Article Example #1

Title: Root Rot

Description: Root rot causes the unnecessary death of thousands of houseplants each year. But with a little foreknowledge and awareness of what to do, root rot can be easily avoided or fixed.

Key words: root rot sick plants brown leaves

Root rot in plants

What is root rot?

Root rot is what happens when your plant's roots become bogged down in excess water, resulting in fungal growth, which will choke off the plant's water supply. It is perhaps ironic, but over-watering a plant will actually cause it to lose the ability to absorb further water. Unfortunately, as a plant has to be fairly dehydrated before it will start to show noticeable damage, nursing the ailing plant to health can sometimes be a difficult task.

What are the symptoms of root rot?

The most easily recognized sign of root rot is a fading or browning at the tips of a plant's leaves. On needled plants, look instead for an excessive number of brown needles on the branches.

If your plant's soil seems to be constantly moist, you should definitely lay off watering it for a while and you may want to consider removing it from the pot for examination.

Rotten roots are easily spotted. When you grab onto a root, it should feel firm, without being bone dry. Soft, mushy roots are almost invariably suffering from root rot.

What can I do about root rot?

There are two primary ways of nursing a plant, which has rotted roots. If you have the plant out of its soil, you should trim off any mushy roots. Such roots are beyond repair and will only inhibit the plant's survival chances. When replanting, do not use the old soil, as it will contain some of the same fungus that has been afflicting your plant.

Use a fungicide in the plant's new soil to help the plant rid itself of any remaining fungus and give itself a starting chance. With your next watering, add a nitrogen-based root growth stimulant or some root growth hormone. This is necessary to make up for the roots that your plant lost to the fungus.

In the case of truly rampant root rot (where the majority of roots are suffering), consider using a soaking fungicide. The plant is dipped into such a product and left to soak before you replant it. Always follow the directions carefully when using fungicides and other toxic chemicals.

How do I avoid root rot?

To keep your plant healthy and free of fungi, just watch out for over-watering. Shove a chopstick, or similar utensil, into the soil and see if it comes out wet. If it does, then the plant does not need to be watered again.

Make sure that your plant can drain properly. Most plants should be potted with an adequate amount of rock or gravel mixed in with their soil and with a bed of gravel at the bottom of the pot. Make sure the pot is elevated off of hard surfaces so that it can drain out of the bottom. Different plant types will have different watering needs; become familiar with the specific needs of your plants and be sure to follow any watering directions with care.

If you follow these simple guidelines, you should have no trouble keeping your plant safe from root rot.

Article Example #2

Title: Fixing a bicycle rear derailleur

Description: Bicycle maintenance is not as hard as it seems. Learning to adjust your bike's rear derailleur will allow you to save a lot of time and money.

Key words: rear derailleurs bicycle maintenance repairs derailer gear changer shifter

Fixing a bicycle rear derailleur

Whether you have a mountain bike, a road racer or a city commuting hybrid bicycle, you will eventually need to adjust the rear derailleur on it. The rear derailleur is the device, which moves the chain from one cog (gear) to the next. If you learn to do this yourself, you can save a great deal of time and money that would have been spent by taking the bicycle to a bike shop.

The adjustment, itself, is very simple. Although many bicycle mechanics would like to maintain their monopoly by pretending like derailleur adjustments are possible only by a trained person possessing many mystical skills, anyone with a few minutes and a little willingness to experiment can adjust his or her own.

You will know that your derailleur is in need of adjustment when your gearshifts become choppy or inconsistent. If the derailleur tends to "hang" in one gear after you've already indicated that it should shift (by turning or pushing the lever on your bike), then you need to do some brief adjustments. Other problems include the complete inability to shift, shifting without any input from the rider, and "ghost shifting," where the bike jumps as though it were trying to force a shift (sometimes the bike will successfully shift and sometimes it will not-either way, the effect is unwelcome).

Process:

1. Familiarize yourself with the two cable tensioning devices on your bike. The rear derailleur functions based upon cable tension. The two tension controllers are cylindrical knobs; the cable comes out from one at the shifting mechanism and goes into another at the derailleur. Turning these knobs is what determines the cable's tension.
2. Pluck at the cable. Although you will not be able to do so at first, over time you will be able to tell if the cable is excessively tight or loose by feel.
3. Turn the barrel adjustment on the derailleur ¼ turn to one full turn in order to tighten or loosen the cable. Turning the barrel clockwise (from the derailleur's perspective) will tighten the tension, while turning it counterclockwise relaxes it.
4. Pick up the rear wheel and spin the pedals. If the gears shift properly, then you have successfully adjusted your derailleur. If not, try using the barrel adjustment again. If you keep turning the barrel and the shifting just gets worse, you are probably over-tightening or over-loosening the cable. Switch directions and see what happens.
5. Use the knob on the gearshift only for fine-tuning-excessive tuning at the shifters will throw off the derailleur. It often results in stretched out cables and uneven distribution of tension.
6. Now that you know how to do a basic adjustment of your rear derailleur, you're about ready for some more complicated bicycle repairs. Get a bicycle maintenance book and learn how to keep your bike running without the help of an expensive professional.