Questions, Answers & Tips -
(“Hedgeballs” come
from
Maclura po-
mifera,
which you
may know better as
Osage orange, hedge
apple, horse apple,
or bois d'arc, bodark,
or bodock. It's a small
tree or large shrub.
The fruit is round
and bumpy and filled
with sticky white goo.
It isn't poisonous to
people, but it's pretty
unpleasant and a bite
can make you barf. In fall, the fruit turns bright yellow-green. Sci-
entific studies have found that extracts of Osage orange do repel
several insect species.)
Dust control
Unsealed concrete will generate an unlimited amount of dust.
Unsealed drywall sheds copious volumes of irritating abrasive
dust. A layout with a sealed floor and walls will have a fraction
of the dust accumulation of a space with open walls and ceil-
ing. Concrete sealer will definitely hold down dust, and make
sweeping more effective. Keeping pets out reduces fur and
dander pollution.
Bill Brillinger
suggests sweeping compound – basically oily saw-
dust – to keep dust from becoming airborne when sweeping
floors. It's available from janitorial supply stores and some big
1
1: Osage orange balls are an effective indoor insect
repellent, tested by time and by scientific studies.
They are not edible and should be kept away from kids
and pets.
MRH-Jul 2013
