How to Choose Between Contractors Print

The Urban Farm's Farmer Greg details how to plant and care for your fruit trees in any space.  The importance of growing your own food in today's economy.

First its good to know the three ways you can kill your fruit trees before you plant and solutions.

Creating a basin around the tree.   Using bubblers is best than drip irrigation.  Discussion of deep watering once a month in winter, twice a month in summer.

Plant citrus October/November, decideous trees January/February.  Why the first year is important for long term production.

Farmer Greg explains chill hours and their importance to the growth in low desert.  Never buy a tree without chill hours on the tag.

Root stocks are grafted together to grow in certain climates.  No root stock info on the tag, don't buy it.  

The ripening times for each fruit tree before July 1st for low desert.

Arizona Game And Fish representative John Treewieler talks about the Send Water program.  Arizona is in a cycle of long-term drought. For our wildlife, this means less drinking water and a bigger fight for survival, especially during the dangerously hot and dry summer months. They maintain 3000 water catch basins around the state. It requires manpower to fill those basins.  No tax revenue, funding thru licenses and donations.  

Donate:  Text 'Send Water' to 41444 or Send Water.org

Preparation to planting your tree.  Discussion of digging a SQUARE hole.  Drain test.  Five components of healthy soil.  Proper mix of dirt and composting/planting mix.  Adding Micorisen, Azomite and worm castings.

Create a 6 foot tree basin with 6 inches of woody mulch.

Fertilizing your trees.  Two kinds:  Grandular and Foliar and how the work.

Shading your tree for the first year to establish itself.

Keeping the ground around the tree cooler by planting sweet potatoes and/or cowpeas.

Jill Hanks of APS discusses why suddenly they, along with the other 2 big power providers, asked customers to conserve their electric use to avoid 'possible' rolling blackouts.  Jill calms fears by explaining the story.  

Rosie goes over how 'time of use' plans can work to your advantage.

CALLER:   Looking to install a mini split A/C in the garage that has gas appliances.  Can you safely block the fresh air intake of those appliances so the cold air doesn't escape thru them?  (NO NO!!)

Rosie's prediction of why he thinks remodeling companies will get an onslaught of business in the months ahead.

After you're done your research, how to choose between good, qualified contractors.

The mistakes customers make in establishing a budget.

How to properly go thru the interview process.  The one question a potential contractor asks that is a deal breaker.  Explaining details of how you like your project to look when it finished with the contractor to set the right budget.

How To Choose Between Contractors  

Rosie's Consumer Guide To Finding A Contractor

A tip in the interview process about contractor impressions.  What traits to look for before you sign the contract.  Why most contractors won't give you a free bid.  Questions to ask prior clients of the contractor.

Discussion why every contractor is busy because Covid did not kill home equity.  And why its a good sign to wait before your project starts.

Asking the contractor for a list of their clients.  Then asking those clients key questions about their experience getting their project done by the contractor.

CALLER:  Outdoor hose bibs are leaking.  The bibs are welded, not threaded.  Likely a bad gasket.

City Of Phoenix Water educates what not to put down a toilet with a new character 'Loo Poo'.

Details on the upcomming 2021 Rosie On The House Calendar and E-Store products.

CALLER:  A neighbor's tree roots are coming up thru the grass on the caller's side of the block wall.  Plus the wall has a huge crack.  Discussion of root barriers and 'Tree Law' in Arizona.

Rosie's story of a tree in his backyard that needed to be removed.  And the miracle that happened.

CALLER:  Has a 2007 Cavco Manufactured Home.  Looking for advice to keep the home cooler by adding insulation or other suggestions.

The Weekly To Do:  Cleaning and sealing grout.  Josh Lawlor of CLEARCO Window And Carpet gives us some tips on what they do to properly clean and use the correct sealer on grout.

CALLER:  Had new tile installed with the perfect color match of grout.  It was properly sealed.  Some parts of the grout developed tiny holes and got dirty.  Can you change the color of the grout?  Josh with CLEARCO explains how it can be done.

Takeaways from today's show!