When Winter Comes, Be Sure To Protect Water Pipes

Winter has already fired its opening volley in Arkansas, and it’s time to be sure your pipes don’t become victims of winter’s icy grasp, says Trish Ouei, extension stormwater educator for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

“Frozen water pipes can be extremely expensive to repair, and the damage can be extensive – such as replacing floors, carpeting, etc., after pipes have burst and flooding has occurred,” she said. “Take steps now to prevent these problems.”

Ouei offers a checklist of actions to take to prevent frozen pipe issues:

• To help prevent pipes from freezing this winter, it’s important to unhook and drain your outside hoses; store the drained hoses in a shed or garage.



• Then check around the outside hose spigot for any cracks or air leaks. Be sure to seal any cracks that are found.



• Cover outside plumbing fixtures.

“You can purchase covers, or consider making your own from a butter tub,” she said. “After a quick Internet search, I found most outdoor faucet covers to be about $3 to $5.”

Ouei said you can make your own cover by following these instructions.

Winter also means holiday vacations.

"If you are going to be away from your home, be sure to set the heat no lower than 55 degrees,” she said. “And remember to open the cabinet doors under bathroom and kitchen sinks to allow heat to reach the pipes easier.

“These few steps can help prevent frozen pipes and potentially save you lots of money and headaches,” Ouei said.

Lighting The Christmas Tree Without Igniting A Fire

There’s nothing better than a real Christmas tree to show your holiday spirit, but there are some steps you should take to ensure your family is safe from potential fires, said Dustin Blakey, Sebastian County extension agent for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, between 2002 and 2005, firefighters across the United States responded to an average of 240 fires each year caused by holiday lights. Most, 35 percent, occur in December, while 13 percent occur in January.

“The greatest risk of fire is the use of dry trees,” Blakey said. Keeping the tree hydrated is important, because a small flame can explode into a big fire in a dry scotch pine, he said.

The first, and perhaps most important step, is to start with a fresh tree.

“Generally speaking, locally grown trees will be the freshest,” Blakey said. “Be careful before buying trees shipped from the north and stacked for weeks on the side of a building.”

Color is not a good indicator of freshness, because many trees are dyed, he said, “but a good test you can do is to lift the tree a few inches above the ground and drop its cut end. There should be no needles falling off.”

Plant of the Week: Saguaro Cactus (Carnegiea gigantea)

On the top shelf in my little hobby greenhouse grows a giant. Though this giant is only 5 years old and, for now at least, 4 inches tall, it has the potential to get much larger. The plant is the saguaro cactus from the Sonoran Desert of Arizona.

The saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) is a superstar amongst the cactus family both for its storied existence and size. It can reach as much as 45 feet in height though 20 to 30 feet specimens with foot thick trunks are more common. During the first 75 years of its life, it grows as an unbranched column; thereafter, it begins to branch and forms the familiar shape we know. Saguaros often live to be 150 years old.

This cactus grows only in the Sonoran Desert, the driest desert in the United States that occupies 120,000 square miles of the southwestern quarter of Arizona, and adjacent areas in California, the state of Sonora in Mexico and parts of the Baja Peninsula. It occurs in areas receiving between 2 and 10 inches of rainfall per year but won’t grow in salty soils or along arroyos where floods might occur. While it tolerates frost it won’t survive where freezing conditions prevail.

Flowering begins when plants reach about 50 years of age.