Hot Home & Garden How-Tos
How To: Identify pinon needle scale
Identify pinion needle scaleWe are going to look at this insect because eggs are being laid. Two year old needles are being cast off. This is a sign of infestation. There is also sparse, open foliage. This tends to be a chronic infestation. The insect is the pinion needle scale. You can see tiny, bean shaped bumps on the 2 year old needles. The insects move to last years new growth and feast on the sap of the needle all summer. You can see egg masses and web on the trunk of the tree. The inse...
How To: Read tree growth rings
This video explains how tree growth rings function and what they can tell us.The growth rings are formed in 2 (sometimes 3) layers of wood that are the spring growth and the summer growth. Ring width can vary depending on the specie of the tree, the environment in which it has grown and the amount of water it has used. By counting the rings you can tell the age of the tree.By analyzing the growth rings, you can see the years in which there was a drought where the tree once stood, because the ...
How To: Build a mousetrap car
This five part series shows you everything you need to do build a mousetrap from beginning to end. An extensive, and thorough explanation on building this fun and classic toy. This is a great tutorial for the entire family to enjoy. It's also fun to build your own toy from you own hands on a budget and using things you can find right in your home.
How To: Style a cork bark oak for the first time
Graham Potter shows how to stylize cork bark oak. The main way to stylize is to avoid the carving of the bark, but to carving the branches. Its recommended to start carving when the branches are young. First you will start removing all the branches you have no use for (e.g.. shortening branches to about 4 to 5 leaves). Graham says while trimming the branches, do not worry about the immediate image of the branches, but of the image of what it will look like in the future when it fully grows. G...
How To: Lift and repot a black pine bonsai
Charles M., an attorney and bonsai cultivator, demonstrates how to transfer a field grown Japanese Black Pine that is ready for training. A 5-gallong nursery specimen was purchased and planted in the ground with a bonsai compound soil to keep its roots close and compact during trunk thickening. The tree was allowed to grow for three years, with the main foliage under four feet, but with two “sacrifice” branches allowed to shoot out without trimming. One sacrifice branch at the top of the tree...
How To: Identify a spittle bug on your salvia
Great video by Southwest Yard & Garden. tutorial on how to identify garden pests on your plants & shrubs. Went into detail on the Salvia plants - always be careful spittle bugs, they produce spittle commonly on Salvia plants. Whiteflies and aphids are known to take residence in Ash trees. Aphids commonly take on the look of mildew. Ways to manage moths for apples, you can use insecticide spray but be conservative. Took a look at signs of Cochineal Scale on a Prickly Pear. Went over ways to ta...
How To: Grow blackberries in southern New Mexico
Southwest Yard and Garden teaches viewers hot to grow blackberries in Southern New Mexico. Blackberries grow in high rain fall areas but they can work in the south west. They will need bee pollination so you need to make sure that you do not spray too much insecticide on them or you will kill of the bees. Make sure you pick the blueberries when they are dull and not when they are shiny. This will give them the maximum sugar content. Blackberries should grow in sandy soil or looser soil. You m...
How To: Clean clad coins with a tumbler
Ever wondered how to clean those dust clad coin? It is hard to clean the coins all at a time. This how-to-do video gives an easy way to clean those stubborn clad on the coins. An old tumbler would accommodate this task. An old tumbler can be bought from eBay. The tumbler consists of two tumbling barrels connected to a small motor. The tumbling barrels are connected to a motor through a rubber belt. Fill the tumbling barrels with water and tumbling medium. Add Gravel or Pebbles from aquarium, ...
How To: Grow a fig tree in southern New Mexico
In this segment of Southwest Yard and Garden, John White and Bill Alford are going to be talking about fruit production and how to harvest figs in southern New Mexico. Bill starts off by talking about his nine year old Black Turkey tree. He says he digs holes and arbor each spring, then uses half a cup of fertilizer per hole. The roots of a fig tree usually grow out past the outer parts of the tree so it's important to make sure you plant has adequate room to grow correctly. A person can mayb...
How To: Remove a stain from a carpet
How to remove a stain from a carpet
How To: Repot a juniper bonsai tree fall
When re-potting a juniper bonsai tree you're going to have to go through the following procedures. First get it out of the existing pot and then rake out the soil at it's base. After doing so for a while, blast the soil with a water jet. If by chance you encounter stubs of ground level branches, try to remove it with a cutter, otherwise use a pruning saw. Now go back to cleaning and reducing the root mass, having done so as much as possible move the tree into another container. Start backfill...
How To: Grow blue corn
Blue corn is a special variety of corn which can be differentiated by the majority of the corn species by looking at the unusual top growth of the corn. It is a hybrid and grows very uniformly throughout. Now take a corn from the field and peel it off. You shall notice that it has a blue color corns. Blue color corns are hard from outside but they are very soft and tender in the middle. You can use these blue corns in making commercial products like blue corn chips, tortillas, and atole ’,‘ c...
How To: Identify problems with heat scorch on roses
John White and Rosemary Maddox address garden problems concerning heat and sun damage on their plants. Rosemary grows tomatoes that grow healthily, but are dry and cracked at the top. John identifies the problem as an excessive exposure to heat and sunlight, and recommends putting a netting over the plants to filter and moderate the sunlight. Rosemary also has a similar problem with her roses. The leaves on her rose plants become yellow and brown and eventually die off. John calls it "heat sc...
How To: Make a simple wooden bonsai pot
In this how-to video, you will learn how to make a wooden bonsai pot. You will need pressure treated wood made of all weather oak. You will also need a strain brush and nails. Assorted plastic bins will also be needed. Drill holes into the bottom of the plastic bin. Next, cut it to size. Cut the pieces of wood to the correct size and then line and tape them up. Next, nail the wooden pieces together. Now, place two pieces of wood on the bottom for legs. This allows air to flow beneath the pot....
How To: Add zinc to pecan trees
John White is an expert horticulturist. He thinks you need to make sure to add zinc to the proper care of your pecan trees. White advises to buy zinc at your local gardening store and use a garden sprayer to put it on your trees. Older trees and younger trees need to have zinc at different times. When you are spraying make sure to hit all the limbs and leaves. Without proper care your trees will not be as healthy as they would if you follow White's simple instructions. Make sure to follow his...
How To: Divide and re-pot onions and herbs
How to divide and re-pot onions and herbs
How To: Deal with broken tree branches & problems with grapes
This video illustrate us how to deal with broken tree branches and problems with grapes. Here are the following steps:Step 1: First of all clean the broken branch with water.Step 2; Now apply some tree primer or tree paint on the exposed area for quick healing and to prevent any infection.Step 3: To deal with problems in grapes first of all look for any infection on the leaf, stalk or the fruit.Step 4: If in case there is some infection ,identify the problem and sprinkle the pesticide for tha...
How To: Identify and control problems with pine trees
First of all whenever there is low rainfall and higher heat then there are problems.You shall notice that there are brown colored needles which dry up and then drop of. Sometimes they start at the tip and then move towards the branch. This shows drought and you need to soak in lots of water to overcome. However if you notice the brown needles going from the middle to the tip then these are due to natural process. Another problem is the presence of spider mite. Take a white sheet of paper and ...
How To: Build a tomato cage
A piece of concrete reinforcement wire is cut and separated by a bow cutter at about 4 feet. The wires on one side of the separated section is bent in the form of a hook to hold the next side. As it would be hooked together to hold a tomato tree in position. It was suggested that rope cover material or material with small holes that can absorb sunlight be placed around the cage and held together with a clothes pin. Doing so would prevent bug plant, frost bite, curly top viruses , squash plant...
How To: Repot a juniper bonsai tree
In this video, Charles M. Teaches us how to re-pot a Bonsai tree. But before this, he explains how to make Bonsai soil. The ingredients to Bonsai soil are as follows: Potting soil, (from your local Home store) Hummus, Decomposed Granite, and a bucket. Take a couple of scoops from each ingredient and add to the bucket. Now you have your Bonsai soil and are ready to move along. Charles next explains how to handle the Bonsai itself. First, you want to remove any extra branches. Then you take it ...
How To: Indentify problems with the ash & golden rain tree
In this how-to video, you will learn how to identify and control problems with Ash and Golden Rain Trees. If there are discolorations in the tree branch, there may be a few problems. If you see a severe orange color, this will damage the tree. You can paint the tree with a white paint to avoid this problem. Pruning cuts that have been executed poorly will also cause discoloration and rot. If the leaves have tip burn, this may mean that the air is dry and arid. If twigs on Junipers look dirty ...
How To: Remove permanent marker from plastic surfaces
This video is a demonstration set to music about how to remove permanent marker from a plastic surface. It is not narrated. To follow along with this video, all you need is a can of Axe body spray, some clean, dry tissues, and a plastic surface that has permanent marker on it. The video shows a clean video game case, then the person draws and writes all over it with a black sharpie. The person proceeds to spray some Axe body spray all over the permanent marker writing. He or she grabs a clean...
How To: Identify problems with the rubber plant, pomegranite
This video illustrate us how to identify problems with the rubber plant and the pomegranate. Here are the following steps:Step 1:First of all look whether both the plant leaves are in right shape that is they are not deformed, in case if it is then look for any bacterial or fungal infection.Step 2: Look whether there is any yellowing of the leaves. If so this may be due to over watering.Step 3: Look for whether there in any latex blocking in the rubber plant, if so then remove it or latex won...
How To: Easily clean your coins with clr
How to easily clean your coins with CLR
How To: Keep your microwave oven clean
This video demonstrates different ways of cleaning your microwave oven. Cleaning your oven is a very simple and easy task.1.Mix equal parts of baking soda and water. This acts a very mild creamy abrasive and the baking soda helps in deodorizing the oven. Dip a paper towel/rag and rub over the dirt to clean it up.2.Mix 2/3rd water with 1/3rd parts of white vinegar in a bowl and place it in the oven. Heat it up for 5 min so that the mix starts to steam. The steam loosens the dirt and the vinega...
How To: Trim rose bushes
In this how-to video, you will learn how to trim rose bushes. You will need a pair of shears and roses. Cut anything growing from the summer. You should also cut any old wood as well. This will leave new growth for the rose bushes. The best way to remove this is to go in and cut it with almost an inch of cane left. Continue to cut the dead wood. Next, prune above the buds on the top. Do this all around the bush. Make sure they are all about the same height. Look for a good outside bud before ...
How To: Sharpen a hunting or fishing knife
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to sharpen a knife. The materials required are: water or oil, stone and the knife. Begin by dipping the blade into the water and start grinding with a rolling movement on the rough side of the stone. If it gets dry, add some water. Grind on both the sides of the stone. Now flip over the stone and grind with a pulling movement on the smooth side. Then finish the sharpening with a leather belt. This video will benefit those viewers who need to learn how...
How To: Pick the lock on a garage door
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to pick the lock of a garage door. It is not recommended for users to learn this technique to use to open other people's garage doors to break in someone's home or steal their possessions. The tools needed for this technique are a L-key and a diamond pick. Put the L-key at the bottom of the lock hold and fiddle around with the diamond pick on the top part of the hole. Do this until your able to rotate the lock. This video will benefit those viewers wh...
How To: Cut & plant potatoes
This video describes how to cut and plant potatoes in your own garden. Potatoes are easy to grow almost anywhere and can be started early in the year since they are resistant to cold.
How To: Prune a peach tree & trim raspberry plants
Curtis Smith, Extension Horticulturist, and Rick Daniel, Bernalillo County Horticulture Agent, demonstrate how to prune a peach tree and trim raspberry plants. If a branch is in the way and causing problems or if it is unhealthy, cut it off at anytime. Cut outside of the bark collar when pruning branches. Make three cuts by first making an undercut on the bottom side so the bark doesn't strip off too far. Put on gloves when working with raspberry bushes. Cut the bushes down to the ground each...
How To: Protect outdoor plants and shrubs in the winter
Curtis Smith of Yard and Garden teachers viewers how to protect outdoor plants and shrubs in the winter. For instance, Lilacs and be burned by the cold weather so it is advised to not place lilac to the South or the West against a wall in the winter. Next, with a privett plant there may be damage on the leaves but others are perfect - but this is normal. This plant is an evergreen and some cells in the leaf may die which will make the leaves look damaged. This will be shown on last years leav...
How To: Filter vegetable oil to make biodiesel
In this video, Tom Carpenter explains how to filter vegetable oil into bio-diesel at home. After collecting a large amount of waste vegetable oil, place 30 gallons of it into a modified (by removing the top heating element) water heater. Use a pump and hose to circulate the liquid through the water heater. Heat the oil to 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit. In a separate container, mix methanol and sodium/potassium hydroxide (methoxide). After disconnecting the heating element from the water heater, ...
How To: Grow paperwhite narcissus bulbs in a vase
We are shown by a nursery manager how to grow Paper White Narcissus. While not hardy outdoors they are simple to grown indoors. We are shown how to grow in a vase or pot. For the vase, pebbles are placed on the bottom then about two inches of water. The bulbs are put tips up roots down, then a little more pebbles on top. The potted version is filled with a moist soil and water mixture. The bulbs are placed identical with soil lightly on top. With the pot a flowering support structure is place...
How To: Identify problems with snails & slugs
Snails and slugs can really be a problem sometimes if you are a gardener. They feed on plants and can be considered pests, sometimes even getting inside your house. They are identified by their tell-tale slime trails. A bad infestation can be very hard to deal with. However, specialized cleaners or fertilizers can help your garden snail-free.
How To: Choose the right sage plant
In this how-to video, you will learn how to choose the right sage plant for your garden or landscape. The Texas Ranger is one type of plant to choose. They do well in hot, dry climates and heavy soils. They do not need a lot of maintenance. Selective pruning is useful for this particular plant. Green Cloud has dark green foliage and is a lot thicker. Scarlet Sage attract Hummingbirds. These have little insect problems if you do not give them too much water. Mexican Sage dries very well. It ca...
How To: Install Timberline roofing shingles
GAF roofing has a four nail pattern. The shingles come in 2 sizes: English and metric. In this video we will be using English sizes. Place the shingles in a row by row pattern. You may move left to right or right to left but never move up the roof. You may have the shingle hanging over the roof by 1/4 in. Install the leak barrier in high wind areas. Place the second shingle next to the first. Five inches of the underlying shingle should be exposed. Use a whole shingle for the first course. Th...
How To: Style a yamadori bonsai
This step-by-step tutorial will teach you the correct way make a Light-Saber effect using Paint.net.In this video, you will learn how to gather the Light-Saber image, paste the image into Paint.net, choose the preferred color for the Light-Saber, and other special effects such as: sizing your Light-Saber, 'blurring' your Light-Saber, and learning the correct way to save your project.Your first step is to right click on the Light-Saber image and click 'Copy'. Next, you open Paint.net. Then you...
How To: Get permanent marker stains out of your carpet
To follow along with this video, you will need a few supplies: a spray bottle filled with lukewarm water, a couple of clean white blotting towels, and a product called Legacy of Clean. To remove the stain you begin by applying a few drops of Legacy of Clean onto the stain. Use the blotting cloth to agitate the product into the carpet fibers by rubbing it a bit. Then find a new clean spot on the towel, place it over the stain and apply pressure from your fist to blot the stain. You will see th...
How To: Identify problems when your wisteria is not blooming
On Southwest Yard & Garden, John White, a Dona Ana County Extension Agent, gets together with Master Gardener Virginia Podmenik to discuss some common problems with typical garden plants. Having trouble getting your Wisteria or Bouganvia to bloom? John White has several solutions. Baffled when your Dianthus and Artemsia grow into beautiful green mounds, then split and turn brown in the center? John White will help you find out why and what you can do to help. Not sure if it’s the right time t...
How To: Caulk a crack in your home
In this video, we learn how to caulk a crack in your home. First, take your favorite type of non-silicon caulking tube. Then, take a knife and cut the tip off of the caulking tube at a 45 degree angle. Then, take a coat hanger and stick in the tip of the tube to break the seal that's inside. Next, take an open frame gun with a spring release lever and install the tube into it. Now position the gun in a 45 degree angle to the crack and slide it along the length of the crack. Wipe the tip of th...