Monday, February 14, 2011

Getting your Desert Citrus Ready for Summer

Temperatures are starting to warm up in the desert and it’s time to work on citrus trees once again. Generally, pruning can begin in February and March after the frost season is safely past.

Look for branches of the citrus tree that do not have any leaves and prune them off 1 inch away from the trunk using hand pruners. Also remove any limbs near the inside of the tree that are growing across other branches.

Never prune citrus in the middle of the summer to the extent that you expose the bark to sun. This will cause the bark to sunburn. If necessary, however, you can tree trunk paint to coat the trunk to prevent sunburn.
 
Foothills Ace offers some excellent tools to help in this process including:

  • The Ace By-Pass Lopper comes with a chrome blade and aluminum handles with cushion grip.
  • The folding tree pruning saw features a triple-cut blade for push-pull cutting. Includes a cushion grip and safety double lock.
  • Bypass pruners with cutting capacity of three-quarter inch. The pruners have a high carbon, heat-treated and tampered blade. Chrome-plated upper and lower blade with cast aluminum powder-coated handle.
  • Arizona’s Best tree trunk paint can be applied in April. This non-toxic tree trunk coating protects the tree’s trunk and or branches from the sun’s harmful rays. This paint is especially effective when applied prior to the warmer months of the year. Quart container comes in two colors: White or Go Natural brown.

There are also several citrus pests that are native to Arizona, and these can cause significant damage to crops if they are not carefully controlled. Examine the citrus tree once per week for signs of insect infestations and consider using Horticultural Oil for added insect protection for your trees and shrubs:

  • Ortho Volk Horticultural Oil Spray is for use during the growing season. This is an excellent product for fruit and shade trees. It controls scale insects, red spider mites and mealy bugs. It can also be used as an indoor plant polish. One quart makes 12 gallons for growing season spray or 6 gallons for dormant spray.
  • Summit Year-Round Horticulture Oil is a lightweight horticulture oil concentrate that kills and repels insects and prevents spread of diseases without use of dangerous chemicals. This product is formulated for year-round use. It is odor free and can be used on fruit, flowers, vegetables, ornamentals, trees and shrubs. One quart dilutes to 25 gallons of usable product. Kills whitefly, aphids, spider mites, mealy bug, scale mites, fungus gnats and more.

Give the soil back its nutrients with select fertilizers (February, May, and August):
 
  • Arizona’s Best Citrus Food can be used on orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit trees. Feed February, late May and September. Comes in a 5-pound box.
  • Jobe’s Organic Citrus Granules utilize an exclusive Biozome technology. Biozome increases micro-organism activity and breaks down organic matter faster, which creates nutrients the plant can use. Covers up to 20% more square feet than comparable organic fertilizers. Certified safe for organic growing of edible plants and fruits. Easy to use – just work into soil around plants. Produces more fruit. Delivers faster results. Comes in a 4-pound bag.
  • Miracle-Gro Shake N Feed Citrus Food provides continuous release feeding for citrus, avocado and mango plants. This is a premium plant food that feeds up to three months and contains magnesium and iron. Shake N Feed bottle provides for easy applications.
  • Miracle-Gro Fertilizer Spikes for fruit and citrus. Gives younger trees a healthy start and promotes enhanced fruit production. Supplies nutrients directly to the root and fills the need of fruit and citrus trees all season long. Greater strength and vitality. Quick and easy to use. Comes in a package of 12.
  • Lawn & Garden Ammonium Sulfate is an economical source of quick greening nitrogen, with high sulfur. Stimulates vegetative growth and produces deep green color. This product provides for greater drought tolerance and improved winter hardiness. Contains high sulfur-improving color and density of turf. 20-lb bag.
 
# # #
 
At Foothills Ace Hardware, we have everything you need to prepare your trees and plants for the upcoming season. Stop in and speak to one of our Ace horticulturists today.
 
Get in. Get help. Get on with your weekend.
 
Foothills Ace Hardware
1335 East Chandler Boulevard
Phoenix, AZ 85048
480-460-4223
 

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Could a New Front Door Increase the Value of your Home?

One of the latest trends for increasing your home value is right at your front door.  If you are constructing a new structure or remodeling an existing one, a Valencia Iron Door is the perfect solution.  

Architectural styles range from Italian Renaissance to Tuscan.  And, they are adorned with wrought iron accents that provide "Old World Charm."

Thousands of designs.

Our design consultants at Foothills Ace can help you select the ideal style, color and finish for a custom-made single door, double door, balcony, railing, window, handle or accent. 

All products represent quality, durability, ventilation, elegance and, above all, security. 

Each piece receives a deoxidizing treatment before the painting process after which the doors receive a base coat and are texturized with the color desired and a protective clear coat. 

The different colors and styles can be adapted to the type of construction and your particular desires.

Stop in and see this premier product line at Foothills Ace Hardware.

Get in.  Get help.  Get on with your remodeling.

Foothills Ace Hardware
1335 East Chandler Boulevard
Phoenix, Arizona 85048
480-460-4223





Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Victoria & Albert Bathtubs and Basins

Beautiful Victoria & Albert tubs and basins are now showcased at the Foothills Design Studio.  These bathtubs and basins are made from naturally white Englishcast(TM), the unique limestone-rich material exclusive to Victoria and Albert. 

Harnessing the unique properties of volcanic limestone, Victoria & Albert creates exquisitely hand-finished bathtubs and vessel basins with exceptional strength and heat insulating properties.  This is achieved with Englishcast(TM), a world-class material that allows large and complex shapes to be cast in one flowing, seamless piece. 

The naturally durable stone content makes it highly practical for day-to-day use.  Delivering ultimate piece of mind, every Englishcast (TM) model features renewable internal surfaces to help keep it looking like new for years to come.  Backed with a 25-year domestic warranty, choosing Victoria & Albert is more than a purchase, it's an investment for life. 

Stop in and see one of the Victoria & Albert bathtub models at our Foothills Ace Design Studio today!

Get in.  Get help.  Get on with your remodeling.

Foothills Ace Hardware Design Studio
1335 East Chandler Boulevard
Phoenix, Arizona 85048
480-460-4223
www.FoothillsAce.com

Aura Waterborne Interior Paint by Benjamin Moore

Benjamin Moore's new Aura Waterborne Interior paint line is available at Foothills Ace. 

Aura paint's waterborne technology keeps VOCs and odor to a minimum, so you can feel good about the environment.  Aura paint offers the  most advanced way to bring color to your life.

The exclusive Color Lock technology bring discernibly richer, truer color paired with incomparable performance. 

Color pigments are microscopically bonded to the paint film as it dries, permanently locking in color for richer, more enticing hues and a new standard in durability.

Only in Aura paint:

  • Exclusive color lock technology
  • Fully washable in any sheen
  • Fast one-hour re-coat time
  • Exceptional flow and evening
  • Seamless touch-up
  • Richer, more enticing color
  • Maximum hide in all colors
  • Unsurpassed surface smoothness you can feel and see
  • Low VOCs for environmental protection
  • Low odor
  • Mildew resistance

Get in.  Get help.  Get on with your life.

Foothills Ace Hardware
1335 East Chandler Boulevard
Phoenix, Arizona 85048
480-460-4223
www.FoothillsAce.com

Friday, December 31, 2010

Pruning Freeze Damaged Wood

With the recent cold snap many people are asking how to care for their damaged fruit trees.  Here are a few snippets from the Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: June 1992. Reviewed: June 1994.

The first step in the pruning process is to wait until late spring or the summer following the winter the damage occurred (In Arizona, our last chance of frost is approximately mid-February). This will give you time to assess the damage. In addition, freeze-damaged trees occasionally put out a false start of new growth in the early spring which soon dies back. Delaying pruning until after this occurs will save you time and energy.

When pruning always remember to prune living wood, ideally at crotches, to ensure that you cut away all of the damage. In the case of young trees that have been banked, the tree may survive and put out a new top even if you have to cut away all the wood above the bank.

In very severe cases, a citrus tree may be damaged all the way to the ground. In such cases, the root area may still put out new growth and the tree may, in time, recover. However, if the original tree was a graft and the tree is killed off below the bud, any resulting new growth will be of the variety of the rootstock and not of the graft or scion. It will be up to you to decide whether to re-graft, allow the rootstock to continue growing or start again.













How to Prune Citrus Trees  

1. Make a small wedge shaped cut on the underside of the branch just on the branch side of the stem collar. This will break the bark at that point and prevent a tear from running along the bark and stem tissue.

2. Somewhat farther along the branch, starting at the top of the branch cut all the way through the branch leaving a stub end.

3. Finally, make a third cut parallel to and just on the branch side of the of the stem collar to reduce the length of the stub as much as possible.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Find Paint Fast


Ace "Essence" Interior Flat Latex Wall Paint
Great paint and a great low price!

12-year durability.  Good adhesion and washable.  Non-yellowing, non-toxic and low spatter.  Soap and water cleanup.  Available in interior satin, interior semi-gloss, exterior flat and exterior semi-gloss.  Starting at $14.99 / gallon.





Ace "Royal Touch" Interior Flat Latex Paint
Our #1 Selling Paint!

Excellent coverage and washable.  Exceptional spatter resistance and adhesion.  Stain resistant and non-yellowing.  Soap and water cleanup.  25-year durability.  Available in interior eggshell, interior satin, interior semi-gloss, exterior flat, exterior satin and exterior semi-gloss.  Starting at $21.99 / gallon.




Ace "Royal Finest" Flat Acrylic Latex Interior Enamel
World's Only Paint with ScotchgardTM Protector!

Premium paint with advanced stain resistant technology.  Flat finish that cleans as easily as semi-gloss.  Stains wash right off.  Resists even oily stains and keeps original appearance after cleaning.  Mildew resistant.  One coat coverage for multi-room use.  Soap and water cleanup.  Lifetime warranty.  Available in interior eggshell, interior satin and interior semi-gloss.  Starting at $29.99 / gallon.


The right supplies make all the difference.

  • Custom color matching
  • Brushes
  • Rollers
  • Trays
  • Blue masking tape/gun
  • Spackling (small wall repairs)
  • Scrapers
  • Tape seal
  • Shoe guards
  • Painter’s coveralls
  • Painter’s Pal (remove dried latex paint)
  • Wall cleaner
  • Wallpaper stripper
  • Window scrapers
  • Edgers
  • Wire brushes
  • Paint thinners
  • Wood filler/putty
  • Sandpaper
  • Tack cloths
  • Steel wool
  • Caulk
  • Spray paints
  • Spray paint (your custom color!)

Come in and talk to your Foothills Ace paint specialist today!

Foothills Ace Hardware
1335 East Chandler Boulevard
Phoenix, Arizona 85048
480-460-4223

Friday, December 17, 2010

Ace Hardwares in Phoenix

ACE Hardware stores in Phoenix have been around for a long time, and there are many good reasons why. With a focus on offering quality merchandise and skilled customer service, all Phoenix ACE Hardware stores have a way of making repeat customers out of all their shoppers. Whether you frequently need hardware and related items, or if you only perform the occasional do it yourself home repair, ACE Hardware stores in Phoenix are ready to assist you!

Value is very important and we strive to offer all of our Phoenix ACE Hardware customers a wide selection of top quality merchandise. Each product is carefully selected, and includes some of the most popular name brands in the country. Arizona ACE Hardware stores offer customers many of their favorites, including:

  • Weber
  • Igloo
  • Rubbermaid
  • DeWalt
  • Black & Decker
  • 3M
  • Makita
  • Thompson's
  • And many more

When visiting your local Phoenix ACE Hardware stores, do not hesitate to consult the knowledgeable sales floor associates. They can help answer questions and direct you to the products that are best suited to your project. If you know what you want then let us help you locate it quickly and easily!

ACE Hardware stores in Phoenix are also designed for customer convenience. Our employees are ready and willing to help you make the most out of your next purchase. We also carry a number of brands and sizes, so finding what you want in a Phoenix ACE Hardware store is simple. Rather than search multiple retailers for the hardware items you need, simply pay a visit to your local ACE Hardware store and find it all under one roof!

Every ACE Hardware store in Phoenix is dedicated to providing the best value to our customers as well as reliable customer service. We would love the chance to help you find what you need for home or business improvements. Check out available products on our website, submit an electronic rebate form or find out which ACE Hardware stores in Phoenix are conveniently located close to you!

www.FoothillsAce.com