Indoor Plant Stands

Posted on June 6, 2011 by admin

With a variety of beautifully crafted indoor plant stands to choose from you can decorate your home with houseplants that are vibrant and full or life. It’s all about putting them in the right place, so they can stand out.

Whether it’s ceramic, wood or wrought iron plant stands, it’s about choosing the one that will suit your home’s environment and available space.

Ceramic Elephant Plant Stand

ceramic elephant plant stand

Ceramic Elephant Plant Stand

This beautiful ceramic piece stands 24.5 inches tall, and weighs 26 pounds. It’s perfect as an outdoor or indoor plant stand. It’s carefully crafted to look great and last a lifetime. You can also use it as a decorative piece by itself, or as a wedding cake stand. It’s a good piece to get creative with.

Corner Plant Stands for Indoor Use

corner plant stands indoor

Indoor Corner Plant Stand

This is a very compact plant stand, ideal if you want to save some space. It’s also very sturdy and well-made, capable of holding light-weight plants, and perhaps some heavier items. If you want to keep larger plants, you might want to consider another option. It has a nice glossy finish with beautiful designed details, which makes it look very elegant. You can arrange to have up to 5 tiers.

Indoor Plant Pot Holders

Indoor Staircase Pot Holder

Indoor Staircase Pot Holder Plant Stand

This staircase indoor plant stand can hold 6 medium size pots, and it looks great. It’s very stable, well-made and inexpensive, which makes it a great bargain. It’s unique design makes it very elegant, and it’s sure to get some attention in your home.

4 tier indoor plant stand

4 Tier Indoor Plant Stand

This great 4 tier plant stand is very lightweight, sturdy, and well-balanced. You can arrange the 4 panels to your taste, and fit small to medium sized plant pots. The pot holding bowls have beautifully designed patterns, and it’s very durable. You’ll find it to be very inexpensive compared to other indoor plant stands.

Indoor Plant Pot Holder

County Apple Indoor Plant Pot Holder

It’s a cute and small plant stand, but don’t let its size fool you. It’s very solid, and you can easily place it anywhere you want, because it’s so compact. You can arrange the legs as you see fit, and it can hold two medium sized pots or three small ones.

Each one of these indoor plant stands are great items, that sell very well because of their quality and usability. Make sure to check the dimensions before you decide to buy one, so you don’t end up being disappointed by the size.

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Fluorescent Grow Lights

Posted on April 14, 2011 by admin

Fluorescent grow lights are used by many indoor growers. Over time they have proved to be a fine source of light for this purpose, so in today’s market there are plenty of options to choose from. If you’re a beginner, it’s important to find the right information before you buy any grow lights, which this article will cover in more detail.

Choosing the Right Bulbs

What’s right for your indoor setup will depend on what kind of plants you are trying to grow, and at what stage they are in. For instance, if you are growing seedlings (a young plant coming out of the seed) or your plants are in vegetative growth (prior to flowering), then the optimum choice are T5 fluorescent grow lights, because the light they give out is on the blue spectrum. We recommend that you get bulbs that are “plus” or “high output”.

T5 Fluorescent Grow Lights

There’s a difference between the standard grow lights you’ll typically find in an office (which are T12) , and T5 grow lights, so just make a mental note on that. T5 are specifically for indoor gardening purposes. They provide larger growth, and they’re designed to induce a greater amount of light in small spaces. Behind each bulb you’ll find reflectors to increase the light output directed at the plants. These bulbs will grow strong and healthy plants in their vegetative state, but they can be quite expensive.

Compact Fluorescent Grow Lights

Compact fluorescent lights are smaller than T5 bulbs, but they are made so they can provide extra light for every inch of bulb surface, which makes them extra efficient for tiny spaces. Their price range is similar to the T5, and they will work just as well.

How Much Light Should I Be Looking To Provide?

Every type of plant will have different needs, such as the time for their light and darkness cycles, and level of brightness. It’s better to know as much as you can about what you’re growing, but a good rule of thumb is to use 2 or 3 of the light fixtures discussed here for a setup that has a plant height of 2 or 3 feet, and most plants will require about 4 to 6 hours of darkness per day. Using an automatic timer is the best solution for this.

If you’re looking around for the best fluorescent grow lights, always keep in mind that to get optimum results, researching about your plant’s specifications is key. At the end of the day you’re looking to mimic their natural growth conditions, so it’s important to keep track of what stage they’re on, and what spectrum of light you should provide in each of them. If you’re interested, you could look into LED grow lights, they’re worth digging into if you’d like to save some money.

 

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Swimming Pool Lights

Posted on April 13, 2011 by admin

Investing in the correct set of swimming pool lights makes the difference between an average pool and a beautifully designed pool landscape. You might be in the process of envisioning the pool of your dreams. Perfect, this is the right moment to brainstorm and research about what kind of ambiance you would like for your swimming pool. If you already have one, don’t worry it’s never too late for enhancements.

For inground swimming pool lights it’s best to place them during construction. After your pool is built, there’s the need for drilling and wiring, which makes it more expensive. For the latter, there’s other options that don’t involve much hassle, such as floating swimming pool lights or lights you can hook on the top of your pool walls.

Incandescent Swimming Pool Lights

These lights are the traditional and older lighting setup. They give out a clear warm light, but they have some downsides. First, the lifespan of these bulbs is about 5,000 hours; whenever you need to replace it, you have to remove the fixture from the water. They are inexpensive, but because they’re the least energy efficient option of all, over time you’ll end up paying more.

Halogen Swimming Pool Lights

These are also older technology, but more energy efficient than incandescent. They provide a bright white light, and they last longer, but you also have to pull it out of its niche and bring it out to surface in order to repair or change the bulb.

Fiber Optic Swimming Pool Lights

They can provide a more elegant look to your pool, by simulating a sky full of stars on your pool wall, floor or rim. They are the least bright of all, so you need several to have an appropriate lighting setup. There’s no risk of an electrical shock with these, because there’s no electricity running through them. The light comes from a generating box placed away from the pool, which beams light through the cable strands; a box has a limit to how many cables it can produce light for.

LED Swimming Pool Lights

This is the most modern technology available. They have considerable benefits over incandescent and halogen. They can last from 30 to 50 thousand hours, because they produce significantly less heat and they’re made of durable material. The units can be expensive, but they pay themselves over time, because they consume over 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs. Due to their long lifespan, the need for replacement comes much later.

The great feature about LED swimming pool lights is that most units will come with programmed lighting settings. Meaning that with the push of a button you can change the color of your pool light that suits your mood.

Choosing the pool lighting that’s right for you depends on what kind of design you have in mind, so look at online pictures, magazines, or whatever source of inspiration you decide. Besides providing a safer night environment, your swimming pool lights will greatly enhance the appeal of your pool landscape.

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Inground Pool Prices

Posted on April 13, 2011 by admin

Before building a pool, there are some variables you need to think about that will affect your inground pool prices. For instance, you might save some money if you choose to buy a prefabricated pool, usually made of fiberglass. But if you want to design your pool specifically to your needs, then a larger investment will be required, but in return you get a customized end product. In the following paragraphs we’ll go over different options and prices.

Fiberglass inground pool prices

Prefabricated pools are sold as kits, and their installation is fairly easy and straightforward. Basically, a hole needs to be excavated where the pool can fit in, and you can do it yourself, although usually you can often find that the shell and installation services are sold as a package.

Fiberglass inground pool prices can be around $8000 for a standard rectangle of 15′ X 30′, plus the cost of hiring a plumber, an electrician and an excavator if you decide to do so. The limitation of this option is that it is not customizable, size and shape will be fixed from the beginning. But fiberglass is durable material; concrete will usually develop cracks easier, especially if earthquakes occur frequently in your area, fiberglass is a good option.

Inground Swimming Pool Prices

This option involves having your pool built from scratch. After excavation is done, the walls and floor will be built by hand, and at this point you have two options.

You can either choose a steel frame that will be covered with concrete or sand, and finally covered by a vinyl liner. If you look into inground pool liners prices, you’ll see that it’s much cheaper than concrete, so for example, a 15′ X 30′ pool would be around $18,000.

In contrast, you can have the builders pour concrete into a rebar framework, molding the walls and floor, which could cost a total of anywhere from $25,000 to $30,000. If you want tiling, you should add a couple of thousand more.

Additional Costs

After your pool is built, there will be extra expenses for maintenance and monthly bills. Electricity cost will depend on where you live, but generally speaking, you can expect your monthly bill to increase by $50 or less. Overall maintenance (chemicals and treatments) should not be so expensive, but it will require some of your time to keep an eye on things. It will be likely that you’ll need a winter cover, also consider a filtration system, heating, and swimming pool lights.

Building a pool in your home requires a significant investment of both time and money, but don’t be discouraged while looking into inground swimming pool prices. You are adding value to your home, and it will be a great source of entertainment for your family and friends for years to come.

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Band Saws for Sale

Posted on March 22, 2011 by admin

When purchasing a powerful tool such as a band saw you have to know what you are after. Ask yourself basic questions like: How will I use it? How often? What’s my desired budget?

Perhaps you’re not sure if that cheaper model will suffice, or if you really will put into use all the extra features the high-end, more expensive model offers. Maybe you’ve read about horizontal band saws for sale, and you dont’ really know what they’re for. Read on for some advice, so you can make a more informed decision when getting your band saw.

About band saws

As a general overview, band saws can be classified according to their size range. You’ll have those that have a cutting capacity of 10″ or less, then there’s the 14″ that usually come with their own base or stand, and finally there is the industrial heavy-duty band saws.

The bench-top models are more limited in their cutting capacity, because of a smaller motor. A more serious woodworker will have trouble when working with thicker material, but on the plus side they’re more portable. If you’re looking for wood or metal band saws for sale, you are probably better off with at least a 14″.

Used vs New

About used band saws, even though the monetary cost will be less, you have to be ready to put in some time if the machine doesn’t work right off the bat, or if it breaks down along the way. You will probably need to hunt down some parts, so choose a model which parts are easily found.

As for a new one, you’ll have a warranty to cover for a period of time and it will be less likely to break, but depending on the brand and model you get you have to consider doing some upgrades, especially the blade.

Used is for those who feel the calling

If you are willing to put in the time to hunt down and you’re going into this for the long term, then buying a used one is definitely your best option. You have to be patient and ready every day looking at online deals in your location (or outside if you are willing to travel) for the model and brand of your dreams to rebuilt.

Woodworking is a beautiful craft, and you want to make sure you select the right band saw for you. Take the time to evaluate what you want, look up deals for local sales of band saws or simply take a look at the bestselling in sites like amazon, so you can have a better image of what you should get.

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LED Grow Lights: What You Should Know

Posted on March 21, 2011 by admin

There is much hype and myths surrounding LED grow lights. It’s crucial to separate the wheat from the chaff in order to make an informed decision. Please read on if you wish to know more about LED grow lights, pros and cons, and decide if they are right for you.

Benefits of LED Grow Lights

Energy efficiency - If you are currently growing with an HID (High-Intensity Discharge) lighting setup, you can expect a dramatic decrease on your electricity bill (at least 50%).

Less heat output - With LED you won’t have to worry about energy going to waste as heat, burning your plants, or having to sustain a complicated cooling setup. They put out very little heat, which in turn adds up to the electricity savings.

Incredible durability - They will last you years to come, anywhere between 50,000 and 100,000 hours. Even though the initial investment is significant, this is great because combined with its energy efficiency the money you save in the long run justifies this investment.

Exceptional efficiency – Choosing the correct LED grow lights you can be sure they’ll be the most efficient, meaning that 90% of the light produced will be used by plants for photosynthesis. Depending on what you are trying to grow, you will need to make some adjustments. Things like the distance from your plants, light/darkness cycles, light wavelengths required, among other factors. For the most part you will need blue (for seedlings and vegetative growth), red and orange (for flowering) spectra.

Choosing the Best LED Grow Lights

Growing with LED does require research on your part. In what sense? You must know the specifications for your plant, so you can provide the optimum setting for their growth. Afterwards, you’ll know what to expect out of your grow light: what growing space it will cover, how many plants, etcetera. Also, you need to research for the best LED grow lights in the market today, and make sure it provides what you need.

Be careful of cheap LED panels. You will most often see these selling in eBay and Amazon. The problem with them is that each individual light is underpowered, and the difference between an effective grow light will be that each LED will produce at least 1 watt. Not providing enough power will result in weak and unnatural looking plants. In addition, it would be difficult to expect any fruit to grow from them. These kind of products is what can give LED grow lights a bad reputation, especially if they are hyped up to give great results.

LED vs Fluorescent Grow Lights

In one reported experiment, using exactly the same settings, LED and Fluorescent grow lights were compared to one another. This particular case reported Fluorescent as the winner, because the plants grown with it looked more natural, greener, and overall better appearance. This was in 2007, and it’s my believe that 2 factors contributed to these results.

First, the LED grow light used was not powerful enough, and in turn not effective. In today’s market you can find several great products that will deliver the results they advertise. Secondly, because LED grow lights are different than HID and Fluorescent, there are some modifications necessary in order to get the best results. Nothing too complicated, but it definitely makes an impact in the end.

LED Grow Lights Are The Future

LED grow lights are a growing technology. Even though there have been significant advances, it is still at an early stage, and this is why you will find many companies using marketing to convince you they have the best light because they have full spectrum LED grow lights, but in reality, you only need blue, red and orange to cover most plants needs.

Before you buy LED grow lights, it’s important that you know that research and experimenting is expected of any new user. There is information readily available in the internet, especially in forums where actual users report their findings. But once you’ve figured out the basics and perfect your operation, the benefits of LED grow lights are enormous, and they are definitely the future.

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