. But how did it get converted from a nice tree to look at, to becoming the best choice for your outdoor furniture?

Teak patio furniture is made of (naturally) teak wood. The trees that produce this wood (also known by the same name, strangely enough) can be found growing indigenously throughout Southeast Asia. The weather, combined with continuous rainfall, makes for the perfect place to grow the wood that will eventually become deck chairs and tables. There are three kinds of the tree that grow in this region – two of them are considered endangered, due to their rarity. The materials that will someday be harvested to sit on your patio is known as “Common Teak,” and is the most popular (as well as the fastest growing) tree in the region.

Before people even considered building teak patio furniture, the wood was considered quite useful for hundreds of other uses. Teak is very malleable, yet retains natural strength. The first settlers in Southeast Asia used the wood to make tools and build shelter. And with the Common Teak trees able to grow over 200 feet high, cutting down one teak tree would give a high yield for their efforts.

While these settlers may have built simple teak furniture, the jump from the hut to the patio was not immediate. As early man became more advanced, they used teak to build more elaborate homes, and explore the world around them. The wood was a popular choice for shipbuilders, as boats made of this material could withstand the saltwater the best. Teak ships would last longer, and would hold up better in travels – making teak a natural choice for faring the seas.

As time moved on, and a demanding public cried out for luxury and style (now that necessities were being taken care of), teak outdoor furniture became more and more in style. And as the world became transformed into industrialized nations, people found themselves with more leisure time. And with the trials and tests that years of seafaring and history provided, it was a natural choice to recycle old wood into new furniture. Using teak for outdoor furniture became popular in the late 1800’s, as British traders from then colonial India would recycle old boat decks and turn them into outdoor furniture. From here, the benefits of using teak spread like wildfire. By the turn of the century, it was a sign of luxury and wealth to have teak outdoor furniture sitting on your patios and decks.

Today, teak is not just used for outdoor furniture. While using it for patio furnishings is the most popular use, teak has a versatile function, from flooring to construction material. And because of its rarity in the world (only being grown in Southeast Asia), the wood comes with a high cost as well. Considering the benefits and the tests history have thrown teak, it remains a quality investment for the cost. And as technology continues to grow, who knows where teak and its uses will go next.

Large Board Floor – Installation

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First of all you are required to examine the floor perfectly in order to get an idea about how much flooring is required. At times it is hard for you to examine and take measurements of the floor, so some stores send their own representative for this purpose.

For the installation of a large board floor you require few instruments like a saw to cut quickly and for board ripping. Moreover you also require a saber saw to slash the floor vents. Some other instruments that you may need are the hammer and measuring tape etc. Purchasing the spacers is also suggested in order to maintain the boards at perfect space from the sides to permit extension. In case the flooring is not level then you need to make it even or set an underlayment prior to laying the fresh board flooring.

Utilize a diverse length of wooden pieces to begin each new row so that the end closures do not match. You just have to create a small distinction of 1 or 2 inch as that will be sufficient for providing a little variation in order to complete the job neatly. In this way you wooden flooring will look good as well. When you completed the 2nd row, the installation process will become easier as your pace will increase. You would require tearing off the last row to alter its width as the rooms do not have accurate width. Always make sure that you do not harm the flooring when utilizing different instruments for its set up. Attempt to set a good number of boards in the area prior to utilizing the hammer and other instruments as in this way you can set the final row properly. Moreover you need to give a lot of attention and be focused when cutting complicated areas.

Electricity As Fuel

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Using electricity to run your car in the same way you do your hair dryer or your television seems odd at first, until you realize just how practical a solution to our energy crisis it can be. For one thing, it only costs around 2 cents per mile to drive an electric car. These vehicles are almost completely noiseless, produce no tailpipe emissions, and can be recharged during the night at a time when power plants are under-utilized. While there are some emissions created at the production level of electricity, the entire amount is still less than ten percent of that which is produced by a normal petroleum-based combustion engine.

It is true that battery technology has a long way to go to be able to compete with the performance of the gasoline powered engines, but to be fair there hasn’t been a whole lot of time, money or energy into developing this technology. As demand for these cars grows, manufacturers will be on a competitive course to bring the consistently public better technology.

At this point, purely electric cars still have a limited range of around 100 miles before their battery requires recharging. These vehicles rarely go at high speeds, and they are extremely compact. However, if the majority of your driving is around town, these vehicles can be an excellent option. They are clean, small, and easy to maintain. Families wishing to purchase a second car would do well to consider one of the latest models in electric cars to supplement their driving needs.

Another option is the hybrid petrol/electric cars that are gaining in popularity. The Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight are two popular hybrids that have an enormous following in the U.S. now and a great reputation not only for fuel efficiency, but for performance as well. A hybrid vehicle combines a traditional petrol combustion engine with a rechargeable battery to drastically increase fuel efficiency, reduce emissions, and drive further and faster than would be possible with just an electric motor alone.

The biggest environmental challenge to electricity as a fuel source is that the majority of our electricity is still being created using non-renewable resources, such as coal. As more and more people begin to analyze the changes that have to occur in our society as a result of our energy crisis, we will see amazing new developments in technology, manufacturing, and energy production.