- Watering (vacation).  First think to protect plants against dryness : gather the pots together, preferably tight, provide a bit of shade with a screen (plastic finely perforated or screen straw to hold the wind). Put some pebbles around the base of the plant in pot, the best being to put a double pot with enough space to introduce insulation (bubble wrap, flakes etc. This applies along the winter too. Wrap the outside with a metallized film. Place preferably the pots in a hollow.

For potted plants, be wary of miraculous systems consisting of a bottle and a drip or a porous plug for watering may well be random or too generous for a small pot. In fact, the bottle is emptied in a short time or no longer flows.

- I have placed large cotton wicks (three to five cm wide stripes from a floor cloth) with one side soak in a basin full of water and the other posed or rolled up around the roots of the plants in pot. You will be astonished to see the water going up, even too quickly if you put too much wicks (preliminary tests to be made).

Pouch of water. A 5/10 litres reserve of water with tap can be made up by re-using a "bag in box", these commercial wine containing a plastic bag which shrinkle on itself when his tap is opened (in order to preserve the wine of the air). Cut the paperboard and recover the plastic bag; cut the opposite angle of the tap (take care : it is doubled with a transparent film, open this last well) and rinse. Fill and close using a plastic grip ; add several turn of a good bond, which could be possibly used to suspend the bag if you want try doing one drop by drop).

- Land, undulations and plantations. We must bear in mind that what is hollow keep better the moisture than what is bumpy. In dry countries, is known for a long time (I have a memory of Yugoslavia with a landscape of numerous small pits in a field ..) to the culture area or dry period, make small bowls. For the grass, we can make small bowls ! but an elevation expose, especially as irrigation water or rain come down again soon.
Now a well-known adage: a good hoeing worth two watering, why?  the physics says hoeing breaks the capillary channels of the soil and evaporation is slowed.

- Soil acidity, mosses. From a horticulturalist, rain water would be acidic, and fertilizers impoverish the soil more and more ; so we have to bring it lime, that is also detrimental for moss, which spread well on a wet ground (we knew that) and also an acid soil.
Here are the results of the analysis of my soil: PH a bit high for a sand (light ground), bring 30 g/m2 nitrate or 15 grams of lime ammonium nitrate (not found). There are now various compounds that seek primarily to make a good price!, Often with fertilizer. There are pure lime, but its use is very risky. I poured this  2010 year a "liming basic" containing calcium oxide, magnesium and a little more something or other for the rest. I put an equivalent product two years ago, and foams were significantly reduced. Consider also, perhaps, that I have since put fertilizer or really watered.

- Snails, slugs. To protect small square of seedlings which are their delight, basil, sage etc. without using pesticides that exterminate them, I made a "wall" with plates of depron lightly pressed into the ground (click for photo). Another solution is to put a pot  in the middle of a large cup filled with water, in elevating above the surface (stone, etc.). Since then, these animals do not have eaten our seeds at leisure. Other attacks (soil air) make several cuts, including the tiny white fly. the improvement is significant because there was nothing left before. should be reduced and I have not yet tried. You can try it yourself.
The method has been proven but may be problematic to implement. So I experienced a more flexible alternative easier to install. It is also more visually agreable. To know more

- Protection wood from ground (rot) . Wooden objects (sticks, chairs, bamboo), will inevitably be attacked if they remain continuously in contact with the ground, even on grass. Protect them with cups, stones, bricks for ongoing support. In the "repairs" site page, I show a beech armchair to whom I had to redo the bottom of back legs. It may take years, depending on the wood. The earth is alive and critters know quickly find what they want. Pickets and stakes stuck in the ground. Acacia stakes are resistant  I think. Preferably, place the gate poles in a metal holder that can be sealed in concrete, leaving the wood above the ground (these pieces exist, I did that). See also above "tennis balls".

Hammock. Without trees nor pillars? Not any miracle, you must have some strong roots in a good place, or burry a sort of anchor. H  (to know more.

Desk chair, Security A desk chair can be transformed into a crushing fingers machine. While folding it, the two major branches may indeed fall back loudly when we grabbed one of them. It is advised to better control the movements of the to two parts. A good way is to switch the couch on one side, which prevents effectively from the clap. But the best is to take the spacer by the back and let the whole fall down. No need to think how the chair must be folded, it's automatic.

Put the desk chair lower. To better relax and watch the stars, we should have one or two notches more at the rear ! it will be sufficient with an extension cord: tear off the spacer of the notches and put it bleu > back on the ground, just against the base to which you will knot two cords - one on each side ; bleu >the buttock can touch the soil a bit.

- Secure a sunshade. Against gusts of wind. a small plastic bag filled with a good amount of sand or ground is attached to the leg of the sunshade ; put firstly a strong rubber around the leg on which you are able to tie the cord (for the grip on the leg); while trailing on the ground, it will prevent the sunshade from dangerously circling.

- Thin stakes. They can be very dangerous for the eyes because one can't see them while bending ourselve; balls of ping pong will make the deal and while announcing them, will protect you. To cut out the ball, make a small hole with a point of scissors.

- Trimming the hedge. In order to round up the leaves, take a worn bed sheet (larger of 80 cm), cut two cleats  (width of the cloth) and put them at each end, wedged by the folded angles of cloth. They maintain the spacing and you can draw on the unit to move the sheet. Two or three attached one each other is better.

- Pruning. For small branches, one uses a tree pruner (kind of large shears bond on a pole and being actuated with a cord). While climbing up on a scale or a large stool, one can reach to seven meters height, which is already interesting. It is however necessary to have a good dexterity and a certain force because the pole of six meters (or more) is not easy to hold up when it is going down by its weight, and it is preferable to pose the "high" tip of it on a branch before trying to reach the highest one. The tree pruner does not make it possible to cut large branches and requires a rather rigid pole (thus heavy). For the great heights and big branches (3/4 cm and more), I advise the saw of pruning. With a pole of six/sept meters, one can relieve the efforts while making sliding his "lower" end on the shoulder, the saw posing on the branch to be sawn.

- Attach a rope up to 10 meters high (without a ladder nor climbing up the tree). I have so installed a rope ladder, and it is required to install a hoist or reinforce a frailty branch. A fishing rod with interlocking elements up to 7 meters, but the last strands are a little thin. It can be a good part of the pole required to install a rope at 10m height. Tips and techniques to be asked

Haul oneself with up with a hoist; climbing up with a good equipment is safer and less dangerous  than a high scale.. With a climbing cord and two hoists, a four reduction is obtained, which reduces the effort to 20 kg for a man of 80 kg.  to be asked (free explanations). See also "the nodes ".
Note: to reinforce a branch, one can pass a cord and binding it to another higher one or the higher part of a trunk (it was my case). Same procedure than to place a hoist.

Make a 6/7 meters length pole. One can't find a pole of six meters or more and it is rather expensive. I thus manufactured myself a pole, dismountable in several elements, using various handles and tubes, connected by sleeves plastic (gray tubes of water/draining house installations), being split if necessary. Screws and collars maintain the sections between them. For the first section, more rigid, one can use  a metal tube of vacuum cleaner, then a handle of rake and broom, or bamboo cuts of 2 cm diameter. If one finds bamboo larger not too expensive, it is also a good choice for the largest elements. The sag must be reasonnable under the weight of the tree pruner or the saw. to know more (free explanations). See also "the nodes >".

To saw a big branch up to 9 m high. My best is to have sawn a branch at 9 meters high. ( 6 m 80 pole , stool + 2 m 50 body arms up). It was not really easy but I succeed  (I was 73 year old).
Japanes saw. For a better effectiveness and lightness, I use a Japanese saw, very fine, flexible, and with razor teeth, that acts while drawing (enough expensive, Établissement Bordet, Montreuil, can be shipped). see ", saw, drill
There is a  model with larger teeth, but no more than a millimeter spacing, which is processed to better fit in a fresh wood (they think at all). The previous model had teeth too thin and too flexible. Raising a large heavy pot (two people). Tighten a strap with a buckle around the pot (on sale in the stores of do-it-yourself) but before tightening, pass two cords on each side of the pot and fix them making nodes or rolling up them simply around the strap, while preserving two loose parts to constitute two handles. With these two handles, you will raise and carry more easily the pot. Think to the carriers of the past: pass two good wooden sticks (like rakes pole) in the handles of cord and hop, you are on go, each one raising the handles on its side (like a wheelbarrow).

Raising the pot alone. Go to the hoist technics: place a strap around the base of the shrub and pull up with a hoist (see above). To hook the hoist, use a tree branch, a porch etc.. depending on your equipment. If you haven't anything, we must make a simple bracket with three poles. to know more.

- Repotting a shrub (large heavy pot) . Classically, we can dig around as deeply as possible by cutting the roots significantly (sharp pruning shears to cut the net that does not become infected). Reload then with a mixture of compost and garden soil if you have. If you must take out the shrub from the pot, down the whole pot bush on the side (my wife's method). If the pot is smooth inside, this should suffice for the earth will collapse and detach from the wall.  Roll about the pot a little, stirring the bush (still lying). Pulling on the shrub, feet on the side of the pot, it should come. Once got out, remove the soil around the roots and cut them significantly. It remains to clean .. but if you have put a plastic sheet or an old sheet in advance, it will be easy.

- Broken decorative pot ; I stuck pieces of a large provencal pot which had burst under freezing using this vitrifying varnish for wooden floor. See to improve, restoration

- Lawn mower : To scrap out under a lawn mower, use a ladle (cut the handle). Another possibility is a small mason's round trowel.

- Barbecue. > Contain the charcoal by limiting the quantity according to the need ; facilitate ventilation. Get one or two perforated plates used to dry the paint rollers; cut a plate into two parts in the length; assemble the number of pieces with large bolts; you have an adjustable cylinder through which the air passes and which you can even rotate. To scrap out the charcoal, use a ladle (cut the handle). Another possibility is a small mason's round trowel.

- Frost susceptible stones. The calcareous stones from the Lot of our alley slit in little plates each year. I have stuck them with a vitrifying varnish for parquet floor (only one component, glossed, colourless) ; wash well, rub and let dry before : it is not sold as adhesive but it is effective. I have used too an  outside mastic adhesive cartridge and a silicon one for jointing/sealing. crimsonBest choice: crimsonthe vitrifying varnish , more discreet, infiltrating and that may even fill some small holes and cracks. All of them stand since several years now ans there are few new to reinforce now.

Stones and decorative tiles. Soak them with  "OWATROL OWATROL", produced for the dilution of rusting and paint !  I have treated so some pebbles and the roman tiles of a wall, in order to enhance their color, give a satin finish, and of course, protect them. it's effective since several years now.

- Tree decorations (Chritmas)

(feast) see decoration 2 (bottom of page)
I saw a gardener who cuts trees like doggies with bare parts, making appear balls and other shapes. More simply, if you have a weeping tree, a birch tree like this here, give it some duvets tighten bundles of branches. This give light and space to pass through. At the time of  holidays, add some colored bows.

- Birds and windows. Bays and porches facing the garden with an opposite windows are particularly affected by the crash of birds that think they can pass through. Fortunately, after a few minutes or tens of minutes cataleptic state, they generally recover. A colored band placed horizontally is efficient but aesthetically not very satisfactory. I suggest another choice, decoratives pieces of soft and traslucid plastic, which adhere well on windows but are very easy to remove. Here is a Christmas decoration, but there are many different ones. You can also compose what we want by changing the arrangement of elements.

- Hide a sprinkler pipe. the rubber tubing is coiled inside a large pot.

I have since saw once such a system in a catalogue.

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Light under a sunshade

Decoration and useful to reed  xhile benefitting from a nice summer .

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Rope ladder/ swing ; the rungs are cut out into spade or pickax handle.

I have installed it without climbing up the tree !

- Heat and acoustic insulation; the heat insulation is relatively easy to obtain, although there are often "cold bridges" between flagstones and walls for example, which transmit the cold or heat. The wool and rock glass, polystyrene and depron are generally used, with or without metallized reflective film;. The addition of a metallized film increases appreciably the effectiveness of the product because it blocks part of the radiations; this is why a metallized film out of fine plastic, told survival cover, can be rather effective (see physical: heat, cold); a mixed plate (depron and reflective film), thus placed between a boiler and a storage cupboard shows the effectiveness of that (at the level of plate, the cupboard wall is hardly tepid; above, it is hot). It is the air immobilized in the material which insulates (see Physique, heat and cold). The metallized layer acts while returning the radiations (place metallic face towards the origin of the heat).

- Soundproofing is much more difficult to obtain: the materials above are not effective because their density is too low. To insulate phonetically, it would be necessary to be able to act on the side of the noise, to prevent it from being propagated; but it is seldom possible. A soundproofing is expensive because one needs at the same time heavy and flexible materials; inside cars, one uses plated adhesive coatings against metal sheet to limit the vibrations; look at it under the fitted carpet and you will see some, also on the passage of wheels..). One can insulate a noisy drainage pipe by making a wooden formwork. An insulating coating should however be stuck around the pipe and against the internal wooden construction, then fill in with glass wool, very well packed. One finds in store rolls of phonic insulating coating, sort of super thick bulgomme of half a centimetre, but which is very expensive for a great surface (walls). Its effectiveness is not guaranteed because the noise passes everywhere, but it is a good product.
Some considerations: against the external noise, pose double glazings, with two different thicknesses of glass, so that vibrations can't interact each other (4 and 6 mm); check closely the quality of the the doors and windows jointings. The noise can pass between two rooms, up by the ceiling ! it is then necessary to build a wall in the roof. Between two rooms, one can try to stick the above quoted product or one or two layers of a coating like bulgomme, but it would be necessary to add an additional plating to it (plasterboard, three-ply wood or else). The said "Bulgomme" is this thing we put on the table to protect it, under the tablecloth (is it Bulgum in english?).

Worms ;  that can be seen : many holes and even rotted pieces of wood, cleats, attacked beams ; another examination consists in checking the straightness of the ridge of the roof and the slopes. Whitewash a product if only some parts are slightly attacked but otherwise, one needs pressure injections, with multiple drilling and even installation of cartridges.

White ants ; the detection of the white ants can be carried out by experts, but before, searching after clues ourself is important. According to a broadcast, an expertise is guaranteed only for two months  and it is normal because nobody knows if they will arrive after (300 euros minimum for that, it is much). One sees nothing until the day when one passes the hand through a wood panel, if it is not a foot !   in short, to detect them, it is necessary to seek small passages in open air which the white ants will not fail to be obliged to make in passing from a piece of wood to another : the passages in open air are always covered by a small dried mud tunnel, because the white ants protect themselves permanently from the loss from moisture. In case of doubt, prick the woodworks with a very fine pin not to damage what is still in good condition. You can also manufacture or buy an amplifier : put the microphone against the wood ; the problem is that you are likely to hear so much things, including your neighbors. For the frame, check in pricking with an awl  the most zones you can.

Treatment are numerous : preventive at the construction (the ideal, but for how long?).   - 2 ; by treatment of the surrounding grounds.  - 3 ; by soft food placement. These treatments, whose favour would go rather to the specific soft foods (phéromones..), are generally guaranteed 5 years, but this guarantee cover only a renewal of the free treatment if the small beasts return within this time. Taking into account the harmfulness of the products, protection over longer periods would require far too much product and one would be perhaps poisoned oneself before. So, it is better to treat regularly.