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Keep Your House in Tip-Top Shape: An Incredibly Handy Home Maintenance Checklist | The Art of Manliness
Keep Your House in Tip-Top Shape: An Incredibly Handy Home Maintenance Checklist
by Jeremy Anderberg on October 8, 2013 · 46 comments
When buying a home, most people probably first think of the financial responsibility. Don’t let yourself forget, however, about the time and labor that home ownership also requires. Just like regular oil changes for your car keep your engine happy and healthy, keeping up with regular home maintenance tasks will keep you from future headaches and wasted money.
It can be intimidating to think about these various tasks, especially if you’re a new homeowner. It’s a long list — there’s no denying that. The good news is that you can do the majority of it on your own without much experience. Google is your best friend, and if you really get stuck, call up your local handyman to help you out.
In order to maximize your efficiency and actually get all of these tasks done, you might want to create a home maintenance calendar for yourself. Whether online or on paper, you can jot down small, regular tasks for each weekend and not be too overwhelmed. We’ve listed tasks that need to be done monthly, quarterly, and biannually. We’ve also given you a list of tasks to be completed seasonally. Not every expert agrees as to which task needs to be done in which season, so this isn’t a black and white list, necessarily. Do what works for you and your schedule, and as long as all these things get accomplished, your home will be happy for years and years to come.
Monthly
- Inspect, and possibly change out HVAC filters. Many experts will say to change the filters monthly, but that’s not always necessary. For smaller families without pets or allergies, you’ll likely be okay changing the filters every 2-3 months. If the filter is dirty, change it out, otherwise inspect it again next month. I’ve also been told by handymen to go with cheaper filters and replace them more often versus going with the expensive filters.
- Clean kitchen sink disposal. There are a bunch of ways to do this, but the handiest and best all-around solution seems to be vinegar ice cubes. Put some vinegar in an ice tray and let it freeze, then run the ice cubes through the disposal. It freshens it, but as a bonus, ice sharpens the blades. You’re welcome.
- Clean range hood filters. If you’ve never thought of doing this, you’re in for a real “treat" when you get that filter off the hood to clean it for the first time. The Family Handyman suggests simply using a degreaser from an auto parts store mixed with hot water. Let the filter sit for a few minutes, rinse it off, and you’re good to go.
- Inspect your fire extinguisher(s). We’ll assume you have and know how to use an extinguisher. This inspection doesn’t require much: ensure it has easy access (not being blocked by a garbage can or anything else), that the gauge shows adequate pressure, and that it has no visible signs of wear and tear.
Quarterly
- Test smoke/carbon dioxide detectors. Another simple task; your detectors should have a “test" button. If the alarm sounds, you’re good to go. If not, replace batteries immediately and test again. If it still doesn’t sound, it’s possible there’s simply corrosion on the battery terminal, and it won’t detect new batteries. Clean it and try again. If it still doesn’t work, you’ll likely need a new detector.
- Test garage door auto-reverse feature. In 1993, federal law required all garage doors to have this feature after multiple child deaths. Test every month by placing a 2×4 on the ground where the door would close. It should reverse after a second or so when the door hits the wood. Also test the photo-electric sensors if you have them by placing something in front of them (not your body). If the door doesn’t immediately go back up, you have a problem.
- Run water and flush toilets in unused spaces. This mostly applies to guest bathrooms, or any other sinks/water sources you don’t use on a regular basis. The idea is to prevent grime or any other kind of build up. Regularly running a little bit of water through will prevent this.
- Check water softener, add salt if needed. You shouldn’t need to add salt every month, but better to check anyway, as it only takes about 5 seconds.
Biannually
- Test your water heater’s pressure relief valve. This will prevent mineral and corrosion buildup, which safeguards against leaks. It will also help your heater run more efficiently.
- Give your house a deep clean. Take one Saturday every six months with your whole family, and give the whole house a proper deep clean. Appliances, windows, dusting every nook and cranny (including the basement), etc. Keeping things clean and not letting dirt/grime/dust build up over years and years will help keep your home in tip-top shape.
- Replace batteries in smoke/carbon dioxide detectors. I’d never heard this before, actually. I just assumed you changed it out when it started giving you the low battery beeping noise. This tip was in everything we researched, however. With something as important as this, you can’t be too careful, and batteries won’t break your bank. Change ‘em out every six months.
- Vacuum your refrigerator coils. I actually learned this tip from a refrigerator repairman, and our research confirmed it. The fridge can use up to 15 percent of your home’s total power, so you want it running as efficiently as possible. Over time, the coils get dirty and your fridge requires more juice. You can save up to $100 a year by doing this, and it’s not at all a difficult task.
Annually (Organized by Season)
Spring
Spring is a big month for home maintenance. They don’t call it “Spring Cleaning" for nothing. Especially focus on the exterior of your home as it’s just gone through winter and is preparing for summer heat, and in some parts of the country, brutal humidity.
- Check the exterior drainage. Will rain water flow away from the house? Puddles should not stand around your home for more than 24 hours. If water stays, or moves toward your foundation, you have a few options. First, check your gutters. It could be a bad spout or a loose connection there; they may also just need cleaning. Second, you can grade the area around your home yourself with some dirt; this has worked just fine for me in the past. Third, for pavement, you can have professionals come out and raise it so it drains away from your home.
- Clean out gutters. They’ve likely accumulated leaves from the fall and grime/sediment from the winter snows and/or rains.
- Inspect the exterior of your home. Is any paint chipping? Is any siding damaged from winter? Are there any holes in your brick? Take a close look all around your house, and make any repairs as needed. Also be sure to check the foundation for any cracks. A good silicone/caulk can fix a lot of your problems.
- Get your air conditioning system ready for summer; consider having it serviced. This one really depends on your individual home, and even which part of the country you live in. Some places mostly just use window air units, while other places (like my home in Colorado) use a big swamp cooler up on the roof — these are fairly basic machines where a quick internet search can help you fix any issues that come up. Also refer to the user guides for specific regular maintenance. Central air is obviously a more complex system. Getting it serviced by a professional should be around $100 or less, and it will save money and headaches down the road.
- Repair/replace damaged window screens. You don’t want bugs making their way in because you missed a hole in a window screen. And no, duct tape doesn’t count. It can be a quick fix, but don’t leave it for long. It just looks bad.
- Clear dead plants/shrubs from the house. This could double as a gardening tip, but if you didn’t trim trees or shrubs in the fall, do so now. Plants can weasel their way into cracks and holes on the exterior of your home, causing damage and shortened longevity. Nip that in the bud before it’s an issue. If you have decorative vines on the exterior, pay close attention.
- Check trees for interference with electric lines. Have professionally trimmed if necessary.
- Inspect roofing for damage, leaks, etc. Repair as needed; you may need a professional.
Summer
Summer is a great time to focus on the exterior of your home, as well as your lawn and garden. It’s also perfect for having that garage door open and utilizing the prolonged daylight to work on any manly projects you’ve had on the backburner.
- Check grout in bathrooms, kitchen, etc.; repair as needed. This will prolong the life of your tiled surfaces and just looks better.
- Inspect plumbing for leaks, clean aerators on faucets. Go around to all your faucets and toilets and check for any small leaks. If you have poor water pressure out of a faucet, the aerator is the likely culprit and it’s an extremely easy fix.
- Take care of any insect problems you may have. Summer is their playground. You probably won’t have to look too hard to notice any insect problems. Ants, spiders, moths, etc. are all common, and fairly easy to take care of. Keep cobwebs clear, have ant poison handy, make sure all doors are tightly closed, etc. If termites are common in your area, this handy article gives some tips on how you can do some inspection and prevention yourself.
- Clean and repair deck/patio as needed. It generally just needs a good washing. A deck may also need re-staining. Also check for any loose boards or posts and repair as needed.
- Clean out window wells of debris. If you have a basement, you also have window wells. All kinds of things can get down in there from leaves, to trash, to animals.
- Check and clean dryer vent, other exhaust vents to exterior of home. While the dryer is running, check that the exhaust is coming out. It should smell nicely of fresh laundry. If there isn’t much exhaust, check for blockages as well as you can. You may need a professional. Also vacuum the lint from the hose at the dryer.
- Clean garage. Cleaning the garage should be a summer ritual for every man. Keeping it clean and tidy will extend its life, and it often gets neglected of regular care. With all the extra dust it gets from the manly projects you’re working on, you should actually clean it even more. Once a year, however, give a thorough going-through.
Fall
Fall is an in-between season where you’re finishing up your summer home maintenance tasks as well as getting your home ready for winter. Cold, snow, and rain can do a number to a home, so you don’t want to ignore winter preparation.
- Flush hot water heater and remove sediment. This prolongs the life of the heater and helps with efficiency as well.
- Winterize air conditioning systems. Remove and store window units. If you have central air, cover the outside unit with a tarp or plastic sheeting and secure with bungee cords.
- Get heating system ready for winter. Check for any leaks in windows or doors; these can cost an arm and a leg. Make sure heating vents are open and not blocked by furniture. Get furnace serviced/inspected at least every other year, preferably annually. As with the AC, this shouldn’t be a huge expense. Don’t forget about fireplaces if you have them.
- Turn off and flush outdoor water faucets. Also flush hoses and store them. Winterize sprinkler systems as well, if you have one.
- Get chimney cleaned, if you have one. Some folks say to do this in the spring, some say fall. Either way, just make sure it’s done once per year.
- Test sump pump. You don’t want to wait until you need your sump pump to find out it’s not working.
- Check driveway/pavement for cracks. Make sure to have re-sealed before winter; water can freeze and expand in the cracks, causing more damage.
- Buy winter gear. Have sidewalk salt, good shovels, etc. ready for winter. You never know when that first snow will come!
Winter
Winter is the time to go around the interior of your home and check for any little things you may have overlooked, or perhaps noticed and said, “I’ll get to that later." Winter is your later. If you have any interior honey-do projects, whether it be painting, building shelves, etc., now is a great time to tackle those as well.
- Regularly check for ice dams and icicles. De-icing cables that sit at the front of the roof work well. Don’t let icicles grow, as much as the kids may want you to. They’re not only a danger to people standing beneath them, but they’re incredibly heavy and can cause damage to your home. They also can cause water damage to your foundation when they melt.
- Test your electricity to the extent that you can. Always, always be extra careful when working with electricity. You can do a couple things on your own, though. Check that all outlets work; if they don’t, you can re-wire them on your own. Also, test your GFCI outlets. There are wildly varying opinions on how often to test this. Some say monthly, others say annually.
- Tighten any handles, knobs, racks, etc. Go through the house and inspect anything that could have a loose screw.
- Check all locks and deadbolts on your doors and windows. If anything doesn’t work right, replace.
- Check caulking around showers and bathtubs; repair as needed.
- Remove showerheads and clean sediment. This prolongs its life and helps with water pressure as well.
- Deep clean and inspect the basement. Basements are notoriously overlooked, especially if they’re primarily just storage areas. Dust ‘em up, clean any windows, make sure there isn’t mold anywhere, etc. Give your basement a good inspection at least once a year.
While this list is certainly extensive, it’s not a complete list of all the things you can do for your home. What do you do to keep your home in tip-top shape? Do you have any hacks for doing these tasks as efficiently and effectively as possible?
{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }
- 1NicOctober 8, 2013 at 9:01 pm
It’s funny that you post this, because I was hoping to compile something like this myself!
Now It’s just a matter of putting dates on things that need to be done.
THANKS!- 2criolleOctober 8, 2013 at 9:15 pm
Make this a printable!
- 3AndrewOctober 8, 2013 at 9:20 pm
Instead of, or perhaps in order to reduce how often you need to replace HVAC filters, give them a good vacuumming once in a while (once per month?).
I’m not sure how well this works (I’m renting an apartment) but my parents have been vacuuming their HVAC filters for as long as I can remember.
- 4HAOctober 8, 2013 at 9:23 pm
Great list. However, you might want to check your window and deadbolt locks in the fall or spring. If there is a problem that needs fixed you won’t let all your heat out in the winter, or the cool out in the summer.
- 5jerryOctober 8, 2013 at 9:53 pm
Take a piece of 1 inch hose and attach it with electrical tape to your vacuum sweeper hose to clean out your refrigerator coils.
- 6JoshOctober 8, 2013 at 10:23 pm
“Run water and flush toilets in unused spaces…The idea is to prevent grime or any other kind of build up."
The purpose of this is not to prevent build up (which, in an unused drain, wouldn’t build up), but to keep the trap full of liquid to prevent sewer gases from venting into your home.
- 7TinaOctober 8, 2013 at 10:58 pm
RE: fridge coils. If your coils are underneath rather than on the back, use an air compressor to blow the dust out from underneath. Most vacuums won’t get anything but the first two coils which isn’t enough to make a difference.
- 8Michael MooreOctober 8, 2013 at 11:45 pm
> ice sharpens the blades
I am having an extremely difficult time imagining how this could possibly be true.
A) Aren’t the blades going to be very much harder than some vinegar ice
B) They’re going to be hitting the blades at all sorts of random angles which wouldn’t help anyways.The other tips seem good, but this one seems like something you’d find on a top-10 list on pinterest.
- 9Matthew HayesOctober 9, 2013 at 1:02 am
Could you make a list like this for cars?
- 10davidOctober 9, 2013 at 4:20 am
Great list! Thank you. Thank you… One correction though is that biannual is every two years. I think you meant semiannual which is every six months. Great article, thanks for putting it together.
- 11LasseOctober 9, 2013 at 5:26 am
A very nice list indeed. I have a single comments, just from my own experience.
The range hood filters can often be cleaned effectively in the dishwasher. In my experience, the most intensive program is better than anything I have been able to do by hand until now.
Furthermore, if your fridge has a tray behind where it collects water, empty it while you vacuum the ribs, and make sure the passage through the fridge wall is clean and empty – ells your fridge might flood inside.
- 12Jeremy AnderbergOctober 9, 2013 at 7:13 am
@Michael — thanks for asking about disposal blades. This is actually a very common piece of advice we found. After doing a little more digging, it’s not entirely accurate, just easier to say it that way than fully explaining.
From InSinkErator: “Many people think a disposer works like a blender, with spinning blades chopping and breaking down the waste. In reality disposers work in a different way – and there are NO blades involved. Instead, impellers (or lugs) mounted on a spinning plate use centrifugal force to continuously force food waste particles against a stationary grind ring. The grind ring breaks down the food waste into very fine particles – virtually liquefying them."
What the ice does is clear/clean those impellers for maximum efficiency and freshness. So while the tip wasn’t 100% mechanically accurate, it still applies. Thanks for asking.
- 13Native SonOctober 9, 2013 at 8:07 am
A couple of minor critques:
For the refrigerator, get a coil brush. Let’s you get behind coils on the back and simply at the coils on the bottom of the fridge. That coil brush also works on clothes dryers to get lint out of them, or at least loosen it so it gets blown out of the machine.
For checking the batteries in the smoke/carbon monoxide detectors, check ‘em if you’ve never done that. Otherwise, per the local fire department, change the batteries when you reset the clocks for daylight savings time (OK, use the equinoxes if your area doesn’t do Daylight Savings).
Gutter cleaning is a mid-to late autumn deal if you live in an area with a Mediterranean climate (virtually no rain for half the year). It’s a good idea todo it that time of year anyway, you’ll want the gutters and downspouts clear to handle winter precipitation…and if your children are like mine, you’ll likely find a few small balls up there…Theodd badminton shuttle cock makes an excellent drain plug for a downspout as well.- 14WattsOctober 9, 2013 at 8:07 am
Great list, as someone who is looking to buy a home soon, this will certainly come in handy!
I would also consider adding two things to the list:
1 – Checking the condition of the water hoses on your washer annually. A broken hose can quickly flood and ruin everything in your basement (or worse if you have your washer upstairs)
2 – Checking all shut off water shutoff valves (toilets, sinks, washing machine, etc) monthly or annually. By shutting off the valve, you’re ensuring that it still works and has not locked up. Also working the valve occasionally will help prolong its life. Better to find out now than when your toilet is overflowing!
Great article, thanks!
- 15Jake HughesOctober 9, 2013 at 8:10 am
Great article! I’m a real estate agent and will share this with all of my clients (and use it myself!).
I remember the first time I heard about cleaning refrigerator coils. We had been in our home for about 5 years and boy were they dirty!
- 16JoshuaOctober 9, 2013 at 9:42 am
I would love a pdf layout of this post. Very helpful.
- 17Brad FelmeyOctober 9, 2013 at 9:59 am
This might be a bit tangental, but for many people home ownership includes gasoline power equipment such as lawnmowers, leaf blowers, chain saws, etc.
At least quarterly these should be started up for a few moments to ensure that the incredibly small fuel passages in the carburetors don’t clog with dessicated fuel.
- 18MattOctober 9, 2013 at 10:26 am
@Josh
Actually, if you live in an area with hard water (as I do in Ohio), water rings and scale buildups from unused fixtures can be a real headache, especially in toilets. I’ve also had to replace tub/shower diverters that have mechanically frozen from disuse.
But your point about traps is a very legitimate concern as well. I’ve been on the wrong end of a dry trap in an unused shower/tub a couple times, and it stinks.
- 19DanOctober 9, 2013 at 10:31 am
I used to work in electret filtration at 3M (i.e., HVAC filters). My job was to test filters for particle penetration, as well as pressure drop across the filter. We used oils, salts, and just about everything else imaginable for test materials. After all that experience, I can assure you, the cheaper HVAC filters work about as well as a screen door on a submarine. Invest in a good filter, change it every 3 months, and your lungs will thank you.
- 20JerryOctober 9, 2013 at 10:39 am
I don’t have a carbon dioxide detector, is that important to go along with my carbon MONOXIDE detector? :) Thanks for the great article, it will be a great guide to keep handy!
- 21MikeOctober 9, 2013 at 11:40 am
Perfect timing. Seriously. My wife and I just bought a house and I thought to myself…"dang, I gotta start a list…" Thanks for starting one!
- 22GuyOctober 9, 2013 at 12:04 pm
From my experiences and recommendations from plumbers “Do Not Test The Hot Water Tank Pressure Relief Valve". As soon as you do it will start leaking on you and will need replaced. I’ve gone through 3 in three years…testing each year before a plumber finally gave me the advice.
- 23Ryan CobinOctober 9, 2013 at 12:24 pm
I have always done the hot water heater flush in the beginning of the summer for the start of hurricane season. Your hot water heater is a 40-60gal emergency water supply so it’s important to keep it clean.
- 24AlexOctober 9, 2013 at 2:26 pm
@ Josh
“The purpose of this is not to prevent build up (which, in an unused drain, wouldn’t build up), but to keep the trap full of liquid to prevent sewer gases from venting into your home."
- To add on to what @Matt said about scaling – unused drains are stagnant and can grow bacteria colonies that clog the drains. This is why you should pour bleach down the HVAC drain too. To prevent bacteria clogs and evaporation issues you should pour about a cup of bleach in anything that will sit for a while. Then add a few ounces of mineral spirits which will coat the surface and help prevent evaporation.
In general, for unused sinks/toilets/drains I’d recommend adding this to the monthly check – quarterly is far too long to go without being used.
- 251stGenRexOctober 9, 2013 at 3:17 pm
On the shower head thing, take the shower head off and put it in a ziplock bag with white vinegar. Leave it there for a few hours and then rinse it out.
We have hard water, and this trick saved me from buying a new shower head, because I thought ours was messed up.
- 26daleOctober 9, 2013 at 3:28 pm
Love the article, but to make it really great for your readers, why not provide it in pdf, or another printable format? It’s supposed to be a checklist right?
- 27JohnOctober 9, 2013 at 7:37 pm
So, just my 2 cents as a plumber: If you don’t have hard water or lots of sediment problems with your water, you don’t necessarily need to drain your tank.
If you do feel the need to, take my advice, remove the plastic piece of crap drain valve, thread in a brass (you really want to spend the money on that) nipple, ball valve, and hose adapter.
Also, dont put any cleaning chemicals in the tank of the toilet, such as 2000 flushes, it degrades the rubber and plastic parts much faster.
- 28DougOctober 9, 2013 at 8:41 pm
While you’re flushing out unused sinks and toilets, it’s a good idea to test the shut-off valves, too. Deposits can build up overtime and cause the valves to seize.
And second topping off the drain traps. Don’t forget the overflow drain on your water heater if you have one.
- 29TomOctober 10, 2013 at 9:17 am
Ok, so I guess I might be a bit young (I’m nearly through being 17) to be really considering this, but it’s only a few years off.
So I’m a bit unclear on some things, and obviously there will be differences because this article is probably tailored to the States, and I’m Canadian.
Firstly, what exactly is the difference between “hard" water and “soft" water? I’ve heard different definitions for each before. Is it that common in the States that your tap water is, in general, undrinkable without putting your own additives in?
Secondly, how common is it to have a garbage disposal in your sink? I’ve never in my life seen one. It’s pretty much a US thing, as far as I know.
Well, otherwise, this list is pretty well comprehensive, I think. In urban Canada the winter’s aren’t too bad, but out in the rural areas it is downright awful (or awesome, depending on your views).- 30Debbie MOctober 10, 2013 at 9:25 am
I’ve heard it’s best to use the three-month HVAC filters and change them every month anyway. (I live someplace with very heavy use half the year.) I’ve also heard that vacuuming them doesn’t help–something about the sharp particles having ripped through the filter, and then you are ripping them back out with the vacuum, leaving big holes so the filter is no longer protecting the unit.
- 31ViperOctober 10, 2013 at 9:40 am
Does anybody know a good reference book for general home maintenance? I’d like to learn how to fix more stuff around the house. Cheers!
- 32TylerOctober 10, 2013 at 10:17 am
I don’t remember ever seeing anyone in my parents’ house do any preventative maintenance like this in their house, and it really shows. Most things either get fixed when they break, or they just get left until it gets worse and they have to spend even more time and money to fix it. If I were there more often, I’d definitely implement this list, but for now, I’ll just have to wait until I have my own home. Thanks for the tips.
- 33Debbie MOctober 10, 2013 at 10:48 am
Tom, hard water has lots of minerals in it. US tap water is always drinkable by government standards, but some people don’t like the minerals (which makes it harder for soap to lather) or the taste and so they treat the water anyway.
I almost always see a garbage disposal in the kitchen sink, especially when there is a dishwasher. I don’t know why; I’m happy to use the trash can or compost heap.
- 34Jeremy AnderbergOctober 10, 2013 at 11:37 am
@Viper – I relied heavily on this NY Times guide: http://www.amazon.com/Times-Repair-Almanac-Season—Season/dp/0867307595/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1381419421&sr=8-2&keywords=new+york+times+home+maintenance. My version was a little different, but similar to this. Otherwise, you can just search “home maintenance" in Amazon and get a bunch of good results.
- 35ViperOctober 10, 2013 at 1:10 pm
@Jeremy – Thanks for the suggestion. I know there are many options out there, but some are better than others.
- 36JoshOctober 10, 2013 at 2:38 pm
Nice article! It’ll definitely help me along in my adventures as a homeowner.
A request for a future article: could you do one of these for car maintenance as well?- 37MarkOctober 10, 2013 at 2:40 pm
Great list! have you made one for cars and/or gardening?
- 38ChrisSOctober 10, 2013 at 2:41 pm
RE: the chimney sweep and doing in spring or fall.
I have mine cleaned in the fall right before I start needing it for fires on those cold nights. My reason? In the late spring, a few weeks I’ve stopped burning wood for the winter, squirrels (and sometimes birds) like to stuff twigs and leaves into the chimney for nests. I’d rather pay to have my chimney cleaned once in the fall than once in the spring and again in the fall to clean out critter debris before I start burning all that lovely wood I’ve split.
- 39Brandon BeesonOctober 10, 2013 at 3:47 pm
I was also wanting a printable easy checklist of this article. So I figured I would make one and share it with all of you.
It is in Google Docs and you can download it and change it to fit your needs.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mVH1Fn9WVdviKQ4W0Qtl_veGYd7Z_nBphknRP_T75uU/edit?usp=sharing
- 40LeeOctober 10, 2013 at 5:18 pm
You got to hand it to the gent in the yellow suspenders holding a beer in one hand and chugging one with the other. I’m hoping he is bringing it to his buddy waxing the car!
- 41JustinOctober 11, 2013 at 2:32 pm
I have found that rubbing alcohol on some paper towel works wonders on a range hood, kitchen ceiling fans and light fixtures which may all be greasy. Try it. You will be amazed.
- 42MathewOctober 11, 2013 at 9:29 pm
@ Brandon Beeson
Thanks for putting a printable list together!!!
- 43JDannyOctober 13, 2013 at 7:50 am
Wow! Usually good stuff like this list appears in time for Spring Cleaning and in Spring it’s too tempting to be outside rather than attending to essentials like those on your list. Now the routine can begin! Thanks.
- 44NS DaddyOctober 13, 2013 at 10:54 pm
If you see ice cicles or ice dams on your roof it’s a sign of much more serious problems with your house. By far the most common cause if the attic being improperly insulated & vented.
The attic should be a cold zone – too little insulation causes your heat to escape into the attic and melt thew snow on your roof. The melt then trickles to the eaves, where it re-freezes because there’s no longer a source of heat under it.
The ice freezing has a good chance of getting under the shingles, and the expanding ice can pop shingles up. This allows water penetration on to the sheeting and will eventually mold & rot.
It can NEVER hurt to add more insulation to your attic if you live in Canada or a colder US states. $200 in extra insulating (I prefer blown-in cellulose, but the pink batt insulation is just as good) and a little know-how will save you from a $10,000 roof repair job.
- 45PhilOctober 14, 2013 at 6:13 pm
Don’t pour bleach down the drain.
1) Goes straight into the sewer system
2)Certain household chemicals when mixed in the drain could form a sudden noxious cloud which may cause you to pass out, and injure yourself in a fall.
Instead pour half a cup of baking soda down the drain followed by a cup of vinegar then a cup of warm water.
- 46Anonomus CowardOctober 15, 2013 at 1:15 pm
I wouldn’t jump up and go check the pressure safety valve on the water heater. I did this once and it never completely seated giving a drip for a long time. There are multiple reasons it could not have seated but i blame built up crud. If the heater is new and hasn’t had a chance to build up a lot of crud then you could start this as a maintenance item. But for an old heater just leave it.
I doubt testing it will make any difference in its functioning anyway. In fact I doubt it is really needed other than to satisfy some section of ASME boiler code. For a heated incompressible liquid you need to move what, an ounce, of water to get back to safe pressures?
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Posted on October 16th, 2013
Belkin WeMo Light Switch Builds Simple Home Automation into Your Wall
Belkin WeMo Is One of the Simplest Home Automation Solutions We've Seen Yet
Belkin's new WeMo Home Automation Switch lets you control various electronics in your house right from your iOS device, and it's available… Read…
We've previously mentioned Belkin's super simple WeMo home automation system, but back then they only offered outlets and motion sensors. They've now bridged the gap with a light switch you can install directly into the wall in order to add WeMo services to the wiring in your home.P
While not quite as simple as plugging something into a wall, replacing a light switch is one of the easier electrical projects you can undertake. While you should hire an electrician if you don't feel qualified to do it yourself, Belkin does provide a simple and thorough tutorial to walk you through the process (see video above). Barring the installation process, the WeMo Light Switch takes just as little time to set up as the original devices. The service now comes with enhanced IFTTT support and an Android app, so you no longer need to own an iDevice to use it.P
Belkin WeMo Light Switch ($50) | BelkinP
I wonder why everybody is going with the wireless networking. It seems to me it would be much easier and more secure to just have switches/outlets that work over Powerline Ethernet. One Powerline adapter at your router and you could have every device in your house connected regardless of wifi signal strength.8/21/13 7:01am
As an owner of one of those Homeplug/Powerline adapters, I have to say that I'm not overly impressed. They're OK, but nothing to write home about. I purchased a pair of 500 Mbps units and in actuality, they get about 80 Mbps throughput. Not terrible, but not the same as having a wired gigabit home. In my particular case, I haven't noticed anything wonky with them, but I have heard that the wiring of your home is very critical to ensuring that Homeplug adapters work properly. Perhaps older homes with older wiring might not be as friendly for these as newer homes?
Also don't get me wrong, I hate WiFi. I absolutely detest it. It's latent, finicky, and has traditionally been much slower than wired. However, with advancements in WiFi, I see it becoming a better solution and I have a feeling I'm going to like it a lot more in about 5-10 years.
As for their applications in this regard, I think either would work fine and actually Homeplug's would be less latent than most WiFi signals, but not more secure. Homeplugs also have the potential of broadcasting that network around your neighborhood.Today 12:08pm
Unless they've fixed their security flaw, I won't be installing any of these soon. http://hackaday.com/2013/01/31/tur...8/21/13 7:03am
I could see some security issue with this as well. This looks like it creates its own wireless network that the WeMo app connects to for configuration of the switch. What's the security of that WiFi network? What stops someone else from connecting to that same network (WeMo wifi, not my own wifi). It is a very nice product, but I think they need to show us more details of the setup.8/22/13 8:59am
Is this the one that creates a separate WiFi network? I can't imagine how frustrating it would be to try and control these things with a phone/tablet.8/20/13 4:54pm
Nope - it joins your existing wifi, and can be controlled from anywhere in the world you have internet access (provided your home internet is working).8/20/13 5:53pm
Good to know. I was reading the packaging at Costco and it wasn't very clear.8/20/13 5:59pm
Blah blah give me the damn product link!
I installed three of these last week in a hall light, a flood light in my back yard and my light post in the front of the house. Then using the IFTTT app on my iphone I set up three recipes. One that turns all three lights on at sunset every day, one that turns the lamp post off at 1 a.m. and one that turns the flood light off at dawn. No longer do I have to worry about leaving the house in the evening and forgetting to leave a light on or forgetting to turn the flood light over the back yard off in the morning and having it on the whole time I'm at work.8/21/13 6:15am
Thank you for the practical application of the device. 8/21/13 9:04am
There's one thing better than getting and using Belkin WeMo family of products: Living in a high-tech house, maybe a few years from now, when all light switches and AC outlets have the same high-tech abilities built in!8/21/13 12:32am
Posted on October 16th, 2013
Hostas are Edible!
Hostas are Edible!
It may be no surprise to see potted hostas for sale at your local farmer’s market, early in the planting season, along with other garden favorites, but would you recognize the young shoots and leaves if they were bundled and hawked as fresh produce? Forget the side of asparagus or a lettuce salad, and say hello to hostas!
—Hosta montana
Hostas have long been used as a food source, and are most commonly consumed in Japan. Legend suggests that where H. montana grows like a weed in the northern mountain regions of Japan, locals took advantage of the easy nutritional value and eventually began cultivating the crop.
—Hostas and prawns
Today, the plant is sold as Urui, and the shoots, leaves and flowers are all edible. The soft texture and mild, less bitter flavor of young shoots is preferred to older growth. It is best to harvest leaves in the morning, when they have the highest moisture content. They can be eaten raw or cooked (boiled) and I have seen descriptions of taste which include snow pea pods, asparagus, lettuce and spinach. Snipping the blooms may seem gruesome to some hosta fanatics, but the flowers are also edible and can be used to beautify your salad or featured as a cake decoration.
Hostas stir fried
Although all species appear to be edible, H. montana and H. sieboldii are the most common vegetable favorites, while H. plantaginea is preferred for the sweet delicacy of flower consumption. An interesting aside, the Chinese frequently plant fields of H. plantaginea for honey production.
—Hosta salad
Recipes usually boil the stems or leaves, and then serve the vegetable in salad, dressed with sauce or paste, pickled, in sushi, or fried as tempura. I have yet to see hostas available in my local vegetable aisle, and therefore believe that the curious will have to make some sacrifices in their own garden! Just remember to avoid any plants that you have treated with systemic insecticide. Check the Plants for a Future website for more information on specific species: www.pfaf.org.
(*photos from http://forums.seedsavers.org/showthread.php?p=16708&mode=linear#post16708)
I haven’t tried it yet, but I found this recipe at http://www.giboshiarekore.com/recipe.html
Urui with Vinegar Mustard Miso Dressing
Ingredients:
Hosta (H. montana or whatever hosta you’d like to try)
White miso (bean paste)
Sugar
Sake (Japanese rice wine) or mirin (sweet cooking rice wine)
Vinegar (Kenya recommends rice vinegar)
Mustard
- Prepare Hosta:
- Cut off fresh leaves of hosta (preferably H. montana) just above the crown. Wash them well, and cook in boiling water with a little salt for 1/2 minute to 1-1/2 minutes. Drain well in a colander. Cut the leaves into 1 to 2 inches.
- Prepare VMM Dressing:
- Place white miso and sugar (about 1 : 0.7) in a small sauce pan
- Add some sake or mirin just enough so it is easy to mix
- Cook over low heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon
- It is done when it turns creamy
- Cool the miso mixture
- Add vinegar to thin the miso mixture and mix well with a whisk
- Prepare mustard if you use dry one; Luke-warm water makes the mustard spicier
- Add the mustard to your taste to the miso mixture, and mix more with a whisk
- Serve the cooked hosta with the dressing
7 thoughts on “Hostas are Edible!"
I haven’t come across any hostas that are specifically not edible, but it seems to be a bit of an open question. I’ve read that H. fortunei is the most toothsome.
People often add too much salt in their recipes without realizing it until it’s too late, but do not worry. There is a way to fix this! Add two peeled and chopped raw potatoes to the dish, and then allow it to simmer for around 15 minutes. The potatoes help absorb the extra salt. For a dish that is tomato-based, just put a few more tomatoes in and let them cook until they’re tender. These will dilute the extra salt.:’
Ciao for now
<http://www.foodsupplementdigest.comI’m searching for the nutritional info on hostas. Are there limits to how much should be consumed, etc?
Hello Lynn,
I was not able to find nutritional information on hostas, but I did find this website which shows what the Japanese refer to as urui, and in which young hostas are treated like any other vegetable and cooked in a number of tasty ways.
http://shizuokagourmet.com/2009/03/03/new-vegetable-uruihosta-montana/
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Posted on October 15th, 2013
Duk's Many Bags.... BOB ONB EDC (no pics) (great inventory list)
Duk's Many Bags.... BOB ONB EDC (no pics)
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Posted on October 13th, 2013
Home Made Plant Rooting Hormone
Deep Green Permaculture
Home Made Plant Rooting Hormone – Willow Water
Weeping Willow (Salix babylonica)
Willows are an amazing tree that have captivated humanity since time immemorial. They appear in the ancient legends, tales, folklore and customs of the Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks, Brits, Celts and American Indians. They even feature in three of William Shakespeare’s plays, Hamlet, Othello and Twelfth Night.
Some folklore associated with willows is fascinating – my two favourites are are that it is bad luck to tell a secret while standing under a willow, as the wind that blows through the leaves will reveal the secret to everyone, and that striking an animal or a child with a willow twig will stunt their growth! They did have some strange ideas way back in Medieval Europe!
Surely, there is something “magical" about these trees, for them to capture our attention so strongly.They have some interesting and unique properties, as we’ll explore in this article!
Willows – A Brief Introduction
Willows are fast growing, deciduous trees that are mainly found found in the the Northern Hemisphere, in cold arctic and north temperate zones, in regions with moist soils. The Weeping Willow appears to be a native of extra-tropical Asia, from Japan and China to Armenia and the banks of the Euphrates, and of Egypt and North Africa.
One of the most popular and familiar willows is the Weeping willow (Salix babylonica), it has exceptional form and beauty. When mature it exhibits graceful, wide-spreading, pendulous weeping branches, with a short trunk, and a broad rounded crown. Its leaves are thin and narrow, sometimes with whitened or silky undersides. It is fast growing, and adaptable to almost any soil conditions.
Willows are an incredibly useful tree, they have many useful functions:
- Source of Medicine – The use of willow bark dates back thousands of years, to the time of Hippocrates (400 BC) when patients were advised to chew on the bark to reduce fever and inflammation. Willow bark has been used throughout the centuries in China and Europe, and continues to be used today for the treatment of pain (particularly low back pain and osteoarthritis), headache, and inflammatory conditions such as bursitis and tendinitis. The bark of white willow contains salicin, which is a chemical similar to aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). It is thought to be responsible for the pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects of the herb. In fact, in the 1800s, salicin was used to develop aspirin. White willow appears to be slower than aspirin to bring pain relief, but its effects may last longer. (Ref: University of Maryland Medical Centre, Medical Reference – Complementary Medicine – Willow Bark)
- Source of Material for Construction and Manufacturing – Willow wood is used to make furniture, tool handles, wood veneers, and toys. It is used in wood turning as it is easily worked, and is also used to make cricket bats. Willows are a source of wicker for basketry (weaving of wicker baskets) and for making fish traps. The wood can also be used as a source of fibre for making rope, string and paper. Charcoal used by artists is exclusively made from willow.
- Source of Energy – Willow is grown for biomass, a renewable energy source which reduces the need for fossil fuels and petroleum products. Willow can be converted into a variety of sustainable environmentally-friendly resources, including: 1. heat and electricity by direct combustion, co-firing with coal, and gasification; 2. biodegradable plastics and other polymers; 3. biofuels.
Willows are an ideal source of biomass because 1. Willows are easily propagated from unrooted cuttings; 2. High yields can be obtained in a few years, 3. Willow’s genetic diversity and short breeding cycle can be utilized to produce improved varieties; 4. Willows vigorously re-sprout after each harvest; 5. The amount of heat in a dry ton of willow is similar to other hardwoods.
Large scale projects to support willow as an energy crop are already at commercial scale in Sweden, and in other countries there are being developed through initiatives such as the Willow Biomass Project in the US and the Energy Coppice Project in the UK. (Ref: College of Environmental Science and Forestry – The Willow Biomass Project) - Ecological/Environmental Uses – Willows have many beneficial environmental uses. They can be used in the following areas:
Riparian buffers – Natural barriers that prevent chemicals from entering streams, ponds, and lakes.
Phytoremediation – Willows clean up toxins from contaminated sites.
Wastewater management (biofiltration) – Willows filter contaminants from wastewater, and can be used in ecological wastewater treatment systems.
Environmental protection and preservation – Willows are often used for land reclamation, streambank stabilisation (bioengineering), slope stabilisation, soil erosion control, shelterbelt and windbreak construction, soil building, and soil reclamation.
Environmental reconstruction – Willows are used for constructing wetlands and wildlife habitat.
Gardening – Willows are used for in the construction of hedges, “living fences" and other living garden structures and general landscaping
Living snowfences – Strategically planted willows trap drifting snow.
Farming – Willows can used by farmers as an animal forage to feed their stock. - Horticultural Uses – Willow bark contains natural plant growth hormones which can be used for rooting new cuttings. This is the area that we’ll be looking at in this article!
One of the most amazing properties of willows is their growth! Coppicing a willow (that is cutting it back to ground level) will result in numerous rods growing from the base that will grow at an amazing rate of 1.2-3.0m in a single season. A broken willow branch left in water will grow roots. Willows successfully root from very thick pieces of stem, this method is known as taking “trunk cuttings", and a stem as thick as a human thigh will take root of put into damp ground. Willow cuttings can even grow if put in upside-down (but please do the right thing and put them in the right way up)! This property of willows is due to the naturally occurring plant rooting hormones that they contain. We can take advantage of this naturally occurring hormone, and make extracts that we can use to induce rooting on cuttings of other plants.
“Willow Water" – How it Works
“Willow Water" is a homebrew plant rooting hormone that is easily made and can be used to increase the strike rate (growth of roots) of cuttings that you’re trying to propagate.
The way that it works can be attributed to two substances that can be found within the Salix (Willow) species, namely, indolebutyric acid (IBA) and Salicylic acid (SA).
Indolebutyric acid (IBA) is a plant hormone that stimulates root growth. It is present in high concentrations in the growing tips of willow branches. By using the actively growing parts of a willow branch, cutting them, and soaking them in water, you can get significant quantities of IBA to leach out into the water.
Salicylic acid (SA) (which is a chemical similar to the headache medicine Aspirin) is a plant hormone which is involved in signalling a plant’s defences, it is involved in the process of “systemic acquired resistance" (SAR) – where an attack on one part of the plant induces a resistance response to pathogens (triggers the plant’s internal defences) in other parts of the plant. It can also trigger a defence response in nearby plants by converting the salicylic acid into a volatile chemical form.
When you make willow water, both salicylic acid and IBA leach into the water, and both have a beneficial effect when used for the propagation of cuttings. One of the biggest threats to newly propagated cuttings is infection by bacteria and fungi. Salicylic acid helps plants to fight off infection, and can thus give cuttings a better chance of survival. Plants, when attacked by infectious agents, often do not produce salicylic acid quickly enough to defend themselves, so providing the acid in water can be particularly beneficial.
Willow water can be made from cuttings of any tree or shrub of the willow family, a group of plants with the scientific name of Salix. The more cuttings that are used and the longer they are soaked in water, the stronger will be the resulting willow water. Recommendations for the exact method of soaking vary. Cold water can be used, and soaking times of four or more weeks are often quoted. Other gardeners use boiling water to steep the willow twigs and soak the mixture for around 24 hours.
How to Make “Willow Water"
Here is the procedure for making willow water:
- Collect young first-year twigs and stems of any of willow (Salix spp.) species, these have green or yellow bark. Don’t use the older growth that has brown or gray bark.
- Remove all the leaves, these are not used. Don’t waste good green material though, compost the leaves or throw them in the garden as mulch.
- Take the twigs and cut them up into short pieces around 1" (2.5cm) long.
- The next step is to add the water. there are several techniques to extract the natural plant rooting hormones:
a) Place the chopped willow twigs in a container and cover with boiling water, just like making tea, and allow the “tea" to stand overnight.
b) Place the chopped willow twigs in a container and cover with tap water (unheated), and let it soak for several days.
- When finished, separate the liquid from the twigs by carefully pouring out the liquid, or pouring it through a strainer or sieve. The liquid is now ready to use for rooting cuttings. You can keep the liquid for up to two months if you put it in a jar with a tight fitting lid and keep the liquid in the refrigerator. Remember to label the jar so you remember what it is, and write down the date you brewed it up, and to aid the memory, write down the date that it should be used by, which is two months from the date it was made!
- To use, just pour some willow water into a small jar, and place the cuttings in there like flowers in a vase, and leave them there to soak overnight for several hours so that they take up the plant rooting hormone. Then prepare them as you would when propagating any other cuttings.
The second way to use willow water is to use it to water the propagating medium in which you have placed cuttings. Watering your cuttings twice with willow water should be enough to help them root.
In Summary
As you can see, this is a garden potion that is really easy to brew up, and it keeps in line with the Permaculture principles of avoiding waste and caring for the Earth – no purchased synthetic chemicals, containers, it’s all natural, and best of all, free! So, next time you’re out on a hot summer’s day enjoying the shade and natural cooling provided by a majestic willow, grab a few twigs and take them home to help you in propagating plants for your garden!
106 Responses to “Home Made Plant Rooting Hormone – Willow Water"
- david hicks Says:
December 20, 2010 at 6:59 am | ReplyWhat an extraordinary amount of information about the willow, as well as clear instructions on making a potentially very helpful ‘garden potion’. Thank you to the author.
- Barbara Nudd Says:
December 20, 2010 at 9:55 pm | ReplyGreat article, great sharing. Thanks!
- Weekly Roundup – Rooting Hormone, Eco House and Leftovers Recipes Says:
December 24, 2010 at 1:11 am | Reply[...] DIY Rooting Hormone – Made from willow. I’ve done this before – it’s simple, cheap and effective. [...]
- terese Says:
January 16, 2011 at 9:23 am | Replysounds great i will give it a try
thanks - kimlan Says:
April 17, 2011 at 6:58 pm | Replyit is a wonderful way of making home made hormone . Could i just leave the rooting in the willow until the roots start to come out as i did with the rooting powder that i bought at the store ? thank you
- Blackthorn Says:
April 18, 2011 at 9:15 am | ReplyHi, I’m sorry I don’t quite understand what the question is. If you mean leaving the cuttings in the willow water until they grow roots, you can only do this with plants that you can normally root in water, any other plant will rot. Just leave the cuttings in the willow water overnight, for a few hours, that will do. To use the rooting powder, you just put the cut end of the plant straight into the powder, and it sticks onto the cut surface, it is used dry (unless the instructions state otherwise), and then you put your cutting into your propagating medium.
- Daniel Mielke Says:
February 3, 2012 at 11:42 pmWhat about tomato cuttings. I wouldn’t think one should leave them in the liquid overnight. How long should you soak those?
- Blackthorn Says:
February 4, 2012 at 12:18 amHi Daniel,
Since tomatoes are herbaceous, and have soft stems, it would be easier to use the second method I suggest in the article:
The second way to use willow water is to use it to water the propagating medium in which you have placed cuttings. Watering your cuttings twice with willow water should be enough to help them root.
Tomato cuttings take quite easily, so adding the willow water to their propagating medium should work very well.
Regards
- Daniel Mielke Says:
- Blackthorn Says:
- Catherine Dunn Says:
June 5, 2011 at 12:39 pm | ReplyI love your website, learning heaps.
Would the willow water also help young seedlings get established in the garden? At present I seem to lose about 25% of my seedlings.
- Blackthorn Says:
June 6, 2011 at 12:54 pm | ReplyHi Catherine,
The willow water mainly helps cutting grow new roots. To help young seedlings get established, seawed extract works well, as it’s very rich in minerals, and helps plants develop a good, strong root structure. Also, if you’re losing seedlings, check that they are getting enough water, or conversely, that they’re not being overwatered, and make sure that pests areen’t getting to them!
Regards
- Blackthorn Says:
- STEPHANIE Says:
November 11, 2011 at 6:07 pm | ReplyWill this work with other than the Weeping Willow which does not grow in my area?? We have other willows that do and what about the common Pussy Willow?? If none are available and I use Asparin in it’s place what Mg. Aspirin should be used to how much water??
- Blackthorn Says:
November 11, 2011 at 11:50 pm | ReplyHi Stephanie,
As I ,mentioed in the article “Willow water can be made from cuttings of any tree or shrub of the willow family, a group of plants with the scientific name of Salix. "
So, yes, any willow can be used!The indolebutyric acid (IBA) in willow water is what makes the roots grow.
The salicylates (which are contained in aspirin) are only involved in signalling a plant’s defences, so when one part of the plant is attecked it triggers the plant’s internal defences in other parts of the plant.
So, no, aspirin can’t be used as a substutute for willow water as it doesn’t contain the growth hormones.
- Blackthorn Says:
- steve Says:
December 21, 2011 at 7:26 am | ReplyHI Thanks for all that info – very good. Do you know if willow water can be used to help stimulate the roots of newly planted Bonsai trees? Just a thought tjhat seemed to make sense….
- Blackthorn Says:
December 21, 2011 at 12:52 pm | ReplyYes, willow water is root hormone, and will stimulate root production, but remember, the bonsai already have roots, and will grow them well enough on their own, but do need something to assist root production, and for this purpose, seaweed extract works very well. Seaweed extract is packed with a wide range of minerals and helps plants build strong root systems, so this is what I would recommend.
- Blackthorn Says:
- steve Says:
December 21, 2011 at 6:36 pm | ReplyThanks very much – very kind of you to respond with more info, appreciate it – Have a nice Xmas.
- sara2sara Says:
January 5, 2012 at 12:41 am | Replybest article on willows ever!!! thanks
- homer Says:
January 12, 2012 at 9:52 pm | ReplyVery nicely done.
Any benefit to crushing or beating the willow pieces to expose more surface to the water while making willow water?- Blackthorn Says:
January 30, 2012 at 11:02 am | ReplyThanks! I’m guessing that if you crushed the willow branches you should get the plant hormone out a bit quicker! To be honest, I’ve never tried crushing the branches first.
- Blackthorn Says:
- scotto Says:
February 12, 2012 at 9:22 am | ReplyIs there any way to measure concentration of the solution and a possible dilution rate to extend your brew? Ty
- Blackthorn Says:
February 12, 2012 at 11:15 pm | ReplyNot that I’m aware of without laboratory equipment! It’s a ‘home brew’ recipe, and seems to be something that people have experimented with over time until they got it to work, and passsed the information on to others.
- Blackthorn Says:
- Jay Wang Says:
February 20, 2012 at 8:30 pm | ReplyIf I only have a limited supply of willow cuttings, how do I keep them indefinitely so that I can have a ready supply of willow water? Do I need to plant the rooted willow cuttings in soil?
I got some cuttings a while back and soaked them in water. Most died and several survived and started to have tiny new twigs and leaves. What should I do to keep them alive and producing more water?
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with fellow gardeners.
- Blackthorn Says:
February 21, 2012 at 11:50 am | ReplyThere’s a simple way to keep willow cuttings indefinitely, plant one of the rooted cuttings in a pot of reasonable size, say a pot 50cm wide, and you’ll have a big bonsai willow tree too. Don’t put the cuttings in the soil unless you live on a farm, and wish to grow a very large shade tree, and if you do, don’t put them in a location where the roots will intefere with water pipes, etc.
- Blackthorn Says:
- shashank Says:
March 4, 2012 at 1:45 pm | Replythank you v much for marvellous information. shashank, India
- Jennifer Says:
March 24, 2012 at 10:32 pm | ReplyI recently received this information from an old friend and really wasn’t sure he knew what he was talking about. So I got online to research and found your website. I am believer now…wish me luck. Thanks for the article.
- George Maurer Says:
March 25, 2012 at 7:16 pm | ReplyI was given a large bunch of young willow branches with the pollen still attached…young growth. Any reasonn why I can’t use these brances with the pollen, minus leaves, for your first method of making willow water (Pour on boiling water and leave for overnight)?
I have about 200+ grape cuttings now in pots which are in the process of rooting and wish to use the willow water to aid their rooting.Thnx
downdraft
- Blackthorn Says:
March 26, 2012 at 12:22 am | ReplyHi, the young growth is good for making willow water, just remove the pollen, that doesn’t need to be there.
Regards
- Blackthorn Says:
- Theresa Says:
March 30, 2012 at 3:28 pm | ReplyI’m wondering if you can use pussy willow for this?
- Blackthorn Says:
March 31, 2012 at 12:32 am | ReplyYes, you can, any of the salix genus (willow family) will work. If the cuttings take root very easily, then they’re a variety that’s filled with the plant hormone you need for willow water!
- Blackthorn Says:
- Nomar Says:
April 1, 2012 at 1:26 am | ReplyThere’s salicylic acid in some acne medication creams you can get at wal-mart & other stores. Can you use these creams to intensify the root-hormone brew?
- Blackthorn Says:
April 1, 2012 at 2:22 pm | ReplyThe short answer is no. Salicylic acid is also present in apririn and many other medications. These medications contain many other things not conducive to rooting cuttings, and remember, it’s the plant hormone IBA that induces rooting of the cuttings, which is not found in any human medication.
- Blackthorn Says:
- Pamela Melcher Says:
April 17, 2012 at 11:37 am | ReplyGreat article. Many thanks. I would like more specific info about the proportion of willow to the water it soaks in to make the willow water. Also, when I soak cuttings in the willow water, can I reuse the willow water for other cuttings at a later time? Or will the cuttings have made it unfit for reuse? I understand that willows have been seen growing under black walnut trees. I would like to grow my own willow tree from a cutting that I recently took, and the best place by far, given the small size of the area where I can grow things and the space constraints, is under a black walnut tree. It is in a sunny place where another black walnut used to stand next to the one on the land we steward, but that tree was cut down recently.
- Blackthorn Says:
April 17, 2012 at 1:37 pm | ReplyNo specific proportions are required, this isn’t an exact science, plant hormones are chemical messengers that will stimulate the plant to respond in a certain way, the recipe supplied will provide sufficient active ingredients for the task. Ypu should be able to get several uses out of the same batch of willow water before the active ingredients are depleted or are rendered inactive.
Now, with growing a willow under a black walnut, we’re talking some seriously big trees here! The willow will grow 35-50 feet high, with a spread of around 35 feet, while a black walnut will grow around 70-90 feet tall and roughly just as wide! You mention “given the small size of the area where I can grow things and the space constraints" – hope you have the space, these are full size forest trees! Black walnuts are allelopathic, that is, they exude a chemical, juglone (5-hydroxy-alphanapthaquinone), which suppress the growth of almost every plant around them, so if you can get a willow growing in that space, that will be quite good.
There is a good article entitled “How to Plant Willows Next to Black Walnuts" – http://homeguides.sfgate.com/plant-willows-next-black-walnuts-23006.html
They state that some trees, such as willow, are more tolerant of juglone, and emphasise planting the willow tree outside of the area that will be the black walnut’s drip line when it matures, which is about 60 feet from the black walnut. This is because the juglone is released when rain washes over the leaves, and it is exuded from the roots which reach up to the drip line of the tree canopy. Also mentioned is the importance of keeping the area around the willow free from any debris from the black walnut, such as fallen branches, nuts and hulls, to prevent the juglone leaching into the soil.
- Blackthorn Says:
- Nomar Says:
April 28, 2012 at 3:56 pm | ReplyI’ve heard you could substitute willow water with asprin
- Blackthorn Says:
April 29, 2012 at 8:37 am | ReplyAs per my previous comment, no, apririn is not a substitute. Salicylic acid is present in apririn, and in willows, and this is the source of the confusion.
Salicylic acid only signals a plant’s defences in the whole plant when one part of the plant is attacked.
Indolebutyric acid (IBA) is the plant hormone in willow water that induces rooting of the cuttings, which is not found in aspirin.
- gaiamethod Says:
May 14, 2012 at 6:21 am | ReplyLiving in Upper Egypt makes things a little more ‘interesting’ as I have to make everything!!! i want to take cuttings from my husbands’ fig and apple trees and discovered this willow hormone rooting only yesterday! Thankfully we can get willow here so I will get some and plant them on our farm which we are building towards now. Many thanks for this really good information!!!
- Kady Strouse Says:
May 16, 2012 at 1:25 am | Replywill this work if i water my veggie garden and flowers with the willow water?
- Blackthorn Says:
May 16, 2012 at 2:55 am | ReplyThere would be no point to that, they already have roots! Better using the liquid from a worm farm to help them grow, compost tea, liquid fertiliser made out of weeds/comfrey leaves etc.
- gaiamethod Says:
May 16, 2012 at 7:33 amCompost tea? Here in Luxor we tea like it is going out of fashion but it is powder tea!!! There is always a lot of it and i have been putting it on my compost heap with all the stuff my chickens can’t eat. But I’m not sure if it is going to work that way? They burn everything here in the food oven even dried donkey manure so trying to get a compost heap going effectively is a challenge!!! Tea compost would be a bonus!!
- Blackthorn Says:
May 16, 2012 at 10:28 amYes compost tea, it’s tea for plants, not people! Perhaps I should write up an article on how to make up this amazing brew for your garden!
- gaiamethod Says:
May 17, 2012 at 2:19 pmGood idea! I would be interested to read it!
- gaiamethod Says:
- Blackthorn Says:
- Richard Eckert Says:
May 16, 2012 at 7:09 am | ReplyIt was too late in the season as the blueberrys had already budded. I am impatient, so I cut some blueberry sprigs about 3 inches long, dipped them in my homade willow hormone, and watered them a few times with hormone and also water. They did not wilt. I shall keep a daily eye on them and hopefully get four more medium blueberry bushes.
- Blackthorn Says:
May 16, 2012 at 10:22 am | ReplyGood luck with it, hope they grow!
- Blackthorn Says:
- L-Jay Says:
May 27, 2012 at 12:56 pm | ReplyHi
I know you said that the leaves are not used, but if you make willow water with the leaves as well as the stems, will that work too? - Blackthorn Says:
May 28, 2012 at 8:28 am | ReplyIf you add the leaves, you’ll just be adding a whole lot more unecessary compounds that are not known to assist root production in cuttings. The willow leaves will just leach out flavonoids, salicylates, reducing sugars, amino acids, phenolic compounds, and tannins into your willow water. With all this extra stuff in there, chances are the willow water probably won’t keep that well! Not sure if all these chemicals will react with the IBA and whether they will affect how well it would work either. Best to just remove the leaves.
- cathy rowe Says:
May 28, 2012 at 5:12 pm | ReplyI come from uncountable generations of farmers, & have hort degree. while studying hort. at u of del., I set out to debunk the old farmers “wives tales" I grew up with, mainly my grandmothers trick of rooting her cuttings in willow water. Ha! boy was I sutprised! Dispite 4 yrs of formal hort. education, I’ve gone “back to my roots" & grow exclusivly organic. morale of the story…. never underestimate granny!
- Blackthorn Says:
May 29, 2012 at 1:13 am | ReplyHi Cathy,
There’s a lot of tried and proven wisdom there if we are clever enough to seek it from those who have already gained these skills in the older generations.Dr Vandana Shiva who was in the film “The Economics of Happiness" talks about the importance of “Grandmother’s Universities" as an important way of transferring skills from one generation to the next.
From Dr Vandana Shiva’s web site:
“The Grandmothers’ University … is aimed at both celebrating and validating the wisdom of our grandmothers, as well as transmitting this to future generations to arrest the rapid erosion of skills, knowledge and values which women had evolved over millenia to live sustainably. Through the Grandmothers’ University also hopes to nurture the trans-generational responsibility, both of grandmother to transmit the Traditional Knowledge and our future generation to seek, receive and honour the accumulated wisdom of earlier generations."
- Blackthorn Says:
- Misako Says:
June 23, 2012 at 10:05 pm | ReplyHi,
Six years ago, we added a twig of curly willow to a flower arrangement to add interest to the display, and you guessed it, it rooted. When I told my plant-savvy friend, she told me about how its rooting hormone helps other plants to take root, and it’s done wonders streamlining that process for me on various kinds of cuttings. My husband planted it outside in our small yard next to the house, hoping that it would be a small ornamental tree, but unfortunately, (in just six years), it is now as tall as our three story house, and has to come down. I hate losing my beautiful curly willow – there’s no help for that, but I also hate losing my source of rooting hormone. Is there a way to prepare the willow tips – perhaps dry them – to preserve the hormone long-term? Maybe freezing very concentrated tea?- Blackthorn Says:
June 24, 2012 at 11:16 am | ReplyHi Misako,
You do realise that you can bonsai most trees to keep them the size that you want, whether they are in pots or in the ground. If you cut down the willow at ground level, it will regrow, and a small sapling will grow up from the stump. Prune it to the height where you would like it to start branching, and keep the branches short by frequent pruning. If that sounds too tricky, take a willow cutting and put it in water till it roots, then grow the tree in a pot or container. Prune it for willow tips when needed, and then cut the branches back short when it loses all its leaves in winter, it regrows more branches in spring – this is what I do, as I don’t have the space for a full sized willow, so I grow it in a 40cm (16″) wide pot and I prune the tree to keep it about 1.5m (5′) high.
Regards
- Blackthorn Says:
- Charlie Little Says:
June 27, 2012 at 7:32 pm | ReplyI wonder if this will also work in plant tissue culture propagation as the media liquid in the agar or gelatin preparation? Boiling water is mentioned so I’m guessing it doesn’t affect the hormone efficacy.
- Blackthorn Says:
June 28, 2012 at 4:13 pm | ReplyI’m not really sure if the willow water might affect the sterility of the agar medium, or if the other constituents of the willow water will affect the in-vitro cell replication. I don’t have any experience propagating plants using tissue culture. IBA has a melting point of 125 °C so it survives boiling in water at atmospheric temperature. Might be a worthwhile experiment? Mind you, there are research papers on the use of IBA (chemically pure laboratory grade) in tissue culture systems, and only the absence or extremely low levels of IBA or other hormones during the initiation stage favoured shoot growth, this stage is far better without it. In the transplantation and multiplication stages, IBA assisted new shoot production and shoot growth rate. I think willow water may be too crude a mix for such a delicate and sensitive process to be honest with you.
- Blackthorn Says:
- Sarah Othman Says:
July 29, 2012 at 2:08 pm | ReplyCool beans….!
- lloyd Says:
August 3, 2012 at 7:45 am | ReplyApparently it also works for grafting – I will try it this southern spring an let you know how it goes.
Cheers Lloyd - Lisa Stringer Says:
September 1, 2012 at 4:26 pm | ReplyMy mother in law’s weeping willow tree died and fell over and yesterday was cut up by my husband and son. Can the wood or bark be used in any way, either medicinally or for willow water purposes? I hate the thought of this going to waste.
- Carmela Martini Says:
September 29, 2012 at 2:09 am | ReplySo glad to have come upon your blog! I’m new at this and was wondering if it’s too late in the season to try to propagate some plants now. I would love to get them ready for planting in my yard by spring. Thanks!
- Blackthorn Says:
September 29, 2012 at 6:22 am | ReplyDepends which side of the planet you’re on, it’s spring down here in the southern hemisphere! I’m assuming you’re in the northern hemisphere – if they have just lost their leaves or about to, you’re best to wait until late winter, and take cuttings while the willow tree is dormant. When the weather warms up, and leaves emerge, they will grow roots very quickly. The cuttings can go into the ground fairly quicly if you jsut keep their soil moist.
- Carmela Martini Says:
September 29, 2012 at 10:41 amI thought so. I’m quite excited to get started. You will probably hear from me again in the spring. Thanks again!
- Carmela Martini Says:
- Blackthorn Says:
- lloyd Says:
September 29, 2012 at 10:56 am | ReplyWell I can report that willow water works very well for grafting.
The best results were from the following method – 1 make the whip graft cut in the wood you want to graft on – 2 soak this in willow water for about 5 mins – 3 make the second cut on the tree you want to graft onto – 4 make the join and bind with grafting tape etc. good luck
- Angelo (admin) Says:
August 23, 2013 at 2:47 am | ReplyYes, that’s correct, from my understanding, the IBA in the willow water actually assists the formation of callus tissue, and that will form whatever cells the plant requires.
With cuttings, it will form roots, while with grafts it will form new cambium cells (the green layer under the bark which you need to line up to join the graft).
- Angelo (admin) Says:
- s. wendel Says:
October 8, 2012 at 3:18 am | Replysaeweed is good to add to the willow tea, however… seaweed has a small amount of nitrogen, which almost completely stops root growth. if you can get ahold of some 100% organic marine algae- it contains no nitrogen. the algae i use is 0-4-4. ive even heard of leonardite working well also or extracs of leonardite, such as humic acid. not sure, however, if it contains N.
- Rachel Says:
October 22, 2012 at 10:01 am | ReplyGreat Info! This really helped me out with my school project on weeping willows. Thanks!
- Twilla Logan Says:
January 10, 2013 at 4:05 pm | ReplyI have read of willow water in a book by William Cullina and also in a book by Michael Dirr.
Michael Dirr says you can keep willow water in the refrigerator for 6 years. Mr. Cullina makes a more general statement, saying that willow water can be stored in the refrigerator for several years.
Michael Dirr: THE REFERENCE MANUAL OF WOODY PLANT PROPAGATION, 2nd edition, Page 33.
William Cullina: NATIVE TREES, SHRUBS, & VINES, Pages 272-273
- Mikkel Says:
January 19, 2013 at 3:14 pm | ReplyIm going to use root hormone for some rare seeds that have short viability, but since it is winter and my willow has dropped its leaves long ago, can I still use it for willow water? Yesterday I did an experiment: I chopped a 1-2 year twig and put it in water and placed infront of the fireplace. The twig looked dead and collorless both on the outside and inside, but after one hour the twig was filled with small white dots all over. (I guess they are roots forming? ).
Anyway, my question is, are there any significant seasonal variation in the presence of hormones in willow? Can I use it all year round?
- Blackthorn Says:
January 20, 2013 at 2:22 am | ReplyHi Mikkel, root hormone is only for rooting cuttings, not germinating seeds.
Since you would only root cuttings during their growing season, you would therefore only use willow only when it is growing , not when it is dormant.
The small white dots that appeared after you soaked the dormant willow branches in water in front of the fire are just air bubbles emerging from the plant tissue, no plant can show growth of root tissue within an hour. Not even willow grows that fast!
If your rare seeds are meant to be germinated in spring or summer, then it is best to wait until then as often plant growth is not only regulated by temperature but daylight length too. Techniques such as using heating mats to apply bottom heat to seedling trays works well for many seeds, but I recommend that you check what the requirements are for the rare seeds in terms of light, temperature, humidity, sowing depth, etc.
- Blackthorn Says:
- Mikkel Says:
January 20, 2013 at 9:32 am | ReplyThanks for your quick response!
I already made the willow water anyway.
The seeds are Banisteriopsis Caapi (Ayahuasca), and they only come in late autumn and have a viability only for a month or two, so it couldnt wait any longer. Im groing them under LED lights, so hopefully it will work out.
I have done tissue culture before and know that stuff like BAP and Kinetin are great for germinating seeds in sterile envirenment, so I figured that difficult seeds under normal conditions could benefit from root hormone as well, but I dont know.
I soaked half of them in the willow water for 4 hours now, and half of them in honey water, so at least lets call it an experiment.
- Trudi Says:
January 27, 2013 at 12:56 pm | ReplyExcellent information. Growing up in Europe, I have always known of the many uses of willows (including their use for carpet beaters – rather painful when used for corporal punishment), but I have never heard of willow water. As I am a compulsive propagator of plant material (I had over 400 rooted lavender cuttings last year), I have been using mainly honey because of its antiseptic qualities, but now I am keen to try willow water. As we are now heading into late summer in Australia, is it too late to take new branches to make willow water?
Also, what kind of willow do you have growing in a pot as I want to do likewise. My garden is too small and I don’t think that the ACT government would appreciate it if I planted a willow on their land.
Can you also advise how well willow water works with Australian natives, such as Callistemon and Grevilleas?
- Blackthorn Says:
January 29, 2013 at 12:32 am | ReplyHi, Im growing weeping willow (Salix babylonica) in a pot.
The brnches are still growing in summer so they should work for making plant rooting hormone.
Cuttings of Australian natives are normally treated with rooting hormone so the willow water will work when propagating them.
- Trudi Says:
March 5, 2013 at 12:24 pmHi again and thanks for the advice.
Since then I have gone out and picked some weeping willow branches, made willow water and also placed a bundle of sticks into water. I now have some 25 rooted willow cuttings.
So if there is someone in Canberra who would like to grow their own weeping willow in a pot, I gladly share the cuttings.
- Trudi Says:
- Blackthorn Says:
- LIKUNSE LIFUA Says:
February 1, 2013 at 2:04 pm | ReplyVery useful article, thanks for sharing.
- Hrishi Says:
February 2, 2013 at 6:07 am | Replyi’m trying to root coffee plant cutting.Is it even possible to root a coffee cutting ? The tropical here is hot humid with no cold.Can you suggest any tropical tree that i can use to extract natural rooting hormone ?
- Blackthorn Says:
February 2, 2013 at 8:05 am | ReplyYou can root coffee Coffea arabica cuttings, but they do take a long time to root, about 8 weeks or longer I believe, they are not easy cuttings to propagate. Best to use semi-woody or woody cuttings with rooting hormone. They can also be propagated by air layering apparently.
Willows don’t grow in the tropics, I’m unaware of any tropical plant that contains natural rooting hormones that can be extracted. If anyone has any idea, many people would like to know!
- adoboloco (@adoboloco) Says:
September 14, 2013 at 3:03 amWe live in Hawaii and have a pussy willow in a pot. It’s growing fine and am testing some willow tea now on some clippings from chili pepper plants.
- adoboloco (@adoboloco) Says:
- Blackthorn Says:
- Tony Says:
March 5, 2013 at 7:22 am | ReplyMany thanks for sharing your in-depth knowledge it is much appreciated, especially the bit about the tips having the highest concentration of active ingredients.
- Tina Says:
March 16, 2013 at 10:37 pm | ReplyFor those who have no willow growing, can willow tips be harvested when fresh and then dried for use in places willow does not grow? General question–can dried willow be used as effectively as long as it was harvested correctly?
Thanks- Blackthorn Says:
March 17, 2013 at 6:36 am | ReplyFrom the references I can find on the chemical properties of IBA, it is meant to be stable at room temperatures, it melts at 125 degrees celcius and decomposes before it reaches boiling point, so that would suggest that it should keep as a dried product, but I’m only speculating here, the only way to know is to try dried willow twigs to see if they work!
- Blackthorn Says:
- Robert Says:
March 21, 2013 at 2:26 am | ReplyGreat information! Only I do not find a clear suggestion as to the ratio which is most effective. That is, about what total length of small willow branches, cut into pieces, in what quantity of water? Can it be made too weak or too strong??
Thanks - Blackthorn Says:
March 21, 2013 at 11:20 am | ReplyThe beauty of this technique is that you don’t need exact proportions, that’s a modern preoccupation of exactness which isn’t something we need to be too concerned with, mainly because it’s a completely unnatural state of affairs. Unlike the artificial systems which humans create which aim for unrealistic uniformity, Nature thrives on variation – there is biological variation in all living organisms, and as a result, the percentage of IBA will vary (within a certain range) from one willow to another, and from month to month and from one year. Herbal medicines vary similarly, and they’ve worked for centuries across all cultures.
Most commercial rooting hormones available contain the rooting hormone IBA in a talc dry base in concentrations from 0.1% to 0.8% active ingredient for use with the dry dip method. Liquid applications range from as low as 20ppm to 10000 ppm active ingredient (0.02%-1.0%). Only a tiny amount is used, that’s all that’s needed. In living organisms, hormones are chemical messengers that regulate biochemical processes over longer periods of time, they triggering sustained changes, they are not needed in huge quantities.
It’s also important to understand the physical properties of the chemical IBA. IBA is not very soluble in water, so only a tiny amount will dissolve into your willow water solution anyway. If we look at the physical properties of IBA, in particular solubility, we see that it is possible to dissolve 34 times more IBA in an acetone than can be dissolved in water.
IBA Solubility – In water at 20 degrees C (mg /L): 14,700
IBA Solubility – In organic solvents at 20 degrees C (mg /L): 500,000 (In Acetone)With your willow water, put in as much twigs as you can into the container, then cover them with water in either of the two methods described. Only so much IBA can possibly dissolve in water, and that amount works to stimulate root growth.
- richard hiew Says:
April 19, 2013 at 6:33 am | Reply“Willows don’t grow in the tropics" :your words on Feb 2, 2013. Some people say otherwise. Please reconfirm as I live in a tropical country.
- Blackthorn Says:
April 19, 2013 at 9:26 am | ReplyHi Richard,
I’m not in a tropical climate, so I’m only going by what reference material I can find!
I know willows grow in sub-tropics of China, but but if you have any information you can share for our readers in the tropical climates, please let us know.
Much appreciatedThanks
- Blackthorn Says:
- richard Says:
April 20, 2013 at 6:28 pm | ReplyHi blackthorn,
I have included below two pic of the same tree taken this morning near where I live ie, Borneo. I know very little about trees, but this one looks like a willow. Is it a willow tree? can I make rooting water from it?
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/69643473/w1.JPG
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/69643473/w2.JPG- William Helder (@Liam_Helder) Says:
July 12, 2013 at 2:36 pm | ReplyThat is indeed a willow.
- William Helder (@Liam_Helder) Says:
- Ray Gremillion Says:
April 22, 2013 at 4:17 am | ReplyDude! This is fabulous. I live in SE Louisiana and this area has willows growing abundantly everywhere along our waterways. Would you mind if I share this info on other gardening websites and link them here?
- Blackthorn Says:
April 22, 2013 at 1:11 pm | ReplyHi Ray, you can describe the article and provide a link back to it, I hope that’s what you mean! Thanks
- Blackthorn Says:
- katehallberg Says:
May 27, 2013 at 4:35 pm | ReplyPlease be careful with non-natives, especially if they’re invasive! I live in the Front Range of Colorado and have battled Crack Willows for years. They grow fast, break easily and root from anything. As a friend recently said, “you can Never get rid of them!" That’s almost completely true. Nasty buggers.
- Blackthorn Says:
May 28, 2013 at 3:13 am | ReplyJust remember that this is an international site, what’s native to one region is exotic to another (at this point of time only though, it changes over long periods of time!).
In Permaculture, there aren’t problems only solutions, our approach is that within every perceived problem there is an inherent solution, what you have in your case is an unutilised output – please see my article on the design principle “Attitudinal Principles" = http://deepgreenpermaculture.com/permaculture/permaculture-design-principles/11-attitudinal-principles/
If we perform a function analysis on a willow tree – see my article “Each Element Performs Many Functions" – http://deepgreenpermaculture.com/permaculture/permaculture-design-principles/2-each-element-performs-many-functions/ we can see how the outputs of a willow can be utilised constructively so they don’t become a problem.
The wood of Crack Willow hybrids is used to make cricket bats, it’s a real resource waiting to be utilised.
Just trying to highlight how “permaculture thinking" works in such circumstances, hope this helps!
- Blackthorn Says:
- Karen Says:
May 29, 2013 at 3:22 pm | ReplyFantastic article! I am sooo excited to try this with blueberry cuttings. I live in NC and my bushes have a bunch of new growth this year that is just starting to harden up a bit. Do you think I could use this willow water to start cuttings?
Thanks,
Karen- Blackthorn Says:
May 30, 2013 at 2:07 am | ReplyYou can definitely use willow water for blueberry cuttings!
Blueberries can be propagated from softwood cuttings (4″-5″ inches long) in late spring from the tips of the current season’s growth, or from hardwood cuttings (5″-6″ inches long) when they are dormant and in the middle of winter (to ensure sufficient chilling, usually late Jan through Feb in the US) from strong shoots or “whips" that grew the previous summer.
- Blackthorn Says:
- Vera DiblikovA Says:
June 3, 2013 at 12:38 pm | ReplyI have Salix erythrobotrioides for more than 30 years, by hard prunning we kept it 2,5 m high, but our friends with only one sapling from ours tree and pair pergolas in 5 years covers their little garden completely. Thanks for wery useful and perfect article.
- Daniel Newhouse Says:
June 5, 2013 at 7:20 pm | ReplyThe water to willow ratio was not addressed. How much water and how much wood? How do you suggest we make gel from this? Can I use a willow mulch to make the tea? Last but not least, can I give the tea to my plants before i cut clones from them?
- Blackthorn Says:
June 6, 2013 at 11:53 am | ReplyTo answer your three questions:
1. Think of it as making tea, the traditional way without a teabag! There are no standardised measurements here. As long as the hormone in the willow dissolves in the water, it will work.
2.You don’t need to make it a gel, you soak the cuttings in the liquid, and it soaks into them, which is better than a gel that sits on the surface.
3. If your plants already have roots, then there’s no point giving them rooting hormone. Once you take cuttings from your plants, you want to induce the cuttings to grow roots.
- Blackthorn Says:
- Robert Says:
June 7, 2013 at 12:40 am | ReplyThe article at top of this thread is very nice — detailed and informative. I have produced a jar of willow water using the procedure from the article, and new growth from a neighbors tree.
I do wish to have one bit of clarification!
The article at top says the willow water can be used up to two months, IF refrigerated in a tight sealed container. However I find statements in other forums such as “keeping a container of ww on my greenhouse workbench". That would certainly NOT be refrigerated!
Does the ww quickly loose effectiveness if not cooled? Realistically, how soon is the product no longer useable? Does a willow tree produce new growth throughout the summer, allowing more ww to be produced?
Thanks for comments………. Robert
- Blackthorn Says:
June 7, 2013 at 5:33 am | ReplyThanks! If you want to keep the willow water for several weeks, it’s best to refrigerate it to slow down the breakdown, it will eventually start breaking down and lose its active constituents as would a glass of herbal tea left outside for a really long time. Typically you’d use it all in a few days if you propagate large batches of cuttings.
A willow tree is growing through spring and summer, and therefore will have green wood that contains IBA hormone that you can use..
- Blackthorn Says:
- Jamie Says:
June 24, 2013 at 1:23 am | ReplyIs it ok to boil with the leaves on bark ?
- Blackthorn Says:
June 24, 2013 at 5:01 am | ReplyThe active constituent is in the bark, so there is no benefit in using the leaves.
- Blackthorn Says:
- Julie Says:
June 29, 2013 at 11:59 pm | ReplyCan you freeze willow water? Living in the Finger Lakes region of NYS I often find myself with idle time in the grey months, and experimenting with plants. I think ww would come in handy….
- Blackthorn Says:
June 30, 2013 at 10:04 am | ReplyLooking up the chemical handling information for indolebutyric acid (IBA), the active component in willow water, we find that we are instructed to “keep from freezing", so, the answer is no, you definitely cannot freeze willow water, but you can keep it cool in the refrigerator to make it last longer.
- Blackthorn Says:
- Donna Says:
July 23, 2013 at 6:19 pm | ReplyI am hoping to propagate some Leyland cypress cuttings with willow water. Once I soak the cutting in willow water do I have to plant it in dirt or can I just keep it in water until it roots?
- Rita Says:
August 18, 2013 at 9:58 pm | ReplyI found fascinating your article about the willow tree and it is true that soaking a thick branch from this tree, it grows root easily and it sure. Did mine :0). I have 3 willow small branches that grew new roots and leaves from the cuttings in a simple tap water in a vase .
- Rita Says:
- william Says:
September 3, 2013 at 8:02 pm | ReplyI wonder if willow water can be used to grow seedles grapes out of store useing vine part.
- Angelo (admin) Says:
September 3, 2013 at 11:48 pm | ReplyI believe you need one year old woody material to propagate grapes.
- Angelo (admin) Says:
- Hilda Rivera Says:
September 14, 2013 at 7:31 pm | ReplyI have a weeping willow tree and it’s huge. Thank you so much for all that information on making Willow Water for rooting plants. Love your videos and will continue to see them and tell people about this unique website. Greatly appreciated : )
- Andrea Frtalich Says:
September 19, 2013 at 3:07 am | ReplyHi! I enjoy your article! I love weeping willow tree. There is one growing wild with other trees & such. I broke off 5 branches&put them in water& left outside. It’s mid~summer when I did this&the clippings first turned brown & looked dead but then they sprouted leaves&roots&still in water. I’m getting ready to put them in rich soil&keep them outside until it gets cool.I’m in Michigan&&the winters are mild so I think they be okay.After last frost I will plant them outside.Wish me luck!
- Angelo (admin) Says:
September 19, 2013 at 11:56 am | ReplyWishing you luck! : )
- Angelo (admin) Says:
- mahesh Says:
October 1, 2013 at 2:38 pm | ReplyIs there any other plant which is an alternative in semi arid tropics?
- Angelo (admin) Says:
October 1, 2013 at 11:06 pm | ReplyNot really sure, I’ve checked for research papers on other plant that contain IBA, and it appears that Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) was identified as an endogenous compound in leaves and kernels of maize or corn (Zea mays). It has also been found in tobacco and cypress leaves. I can’t say what levels of IBA these contain, or how you would extract them. Then there is the question whether any of these grow in semi arid tropics? You would know what grows in your climate better than me!
- mahesh Says:
October 3, 2013 at 12:24 pmThank you. we got maize, tobaco and some varieties of cypress. Can’t we apply same procedure to these plant parts? And we got plenty of cotyledon type succulents, country borage (karpooravalli) and money plants which are known for their fast rooting property. Is there any possibility of using them in this regard?
COUNTRY BORAGE (karpooravalli) link : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plectranthus_amboinicus
- mahesh Says:
- Angelo (admin) Says:
October 3, 2013 at 1:15 pm | ReplyHi Mahesh, why not try, it can’t hurt to set up some tests and see what results you get! Use several cuttings for each test, one test will be the control group, no plant rooting hormones, then a similar amount of cuttings for each separate treatment, it would be a very simple side-by-side comparison.
- Angelo (admin) Says:
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Posted on October 13th, 2013
Basic Carpenter's Tools for the Beginner - A Guide
by DarkAxel » Wed Sep 25, 2013 1:00 am
So, you've finally gotten tired of paying contractors to build you stuff. Or maybe you are a beginning hobbyist. Regardless, your new-found interest in carpentry is going to require tools. You can't drive nails with your fists, and improvising tools is a recipe for frustration and wasted time. So I thought I'd share some of my knowledge and lay out a basic set of tools that a resourceful individual can use to do 99% of the jobs they undertake. Keep in mind that this is a bare-bones list an not a comprehensive list of the stuff I've got stored in my toolboxes. Alrighty then. Here we go.1.)No self-respecting man can call himself a carpenter without having a hammer. A hammer is the most basic tool an aspiring carpenter can own. If you don't have one of those, you might as well call yourself a swami. Now a lot of people will insist that you need several different hammers, but I don't cotton to that train of thought. All you need is a decent claw hammer in the 14oz to 18oz range. Sure, for really delicate work you might want a smaller, lighter hammer, but if you practice enough there isn't a single nail or brad you can't use. I use a Stanley Fat Max 16oz framing hammer, and the 18 bucks I paid for it is pennies compared to the money I've made with it. the Stanley has it's flaws, but as long as the striking surface and the claws are quality, your hammer will see you through without breaking at a bad moment.
Ball-peen hammers and hatchet hammers aren't made for carpentry, and shouldn't be relied on for anything other than their intended purpose.
2.)A decent flatbar (AKA prybar). A good prybar and a hammer will serve you for most of the prying and demo you will run across. Get one with a 90 degree angle on one end and an 30 degree angle on the other, and don't cheap out with bargain purchases. Those cheap flatbars aren't tempered properly and will bend quite easily at the worst possible moment. Get one that is between 10" and 14". You'll be absolutely floored by what you can accomplish with them.
one thing I've noticed when untrained folk try to use prybars and hammers to pull apart wood or pull nails is that they try to yank the tool backward. Instead, try pushing or pulling them at a 90 degree angle. If you got good tool you will get much more leverage. Sure, you'll scar up the wood a bit, but if you hammer the wood back in that damage will be sandwiched between the boards instead of being visible (unless you fucked up the cut or nailed the board in wrong. And if you find yourself needing more leverage, you can slip a pipe over the non-working end.
3.)A decent chisel. with a solid chisel, you can do spot-cutting to fit, pull small staples, and drive nails in tight spots. You can also use them to cut nails, brads, and other fasteners when needed. Just make sure that the striking surface is durable (avoid bakelite, polymer, or plastic striking surfaces in favor of hardened steel) or the handle will crumble. Keep them sharpened, and make sure you only sharpen the grind side.
When using a chisel, make sure you put the grind-side down if you are cutting in a certain direction. If not, you'll cut too deep and weaken the lumber. the grind provides directs the hammering force int the desired direction without cutting too deep into your workpiece.
4.)A well-made tape-measure (hereafter referred to as a tape-line. What can I say, that's how I learned it). Without a tape-line, you can't make precise measurements for cutting, digging, or fastening. I recommend a tape-line with a belt-clip that is at least 16' to 30', is able to "stand off" (that's the distance you can extend the line without it collapsing) of at least 8', has a hooked end, and is graduated in segments of 1/16th to 1/32 of an inch. Tape-lines are crucial for estimates and for measuring cuts for the overall length of lumber.
You can also use tape-lines to find plum (if you hold it right), square (measurements from corner to corner should be equal), and to act as a strait-edge when ripping lumber (Hold the tape-line at the desired width at the edge of the piece, put a pencil at the hook end, and slide the whole mess down the board). If you have a steady hand, you can also use a tape-line to mark curves (run a screw into the center of your curve, hook the end on the screw, and hold the pencil at the desired measurement, then swing your end around the center. the screw will hold the tape-line end in place. Get good enough at this and you can mark out really complex pieces).
5.)A pencil. You don't need a carpenter's pencil (though I recommend one due to their standardized dimensions and overall usefulness), you just need one that can make visible marks for cuts and for writing down measurements. A pencil is something a carpenter should have on him at all times during a job, along with his hammer and a few loose nails.
6.)A utility or carpenter's knife. These allow you to sharpen your pencil, shave wood, smooth out chisel cuts, and cut other things that are cut-able when you run across them on the job (and you will).
7.)Either a framing square or a speed (triangle-type) square these allow you not only to mark square cuts, but also allow you to mark the angled cuts that you might need to make. Don't get cheap. For speed squares, I prefer Swanson or DeWalt made of aluminum(they are thicker and won't break as easily). Overall, though, I prefer a framing square if you can get away from it. A framing square has a lot of info on it. Everything from tables to figure out rise to how many nails are in a pound are stamped on a good framing square. they are also sized to match common stud spacing. I have an ulterior motive for recommending speed squares, though. Reading one is a dying art, one that I hope can be revived.
8.)A level sized to fit your projects. Obviously, the longer the level the more accurate the reading, but I recommend a 4' level for general construction. You can use them in combination with a tape-line to find the rise of existing construction, and you can use them to find plum for new construction (no need for a plumb-bob). Just make sure you check them (they should read identically if you flip them over no matter what you are trying to find level or plum for), and they make great straight-edges for marking plumb or level on long projects.
9.)A tool belt. Tool belts allow you to keep your crucial tools on hand at any time along with fasteners, and free up your hands for climbing if needed. Get a good one that is adjustable and durable.
10.)A saw. I recommend a circular saw (Skill saw) made by DeWalt, Porter-Cable, or Milwaukee. They may cost more, but this is certainly a case of buy-once-cry-once, because you really can't wear those fuckers out. If you are more of a power-free kind of guy, your best bet is to buy a hand-saw that isn't made of stainless or otherwise cheap steel, although making square cuts take more skill (pun intended) with a hand saw.
11.)A set of screwdrivers or a bit driver with multiple bits (hand powered or electric) in common Phillips, slotted, and socket sizes (1/4" and 3/8' sizes). Once again, don't cheap out, and if you go the bit route, buy in bulk. You WILL lose some of them (most likely the ones you use most frequently).
12.)A drill. This can be electric or brace-and-bit. Make sure you get a bit set that includes common sizes. Once again, buy in bulk, because you WILL break the smaller ones.
13.)A socket wrench and set in standard or metric (depending on your AO). Lag and carrier bolts use hex-heads and bolts, and none of the other options (adjustable wrench, channel locks, vise grips, etc) should be used unless you rounded off the head.
14.)Quoted from below because I overlooked the chalk-line, aka chalk-box.
A great timesaver and almost a requirement when running lath for metal roofing.JustsayMo wrote:Chalkline: Used for wall layout on the floor deck, ripping/crosscutting plywood, cutting a rafter ends (I run them wild and cut the tails after the rafter is installed), snapping the layout line for the first course of sheathing/roofing/etc so I can work from above; marking studs under sheathing for quicker nailing, long straight line, plumb bob..... the list goes on and on.
15.)String-line: A spool of string-line will make tasks like setting poles for pole barns, post-and-beam foundations, decks, etc much easier.
If you have the above tools, you can handle the vast majority of carpentry If I've neglected anything, other experienced carpenters are free to chime in, and questions are, as always, welcome.
DA.
Edits: a mistake I spotted.
Posted on October 13th, 2013
Disaster Protocols
I was thinking of writing down a few protocols for myself in a notebook, but realized that many brains are better than one, and others can benefit from this too so maybe we can help each other. By protocol I mean a list of instructions of what to do in case of various disasters. Often when a disaster strikes we might be panicked, scared, etc., and not thinking straight. We could forget things. This is a sort of checklist. This is not a list of what to buy beforehand.
So for instance, if there's a blackout and I don't know the causes (could be temporary event of just a few days, could be a global solar-induced EMP):
Blackout Protocol
1. Check for cell reception. No reception means blackout extends beyond immediate vicinity. See whether electronics functions. No functionality despite previously charged battery means EMP.
2. Fill all available water containers while there is still pressure in the pipes. Bathtub jugs, cooking pots, plastic containers. Filter, purify later. Can add a drop of bleach per litre to help preserve water.
3. Close curtains, window shutters, etc., for better privacy while tub filling.
4. Prepare bug out bag (compress sleeping bag, add water, whatever) and leave next to bed (not one of your exits) so that it's ready to go.
5. Take stock of existing food supply, water litres, batteries (if not EMP), candles, and other supplies. Write them down and develop a rationing plan you must stick to.
6. Arm yourself while indoors.
7. Observe what neighbors are doing. Try to gather information by whatever means possible.
8. Do not turn on any generators unless you have no proximate neighbors.
9. ...?
So, if anyone would like to pitch in, you can create your own protocol in case of whatever disaster, or add to the above, or argue about the order of priority. If we're really ambitious we could design preparedness posters to stick on walls, kind of like the fire escape route you see on the back of hotel doors. I'm not too bad with Inkscape vector design software
Posted on October 13th, 2013
How to Use Your Smartphone As an Essential Part of Your Disaster Kit
Generally speaking you don't want to rely on technology at all in your disaster toolkit, but that doesn't mean you can't make use of an old smartphone (or your current one for that matter). Before the cell networks are down, here's what you should load up on your smartphone.P
We've talked about various disaster kits you need to have in the house and any good disaster kit is enough to get you through at least 72 hours without power, food, or water. Those certainly cover your basic survival needs, but if you need guides for living on your own, a backup of data, or anything similar, you can also turn to your smartphone.P
Get a First Aid App to Guide You Through EmergenciesP
One of the most important parts of your disaster kit is your first aid kit, but that doesn't really do much good if you don't know how to actually use the materials inside. We're fans of the official Red Cross First Aid app (the British Red Cross app is also fantastic) and Pocket First Aid & CPR as an easy means to always have an encyclopedia of medical procedures in your pocket.P
Store Your Important Documents on Your PhoneP
One thing every disaster kit should have is a set of your important documents. These include copies of things like IDs, birth certificates, or escape routes. While you want to keep those physical copies, you also want to keep a digital backup. If you want to store those files in the cloud, we'd recommend doing so with an encrypted Dropbox folder. Then, just grab a copy of the Dropbox mobile app so you'll have access to them from anywhere, even if you can't get to you computer. Likewise, you can keep a hard copy of those documents on your phone as well. Just make sure you have something to view them with (a free e-reader app like Kindle will do the trick).P
Download Offline Maps to Get AroundP
One of the most important things things to have during an emergency is a map. You never know what's going to happen, so being able to quickly look at your surrounding area is important. The problem is that most smartphone map apps rely on GPS and data to get you the map. That's not always available in an emergency. Thankfully, you can prep ahead and download offline maps in the Google Maps app by simply typing "Okay Maps" in the search bar. This saves the local map that you're currently viewing to your device so you can retrieve anytime regardless of data or GPS access. If you want to be doubly sure you have those maps, an app like Galileo Offline Maps will provide that peace of mind.P
Find Your Family and Friends with GPSP
They're a bit odd to use all the time, but an app that tracks your friends and family's location is incredibly helpful after a disaster. You often can't text message or call during a disaster, so your best bet to track someone down is with GPS, assuming it's working. You have a lot of choices for this, but we like Apple's Find My Friends , Android's Find My Friends! or the cross-platform Life360 . Just remember to keep the apps off when you're not using them.P
Always Know What to Do with Survival AppsP
We've talked about how you can survive both in the wilderness and in an urban environment before, but chances are you can't really remember everything you need to know. So, it's a good idea to load up your smartphone with apps to help you out. A good place to start is the Army Survival Guide (Android/iOS ) which includes pretty much everything you'll ever need to know about basic survival techniques. Survival isn't just building fires though, you also need to know how to find food, which is why an app like Wild Edibles (Android /iOS ) is handy. With it, you'll know exactly which wild plants you can eat to stay alive and which you can't.P
Photos by Galvestron and PSD Graphics .P
Posted on October 9th, 2013