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Drought-Resistant Plants Austin Loves

. Posted by in • Austin

If you don’t mind summer heat, Austin is a great place to put down roots. Unfortunately, the region’s climate prevents many common lawn and garden plants from putting down roots on a consistent basis. While the Austin area isn’t a desert wasteland, it does experience periodic droughts that can undo hours of hard landscaping work. Consider relying on these drought-resistant plants to protect your property.

Lechuguilla

As a member of the agave family, lechuguilla is comfortable in truly arid conditions. Its native territory stretches across northern Mexico and into the Chihuahuan Desert of extreme western Texas, but it’s perfectly content in Austin’s wetter climate as well. After a decade-long period of slow growth, this plant grows into a succulent shrub that can provide shade and privacy for your yard without hogging your lawn’s water.

Hill Country Rain Lily

As its name suggests, the Hill Country rain lily is native to the Austin area. While … Read Full Post »

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Signs Gas Oven Not Heating Properly and What To Do About It

. Posted by in • Austin
Gas oven not heating properly

Few things are more frustrating for the home cook than having food turn out unexpectedly bad. Burnt edges, raw centers, undercooked meats and uneven browning can ruin a meal that took precious time to prepare.

Signs Your Gas Oven is Not Heating Properly 

Anyone can have an off day, but if these problems are consistent, they can leave you wondering if there is a bigger problem. If you’ve been using the same gas oven successfully for months or years and suddenly experience cooking difficulties, your oven’s failing heating element, digital controls or other components could be to blame. Here are five signs that can help you recognize uneven or inconsistent heating.

One or Both Elements Don’t Produce Heat

It seems like an obvious problem, but anyone can get in a hurry and not realize that one of the heating elements in your oven is not igniting. If your food isn’t turning out as expected, … Read Full Post »

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Weird Pest Profile: The Whip Scorpion

. Posted by in • Austin

In nature, things aren’t always what they seem. Imagine you’re working in your garden and you happen to turn over a rotten log. Underneath, you find what appears to be a scorpion. Its menacing pincers and crusty body send shivers up your spine, and you immediately fear its painful and potentially dangerous sting. Before you turn to flee in horror, stop and take a look at its back end. If it has a long, thin, whip-like tail, you may have just encountered one of Mother Nature’s clever pranks. No matter how badly it wants to, the whip scorpion can’t sting you because it doesn’t have any venom. It could pinch you if you’re brave enough to get too close, or it could spray you with an acidic, vinegar-like solution that makes you smell bad, but that’s about it.

An Arachnid Costume Party

The odd and creepy-looking whip scorpion, also known by the … Read Full Post »

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How to Scout for Harmful Pests in Your Yard

. Posted by in • Austin

Although it may look calm, your yard is home to a thriving ecosystem of life. From the microbes in the soil to the grass and flowers of your lawn, a well-tended yard hosts many types of life. Not every resident in your yard is a welcome visitor, however, and unwanted pests may be lurking just out of sight. Learning to spot the signs of unwanted pests will help you keep them under control without threatening the safety of the plants and friendly insects that dwell in your lawn.

Good Bugs vs. Bad Bugs in Your Yard

Of the 30,000 insects native to Texas, only about 100 are real pests, and only a fraction of these will ever be found around your home. The vast majority of the bugs you find in your yard will be harmless or even beneficial. Beneficial insects help to keep the numbers of more threatening pests at bay. … Read Full Post »

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Appliance 101: What Do Your Clothes Say About Your Washer & Dryer?

. Posted by in • Austin

For modern homeowners, washers and dryers are more than just a convenience; they’re integral appliances that can throw a household into a tizzy when they break down. After all, you don’t have the time to wash your clothes by hand and hang them to dry. Fortunately, there are ways to detect a washer or dryer meltdown before it happens.

Is Your Washer or Dryer on the Fritz?

Most American families wash about 400 loads of clothes per year, making your washer and dryer some of the most frequently used appliances in your home. Be on the lookout for the following signs, which can indicate that problems are on their way:

• Your clothes aren’t completely dry after a regular drying cycle.
• Your clothes are very wrinkled when they come out of the dryer, even when you dry a small load.
• Clothes have rips, tears or holes that were not present before washing or … Read Full Post »

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Insecticidal Cinema: Top 5 Bug Horror Movies

. Posted by in • Austin

There’s no denying that movies about big, scary, disgusting, deadly insects are simply irresistible. The movie industry would have a much duller history without them. No one’s really sure why we love our bug monsters so much. Perhaps when our fear of the very real insects we encounter is amplified, we just can’t look away. Here’s our list of the top five insect movies. If they’re not on an old VHS tape in your attic, you can probably find most of them available for streaming. Grab your popcorn, but make sure it’s not moving before you turn out the lights.

1. The Fly

In the original 1958 film starring David Hedison and Patricia Owens, a scientist tries to transport his body’s molecules through a device he invented, but a house fly gets trapped in the transport chamber. The poor guy ends up with the head and arm of the fly. The fly, … Read Full Post »

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Pest Picnic: The Foods You’re Accidentally Feeding Rodents

. Posted by in • Austin

Hidden ways you feed and attract rodents

Even though you go to great lengths to keep rodents away from your home, you could be inadvertently welcoming them by not being careful enough with leftover food. Here are some common foods that rodents eat and ways to keep these pests away.

Foods That Bring Rats into Your Yard

Open garbage cans are a rodent’s favorite place to snack. These places are filled with all kinds of foods, especially old meat and scraps of cooked goodies. As these items begin to rot, they become extremely appealing to gluttonous rodents. To avoid these problems, it’s important to seal all garbage in a closed plastic container.

Fruits and berries that fall to the ground from trees in the yard will attract mice and rats as well. To stop attracting these vermin, it’s important to rake up and collect any fruit that has fallen. The only way to totally … Read Full Post »

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Five Everyday Activities That Could Be Destroying Your Plumbing

. Posted by in • Austin

Every day, you might be making some simple mistakes that could be destroying your plumbing. As much as you might like to become best friends with the plumbers in Austin, we’d like to offer some helpful tips to avoid major plumbing disasters.

Some plumbing issues are just annoying, while others can actually pose a hazard to your family’s health. Minor issues quickly escalate into expensive ordeals if not dealt with properly. Follow these tips to avoid learning the hard way.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Hair clogs are a common cause of blocked drains in showers, bathtubs and sinks. Avoid brushing your hair right over the sink, and always put the hair from your comb or brush directly in a trashcan. When washing your hair, be mindful of the hair that you lose, and gather it after each shower or bath. Keep a small trashcan nearby so that you can quickly dispose of the … Read Full Post »

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Need Some Extra Cash? Take a Look at Your Tank

. Posted by in • Austin

Don’t let your hot water heater drain you out of house and home

How much hot water do you use each day? You’re probably not running your tap nonstop, so what is your water heater doing the rest of the time?

If it’s the normal, tank-type variety, it’s probably pretty busy. Nobody puts in a requisition for hot water. With no idea of when you’re going to want it, your heater must stand at the ready, keeping the water continually toasty in case you make a request.

It does this by making steady demands on your energy supply. If it didn’t keep working around the clock, the water in the tank would not remain hot for long.

What if you never had to waste energy keeping your water hot? What if you could heat it on demand at the moment you need it?

With a tankless water heater, that’s exactly what you can do.

The Workings … Read Full Post »

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Flower Power! The Year’s Most Colorful Landscaping Trends

. Posted by in • Austin

Whether you add it with foliage, flowers or focal points, your garden needs color in each season. Here are some color trends for this year’s landscaping.

Flower Power!

Deep purples, metallic colors, and lime greens are bold colors in landscaping this year, while bright yellows, deep reds and hot pinks are always welcome.

Wildflowers blossom throughout the year in Central Texas, and the Texas bluebonnets are a popular tourist attraction. They’re a great example of flowers that require little maintenance and bloom spectacularly year after year. Using plants that are adapted to the climate in Central Texas allows you to spend less time watering and more time enjoying.

Reds

Flame acanthus flowers are a wonderful red-orange color and make a hot spot in your landscape. They attract hummingbirds almost as readily as they draw our own eyes. They do just fine with no watering, but a little splash now and then causes them to bloom … Read Full Post »

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