HOME & GARDEN
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
B9
Greenshoot Media
Pressure washers take low-pressure water from your garden
hose and push it out through a nozzle at high pressure.
Power washing basics
Nozzles
Greenshoot Media
Summer weather means
spending more time outside.
And while you’re out there,
you may notice that the win-
ter months took a harsh toll
on your exterior surfaces.
Fortunately, power wash-
ing can get most of your sur-
faces sparking again. Keep
reading for more tips on how
to choose a power washer
and use it safely.
Know your planting zones
What are planting
zones?
The USDA Plant Hardi-
ness Zone map helps garden-
ers determine which plants
are more likely to thrive in
a given area. It’s based on
the average annual mini-
mum temperatures, divided
into 10-degree zones. You
can type your ZIP code into
Factors in the zones
Though the map is cate-
gorized by minimum tem-
perature zones, the USDA
also took into consideration
other factors. These include
light, soil moisture, duration
of cold weather and humid-
ity. Also bear in mind that
the map covers the entire
country and while accuracy
is better, it still isn’t precise
for any given area. The map
is based on averages, not the
lowest or highest tempera-
tures ever, and your more
delicate plants may still need
to be protected in extreme
weather.
Likewise, if a new ver-
sion of the map comes out
and you switch zones, that
doesn’t mean you need to rip
out all your existing plants.
What’s doing well in your
yard will likely to continue
to do well, as specifi c plants
may develop hardiness to dif-
ferent conditions over time.
Get experience
The best thing you can
do to keep your plants alive,
in addition to consulting the
map, is to get more garden-
ing experience.
Start by asking the
experts at your local nursery
what plants would do best in
your area. Take note of the
light exposure in your gar-
den, any specifi c pests you
have to battle, and be honest
about your gardening experi-
ence and the amount of eff ort
you’re willing to put in.
Perk up for pollinators
Bees and other pollinators
— bats, butterfl ies, beetles,
wasps and birds, among oth-
ers — play a critical role in
nature and in our food produc-
tion system.
According to the USDA,
more than 100 diff erent crops
worth $18 billion rely on pol-
linators. But some pollina-
tor populations are in rapid
decline.
ground nesting sites that are
well-drained and face south so
they get the most sun. Dead or
hollow stumps and plant stems
also make great bee habitat, or
you can buy artifi cial nesting
sites that are attractive addi-
tions to your garden.
Bee better program
Bee
Better
Certifi ca-
A unique boutique
featuring local artisans
from Grant County
tion is a program funded
through the USDA’s Natural
Resources Conservation Ser-
vice. It certifi es the use of pol-
linator-friendly conservation
practices on farms. Manufac-
turers that qualify can use the
Bee Better certifi cation logo
on product packaging, giving
consumers an option to sup-
port farms that support bees.
Greenshoot Media
Auto Parts & Accessories
Colony collapse disorder
for the do-it-yourself driver
The Western honey bee, in
particular, is vulnerable to col-
ony’s collapse disorder, a con-
dition that causes worker bees
to disappear, leaving behind
only the queen and some
nursemaid bees to care for
babies. The USDA says the
disorder is likely the cause of
stressors in the environment,
such as pests, disease, pollut-
ants, nutritional defi cits and
cloak of habitat.
Because the problem was
recognized, honey bee popu-
lations are recovering. There’s
still work to do, however, in
bringing bee and other polli-
nator populations back.
replacement parts • performance parts • accessories • tools • fluids & chemicals
Ways you can help
One thing everyone can
do is to choose landscaping
and gardening projects that
include native species that
fl ower at diff erent times of
year to provide a steady food
source for pollinator popula-
tions. Bees and other pollina-
tors prefer clumps of fl owers
in diff erent colors and shapes.
If you live in an area that hosts
a monarch migration, plant
milkweed in your yard to pro-
vide food for caterpillars.
In addition to good gro-
ceries, you can also provide
nesting sites. Butterfl ies like
the monarch prefer specifi c
plants for hosting their lar-
vae, like the milkweed, while
hummingbirds like trees and
shrubs. Bees like to build nests
in the ground on in wood or
dry plant stems. Provide nest-
ing sites for bees by leaving
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Greenshoot Media
Maintenance
Follow the manufac-
turer’s instructions for
proper maintenance of your
machine. In general, you
may need to regularly main-
tain the washer’s pump and,
for gas motors, you’ll also
need to tend to the air fi lter,
oil and spark plug.
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Let’s say your thumb isn’t
exactly green. Let’s say it is,
in fact, more gray or black
than anything. That’s OK.
You, too, can still have a gor-
geous garden by following
the USDA’s planting zones.
the USDA website and fi nd
exactly what zone you are.
The latest USDA map
was created in 2012 and rep-
resents a change from the
previous 1990 version.
The newer version of the
map is generally one fi ve-de-
gree half-zone warmer than
previous versions throughout
the United States. Partially,
the USDA says, this change
comes from more thorough
and sophisticated climate
data that improved the accu-
racy and detail of the map.
Pressure washers take
low-pressure water from
your garden hose and push
it out through a nozzle at
high pressure. Pressure
washers can be powered
by electricity or gas. Elec-
tric pressure washers usu-
ally cost less and run quieter
than gas-powered mod-
els, but the trade off is that
they’re less portable (you’ll
need to have power wher-
ever you use it) and usually
less powerful than gas-pow-
ered washers.
Gas pressure washers are
good for larger jobs such
as decks, patios, sidewalks
and siding. You can get gas
washers with an electric start
to make it easier to start up.
With gas washers, you’ll
need to be sure to follow
manufacturer’s instructions
for mixing the oil and gas
for the machine. You may
even have to vary fuel types
depending on your climate.
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Greenshoot Media
Types of pressure
washers
A pressure washer will
usually come with a variety
of nozzles to do a variety of
jobs. These may include:
0-degree nozzles: the
most powerful, concentrated
nozzle setting.
15-degree nozzles: used
for heavy-duty cleaning.
25-degree nozzles: used
for general cleaning.
40-degree nozzles: used
for vehicles, patio furniture,
boats and easily damaged
surfaces.
65-degree nozzles: a
low-pressure nozzle used to
apply soap and other clean-
ing agents.
Always read the instruc-
tion manual that comes with
your pressure washer and
make sure you know how
to how to quickly turn it off
and release the pressure. For
safety’s sake, stand on a sta-
ble surface while you’re
pressure washing.
Wear eye and ear protec-
tion and never leave a spray
gun unattended. Never point
the spray gun at people, ani-
mals or plants and keep the
spray away from electricity.
Starting your
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