Pets, Home & Garden: 12/13/17

Do you have a huge terrace and do not know how to bring it to life and make it your favorite space in the house? If you live in a flat in the city but you are lucky enough to have a large terrace, and your dream is to live in a house with a garden, pay attention to this article, we’ll tell you How, because in this article we teach you how to turn your terrace into a garden the simplest way you can imagine. Actually it is very easy, everyone can customize their urban garden as they please. Even so, you can never miss it, chairs or sofas, chill out style, a table and, above all, many flowers.

The furniture, something fundamental

To start decorating our terrace we must take into account the garden furniture. In the case of being four at home, we must buy the necessary chairs to make life in the garden and, for example, be able to sit in the sun or cool, taking something in summer. In addition to these chairs, it would be advisable to choose a practical and comfortable sofa that has just given the touch of comfort to our terrace. So that everything is harmonized, it would be ideal to choose the covers, both of the sofa and the chairs, of the same color and in light tones to turn everything into a very pleasant space.

In our terrace converted into a garden, you cannot miss, of course, the table where we will eat or bite at any time, in addition to being able to do many more outdoor activities and enjoying our free time. In the case of not having enough space, we can always find some solution by coupling some furniture to others and in a small space we can achieve everything we need. Restore furniture or make furniture with recycled pallets will be very appropriate options for a terrace converted into a garden.

Plants and flowers, bring us life.

Then we must take the main step to finish converting our terrace into an authentic garden, as well as a totally desirable space to have a good time. The plants and flowers cannot miss in our terrace. To do this, we need good insulated pots that can withstand the passage of time and weather conditions, as well as being colorful and beautiful to finish giving the touch to our space. In them we will plant our favorite plants and flowers to give life and color to the terrace.

Lighting and floors, final details

Finally, we must not forget the details. The lighting of our terrace is very important to be able to make dinners with friends or enjoy wonderful evenings. During the day we should take advantage of the natural light but when it starts to get dark, in addition to some beautiful candles that set the terrace, there can be some indirect light source, such as ceiling lights or designer lamps, that finish giving the touch to our garden . We recommend you consult the article how to illuminate the terrace so you know more about it.

The floor can be of the taste of each one, even though the most suitable one is the artificial grass, if we want that our terrace is a total garden, or of wood in the case that we want to be more practical.

Tips

If you do not want to spend money on garden furniture, we can always use pallets and in this way we can create our own furniture very easily, to our liking and, by the way, we recycle. The pallets can be painted the color that we want and with them we can set up tables to take something, chairs and even sofas.

In case your terrace has enough space, you can always add a good hammock to be able to enjoy the sun hours in the most comfortable way, and be able to take it without going to the beach, in your own garden, drinking something.

There are many greenhouses and there are different classifications based on very diverse parameters to be able to catalog them. Thus, it is possible to find classifications that group them according to factors such as the thermal regime, the external profile of the structures, the size or type of material used in the construction, and so on. In this article, we are going to discover what types of greenhouses are and, also, we will tell you what this structure is meant for agriculture and that, increasingly, is also part of our food reality.

What are greenhouses?

Within the structures used in horticulture to protect crops, the most used are greenhouses. Generally a greenhouse was understood as a place to store plants during the winter and, thus, protect them from the low temperatures that occur in cold weather.

At present, this greenhouse concept has been overtaken by circumstances, since greenhouses are now being built and used in quite different environments for which they were conceived, such as the tropics with quite warm environments.

The design of a greenhouse depends on many factors. Therefore, in the current context, a greenhouse is defined as an agricultural construction with a translucent cover in which it is possible to reproduce or simulate the most suitable climatic conditions for the growth and development of the crops established in its interior with relative independence of the outside medium.

The main purpose of a greenhouse is to protect plants from factors adverse to their development, such as: high and low temperatures, heavy rains, hail, winds, etc. The technological development of greenhouses has contributed greatly to achieve higher yields per unit area, promoting intensive agriculture and precision. To this end, a large number of mechanisms and equipment necessary for the optimal control of the environment have been implemented, but we will talk about this later.

In this other article we tell you how to choose a good greenhouse.

How is the structure of a greenhouse?

The structure or framework is one of the main elements of a greenhouse, since it is where most parts of the structure of a greenhouse are supported. The structures are classified into two large groups: rigid structures and aerodynamic structures. The rigid structures are designed based on straight lines which makes the greenhouse more resistant to air currents. Instead, the aerodynamic structures have curved roofs and walls that allow them to more effectively dislodge the winds that hit them. The structure is usually built with support posts that are called struts, columns or pillars and these are the pieces that receive most of the load represented by the roof and the greenhouse mechanization or automation devices. In addition, we must take into account the overload that environmental factors on the structure will create, such as winds and precipitation, so that we are sure that the columns will hold and the greenhouse will not collapse.

Other elements of importance to part of the props are the pieces that support the roof which, in general, are arc-shaped in greenhouses of curved lines or triangles in those of straight lines, although this is not always the case. These pieces are joined at the top with others known as stringers or belts, which can be the same material as the struts or one lighter or thinner. You have to be very careful that the stringers do not have edges because they could cut the plastic and you would have to replace it with a new one.

Types of greenhouses

Knowing the types of greenhouses allows us to characterize and describe the elements of a set, with the purpose of grouping its components into different categories or groups to facilitate its study or analysis with different objectives. A classification also serves as a point of reference to know what models exist in the market and what their characteristics are, so that it is relatively simple to choose the one that suits our needs; in this case, the most appropriate greenhouse to produce. Generally, all greenhouse design can be classified in some category. Next we will mention which are the most common greenhouse classifications:

· By size For the layout or location of structures

· By the external shape or profile For the construction material

· By night thermal regime Per lifetime

· By characteristics of environmental control

· By social orientation

· By technological levels

If your dog is going to be a mother or you want to have puppies, take into account some measures to have them without complications

Before, during and after the process, which lasts around 63 days, take your pet for review with a veterinarian to ensure that you have the necessary vaccines, says Raquel María Elena Suárez Gómez, expert in the clinic Veterinary Medical Care. Specialty Hospital.

The second step, he explains, is to perform an ultrasound on your dog, in order to check that it is pregnant and that the product is in optimal conditions. Then you must change the diet, which is more protein rich, or give specific food for pregnant or lactating women. This is important, he emphasizes, because the quality of the feed depends on the quality of the colostrum of the dog.

"Colostrum is the first milk that pregnant females have and that they give their products to transmit antibodies and defenses during the time they are lactating," the veterinarian describes.

Between day 56 and 60, or 55 and 58, it is recommended to do another ultrasound to identify how many puppies come, what size, in what positions. As well as a study that measures the perimeter of the skulls of babies and helps to define if your dog can have a natural birth or cesarean section.

Your pet's breed, he explains, also influences the type of delivery. Bulldog dogs regularly stop by caesarean section, since their puppies are very stubby and, when passing through the birth canal, they can get stuck and cause a slow and difficult process, he says. The chihuahuas require assistance in childbirth In the case of the Chihuahua, he adds, many have to be born by caesarean section because they have numerous litters and get tired during the birth. 99 percent of pets that can have a natural birth, stresses, do the work alone. He only recommends helping them if they crossed them very young, they are new and have no experience. After delivery, take your dog to another check to ensure that all puppies have left and is well.

During pregnancy, your pet will present physical and humor changes: it will become inflamed, it will feel tired, very thirsty, its tits will grow and it can become more aggressive or sensitive, says Sandra López, director of Llao's Pet Center. Show her your affection, caress her and condition a special niche for her and her children. Dogs have, generally, two estrus periods per year. One every 6 months. Identify them: They bleed a few days, their vulva is inflamed, the zeal begins when the bleeding finishes, lasts up to four weeks.

The ideal couple:

»Prefers a dog of the same breed because its similar characteristics facilitate the encounter.

»Check that your owner is responsible.

»Previously, remember the fate of the puppies that are born. Are you in heat?

»Hydrate her a lot.

»Hug your pet as much as you can.

»Increase the food ration.

»Do not leave the walks aside, they will prepare her for the birth.

»See where it usually is.

»She will choose a place to give birth

Health educator remembers the hygiene rules that must be taken into account with some articles of daily use

Even the cleanest and most organized house could be plagued with unwanted germs.

And as the health educator Patricia Romero says, linked to Kaiser Permanente in Downey (California), germs can be alive and kicking in articles that we touch and use daily.

What are those items and what can be done to exterminate them? Romero lists some of those that tend to be fixed nests of bacteria after not cleaning them or changing them as often as hygiene standards stipulate.

Cellphones

"Studies continue to show that cell phones are much dirtier than most people think," says Romero. "And believe it or not, our hands are the biggest culprits in terms of putting germs on our mobile phones."

And this is proven by a recent investigation by the University of Arizona, which found that mobile phones carry 10 times more bacteria than most toilet bowls, adds the expert.

"Studies have found serious pathogens in cell phones, including Streptococcus, MRSA and even E. coli [which can get seriously ill]," the interview deepens. "Viruses can also spread on phones if a person is sick with strep throat or flu and coughs up on their cell phone before handing it over to a friend."

Fortunately there are several hygiene measures that can be followed to prevent these devices from spreading bacteria or germs. One of them is "to always keep them out of the bathroom. This prevents them from ending up with fecal bacteria like Ecoli”

Two other smart measures to follow are the following:

· Wipe the cell frequently with a lint-free cloth, moistened with a diluted alcohol solution (60% water and 40% alcohol), which can be mixed in a spray bottle to be loaded into the wallet daily.

Towels and sheets

The towels and sheets are other household items that carry and spread the bacteria when they are not changed and washed as often as required.

"According to a survey of Women's Health, carried out in 2015, most people wash the sheets and towels frequently, but they do not do it as often as they should," Romero emphasizes. "With these two items you should have the same hygiene care that we have with our clothes, since they come into contact with our skin."

It is so to dry your body with healthy towels you have to wash them after every three uses.

"Towels serve as ideal bases for germs because they contain many of the requirements for microbial life: water, warm temperatures, oxygen, food and neutral pH," says the health educator. "Among the microbes that can grow on the towels are bacterium and fungi, there are also dead skin cells, body fluids [sweat, urine and fecal material], as well as other germs that live in the bathroom that may have jumped to them, would be the case of droplets of water leaking from the toilet with urine or feces residues.

Another hygiene measure to keep in mind with this article is to avoid sharing towels, even among the same family members.

As for the sheets and covers, these should be washed once a week or every two weeks.

And as "every night we spill a million skin cells, accompanied by oil and sweat", the health educator says that these items should be washed with the hot water cycle, having added to the water a little white vinegar for a Greater cleanliness and whiteness.

Toothbrush

As it turns out to be logical, the toothbrush is another everyday item that has an environment conducive to the accumulation and spread of germs because the mouth houses a number of bacteria that get trapped in them after the action of brushing and can survive several days in sows not to follow certain hygiene measures, including changing them in their stipulated time.

The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends changing the toothbrushes every three months and each time the person has passed a cold or a flu episode or any respiratory or oral disease. And if the child or adult suffers from a disease that compromises their immune system, it must be changed more frequently.

And while it is time to change it, the ADA suggests that your bristles are rinsed with clean water and dry well after each use and the brush is placed vertically in the cup or brush holder that is being used. It also recommends that you wash frequently (with water and soap) the items that are being used to locate or transport the toothbrushes.

Center table

It would seem to be a lie, but the surface of the coffee table in the living room or family room is plagued with bacteria that stick to the soles of the shoes and arrive there when the members of the families usually put their feet on them.

Because according to a study from the Department of Microbiology at the University of Arizona, there are more germs in the soles of shoes than in a toilet. Researchers at this site detected 421,000 different bacteria in the shoes, 96% of which correspond to the so-called coliform bacteria, which inhabit the intestines of animals and humans and are present in the feces.

The remedy for this problem is to try to leave the shoes outside and not to do it, not to put them on the tables or beds and to clean frequently the surfaces of the coffee tables with a rag moistened with a little water with ammonia.

Beautify your home with large and colorful flowers

If you take a walk around a nursery or the gardening section of a supermarket, you will see how the sale of tulips predominates lately. These plants that we used to know only by photography evoke us the Dutch gardens, of whose country they are a symbol. But the reality is that tulips come from Asia and entered Europe through Turkey.

There are around five thousand species of tulips, so there is a great variety and combination of colors to form a beautiful garden or flower arrangement. It is also customary to combine tulips with hyacinths or daffodils.

Tulips produce large, colorful flowers that appear during spring. If you have planted the tulips, try abundant watering before flowering; If you planted the bulbs in the fall, the soil should remain moist during the winter.

The ideal temperature conditions for tulips vary between 13 and 18 degrees Celsius once they have blossomed. They should preferably remain in the sun or some shade in a warm environment and avoid drafts and dry air.

Another option is to grow tulips in water (hydroponics) and it is done as follows:

Use a glass container or glass jar that covers the fourth lower part of the bulb; the water must touch the lower part of the bulb. Change the water frequently to avoid the appearance of fungi.

· It is convenient that the stem and leaves grow slowly, so at the beginning the bulb is placed for a month and a half in a dark area and covered to prevent the passage of light.

· Avoid air currents or high temperatures for the bulb that has flowered. It requires good light but not to be under the rays of the sun.

· Tulips are perennial plants and therefore, they lose the exposed parts but they conserve the subterranean stems called bulbs. We can take advantage of these bulbs to grow new plants in the next season. The steps are as follows:

· Before the flowers dry, about three weeks after flowering, you should trim them but let the stem and leaves dry before removing the bulbs; This favors the formation of small bulbs that will serve for the next season.

· Six weeks after cutting the flowers, you extract the bulbs that should be kept in a cold and dry place. Apply a fungicide to keep the bulbs in good condition.

· At the time of planting the bulbs that would be in winter, these should be placed 15 or 20 centimeters deep in new land. Mix the soil with a good fertilizer and water well.

· Finally, take care that the environment is moist but protected from the cold and wait for your new tulips to sprout.

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