Pruning Made Easy and Tuning Up Your Heater! Print

More with Ashley Colby-Fitzgerald:

• Dealing with looking different and how that factored into their decision.
• Savings and providing income in a new country.
• Ashley describes their shipping container home.
• What about groceries and shopping?

Thank you, Ashley, for stopping by and we look forward to catching up!

• Romey joins us from Casa Grande where he's there for the Queen Creek Junior Rodeo Association event. He gives us an update on the weekend events.
• Romey & Jennifer share their thoughts & questions from Ashley's interview with Rosie.
• Talking through events held at a junior rodeo event.
• "Nibbles" the pony sounds like a fun ride!
• What we learned about the Casa Grande area.

• The proper way to pronounce "Casa Grande."
• Activities and sights to see in and around the aread.

Sign Up For the Sanderson Ford Arizona Staycation!!!

*We have a couple great new partners, Sibley's West and  the Letson Loft Hotel in Bisbee!

Jay with Harper's Nursery & Landscaping Company is ready the new year out in the yard!

• We get right into you wasting water! If it's raining, turn off those irrigation systems.
• Rose care tips and a few classes you can attend.
• Starting a New Year's Resolutions? Try working in the garden and you'll have a great yard, fruit & veggies and you'll be in better shape!
• More tips on pruning.....Not your citrus right now. Be careful and Jay explains why. 

Texts From a Listener:

• Is a Jacaranda tree deciduous and can he prune it right now?

Recommendation - Technically no, but they are a tropcial tree and it gets a bit cooler during the winter, so they will yellow and thin out a bit. We'd wait until mid-February to start pruning and be very careful how you do it.

• Can they prune back mesquite trees this time of year?

Recommendation - They are semi-decidiuous and spring or fall is best. If you cut back right now, it can leak black sap that gets on sidewalks, cars, etc. That being said, you can trim a few problem branches off if you need to.

• He heard us talking about roses. Is it a good time to plant roses and can he pick them up at Harper's?

Recommendation - It is a good time to plant and he has a few in planters at the store.

Callers:

• Ted - He is about to trim his bougainvillea because it's getting too big. Can he do it this time of year or is it too cold?

Recommendation - We would wait for a few weeks to avoid frost. Mid-February is usually when the threat passes and he can cut it way back then. Jay talks through his options and how much to cut back.

• Jack - He has a Cherub Tree and wants to know how to cut it back or should he hire an expert?

Recommendation - With a tree that special and that big, we would have an expert take a look at it and make sure it's healthy and where to make the prudent cuts. He can contact our Rosie-Certified tree expert, John at Integrity Tree Service.

• Controlling weeds and if you missed your opportunity to apply pre-emergent herbicides.
• Product recommendations and application preferences.

Caller:

• Barbara - She has a large pomegranite tree and wants to know how to prune it to encourage fruit growth.

Recommendation - They are deciduous and can be done this time of year. She can shape it and cut it back quite a bit. Jay describes what to look for and how to shape it to make it easy to harvest fruit.

Callers:

• Cara - Her shamel ashe tree loses it's leaves in December and a few weeks they start budding out again. Is there anything she can do to change that?

Recommendation - Nope. That's just what they do and it can happen a few times a year. It's a warmer climate tree and Jay recommends a red push pistache tree if she's struggling. This is just an issue for this variety and can be beautiful in the right situation.

• Roland - He has a tipu tree put in and he doesn't know much about it. One branch shot out about four feet this year and he's wondering if that is what he can expect from the rest of the tree?

Recommendation - Yes and Jay loves this tree. The cold doesn't bother it too much and it grows quickly too. We wouldn't worry about it too much. He can also trim off the extra limb he doesn't like if it's not effecting the entire canopy of the tree.

Texts From a Listener:

• What was the brand of pre-emergent we mentioned?

Recommendation - It's called Dimension.

• What can I plant to attract hummingbirds and when should they be planted?

Recommendation - Things that bloom in the winter are great, because they do stick around in the winter. Honeysuckle, tacomo's, etc. are good options. Jay runs through a long list for different times of the year. So anytime is good!

Callers:

• Charlie - He has ground squirrels digging holes under his slab and he isn't having any success trapping them. What do we suggest?

Recommendation - We like peanut butter and he's trying it. Adding sweetened grains or molasses horse food should help too. It's just a battle that he'll have to keep on it.

• Gilbert - Is it okay to put organic soil on top of the roots of trees?

Recommendation - You don't want to add soil that puts soil higher up on the trunk than where is healthy (this is a common mistake) It can be used to cover up roots away from the trunk, but use mulch around the base, but not higher up on the trunk.

• Richard - What should he be doing with his grapevines? They are yellow and bare right now, but he wants to make sure he's doing things correctly for spring.

Recommendation - This is the time of year to prune grapevines, but since they are in the first year, we would hold back on much pruning this cycle. They are deciduous and should leave their leaves right now and Jay talks through a few cuts he can make, but to beware of taking much at all the 1st year.

• Covering our January checklist for the yard....Winter vegetables can be going in right now!
• Prepping for warm season veggies.
• Fertilizing your lawn will keep it green and looking good through the rest of winter.

Text From a Listener:

• They have a desert sage and it's overgrown and no growth in the middle. Can he trim it back?

Recommendation - Wait until the middle of February and he can cut it way back and let it rejuvenate.  It doesn't have leaves in the middle because it's not getting any sunlight there.  Heavy pruning in February should correct it. Listen to make sure you're doing it correctly. 

• Jimmy - What is the best time of year to plant citrus?

Recommendation - Fall is preferred, but Spring will work too. February or March will work and you can do it pretty much year round. Probably not best to do it in June or July or not January.

If you're in the Valley, stop in and see Jay at Harper's Nursery & Landscaping Company in Scottsdale!

• Talking about the Romero family Christmas.
• Election year construction and remodeling was up last year...Not sure why.
• Rosie talking about Rosie On The House Remodeling.
• Keys to a succesful remodeling job.

Caller:

• Mitch - He's getting water intrusion through the block foundation at his cabin. What can he use to seal it up properly?

Recommendation - He needs to over-excavate the area to make it safe, pressure wash the area (after getting to the original block and get it dried out) and different materials. Listen as Rosie describes the different applications for a succesful barrier from moisture.  If he has questions, he can reach out to Stucco Renovations of Arizona.

Callers:

• Laura - The window sills outside of her window frames is pulling away from the frame of the house. What can she do?

Recommendation - After investigating, it sounds like they are metal frame windows held in by wood trim pieces. There are wood filler products she can use if the damage isn't too bad or she'll need to replace the trim & re-caulk the seams and paint. Otherwise, she could invest that money into new windows that are more energy efficient.

• Chris - Everytime his irrigation turns on he's hearing a loud knocking sound that shakes the wall. What can he do?

Recommendation - It sounds like he has too much water pressure and Rosie describes what to do, including using a water pressure gauge to determine how much pressure is getting into his system.  If it's too much, he'll need to contact a plumber to install a pressure reducing valve and that should solve it. 

• Norm - He's concerned (because of his neighbors) his electrical panel is outdated and might get flagged after an inspection. He thinks that replacing the breakers and wants to know if that would bring it up to code?

Recommendation - We'll answer it in the next segment.....

• We continue with Norm's question on his electric panel.

Recommendation - We would contact the company that originally installed the solar panels and tell them what's come up and if he is up to code. If not, he can contact The Solar Store in Tucson.

• Frank - He wants to know if redwood is a strong enough wood to make a gate out of this and will it hold up in the Arizona sun?

Recommendation - Yes, redwood is fine. He'll need to coat it with a clear penetrating oil. We like a product called "woodlife." It will need to be re-coated twice a year to make sure it's good to go after the original 3 or 4 coats.

We have Tony with Temperature Control, Inc. stopping in to make sure your homes heating system is ready for the rest of winter!

• Furnaces vs. heat pumps.
• How Heat pumps operate and why you can't just crank up the heat in cool/wet mornings.
• The cost of propane systems and Tony's thoughts on natural gas.
• "Heat Strips" and how they work to combat the cooler air a heat pump provides.
• Why Tony loves heat pumps.

• Sharing the story behing Temerature Control!

Text From a Listener:

• They have a brand new system installed. How will I know if I have a heat pump as part of my system?

Recommendation - You just need to find the model number and a simple google search will let you know. Other hints could be gas running to other appliances in your home. If there is now gas, you can pretty much guarantee it's a heat pump.

• Tony talks through the method heat pumps use to warm yourh home and why it sometimes does not feel like warm air.
• Dealing with cool temps in your home when you have guests.

Caller:

• Bob - He wants to find a thermostat that tracks air filters by hours used rather than just days it's been replaced?

Recommendation - Honeywell (Model 8000) makes a model that tracks it by hours used and should solve his problem.

*We get into a conversation on our favorite filter types and how long you should use them.

• George - "He doesn't know a heat pump from a spare tire!" He has natural gas unit in Sedona and wants to confirm it's the most efficient way to heat his home.

Recommendation - Yes, that is the most efficient system. We find out George was a bus driver in New York City and ended up in Sedona. Listen as we have fun hearing his story!! He is a character and a really fun listener.

• Mike - He has a heat pump that works really well most of the year, but the system seems to over-correct and take it 3 degrees past the set temp. What could cause that?

Recommendation - Almost immediately both Rosie and Tony assume it's over-sized and too big for the home. We walk through his homes size and how it is operating and it sounds like he should be good to go in his current situation.

• Tony shares a special Temperature Control is offering the Tucson listeners.
• We tackle more about Mike's question and why over-sizing was is such a common mistake.
• The high cost of over-sized equipment.

If you're in Southern Arizona, have Temperature Control, Inc. make sure your heat/AC is in great shape!

Join Rosie On The House Every Saturday Morning!!!