Are Automatic Houseplant Watering Systems Worth it? I Tested 2 to Find Out  CNET

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Are Automatic Houseplant Watering Systems Worth it? I Tested 2 to Find Out - CNET

The Bookshelf: Fire sprinkler system being added at the Dalton-Whitfield County Public Library  Daily Citizen

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The Bookshelf: Fire sprinkler system being added at the Dalton-Whitfield County Public Library - Daily Citizen

The duiker of the Inhulets irrigation system destroyed by the Russians was restored in the Kherson region  

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The duiker of the Inhulets irrigation system destroyed by the Russians was restored in the Kherson region -

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Sprinklers that spray water high into the air or break up water into a mist are inefficient, especially if youre watering when its hot and dry. A large percentage of the water will simply evaporate before it ever reaches the grass.

Impact and rotary sprinklers, on the other hand, can be adjusted to keep the water nearer the ground. Both types also spray water in streams or large drops that fall quickly to the ground without evaporating. Youll save water and money using an impact or rotary sprinkler whenever possible.

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Watering your lawn every day not only wastes money and water, but it can actually weaken your grass. When lawns are overwatered, most of the grassroots are in the top one inch of soil or so. That makes your lawn less drought tolerant and unhealthy, Churchill says.

He sees overwatered lawns particularly on properties with in-ground sprinkler systems. Most times, homeowners who have them love to use them, he says. A longer watering once or twice a week promotes deeper root growth as they grow deeper looking for water.

Also, adjust your watering to the conditions. Different areas of your lawn will have different watering requirements. The key is to make note of this as you water, so you can tailor your watering. For example, south-facing hills may require more water; areas under trees, less.

Yes. It happens all the time, Churchill says. Letting your grass go a few days without water will encourage deeper root growth for a healthier lawn.

To save money and resources, Skip watering your grass when temperatures are 95 degrees [Fahrenheit] or hotter, Castillero says. The water will most likely evaporate before reaching the roots.

Its okay, but not the best time. If lawn grasses are left wet going into the nighttime hours, turf diseases can sometimes become an issue, Churchill says. He recommends watering in the morning instead.

Joe Churchill is a Senior Turf Specialist for Reinders, a major distributor of lawn care products throughout the Midwest. Churchill is certified in Turf Management and has over 25 years of experience in the turfgrass industry.

Osmar Castillero is the owner of Blades Landscaping Services, a lawn care and maintenance company in Lowell, Massachusetts. He has over 10 years of experience in the industry.

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10 Smart and Effective Ways to Water Your Lawn - Family Handyman

Idaho One of the most controversial issues in Idaho and throughout the arid west is water. Even with a wet winter with high snowfall, available water is limited. Homeowners caring for gardens and landscapes should be water-wise, and one way they can do that is by using drip irrigation.

Drip irrigation allows for precisely-controlled application of water; it allows water to drip slowly near the plant roots through a network of valves, pipes, tubing and emitters. Drip irrigation may not be right for everyone, but it is a technique that can reduce labor and increase production using less water. It exceeds 90 percent efficiency, while sprinkler irrigation systems are 50 to 70 percent efficient. In many locations, water utilities exempt landscapes using drip irrigation during drought.

Drip irrigation helps maintain a desirable balance of air and water in the soil so plants grow better. Water is delivered more frequently at low flow rates, with the goal of only giving the plant the water it needs. Weed and disease problems can be reduced as soil in between rows stays dry. Drip irrigation creates an environment where desirable plants get the water they need to outcompete weeds for nutrients and sunlight.

A drip irrigation system consists of a backflow prevention device, a control valve to turn on and off the water, a filtration system, a pressure regulator, mainline and sub-mains, drip lines, drip emitters and air and vacuum release valves. All of these components can be found at an irrigation supply or hardware store.

However, not all components are needed in every landscape or garden system.

The backflow prevention device is required to prevent water from flowing back into the domestic water system after the water has been shut off. The law requires these devices on all home irrigation systems.

Control valves are often attached to a timer or irrigation control device. Alternatively, ball valves may be used so you can manually control the flow of water to each set of drip lines.

One of the biggest problems associated with drip irrigation is the clogging of emitters by small debris. To combat this, good filtration is necessary. Most drip systems use a simple screen filter that can be rinsed periodically.

Pressure regulators are needed when your water source produces pressures that are higher than what the drip system is designed for. Pressure regulators reduce the pressure to the drip line. Excessive pressure causes leaks and causes parts to blow apart.

Depending on the complexity of the system, a mainline and sub-mains can be used to distribute water to individual drip lines. Mainlines are generally made from PVC, while sub-mains and drip lines are made from polyethylene tubes.

Drip lines should be covered with mulch to get the most from the limited water being supplied. In addition, mulch helps keep the drip lines in place during windstorms. Drip lines have small openings at regular intervals, so they should be used in row plantings, where plants are also planted at regular intervals.

Emitters are water-dispensing devices that regulate the flow of water to the soil. Theyre sold according to flow rates and typically come in one-half, one, two and four gph (gallons per minute) models. Emitters are one of the least expensive parts of the system but are one of the first to get clogged by debris. Emitters are used when plants are not found at regular intervals. Emitters can be installed to water hanging baskets, around shrubs, or anywhere drip lines will not supply sufficient water.

Air and vacuum release valves release air out of the system as it fills with water and allows air back into the system when the water is turned off. They should be placed at high points or ends of the system.

To set up a drip system, a backflow regulator is connected to the water supply, followed by the filter and then the mainline. Valves are installed at points where submains are installed. Each sub-main will supply water to drip lines in one zone. Drip lines are connected to the submain using T-connectors and run along the rows within planting beds. Emitters are installed on sub-mains to supply water to plants not being reached with the drip lines. The end of sub-mains and drip lines should have the air and vacuum release valves installed.

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Drip irrigation can deliver efficient water use - East Idaho News

Its hard to make business transactions without the use of the internet. Whether tracking inventory, storing customer information or managing payroll systems, the web is part of our daily lives. The internet is like a car we know how to drive it, but not necessarily what makes the engine run. We need experts in that field to secure our information.

Businesses may either have an internal IT department or an IT support company to manage the companys virtual engine and provide certain protections so email is secure, the supply chain is updated in real time and the business runs efficiently.

But what happens when a system is breached and held for ransom? Maybe an employee mistakenly clicks a link in an email that looks legitimate but has unknowingly downloaded malicious software onto their device. Their system is now locked up and the business comes to a standstill. The company has been hit with ransomware, a type of malware designed to encrypt files and make them unusable. The bad guys will release the system, for a price.

Americans lost more than $10.3 billion last year due to cybercrimes, according to a 2022 Internet Crime Report produced by the FBIs Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) . Among the complaints received in 2022, phishing, personal data breach and non-payment/non-delivery were the top incidents reported.

David Colter, owner of the DJ Colter Agency, American Family Insurance, with offices in Fargo, Grand Forks, Rugby and Cando, wants the regions business community to be aware of cyberthreats and know theres protection available.

Theres this big myth and fallacy: I have everything backed up with an IT company, I dont need cyber insurance. That is a huge fallacy. Not only do you need cyber, you need to have certain coverages, Colter said.

Cybertheft is on the rise and isnt relegated to large corporations in big cities its happening to small organizations across the U.S., including the upper Plains region.

Chicago-based Hiscox, a leader in business insurance, reports the top three drivers of the increase are the higher number of attacks, more people working from home and more employees using their own devices for work.

Cyber insurance protects against computer-related crimes and losses. This could include targeted attacks such as malware and phishing, as well as the occasional misplaced laptop containing confidential material, according to Hiscox.

Submitted

Zac Paulson, CEO of TrueIT in Fargo, said his company has seen an increase in email takeovers, where somebody is taking over an email account and sending emails on a persons behalf.

Typically whats happening is wire transfers theyre changing bank routing information, he said.

Colter said cyber insurance is a new type of coverage in the insurance industry and theres a lot to learn. He relies on experts like Paulson to help his customers understand how cybercrimes can happen, and what businesses can do to make sure they have the correct protection.

My biggest fear is people assume its part of their general liability, and its not, Colter said. I talked to someone in town, a business owner and this (ransomware) shut them down for months. They told me that if they didnt have the coverage, theyd be done.

Paulson said he wants to make clear that the coverage an IT department or business offers is not the same coverage as insurance protection.

There are some companies, thats what they do, but theyre the firefighters, the hotshot people that dive into forest fires and have a whole other level of excitement, Paulson said. Thats not what a managed IT company does. The IT company is doing their best effort to protect you, but thats like saying the sprinkler system is keeping the building from burning down.

Thats not right the sprinkler system is turned on once the fire starts to help put out the fire. But theyre not a guarantee. You dont buy a sprinkler system and not buy insurance, which is also why youre seeing insurance companies demanding a certain level of protection from the IT organizations, too.

IT security costs a company about $25-50 a month per employee on average, Paulson said, and he expects that cost to double in the next three years.

From a support standpoint, its somewhere between $50-100 a month per employee. Now its about half the cost of supporting an employee to securing them. In the future, three years from now, Id say it would be the exact same cost, if not more, just to secure them.

So what does cybersecurity cover? It may vary but typically protects the following: breach costs, cyberextortion, cybercrime, business interruption and data recovery. Additional coverage may include a digital media upgrade.

Whats not covered may include claims brought in the form of criminal proceedings, transfer of funds lost due to cyber crimes, infrastructure interruption, intentional acts by the business or employees, prior acts or knowledge, subsidiary outside control of named insured and business interruption from systems under the control of third parties.

It doesn't have to be complicated. We just want to educate people, Colter said. We have someone like Zac that can help in that realm, and like us, to determine what policy best fits their situation. Getting something in place is better than nothing.

The Federal Trade Commission has cybersecurity guidance that can help small businesses when reaching out to insurance providers.

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Consider cybersecurity insurance - Grand Forks Herald

John Badman,Staff Writer

May 13, 2023Updated: May 13, 2023 11:39a.m.

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Family members take pictures as guests to a 10-year-old's birthday party were allowed to sit in a fire truck Friday after a one-room fire on the first floor at the Alton Best Western Premier hotel. Thefire was confined to one room and the hotel was evacuated for more than 40 minutes.

The party moved outside for a group using the meeting rooms Friday night after a fire broke out in a guest room at the Best Western Premier hotel, 3559 College Ave. in Alton. The fire was confined to one room and the hotel was evacuated for more than 40 minutes.

ALTON Firefighters were called to the Best Western Premier hotel at 3559 College Ave. in Altonat 9:18 p.m. Friday for a one-room fire.

According to authorities, a fire in the couch of an unoccupied room set off the hotel's sprinkler system, which extinguished the blaze before firefighters arrived. The hotel immediately evacuated more than 100 people including those who hadgathered for a function in a meeting room and a 10-year-old's birthday pool party.

Tired guests wanting to sleep stood and sat outside of the hotel on all four sides. Firefighters scrambled to shut off the sprinkler system as water poured out of the room and into the first floor hallway.

The room was reported to have been heavily damaged. Fire department officials on Friday night said they had not determined how the fire started in the unoccupied room.

Firefighters made sure the fire was completely out before guests were allowed back in the hotel at 10:01p.m.

The night wasn't a complete disappointment, as firefighters let the birthday girl and her guests sit in a fire truck before they left.

The cause of the fire is under investigation; no injuries were reported.

John Badman is a 1982 graduate of SIU-Carbondale, with a major in cinema and photography and a minor in law enforcement administration of justice. He has worked at The Telegraph in Alton full-time for 39 years and has been named the National Press Photographers Association's Region-5 Photographer of the Year six times.

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Friday fire forces evacuation of Alton hotel - Alton Telegraph

Dry, dry, dry! That is the only way to describe the ground around here.

The pond I use to irrigate the garden is about 16 inches below normal. That is the lowest I have seen it this time of the year.

Looks like we will need a watering plan earlier than usual. Most of the time, I put the watering system in first then plant. It's easier that way. I thought about this topic the other day when I was watering the garden and a gardening friend reminded me it was supposed to rain the next day. I reminded him we are in Mid-Missouri and you can't count on the weather.

Sure enough, it didn't. Most plants in the garden require 1 to 1 inches of water per week.

If Mother Nature does not provide the water, it is up to the gardener. It is best to plan a watering schedule and not stray too far from it. Plants get stressed when they do not get enough water which makes them more susceptible to diseases.

Although it is good to be aware of Mother Nature, weather is not easily predicted. Holding off your watering for a day if rain is predicted might be fine, but if it turns into several days as the clouds pass over without delivering any rain, it can put your plants in a stressed situation. Then when they do get the water they will soak it up too fast. This can cause problems; from splitting in plants like cabbage to cracking in tomatoes, and to a host of other problems.

As the days start to heat up, if you are using a sprinkler system, it is best to water in the morning. This gives the plants the chance to draw up the water before the sun and wind can evaporate it. This will also help protect the plants from wilting in the hot afternoon sun. If you can't water in the morning, try late afternoon -- late enough to avoid the hot sun but early enough for the plants to dry before the sun goes all the way down. Leaving the foliage wet too long (overnight) promotes fungal diseases. If you are using a drip or soaker hose system, timing is not as crucial, although some gardeners believe morning is best whatever the system.

Although seeds and seedlings need moisture close to the soil surface, the more mature plants require deep watering to develop roots that go down into the subsoil. This will give them some protection during the summer dry spells. Of course the other side of the coin is too much water. You want the soil to be damp (not soggy) about 6 inches below the surface. In waterlogged, soggy soil, roots are robbed of oxygen and may not be able to draw up water. If your plants' foliage begins to brown at the edges or starts to turn yellow and fall from the plant, you may be over watering.

Mixing organic matter such as compost in the soil will improve the soil's ability to absorb and retain moisture. The dense clay particles so commonly found in Mid-Missouri will highjack most of the soil's moisture, making it inaccessible to the garden plants. By adding in some organic matter, you'll give water a place to remain until your plants need it most. A 2- or 3-inch layer of mulch like straw, grass clippings, etc. will help retain the moisture in the ground. Mulch will also help keep the soil temperature a little cooler, and who doesn't like to cool their feet on a hot summer day? Everybody also likes a cool drink of water on a hot day -- so do your plants.

Happy gardening.

Peter Sutter is a lifelong gardening enthusiast and a participant in the MU Extension's Callaway County Master Gardener program. Gardening questions can be sent to [emailprotected]

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Ask a Master Gardener: What's the importance of watering? - Jefferson City News Tribune

The Eve Aqua is a great way to keep your plants or lawn watered without needing to lift a finger. You simply attach it to any outdoor faucet to automate watering. Compatible with Apple HomeKit, you can use the Apple Home app and Siri for quick and easy control. The Eve app is a great way for more control options, including scheduling, along with additional features like showing how much water has been used.

The key to keeping your lawn or plants healthy is something we all love to hate: frequent watering. Especially in the summer, when we all want to stay cool and comfortable, its probably time to head outside and find the sprinkler for the grass or the hose to keep your flowers hydrated.

Thankfully, Apple HomeKit fans can take advantage of the Eve Aqua to help automate the watering process, to save time while keeping your patch of the great outdoors healthy. Let's take a look at the smart irrigation controller.

Eve Aqua is a small irrigation control valve that screws into any existing hose faucet on the outside of your home. Before doing that, youll need to insert two AA batteries into the rear of the controller. That should provide you with up to five months of power before needing to be replaced and should last through the spring and summer. Youll want to remove it during winter to prevent it from freezing up.

Another big plus of the Eve Aqua is that it doesnt need a full-time internet connection; especially important since your Wi-Fi signal might not reach the furthest areas of your yard. Once you set it up, its completely autonomous and doesnt need any additional internet connection.

To get the most use of the controller, youll need an Apple Home Hub. Once you set up a Home Hub (which can be an Apple TV, HomePod, or HomePod mini), you can unlock a number of other features including scheduling and additional automation features.

While the Eve Aqua will normally communicate with a Home Hub via Bluetooth Low Energy, it can also use the Thread network if you have a compatible hub and another full Thread device like a lightbulb. A Thread network provides several advantages, including longer range and more stability than Bluetooth. Ive been using the Eve Aqua on my Thread network and have been impressed with the stability of the connection.

Getting the controller set up takes just a few minutes. After installing the batteries, attach the Eve Aqua to the hose faucet. Then attach the hose to the controller itself.

If you havent already, download the Eve app for iPhone. While you can still add the controller to Apple HomeKit using the Home app, the Eve app is a must-have. Along with being able to add the device to your Home setup, it provides a number of other features not available through Apples app.

In the Eve app, head to Settings and choose the + in the top right-hand corner. Follow the instructions to complete setup.

As mentioned, the Eve app provides the most functionality for anyone using the Eve Aqua. First up, you can easily turn the water flow on and off. While the controller uses HomeKit and the Eve app, you can also turn the flow on and off with a button on the front of the Eve Aqua itself.

Another great feature is the ability to schedule watering. You can create up to seven different schedules with a specific time to begin and the watering duration. There is also an opportunity to use times around sunrise and sunset.

Ive been using the scheduling feature for a few weeks, and it has been great. While I have an automated sprinkler system for my lawn, I have a large flower pot that needs to be hand watered. Ive set the Eve Aqua to water for a few minutes late at night for maximum water retention. You can set a maximum of seven watering periods per day. While I just have a single flower pot, you can easily add a larger irrigation system.

Below the scheduling feature in the app, you can see exactly when the Eve Aqua was turned on. You can also customize the default duration for how long the Aqua will turn on after manually starting the water. If youve ever started watering and forgotten to turn off the hose and woken up to a flooded lawn, that feature is priceless.

At the bottom of the Eve Aqua control settings is a quick view of approximately how much water youve used with the control valve.

You can also use the Home app to control the Eve Aqua, even though there are fewer features available.

Through Home, you can turn the controller on and off. You can also change the default run time and view the battery. One of my favorite HomeKit features of the Eve Aqua is Siri control to turn the hose flow on and off.

My hose faucet is tucked behind a number of bushes and is difficult to get to, but I can use a quick Siri command to turn the water flow on or off from anywhere. That has turned out to be massively helpful when watering and even washing my car. Even if I dont have an iPhone nearby, I can just use Siri on my Apple Watch.

The Eve Aqua is a great way to help automate your watering on a daily basis. But there may be days when rain is forecasted, and you dont want to over water. Eve includes a great way to help you easily suspend watering for the day when the weather is rainy. You can use a Check Watering shortcut that taps into Apples own built-in Shortcut technology.

To install the Check Watering shortcut, open the Eve app and select the Eve Aqua. Next, choose Schedule and select the gear icon under Schedule. Scroll down and then tap Schedule Suspension. Finally, tap Install Siri Shortcut and then follow the on-screen instructions. Youll need to set your homes location and the chance of rain threshold above to pause watering.

When set up, there are two ways to run the shortcut. Along with a quick Siri command, it can also be accessed through the Shortcuts app. If you run the Shortcut before 12 p.m., the chance of rain is checked for the day in Apples built-in Weather app.

If the precipitation chance is above your set threshold, watering will be paused for that day. When accessing the Shortcut after 12 p.m., it will check the forecast for both today and tomorrow and adjust the watering accordingly.

Ive used the shortcut since I installed the Eve Aqua, and its worked exactly as advertised. It is a nice way not to use water when its not needed.

While the Eve Aqua is a bit expensive for what it provides, it does exactly what it promises. Even though youll need to be an Apple HomeKit user to take advantage of the watering automation features, it provides a truly set-it-and-forget-it way to keep your lawn and plants healthy.

Along with making life a bit easier indoors, smart home technology also makes working outside your home simple. So, enjoy keeping cool indoors while the Eve Aqua takes care of the thankless watering task.

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Eve Aqua Review: Easily Turn Any Hose Into a Smart Irrigation System - MUO - MakeUseOf

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Barrington Plaza Apartments -- which has been the scene of two fires over the past decade, including one that killed a 19-year-old foreign exchange student -- will be closing to all renters and begin vacating occupied units so the high-rise complex can be renovated with fire sprinklers and other safety upgrades, the owners announced Monday.

The move will force tenants in 577 units to vacate the complex by Sept. 5. "We got notices that they weren't going to take our entire complex off of the rental markets and we are going to be evicted," said resident Andrew Rahn.

According to firefighters, the 25-story apartment complex had gotten away with not having a sprinkler system since it was built in 1961 and sprinklers were not mandated until 1974.

Shortly after the Barrington Plaza blaze, Eyewitness News filed a public records request with the Los Angeles Fire Department seeking to identify all the high-rises without sprinkler systems.

On the list were 55 residential high-rises and one hotel. See our full report from 2020 below.

READ MORE | Does your building have fire sprinklers? Map shows LA high-rises and a hotel that don't

Does your building have fire sprinklers? Here's a map of LA high-rises and one hotel that don't

"We were literally planning to stay there until we died if need be, given that it was rent stabilized," said Rahn, who pays $2,000 a month for a two-bedroom apartment at Barrington Plaza.

It was a sweet deal he landed during the pandemic and said it will be nearly impossible to find something similar now.

According to a spokesperson for Barrington Plaza Apartments, the renovations will cost up to $300 million and will take years to complete.However, current residents said they are not being invited back when renovations are done.

Officials said tenants can meet with those who can help with relocation services and are eligible for relocation compensation.

City News Service, Inc. contributed to this report.

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Barrington Plaza, scene of 2 fires in past decade, to close for renovations; hundreds of tenants forced out - KABC-TV