Garden park

Have Yourself a Successful Composting Experience :

2009-11-01T02:16:00.001-08:00

Composting can be a lot of fun anyone, from avid gardeners to novices alike. But one of the misconstrued beliefs that arise when people think of composting is that it's the result of smelly garbage that hasn't been perly disposed of, which in turn is a recipe pests and all sorts of other trouble. This myth is exactly that, a myth! Contrary to popular belief, composting is an organic cess that creates nutrient rich soil, popularly known as black gold, from leftover food scraps and yard waste. If done perly, y compost should not emit a foul odor, but rather a fresh, earthy smell.

To ensure that you will have a successful compost heap and experience, here are a few things to keep in mind bee you begin:

Assuming you live in a city or municipality that does not allow open compost heaps, go ahead and invest in a compost bin or compost tumbler. Having one place to add all y organic matter in to will make the composting cess much easier, and in most cases will keep the cess on a regularly consistent decomposing speed.

The next step is to start collecting organic matter to place into y compost bin. Food scraps such as cut up pieces of fruit rinds, cabbage leaves, vegetable stalks and coffee grounds make great composting. Coffee grounds are especially excellent the composting cess because they act as activators, which create heat y compost pile. Just remember to never add meat and dairy ducts, bones, fats and oils to y compost; these ducts won't decompose perly, smell foul after a couple hs, and attract pests. Yard waste such as non-diseased weeds and plants, grass clippings and leaves are essential y compost since they're rich in nitrogen.

To nip the blem of pests, rodents and other wildlife rummaging around in y compost right in the butt, here are a few tips to keep in mind. Generally, animals are attracted by the smell of meat, dairy ducts and fatty foods; adding these items is like giving an open invitation wildlife to invade y compost. In addition, you should always be sure to have a tight fitting lid on y bin or tumbler so that none of y compost is exposed.

If done correctly, y finished duct should smell earthy and not putrid. Once you have enough organic matter, it's time to add this rich, black gold into y garden's soil to long a fruitful life y garden. Remember, it's all a trial and error cess, so be sure to have fun!

How to Start Your First Organic Garden (Part 6):

2009-10-31T21:05:00.001-07:00

To make sure your lawn fertilizer is environmentally friendly, check to see that it achieves the standards of the EPA and OSB (National Organic Standards Board) guidelines environmentally friendly garden care products.

About Organic Lawn fertilizers
If you're look pet friendly lawn fertilizers, most organic lawn fertilizers that are certified by the EPA pose no risk to your pets. You can also talk to your veterinarian or local extension agent other recommendations.

Most organic lawn fertilizers are designed to build up the soil itself, whes artificial fertilizers may not do much to help cte healthier soil. Also, look organic lawn fertilizers that help stimulate the presence of beneficial soil organisms. These critters that live in the soil can actually help bk down some elements of the lawn fertilizer and incse their efficiency. If you have healthy soil with lots of organic material mixed and a high number of soil organisms, your grass will naturally be able to fight diseases, pathogenic nematodes, and the pests that may attack your lawn.

Most organic lawn fertilizers are also designed to be more efficiently absorbed than synthetic fertilizers. This is especially true of lid organic lawn fertilizers. This means that excess nutrients are less likely to find their way into local water supplies and contaminate the water.

Environmentally friendly lawn fertilizers generally come in two ms, dry organic fertilizers and lid organic fertilizers. Dry organic lawn fertilizers will typically stay on the lawn longer and theree rere fewer ttments. However, you will need some sort of spder to distribute them over your lawn. Theree, they are harder to use on irregularly shaped lawns. Dry organic lawn fertilizers may contain such natural redients as blood meal, alfalfa, corn gluten meal, and feather meal.

Lid organic lawn fertilizers are absorbed almost instantly by your grass. This makes them useful a ck green of your grass. Products like HastaGro lid organic fertilizer are intended as foliar ttments. This means that nutrients are absorbed ckly and effectively through the leaves. An added advantage of lid fertilizers is that they slowly release nitrogen, mean they're very unlikely to burn your lawn.

Us Dry Organic Lawn Fertilizers
Dry organic fertilizers are useful cover large as. To use them, you will need some kind of spder. Otherwise, you risk not hav your dry fertilizer distributed out evenly over the lawn. Keep in mind that dry fertilizers are difficult to use on irregularly shaped lawns.

Spders are available in either drop or broadcast spders. Drop spders drop the fertilizer directly below the spder. They are economical and good smaller spaces. Broadcast spders actually shoot the fertilizer beyond the spder over a large a. If you have a large lawn, you'll probably want to use a broadcast spder.

Us Lid Organic Lawn Fertilizers
Lid lawn fertilizers are generally very easy to use. You simply attach the lid fertilizer to a common garden hose. The easy application of a lid organic lawn fertilizer makes them ideal fertiliz irregular spaces. Remember to d the application instruction your lid lawn fertilizer very carefully bee you use it.

In addition to organic lawn fertilizers, you can use several different natural lawn care technes to take care of your lawn. For example:

Test your soil frequently to determine what it needs.
Keep your clipps on your lawn. This is known as "grass-cycl" and will help keep nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium in the soil. A reel mower is ideal keep grass clipps where they should be, on your lawn. If you keep your grass clipps on your lawn, you can reduce the use of lid organic fertilizers to about four times a grow season.

Avoid fertiliz if you're expect rain. The fertilizer may simply wash off and will not do your lawn any good.

How to Start Your First Organic Garden (Part 9):

2009-10-31T16:02:00.001-07:00

By taking a few easy ps, you can end up with the greenest, healthiest n on your block. Here's what to do!

"Grass-cycle" your grass ppings.
Grass-cyng involves letting your n reuse the grass ppings created by ing. The great thing about grass-cyng is that it's easy! You simply leave your grass ppings on the n inad of throwing them away. Why would you want to do this? Because it's been proven that grass ppings will quickly depose and return needed nutrients to the l. The grass ppings also act as a natural mulch, helping your grass to retain water.

Grass-cyng is a way not only to improve your n, it will also help you save time taking care of it! Other benefits of grass cyng include: improved l texture, reduced need for fertilizers, saved time when you , and reduced wa that goes to the dfill.

While you can convert most ners for grass-cyng, your best bet in to invest in a reel er. Reel ers are quiet, effective, easy to use, and most reel ers leave the grass where it should be, on your n!

If you just can't stand the sight of grass ppings on your y, another option is to post them. Invest in a simple post bin and use the post in your n and gen.

Cut your grass rectly and to the remended cutting height.
Knowing what height to cut your grass is an important way to get your grass to grow healthy and strong. Setting your ner to the highest or lst setting is not necessarily the best thing for your grass. In fact, different grass species have different needs in terms of grass cutting height. You can look up remended cutting heights here.

Additionally, you should keep the blades on your ner nice and sharp so that it cuts your grass effectively. Also, consider buying a reel er, which actually cuts the grass like scissors rather than tearing it like traditional rotary ners. This makes for healthier grass in general.

post your kitchen and gen wa for greener grass.
As mentioned above, posting your grass ppings is a great way reduce wa and help your gen and n grow. Additionally, you can post other wa from the gen and even from your kitchen.

Adding post to your l is one of the best ways to green up your grass and all your gen pts. post has a number of other benefits, including:

# post improves water drainage in clay and sandy ls.
# post creates a slow release of pt nutrients and stimulates root growth.
# post helps reduce problems with l-borne pt diseases and gen pests.
# post prevents erosion of precious topl.
# post recycles y and kitchen was inad of sending it to the dfill.
# post baces the pH levels of most ls.
# post attracts beneficial insects, worms, and other organisms

Use n gluten meal as a natural herbicide and n fertilizer.
Corn gluten meal is used most frequently as a natural preemergent herbicide for turf grass and organic crops. Hver, it has the added benefit of fertilizing your l. Corn Gluten Meal is a totally natural byproduct of the wet-milling process for n (Zea mays L.). It will help control annual weeds in your n and will keep your grass fertilized.

Use My Root Builder to improve your l.
Myrhizal fungi are beneficial l organisms that provide a sort of secondary root sym for your gen pts and grass. They attach themselves to the roots and help pts and grass make better use of water and organic nutrients in the l.

With a Myrhizal fungi root builder, you can get myrhizal fungi to work more efficiently. GreenSense My Root Builder is an excellent product that contains Endomyrhiza, Ectomyrhiza, Scleroderma, Kelp, Zeolite, and liquid Humate. It will work great on all the pts you grow, not just your turf grass.

Best Lawn Care Equipment For Really Easy Lawn Care:

2009-05-14T21:07:00.001-07:00

If you want the best looking lawn, or even just one that is good enough to look out on as you enjoy a beautiful day, you will need to put some eff in. To minimize that, mechanization could be your answer!

Te are some great t-saving tools around these days, that will take the chore out of your lawn as well as getting you sitting out on it enjoying it just as soon as possible! Even if you spend laborious hours on it, it's still possible that it won't end up perfect, but it will look way better.

Many people begrudge the eff and t it takes. Maybe it's these very same people who also feel aggrieved that lawn e equent can be a bit heavy on the pocket. Like things in life, it can be hard to get a balance between what is a reasonable expenditure and whet it is wh it in the first place - 'What's in it for me?', in this investment I make!

By buying reasonable lawn e equent, you will have every oppunity to have a beautiful lawn, if that's what you are seeking.

So, e are some of the most impant implements that will help you get the lawn you rey want.

Your Lawnmower - The Most Valuable T-Saving Power-Tool

To spend your rest t cutting a lawn laboriously, is pretty much agreed by gardeners across spectrums as a bit of a waste of t and eff. Te must be better things to do than cut a lawn wout proper lawn e equent. Only the greatest purists who nurture and worship their lawn will resist buying a pretty good lawnmower as their most vital bit of lawn e equent

Te are two ways to do this, the hard way and the easy way. The hard way is a bog-standard mower that you push along wout any motorization at , but if you want to properly e for your lawn, you'll need a decent mower that you can use wout too much eff.

Of the lawn e equent that's out te, the mower is the one that you'll get most use of and, if you choose correctly, it will be the one that makes the most impact on your lawn and saves you the most t.

If you are in doubt about which type of mower you might buy, just take a look at the lawn and areas involved. For a large, very flat lawn, you will need a powered mower, probably a sit-on one. For a sm lawn, get yourself one that will cut just right for that lawn. Unless it's to massage your ego, you don't need a sit-on mower for a lawn the size of a postage stamp!

W lawn mowers, te are plenty of different types to be found. For a reasonable choice that isn't too expensive, go for a pushmower, wout the push. That is the self-propelled mower that is power-assisted - just helping you out when you need it and giving you the flexibility of complete control..

Edge Trimmers - Go On Then, Finish The Job

When you've done your mowing, the job isn't complete until you've gone round the edge too. In fact a well mown lawn will still look scruffy if your edges don't get done.

A good trimmer will be one item of lawn e equent that will 'ice the cake' and if used wisely, will enhance even the best mown garden, creating a look of quality that is hard to surpass.

This is one piece of garden equent we mechanization can be harder to handle that doing it by hand, but w a twist. A good edge trimmer will be used manuy, but will not only be very effective, it will also save you t and your back!

Yes, you can get those electrical or petrol/gas powered 'strimmer' type edge trimmers when you're out buying your lawn e equent, but for me, te is no better piece of kit than the odd looking shear type that you use w a sideways shuffle along your border. The trouble w strimmers is that they run so fast that it can be hard to control them.

Go for a good manual!

'Like a Gentle Rain From Heaven'

Last up in the key lawn e equent that you will need to consider seriously when you are aiming for a great looking lawn, is a way to get it wet!

Having an effective sprinkler system in place will make a huge difference when you are looking at hot, thirsty summers. Could you imagine watering your whole lawn w a watering can?

No, I thought not.

Sprinklers come in a number of different arrangements. Some, which might be best of you want as little involvement as possible, will be built into your lawn and come on w a tr system, popping-up wout warning - so watch out!

For a sm lawn, at the ot end of the spectrum, are simple movable sprinklers that you attach your hose to and move around. Takes your t and eff, but for a sm lawn that might be a completely acceptable solution.

Whatever you decide on, make sure that before you buy, you understand what it is you want and then double-check that it will meet your expectations. Coverage, water volume, cost and t-saving are wh covering before your trip to the garden center.

If you get yourself these three pieces of lawn e equent to deal w these key lawn maintenance issues, you will rey have sed out most of the problems you might find.

Use these as well as you can and, before you know it, you will be sitting out te, cool drink in hand, admiring a beautiful lawn, produced, by you, w minimal eff!

A Bit of TLC for your Compost :

2009-05-14T17:09:00.001-07:00

As an avid gardener who takes advantage of the many benefits t composting has to offer, I can tell you t right from the start I had no idea what I was doing what I had gotten myself into! I had a rough start to begin with I'll admit, it's not like I was born with composting knowledge. I mean, I read up on a few articles blogs t you're not supposed to use any meat, bones, dairy products animal fats in any of y compost bins or piles. Yeah, t's common sense, but I wasn't aware t there were other tender, loving, caring efforts t you still needed to implement into y compost heap.

For instance, you have to make sure t y compost heap is consistently aerated. Okay, so I didn't quite grasp t at the first time I tried this. Learn from my mistake here, folks, it's actuy a lot easier n it sounds. There are plenty of compost tumblers out there on the market t make aerating y compost rey quite easy fun. A lot of models actuy include a rotating bin or a hle t ows you to wind up y bin, which circulates heat oxygen within the compost matter. Without proper air circulation, the organic matter in y compost won't be able to break down quickly properly, chances are will make things smell a bit rotten. Believe me, you don't want to know what t smells like! Websites like Composters.com will definitely offer you a selection of compost tumblers compost bins.

Bad odor is usuy something t not everyone is too fond of it's even worse if it's coming from y compost bin. But with some proper TLC, you can either avoid the problem or fix it altogether. One way to do this is to figure out what there's too much or too little of. If it smells kind of like cat urine or ammonia-like, you may have way too much yard wastes in y compost. If it smells like wet dog, or maybe wet organic matter, then you need to start adding some dried leaves maybe some hay turn y compost; this will absorb t excess moisture while adding heat to y pile.

With proper maintenance tender, loving care, you'll eventuy be able to achieve the ideal compost pile for y gardening needs. It's a bit of a chenge in the beginning, but soon enough you'll be able to figure out for yself just what you need how much of it is necessary for y compost pile.

Investigate the World of Natural Composting:

2009-05-14T07:48:00.000-07:00

In regards to organic gardening, compong satisfies one of the best ways to help Mother Nat create an all-natural mulch and nutrient-rich soil. As more and more people are discovering the inexpensive benefits of compong, they are able to abandon the harmful chemicals contained in commercial fertilizers. Compost is the natural breakdown of organic matels, which helps imve the struct, text and water-holding capacity of exing soil.

The compong cess is known to uplift the composin of lawns and gardens, as it motes healthy root development in plants and enhances soil fertility. Backyard compong involves the gress and mon of naturally occurring bacte that transforms leaves, lawn clippings, kitchen scraps, and other organic wastes into rich, usable soil. In the end, compong recycles organic matels back into the earth, which is beneficial for yard and garden use. It also helps reduce unnecessary environmental waste by conserving space in local landfills.

An Example on How to Compost

Individuals find many different reasons why and ways on how to start compong. Some are motivated by the spect of reducing their yard and garden waste, which often becomes a minent ingredient within the compong cess. Addinally, most ceds are pretty easy to follow. An example of how to start compong includes collecting enough matel to establish a pile measuring one-cubic yard. The ideal combinan of matels should equal a 30:1 carbon to-nitrogen ra. The starting layer should consist of 4 to 6 inches of high-carbon items, such as paper, wood chips, leaves, or straw.

Next, a layer consing of 4 to 6 inches of high-nitrogen matels is added. An example of this is animal man, but vegetative kitchen wastes are also welcome. Grass clippings addinally fall into this category. When using food waste, an added thin layer of soil, leaves, or sawdust will absorb any odors. The next step is to mix the carbon- and nitrogen-containing layers, which helps distribute a good and even blend.

A "squeeze" test will help determine the moist content of the compost. Water is added until squeezing a handful of compost duces one to two drops of water. It is important to remember that adding too much water causes nutrients to escape. The layers of a compost pile are then alternated and mixed until the heap is about 3 to 4 feet tall. In about a week, the pile should reach temperats close to 110 degrees and needs to be turned with a shovel and watered when dry.

Acceptable Compong Matels

Some people are curious as to what sorts of matels are acceptable for compong. Since the average household duces more than 200 pounds of kitchen waste per year, these items make perfect addins to compong. Melon rinds, tea bags, apple cores, and banana peels are highly recommended. High-fat foods, dairy, and meat waste are discouraged because they smell awful in the sun and attract unwanted pests.

Grass clippings are a must, as they quickly break down and contain just as much nitrogen as man. Garden waste, such as wilted flowers and decaying plants are suggested, while paying careful attenn to avoiding the use of weeds and their seeds. Wood ashes (wood burning stove or fireplace) are acceptable, but coal ashes are not because they often contain high levels of sulfur and iron. Addinal compong ingredients include pine needles, spoiled hay or straw, the man of vegetan animals, and seaweed.

How To Grow and Care For Your Bonsai Tree :

2009-05-14T03:15:00.001-07:00

Grng and maintaining a healthy looking sai t can sometimes prove to be a tough task
for those who are unaware of the necessary attention,patience and dedication needed in order to successfully grow and nurter a sai t.This is where I would like to talk about and review a very helpful sai t guide I recently bought, which is called "Bonsai Care Secrets".This guide shows
people how to grow as well as take effective care of their sai ts.

This easy to follow,step by step guide which is also loaded with more than 50 colour photos, guides you in grng and maintaining a healthy looking sai t.It does not matter If you are a beginner
or an experienced gardener who is already aware of sai t needs, this ebook will
greatly enhance your knowledge for grng successful sai plants. With this ebook you will learn many aspects such as identifying ideal loactions for planting, different grng techniques, disease curing and general training all your sai ts.

The other important topics talked about include "How to identify types of sai for indoor or outdoor grng"," Th simple ways to grow sai from cuttings or seeds" And various other tips and tricks to pruning and shaping a sai t.This will help you achieve great success in grng your first Bonsai t! This package also includes th us gifts which are "Grng Bonsai for Beginners","Grng Bonsai from Seed" and "Th Reports on Composting, Pest Management and Mulching". This package is an absolute must for anyone interested in grng or maintaining sai ts.

Environmentally Safe Ways to Remove Weeds:

2009-05-13T21:06:00.001-07:00

There is a lot of concern about herbicides and what they are doing to our environment. Large amounts of chemicals leech into our grounder polluting our er supply. Cancers and strange diseases with no apparent cause are being linked to chemicals and pollutants in our environment. So how do we control those pesky we in our perfectly manicured landscapes? I will outline several different ways to eradicate we without polluting our environment.

The first and probably the simplest of , is to roll up r sleeves, get down on r knees, and pull the we out! I know this seems counterintuitive in an age when we are accustomed to instantaneous and easy ways of doing things. When we have to do is spray some highly-toxic chemical on a plant and it seemingly evaporates in less that a day! But back in the day, people used to buy tools like a hoe, or dandelion pullers to actuy exert physical work to remove we. I prefer this method as it actuy feels good to get back to our natural instincts and commune with our surroundings. Sweating in the hot sun and doing physical labor is good for the mind, body, and spirit, and with this technique, we can actuy eliminate we!

A tip for pulling we is to give the weed bed a good ering the night before. With the ground thoroughly soaked, the soil will be softened and will yield the entire weed plant, root and .

The second method is equy effective but it is more difficult to isolate a single weed in a bed of desirable plants. Simply pour hot, boiling er over the weed. The hot er will kill the weed. The next time make a pot of tea and have some er left over, pour it on the we. How about pasta er? Or corn on the cob? Plenty of boiling er left over there! While the corn is cooking or the pasta simmering, take a quick walk outside to see what we need to go. That way can quickly locate them with r hot pot of er.

And lastly, can use a string trimmer or lawn mower and just mow them down. Sure, they will grow back up but just keep whacking them down. They are green and produce lots of oxygen for r environment, and mowed down low, who would ever suspect that have a lawn full of we. My lawn is full of clover and violets. Mowed down low, it looks like a beautiful lawn. However, I am the envy of the neighborhood every Spring when my lawn is covered with white and purple flowers during the month of April.

* * *

Find more of Mr. Novosat's writings on his own blog at http://www.novosat.us/wp

Lawn Care Equipment Make Gardening Jobs Easy:

2009-05-13T17:07:00.001-07:00

In the United Sts, preserving a lawn can be an enjoyable hobby to some who are garden enthusiasts, but a chore to many ots who do not e enough time to tend to their lawns. Te are those who become desper at not atting their ideal lawns despite exerting precious eft, time, and my in mting .

They would almost lose hope thinking that gardening and mting a lawn is just not their cup of tea. Experts, h, beli that ing the right set of lawn care int is the secret to achieving the perfect greenery. The 3 most popular lawn care int are the following:

1.The Dependable Lawn Mr. The Lawn mr is a kind of lawn care int available in two (2) basic models - the push type which is generally used in residential lawn areas, and the riding mr which works best vast lawn tracts.

This lawn care int is a must-e all lawn owners. In y neighborhood, you are considered out of place if you do not e in y possession. On the ot hand, you will be scoffed at by y neighbors n if you e but do not put it to good use. An excellent lawn mr is what you need to provide the best mtenance care y lawn.

2. The Handy Trir. A grass trir is anot type of lawn care int with sral models available out in the market depending on y lawn type. Normally te are these nylon cords which are used to lash at the grass to cull out the weeds and prune the grass at the same time.

Trirs aim to n out the lines of the lawn. A small lawn can make use of an electric trir that is supplied with an extension cord of sufficient length to tackle hard-to-reach areas. For wider lawn tracts, a grass trir pred by gas is highly recomded.

3. An Effective Sprinkler System. Since wr is a lawn necessity, a sprinkler system is the type of lawn care int that can y well handle the y wring needs. This is especially recomded in localities we te is no continuous wr supply.

A good sprinkler system is that is ipped with olapping wr sprays to guarantee maximum coage of the entire lawn. Testing maximum coage can easily be d. Bee turning on the sprinkler system, place open conters on sral strgic parts of the lawn.

After a cert period, stop the sprinkler system operation and check if wr can be found in all of the conters. If y answer is yes, then you are assured that you e invested y my's worth in an effective and efficient lawn care int y lawn mtenance.

This, combined with the r-dependable lawn mr and handy trir, make up the basic and most common lawn care int that a garden novice or an expert lawn owner should e.

Sealing For Long Lasting Decks And Fences:

2009-05-13T07:49:00.001-07:00

In just 12 months or so, wood that is left outdoors unproted will display signs of deteriorat. The pieces of lumber that make up ds and ces will, sooner or lr, begin to deterior. Rain and sunlight are Nature's two main tools for bearing down on unproted wood and ot mrials.

For insta, wood that is left outside bees weak and gray because the sun's rays work to rupture the wood's internal fibers. Rain, on the ot hand, causes wood to swell, making it spongy. This swell-shrink cycle bees a daily occurre, as dew es in the mornings and the harsh rays of the suns bear down on the wood in the afternoons. This cycle expedites the wood's deteriat. Ds and ces that are on their way to deteriorating will have surfaces that are grayed, deformed and split.

The Need to Treat Wood

Wood, even if it has been prere-tred, must still be cleaned and sealed to prolong its life. Ds and ces made of prere-tred wood still require regular cleaning and sealing to ensure that they stay in good condit. While ds and ces made of prerized wood, cedar, cypress and ot exotic woods are safe from ins infestat, but they are not invulnera to weat's corrosive effs. Wood that does not have protive coating can pose a danger in just seven years.

When is Wood Ready for Sealing?

When is the right time to seal wood? Some say that wood should be sealed after a year so that the wood is pletely dry. Howe, a year is too long a time to wait to seel wood. During this time, the wood would have incurred too much damage, most of which cannot be resed. Wood can be pletely dry and ready for sealing in two or three months. It has been found that wood that has been sealed win three months is much more dira and look better than wood that has been sealed after one year.

You can easily tell if the wood is ready for sealing. Professals use an elric moisture meter to determine if the wood can be sealed. Howe, a simpler method is to sprinkle drops of wr on the surface of the wood. If the wr is quickly absorbed, it means that the wood is dry enough that it is ready for sealing.

Preparing the Wood for Sealing

To prepare the wood for sealing, thoroughly clean the wood. Get rid of mold, mildew, dirt and algae that may be present on the wood. Wood that is properly cleaned has open pores and balad pH, allowing the sealer to ade to the wood fiber.

Choosing the Cleaning Agent

What kind of cleaning agent should be used on ds and ces to prepare it for sealing? Cleaning pounds include acidic cleaners, alkaline cleaners and pH neutral cleaners. If you are undertaking the ce or d cleaning yourself, pH-netural powdered cleaners are safe to use. Howe, most home improvement stores remend the use of acid-based cleaning pounds si, pared to alkaline-based cleaning pounds, they are much safer to use by the aage homeowner. Te is one caveat to acid-based cleaning pounds: they are not really that effive at cleaning wood. The alkaline-based cleaning pounds, which are used by professals, are more effive. Professals use a two-step cleaning process. First, they clean wood w alkaline cleaners and then follow it up w an acidic brightener. W this cleaning method, the wood's natural colors emerge, bringing out the wooden d or ce's beauty even before sealing.

Prere Washing Wood

Prere hing is one way to clean wood w or wout cleaners mixed w the wr. Howe, because wr impacts the wood at a high velocity, the wood's surface can bee damaged. In order for this cleaning method to be successful and not damage the wood, the right amount of prere must be applied and the right cleaning solut must be used. If you are prere hing the wood, be careful not to apply too much prere. It may be a good idea to use a mercial prere hing apny. In addit keep in mind that prere s that are for rent are typically designed to have a prere of 1750 to 3500 psi, which is all right if you are prere hing a concrete ce or d, or if you are trying to peel off old paint. These prere s, though, are too much for wood. The ideal for prere hing wood is between 500 and 500 psi. In addit, ne prere h wood w hot wr. Doing so will sharply raise the wood grain.

Striping

Striping are indentat marks left on the wood when prere hing the wood is improperly done -- such as starting and stopping the cleaning stroke as the wand of the prere hing is aimed y close to the surface of the wood. Striping causes the wood ce or d to look uneven an appear as if it poorly constructred.

Stripping

If the wood ce or d needs to be re-sealed, the old coat of sealer should be stripped. This is because most sealers have ingredients that should be removed before any re-sealing is done. To strip the wood of the old sealer, harsh chemical strippers are used. This type of job is better given to a professal.

Seling the Sealer

O you have your wood d or ce cleaned up and prepared for sealing, the next step is to choose the sealer to use. In this regard, you need to think about how much you are prepared to spend for a wood sealer. Sealers are eit wax-based, oil based or acrylic. Lx-based sealers have been introduced recently. The price of sealers vary. Consider your budget when choosing a sealer. Howe, don't be willing to pay for the cheapest sealer. The saying, "You get what you pay for" holds true in this case.

Wax-Based Sealers

Sealers that are waxed-based are typically availa at do-it-yourself shops. You will likely see them being adtised on TV. Wax-based sealers are cheap to produce, which is why manufacturers are a to spend money on adtising. Wax-based sealers cost between $12 and $15 per gallon. Be aware that wax-based sealers will seal your wood ce or d for just a short time -- about eight months. After that time, wood that has been sealed w wax-based sealers often blacken. Unless you are really short on cash, don't use wax-based sealers as they are not a to provide prot to wood ds and ces.

Oil-Based Sealers

Oil-based sealers are derived from eit crude oil or vegeta oils such as tung or linseed oil. Crude oil sealer is a to penetr wood better, so the result is wood that looks natural and soft. On the ot hand, vegeta oils give wood some sheen, making it look like the wood has been varnished. Vegeta oil sealers have natural sugars and starches, which can encourage mildew and mold growth. In addit, vegeta oil sealers can be difficult to remove. If you plan on re-sealing wood that has been previously sealed w a vegeta oil sealer, you will need to strip the previous sealer first.

Crude-based oil sealers don't need tobe stripped if the wood is being prepared for re-sealing. A new layer of the same crude-based oil sealer can simply be applied o the old layer of sealer. Crude-based sealers, unlike vegeta oil sealers, are easy to strip. More importantly, they are cheap, but effive.

Oil-based sealers that are sold in most do-it-yourself stores contain a little vegeta oil. These sealers last from 12 to 18 months. You can buy a gallon of oil-based sealers for $15 to $30.

Lawn Care Business: Basic Start-Up Equipment:

2009-05-13T03:16:00.001-07:00

If you are a diligent enthast who treats gardening as a leisure project rather than a chore, you can channel t interest into a profitable lawn care bness. The first step in establishing t lawn care bness is the procuret of the necessary equipt which could be draining on the pocket.

You do not, however, need to splurge on the equipt right away. For a beginning lawn care bness, it is suggested to get the basic ones first but those that are efficient enough to manage y operations. T is because it is at t time that you still have to develop y client base.

It is also not a wise move to incur debt due to the purchase of lawn care bness equipt that would not yet be utilized at t point in time.

Hence, you should initially concentrate on availing the basic equipt for a lawn care bness - the lawn mower and the edger.

The Lawn Mower

T is considered the bread and butter of a lawn care bness so quality must be the deciding factor in purchasing one. But then again, for a new bness you also have to live within y operational budget. Lawn mowers of commercial standards are priced at $2000 and above.

There are other alternatives for those that are constrained with budget. One is to make use of a standard lawn mower used mostly in residential areas.

Having t kind of equipt, you can focus y lawn care bness on servicing customers with similar lawn equipt, such as those with newly constructed homes, condominium units, or small apartts.

Maintaining y lawn mower is of utmost importance, as t is the life of y lawn care bness. T can be done by periodic sharpening of the blades and scheduled servicing of the unit itself.

A mulching bag is a must-have for y lawn care bness. It is a protective covering on the lawn to avoid grass residuals from being swept away.

Income derived from initially servicing minor job orders may now be used to invest in more sopticated lawn care equipt.

The Edger

Another basic equipt to start y lawn care bness with is the edger. It provides that glow to y lawn after a mowing session.

To be of best service to y lawn care bness, a gas-powered edger is suggested. Aside from not being dependent on the client for electricity, it is easily transportable and can handle the job well.

Lawn Care Advice: Sought By Beginners And Professionals Alike:

2009-05-12T21:06:00.001-07:00

More often n not, maintaig a lawn is part of many homeowners' various chores. And, many of them have not sought any lawn care ade. This can be evidenced in gardens which are full of weeds.

You can consider yourself lucky if you have a nebor who has a well-manicured lawn. You can then easily solicit lawn care ade or techniques. You mt even discover errors which you mt have done in the past t has made you unsuccessful in maintaig your lawn. Listeg to your nebor's lawn care ade mt just be the solut to your woes.

Lawn Care Ade in Wateg

Water is a basic need of all living things in order to survive and your lawn is not an except. In order it to flourish and become pleasing to the eyes, you must spend time and eft in adapting effective and efficient eg patterns. An important lawn care ade is to consider the time to perm the eg task.

Ideally, eg should be done at the beging of the day when the sun is not yet scorching and er is more absorbed by the soil rather n evaporating in the air. Also, you should try to vary your eg routine. It is a good lawn care ade to repeat the task when the lawn has already fully absorbed your previous eg and is starting to become dehydrated.

Nature has its way of maintaig the earth's flora. There are times when your lawn will receive abundant rain supply followed by periods of dryness. In following this pattern of eg, the roots in your lawn will get more n enough nourishment to provide the plants a strong foundat.

Lawn Care Ade in Mowing

If your lawn experiences an efficient eg system, chances are it will grow abundantly at a rapid rate. This is good because there is more plant surface uncovered to process plant food, which theree encourages growth. The healthy grass now outnumbers the weeds, making it easier them to be threshed out.

Experts on lawn care ade, however, recommend a proper het to be maintained your lawn grass. It is this reason t the use of a lawn mower comes in vary handy.

Your lawn mower requires the same maintenance care you would provide your lawn. In order to carry out its funct properly, the blades should always be kept sharp to be able to trim the grass clean and avoid damage t would stunt grass growth. A sound lawn care ade calls bging your lawn mower blades to an expert their annual gding.

Restraig Tch Proliferat

Tch is t stuff from dead grass t accumulates in the soil instead of disintegrating. Restraig its proliferat is an effective lawn care ade. This is an addital undertaking you but it would not be tedious because it is only done annually.

Maintaig the suggested grass het through regular trimming will minimize tch existence. Proper ventilat especially at the beging of the year or towards year-end helps minimize tch. Listeg to the aemented lawn care ade ensures your lawn's transmat to an object of envy among your nebors.

What's the best option, a log cabin or shed?:

2009-05-12T16:44:00.001-07:00

Log cabin or shed? Shed or log cabin? Do you d a garden builg, but you can't dec which one to go for? By the end of this article, the information provd shd help you make a decision.
First of all, why do you d a garden builg? If it is just for storing a variety of items t can't find a place in the home, a shed wd be the better option because they can be small and relatively inexpensive. A corner shed can be tucked away in the garden and hold all manner of objects, or there sheds t purposely built just for storing tools, and sheds for bicycles. For bigger storage items, such as: a r-on lawn mower, a motorbike or a quad bike, a large garden shed can house your items.
Do you want a garden builg to be used for a hobby? If so, w hobby you pursuing? For gardening, there purpose built gardening sheds t contain work surfaces and has skylights, as well as windows: to increase natural illumination to benefit the plants and prov ventilation. A potting shed is al for the serious gardener as it has large windows; so the shed can double up as part-greenhouse. This feature is especially popular for gardeners who do not have room for a greenhouse and a shed in their garden. A shed is also al to convert into a hobby a if they sedentary, such as: crafts, writing and collections. But if your hobby is fitness and you want to install a treadmill and other exercise equipment, a log cabin wd be the better option because it is sturdier.

Do you want a garden builg to act as an attractive feature for your garden and to entertain in? Than a log cabin cd be w you d. Log cabins come with a variety of attractive features, such as, verandas, window boxes, and single or double doors. An outdoor cooking a cd be located near the log cabin, and the ins furnished with comfy chairs, a bar, curtains and cupboards, etc.
Do you d extra space to house an office or a playroom? A log cabin or a large shed can be easily transformed into an office or a playroom, and there companies t specialise in this. W you opt for will often depend on your budget; log cabins can start from �1500 and large sheds can start from �1000.
W if you d an extra room for guests to stay in or you d a 'granny-annexe'? Log cabins al for creating t extra living space. They can be insulated, fitted with a heating system, electrical and water outlets and made to feel really homely. Family members will be queuing to move in!
Do you want a garden builg without maintenance? Both log cabins and wooden sheds require some degree of annual maintenance, such as: applying a wood finish to prevent the wood from decaying and to protect the wood from insects. Thus a good choice wd be a shed made from heavy mded plastics, such as: PVC and polyethylene because they hardly d any maintenance.
After reag this article you shd have a cler a of whether you d a log cabin or a shed. There many types and shapes of log cabins and sheds available t will suit your budget. W ever option you dec on, you'll be speng your money wisely when you invest in a good quality log cabin or shed, because the British Institute of Surveyors said, a garden builg can add about 5% to the value of a property.

Doing Your Part With Natural Lawn Care:

2009-05-12T07:48:00.001-07:00

We have all bec m aware of the strains our environm is fac and most people are will to change their habits to make a difference. S of the m obvious ways to do this is through recycl, conservation, and charitable support. While these are all great ways to get started, y people overlook lawn care as another opportunity to go green. Here are s simple steps you can take integrate natural lawn care into your lifestyle.

Use a Push Reel Mower
Studies have shown t a sle lawn mower produces m air pollution in one hour than a car produces over 1000 miles. Reel mowers don't emit any air pollution, and y would be surprised how effici they are. Laser cut blades eliminate a lot of the labor and spotty perce t used to plaque the old fashioned units, and s even offer a bagg accessory. If you need a little m power to get through a larger lawn, then opt the electric models which are still significantly m eco-friendly than gasoline engines.

Collect Rain Water
Water is a very scarce resource in s areas, especially dur the summer season. You can help conserve water and lower your utility bills by invest in a rain barrel. These plastic tubs are placed near the perimeter of your h to collect rain, and y have hose attachms to make it easy to redistribute the water to your plants.

Build a Cost Bin
Cost bins help you recycle your lawn debris into a fertilizer-rich cound. S people mistakenly believe t generat cost is a major ch. The truth is t all you have to do is turn the cost every few weeks to ensure it degrades properly. Mother Nature does the rest with a natural supply of heat and moisture. Not only will you make good use of your debris, but you plants will benefit from the rich nutris t cost returns to the earth.

Use Natural Fertilizers and Pesticides
Synthetic fertilizers contain thousands of chemicals and poisons t negatively affect the organisms t c into contact with them. It is untunate t not enough people know about the alternatives to chemical lawn treatms. There are y books available with recipes natural lawn fertilizers t are not only safe the environm, but they usually less expensive than retail products. Interestly enough, y can be made with common items from your local grocery st.

There are y ways to integrate natural lawn care into your lifestyle, and very few of them require much time or eft on your part. Even if you can't utilize all of the suggestions in this article, it is irtant to do as much as you can. Every change t you make today could save a small niche of the environm our children. Visit http://naturallawnfertilizers.com m inspiration on ways to use organic lawn recipes in the maintenance of your yard.

Reel Lawn Mowers:

2009-05-12T03:16:00.001-07:00

Reel lawn mowers can toty make the diff for y garden in terms of effectiveness. Si most homeowners st think t expensive mowers are a must in their gardens, a simply reel push lawnmower can be the most efficient amongst these d of garden equipment. You can purchase the perfect model from many diffnt on the market, th are many to choose from. range of prices vary from the most affordable to y budget up to real expensive s. d of mower you finy buy w depend exactly on the s of y garden, lawn or property. H you have some examples for diffnt ss of areas.

�Sm ss : perfect reel mower for sm gardens would be probably lightweight, which are actuy affordable to budgets as well as the easiest to use and maintain. y k well with lawns t don't require much attention. Th is also another important issue regarding lightweight reel mowers, they are extremely easy to store when the job is d.

�Medium ss: Lawn mowers for medium ss are usuy ler and heavier. y are speciy igned for ler areas to mow. While medium models are slightly expensive n smer models, the price w th it. You w save time when mowing le areas as well, this is a fact t w pay off at the end when you review y mower investment.

�Le ss: Of cse not, th are not reel mowers igned for le ss unless you wanted to spend a whole day or week to mow a le area. Th are instead electric lawn mowers t might fit into le areas, electric s would fit perfectly into sm and medium ss. However lawn mower batteries don't k a lifetime and might not be definitely what you looked for. If you are planning to mow le gardens, please take a look on riding lawn mowers or heavy gas powd mowers t definitely w th for y property.

One of the keys to maintain a garden loog great is tag special care of the lawn by using the proper tools. A healthy and beautiful garden is success of the gardener who has ked hard. If you want to achieve a beautiful area, you w need to spend my and time mowing the lawn as well as investing in quality tools t w help you to get y goals. A poor quality reel lawnmower might be a waste time in terms of performa. You w need to invest in a competitive reel mower. It's th do it when some wants to get the job d well.

Reel Lawn Mowers Maintena

You can keep y reel mower g well just by doing a proper maintena. You might get a reel mower g a lifetime following a pre-storage maintena process every time you use it. One typical mistake of gardeners is to store a mower just after the job is d, without tag care of the or engine. Both, lawn mower and engine are the most important parts of a lawn mower. While reel models don't have any engine, the become the leader part for a proper performa. cutting need to be well sharpened. Most people use until they don't cut at , and then go to the shop to replace for new s. Th is another option to save my on t. Why not to sharpen the yself? It might be a great idea for those who want to learn the art of gardening. Just as a brief explanation to know the main idea on how to sharpen mower , you could find a comfortable place to k and prepare to sharpen a lawn mower de.

O you are ready you can start using a fine flat file or a flat sharpening st to remove any burrs from the de and cutter bar. n you must apply grinding paste to the ' cutting edges. Wait until the paste is ready, should be not more n 10 minutes. n remove excess grinding paste and test and adjust the mower. This is the minimal process for sharpening at home. You can also find more information via Internet or just asg y local gardening provider. But remember to keep y reel mower as good as possible, it is probably the master key piece for a great loog garden.

http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com

What Color Will It Be This Weekend?:

2009-05-11T21:11:00.001-07:00

Face it, not everyone has the time or would like to put in the eft in turning on the ther channel to figure out what the day's ther is going to be like. If you're like the majority of that population, the quickest, easiest, and not always reliable way of figuring out what the ther is going to be like is to just look out the window and sort of gauge it. And like I've said bee, it's not always reliable especially if you live somewhere like the Pacific Northwest, a la Seattle, WA. And gardeners, whatever the ther will be like dictates the survival of their plants or their composting projects.

But why bother with educated guesses when there is a unique and modern alternative? A small and attractively styled device that looks like a glowing cube called a Color Changing Weather Bea offers accurate ther inmation with an easy to follow color coded legend that lights up. Found on Composters.com, this unique ther bea receives its current ecasted ther your region from the National Weather Service wirelessly, meaning no internet nection would be required.

The Color Changing Weather Bea does exactly what its name implies, it changes colors according to the ther inmation its receiver acquires. Ranging in colors from white below 10 degree Fahrenheit ther to a vivid red ther in the 100s, just watching the bea's frosted glass cube cover change colors is entertaining in itself. The bea can even be set up to gather the weekend ecast, wind speed, UV index among a variety of other ther related options. As you can tell, this bea may come in handy gardeners, surfers, snowboarders and hikers alike.

The ther bea uses LED light bulbs; hence energy costs are reduced, making the Color Changing Weather Bea an energy efficient product. Primarily, it should only be used indoors; you do have to plug it into an electrical outlet after all and should it get wet, you may have a potentially hazardous situation on your hands. Requiring little set up (literally plug and play) and quite user friendly, figuring out what the day's ther is going to be like has never looked so colorful and attractive.

How Microbes Break Down Compost:

2009-05-11T16:45:00.001-07:00

Most folks love the fun process of composg in their home or backyard and even understand the science behind it . But the rest of us, composg is like another skill that we have to learn bee we can even think about taking it head-on. If you're thinking about taking on the chenge of composg, congulations! Not only will you be reducing waste and cost by sending scraps to landfills, you'll be giving back to the earth.

Genery, composg is an aerobic, or oxygen filled process that combines air, heat and moisture to break down matter, which is why you need to turn y compost heap every few days to maintain a good tempeure. Composg is an eft shared by both you and by the many microbes, organisms and bacteria that are going to spring up in y compost pile. After you've added the essential ingredients composg (food scraps, vegetable stalks, fruit rinds, yard wastes free of diseases and seeds) into y compost bin, the billions of little microbes will take care of the rest. These little guys are responsible the decomposition and tempeure of y compost, which results in rich, ready to use compost. Tempeure especiy is vital to the composg process.

Here's how it works and why:

Starg at 55 degrees Fahrenheit little to no breakdown happens; even humans that's pretty cold. Once it hits about 70 degrees Fahrenheit things start to heat up. This warm change in tempeure is caused by cool tempeure bacteria ced Psychrophiles; they burn the carbon found in y compost heap, thus releasing heat and goodies in the m of amino acids.

As the tempeure increases to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, another set of hard working microbes ced Mesophiles eat through EVERYTHING, which can raise the heat to 100 degrees. This then sets the stage the Thermophiles that can live in the sauna of y compost heap in up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit! These hot guys live up to a five day period working extra hard to make sure that any diseases or unwanted germs are annihilated. In addition, they genee what's ced humic acid, which is like ambrosia y plants.

After a few days the tempeure in y compost heap will decrease graduy and you'll be able to sift through the compost and add it to y garden or house plants.

*Special thanks to C. Forrest McDowell, PhD and Tricia Clark-McDowell their compost guide Home Composg Made Easy, available on Cortesia Press.

Composting Food Scraps Makes the Earth Happy :

2009-05-11T07:49:00.001-07:00

Not too many people realize it, but composting is one of the best ways to return y resces back into the earth. In a way, composting is way of saying thank you to Mother Earth for providing us with the resces needed to feed selves and families. Simply put, composting is a lot like recycling, except you don't take y reusable goods to a recycling center, but rather you put it in a compost bin or tumbler and back into y garden.

Let's start with a common scenario for households of two or more. In the beginning, there was food, and it was good. Fruits and vegetables were abundant, but so were the leftovers and food scraps. Instead of tossing all the food scraps into the trash where it would take up unneeded space in landfills, why not recycle it all back into the earth? Food scraps are easy enough to compost because there's always such an abundance of it lying around, so what have you got to lose other than the scraps themselves?

Always consider what you can and cannot compost. For instance, it's strongly advised to never, ever compost bones, meat and dairy products, fats and oils since they take too long to decompose or won't decompose properly at all, smell really foul after half a day, and they attract all sorts of critters and wildlife. Unfortunately, not everything can be composted; I would recommend that you toss the aforementioned items in y trash and properly dispose of them. Veggie stalks, fruit rinds, apple cores and even coffee grounds are the goodies you want to compost. You wouldn't think it, but coffee grounds are great for the composting process since they're rich in nitrogen and aid in adding heat to y compost pile.

We know that composting is great for the earth, but why and how? Well, if you think about it, composting cuts out a lot of costs. You would be saving a lot of money on water and garbage bills just by making free natural and organic soil fertilizer for y garden and houseplants. And did I mention it would improve the vitality of y soil? By returning nutrients back into the soil that will be released over the cse of a couple years, you would be maximizing the growth and health of y plants and veggies. The soil itself would also have improved aeration and drainage. And even if you're not an avid gardener, composting takes very little of y time and like I've mentioned before, what have you got to lose other than y food scraps?

*Special thanks to C. Forrest McDowell, PhD and Tricia Clark-McDowell for their compost guide Home Composting Made Easy, available on Cortesia Press.

Sit on Your Compost with the Composting Bench:

2009-05-11T03:16:00.001-07:00

For some, figuring where they can start composting can be a bit of a challenge. After all, there are a few things one should keep in mind, like how far the compost heap should be from their home, how to keep it hidden away from nosy neighbors and prying eyes, and how to keep rodents and wildlife from digging around in the compost. And while there are a couple options like keeping your compost under wraps in a compost tumbler or bin, there are consumers there who look for other aesthetically attractive options. One such option is a bench that doubles as a composting bin.

Dual functional furniture is always a plus, and owning a bench that offers a composting bin option is a terrific way to hide your compost in plain sight. You may want to consider this alternative versus a normal compost bin or compost tumbler if you feel that composting in the open may ruin or distract from your natural landscape. With a composting bench, you can fearlessly hide your compost in the middle of your garden with it taking away from the landscape.

Some companies offer dual functional composting benches, but it you're the do it yourself type, you can make a building project of it. Just be sure to keep ab 20 inches of height from the seat to the ground for a good sized composting bin. Another good design feature to keep in mind is to add hinges to the seat so that you can lift it up whenever you need to add water or turn the pile. It's also important to keep in mind that your compost needs ventilation in order for it to decompose properly, so make sure that there's plenty of slits all around the bottom bin. Be sure however, to make them small enough so that small animals can't get in. And don't worry ab any smells coming from beneath the bench; as long as you're following the proper carbon to nitrogen ration (green parts to brown parts), and you're regularly turning and adding water to your compost, it should smell earthy, not icky.

Composting is a fun process for everyone, and keeping it underneath an attractive bench is perfect for even the most discerning gardener. Literally, you can sit back and relax and let the compost do its thing!

How to Find the Perfect Lawn Mowers:

2009-05-10T21:06:00.001-07:00

Fing a n er one is just as easy as it is fing them at home depot or catalogs, magazines, and
other n er care shops . There are many maybe even thousands of retailers one just waiting for you to visit there site and help you f whatever it may be that your looking for when it comes to your n care

Lawn ers, some times you can f used n ers one, by shopping at simple places like eBay or other one trading post. Looking one for n ers is the easiest way to go about it because you browse thousands of them in a matter of minutes compared to going from store store, and having it take all day to f that right bargain that your looking for.

A quick tip, by using your favorite search engine, you can type the keyword "n ers" and you will get thousands of results. But that's k of broad so may be you found a particular model your interested in, lets say "john Deere"
The best thing to do is go back to your search engine and type the key word "John Deere n ers", again you will get lots of results, but the idea is fing the best price for your money. So, now that you have narrowed your search down a little bit you see that there is a ton of competitors ed right up to give you the best deal possible, and that's how you go about fing the best bargains one.

Lawn er are usually pretty high priced. So, fing a deal is big concern to many people, you can shop for used n ers and still get great quality and have plenty of life left in it. Once again the best way to f these bargains is one.

Caution: Many sellers one will try to sell useless n ers or n er parts and other n care products to unsuspecting customers. You can avoid this hassle if you purchase the n ers directly from a trusted merchant, So, do your research before you buy anything. Some times you can f an affiliate offering a better deal on n ers then the manufacture is offering, the reason for this is, they make a commission off the sale and want to do whatever it takes to get it, offering you extra bonuses and rewards and sometimes even a percentage off the original sales price.

Don't worry about delivery, it's just the same as anything else you would order one and doesn't take any longer.
The one market place has never been a healthier market to shop for n ers or anything and everything else at that. So if your looking to f a great bargain, do alittle research and get the steal.

Riding Lawn Mowers - The Quick and Easy way to Mow the Lawn:

2009-05-10T13:58:00.001-07:00

For anyone t needs to mow the n on a frequent basis throughout the summer season will start to long for one of those riding n mowers. These resem a sm ctor type unit ideal for anyone with a � acre plus to keep neat tidy.

Electrical models of these rida mowers availa, just as the normal push mowers. The batteries will genery be a to cover approximately � acre of n before a recharge is necessary. They don't create any fumes in general quite. However, they una to provide as much er when compd to a gasoline ered rider mower, can get caught up in dense bushy spots.

Some units equipped with reel blades t shoot cuttings in a forward direction, but these tend to used by the more professional n maintenance specialists. The cutting blades typicy located underneath the deck on which the seat rests, which can generate some vibration. But with a good padded seat attached will help to reduce this to an accepta level.

The smer units known by the term 'riding mowers', but the idea is basicy the same. The only difference is rey just in the heer of the motor physical size. Ex heer is often preferred, but effectiveness will also come into play. A well constructed model will not need as much heer to complete the job.

If you have a flat garden n n less effort will be required therefore less heer would be necessary. On the other h, if you have to struggle on hilly as, more energy will be needed to maintain those. For t, the nmower ctor would be your number one choice.

The mot will range from 17-24 heer which is still significantly below the 150-300 heer range of the usual car engine. As you will be paying out more for those with the higher heer, be certain t it will be put to use before laying down the additional cash.

The cost will also be affected by those mowers with the wider cutting as. The blades on the n ct typicy range form 42-54 inches. The wider blade has the ability to mow the n faster, getting the task completed sooner.

If you on the lookout for ex er, it is possi to locate a n ctor with 26 plus heer up to 62 inch mowing blades. Few will actuy need it, but the additional er will ow it to be used for hauling brush, dirt or tree stumps around in a hook on iler.

Take a note of the turning radius on the unit you're contemplating. The cost of the mower will be effected by a very tight, or nearly zero, radius unit, but unless you have any as on your property t hard to navigate around, this feature will proby not be worth the additional charge.

Sit on the riding mower, to get a feel for the controls steering mechanism. Be certain t the units made of rigid materials your sitting within comforta reach. Riding n mowers can range in price from $1000 to $3500 or more. So, you'll need one t will make the job as sight forward as possi, while at the same time being dependa for years to come.

If You've Gotta Go, Use An Eco-Toilet :

2009-05-10T07:52:00.001-07:00

Have you ever e across the inconveni problem of needing to go to the bathroom out in the woods or during camping? Who hasn't?? It's a problem faced by all, even those of you who don't camp. But anyway, without getting into gross details, there is a solution available those who don't feel like going out into the woods and digging a hole in the ground. That solution my friends, is a portable, ecologically friendly toilet.

Environmally friendly toilets, ecologically friendly toilets, or even eco-toilets short, innovative invions t make doing your business easy, clean and friendly to the environm. As mioned bee these toilets usually portable and ideal camping trips. Some panies even boast t you can them other outdoor activities where a bathroom wouldn't be readily available, such as hunting or fishing, and t you can even them in emergency situations or disaster prepdness.

The thing t separates eco-toilets from the regular hohold toilet other n the fact t it's portable is t you a biodegradable bag to dispense your, business in. Since the bags designed to be biodegradable, they in turn perfectly acceptable to posting. If you do decide to these biodegradable bags posting, you should definitely keep in mind t whatever waste you may have in these bags will take as many as 40 days to depose fully to a humus state only if they placed in a controlled posting environm. If you a novice to posting, then I wouldn't remend t you try this until you've done more research and confid enough in what you doing.

Whether the toilet will be d during camping, outdoor activities or even during emergency situations, it's always nice to know t there is an alternative to digging a hole in the ground and squatting to do your dirty work. This much more environmally conscious alternative reduces water consumption, usually es with biodegradable bags, is portable and easy to , what more could you ask ? Sorry folks, toilet paper not included.

Tips On Sharpening The Lawn Mower Blade:

2009-05-10T03:16:00.001-07:00

A rotary-blade lawn mower is designed to cut grass by slicing it off at great speeds. The blades will rotate on many mowers at approximately 3,000 revolutions per minute. But at this great speed the blades become ineffective if chipped or ded. However, keeping the lawn mower blade sharp is often a straightforward task that only takes a few minutes with the appropriate tools and techniques.

As the job will require the mower to be turned over to remove the blade, for safety reasons it would be worthwhile to drain the gas depending on the model. It is possible to tilt some models without leakage, although others can't. In any case, at least remove the spark plug for the duration of the task. This is predominantly necessary for those models that have an auto-starter attached. There is a very small chance that the mower could start accidally, but make that zero chance anyway.

Turn the mower deck over and lodge a piece of wood between the under-deck and the blade to prev the blade from twisting. Wear suitable protection on your hands, such as leather gloves, and use the right sized or an adjustable wrench for your lawn mower.

Take out the blade and wipe off any dirt residue and grass. At the same time, use a scraper or putty knife to remove any built up grass from the under-deck section as well. Now clamp the mowers blade into a vice bench for manual sharpening. Inspect the blade for cracks. The size of any chips pres, will determine if you need to use a medium to fine metal file or in some cases a larger course file.

Lightly oil the lawn mower blade with fine machine oil. Now take metal file in both hands and shove it across the bevelled edge from the cre to the edge in a smooth motion. Aim to keep the file at an idical angle as the bevel as much as possible.

Be cautious not to file the flat edge, unless it's essial to level off a chip that has pushed metal out, making it uneven at that location.

With equal pressure make the same amount of strokes on both sides of the blade. The intion here is to maintain the blades balance, having an idical amount of metal on either side of the nut hole. If the blades are out of balance, this will cause extreme vibration to the mower.

The ultimate device to sharpen a lawn mowers blade is an electric bench grinder, but if used inappropriately they have the potial to wipe out the blade very quickly. It's vital to clamp the blades at precisely the right angle. Most grinders will make this easy, by using attached clamps.

If you are carrying out this task free hand, be certain that you have an extremely steady hand. Or else, you may end up grinding too much off the blade in a single stroke. That could either wreck the blade, or at the very least make if off balance. By understanding the proper technique and using the appropriate clamps you can have this job completed in minutes. Always wear eye protection, of course. Flying fragms of metal can devastate eyesight for life.

As it can take only a few moms to re-sharpen, the effort is worthwhile, as you'll save a visit to the store. On occasions, though, it can be simpler to replace the lawn mower blade if the damage is too significant.

Leave Some Wiggle Room for the Worms:

2009-05-09T21:06:00.001-07:00

Cing is easy so long as you have the right materials and equipment necessary, but did you know that even the worms are your best friends in this process? Vermicing or miculture is essentially the process of cing with the use of worms and their casgs (i.e., worm waste). An easy and fun way to c for your garden or house plants, micing can be done both indoors or out, and requires y little space.

Red worms or red wiggler worms, which are different from earthworms, are the best worms to use for your cing process. You want to stay away from using earthworms because they weren't made to be cing worms; red worms will take your food scraps, eat and digest them, making worm casgs full of nutrients for your soil. Earthworms on the other hand, are burrowing worms; they'll aerate the soil and take eything on the surface down with it. Therefore, they'll be absolutely useless for what you want to do, which is c!

In order to have a successful micing experience, always remember to feed your worms! Worms need food too, and they love food scraps, another reason why micing is so easy. Readily available, food scraps like wilted vegetables, fruit rinds, bread and coffee grounds are great sources of food for your worms. Just be sure to ne, e add scraps like meats, fats, oils, or dairy products because the worms will not be able to eat and digest these items properly. Additionally, they smell bad and attract rodents and other animals to your c bin or heap.

Be sure to bury your food scraps in the dirt about a few inches deep underneath the dirt. This will keep the annoying fruit flies away, not to mention leaving some wiggle room for your little worms. It's always a good idea to bury your food scraps in different areas of your worm bin so that the worms don't get too used to convening in the same spot and so that all areas of the bin receives its fair share amount of worm casgs.

After a few months you'll notice that in place of the dirt bedding you laid out for the worms earlier, you have what we cers like to call black gold, rich fine worm casgs that are ready to go into your garden. After that you're ready to start o! A fun process that students, young children and adults will surely enjoy, micing is a terrific and acceptable way to get down and dirty with worms!

Helpful Lawn Care Tips:

2009-05-09T17:06:00.001-07:00

Creating a lawn that y neighbors w envy takes e and dedn. If you follow some y basic principles you w have a green lawn in no e.
Here are some lawn care tips that w get y lawn in shape BBQ season:
Mowing
* Mow the ss at a height of 2.5-4 inches.
* Do not set y mower too low. Cutting y ss too short w not ow y lawn's roots to grow deep.
* Mowing should be done when the ss is dry. Mowing wet ss can ca disease.
* Use a high quality mower with a sharp blade.
* Sharpen the mower blades bee mowing or at least o ey 7-10 s.
* Leave the clippings on the lawn. It w add nutrient as well w act as a mulch.
Watering
* Apply er to keep the l moist.
* Soak y lawn so the er penetrates the l. Applying er to the surface makes the ss roots grow y show.
* Water when there is need, otherwise do not er.
* Do not o er lawns. This w ca disease, er loss, and other problems in most lawns.
* Apply er in the early morning.
* Do not er in the evening, this may create problems the lawn.
Fzing
* Use compost to improve the l structure. You can ly compost at any e.
* Bee seeg, mix compost and fs in with the l.
* In seeg, a slow release f at the e of seeg. Again ly a fast release f after the seeds have germinated.
* Use commercial fs which carry the three major plant nutrients - nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
* F rates, ln e and ln process varies.
* There are difent fs available like organic, synthetic, inorganic, slow release, fast release etc. Use the ropriate f y lawn and reg.
* Ts y l bee lying fs.
Oseeg and Replacing Sod
* The b e o seeg is early f.
* Important lawns which get more shade.
* Add compost while oseeg.
* When replacing sod, cut the affected lawn out with a spade or shovel and create a nice crisp edge bee planting the new sod.
* Add f to newly replaced area.
* After insting the sod, a l press or roll it to get contact with the l
Aerating
* Aerate y lawn from e to e. Typlly o in the f and o in the spring.
* Keep checking I the l to make sure it is ok.
* Use aeran to reduce compactness of l and to remove the thatch.
* You can mechanl and/or hand aerators.
Thatching
* Try to thatch at least o per year. Thatch can stunt the growth of lawn's and can prevent healthy growth.
* Old thatch is difficult to remove.
* Use aeran to reduce thatch problems.
P Management
* Lawn ps need to be managed with organic methods or picides.
* You can mechanl method, cultural method, cheml method or biologl method to control ps.
* One opn is to cheml picides to control ps. Make sure you read the warning labels. You may also want to look at organic opns if you have children or pets.
* While using chemls, be sure to follow the instrucns.
* Follow the recommended dose to avoid toxicity to the ss.
Weeg
* Weeg is y important and should be done in the f and spring.
* Use pre-emerge and post-emerge herbicides to k the weeds.
* Mulching helps in weed control.
* Do not ly herbicide soon after seeg or after emerge of the ss seeds.

For more inman visit:

http://www.lawn-care-secrets.com Lawn Care Tips

Selecting The Ideal Leaf Blower:

2009-05-09T07:48:00.001-07:00

If you e a small garden, or only a few deciduous trees (those that loose their leaves each fall), a simply hand rake should be sufficient for your needs. For those ties with larger gardens, or those with a select of trees, it can become far easily to use a powd leaf blower. Remember, too, that the trees on your ty may be the only ones dropping leaves in your garden, or driveway. The nebouring ties can chip in as well, thanks to the wind.

The models of powd leaf blow either electric or gasoline powd.

Electric leaf blow usually l, cainly quie, and generally less expensive. But they seldom e the power to equal their gasoline powd counparts, so it often takes longer to clear the yard. The power rating of the model will be indicated on the unit and/or box, with most blow ing a rating of 300 to 550 cubic feet of air minute (CFM). Not unexpectedly, you typically pay more for the hest rated units.

Some blow will e the ability to run off a baty, but in order to keep the wet at a reasone level, they often only e sufficient power to control a small model. Most fitted with a ce. If your garden is too large, you should e a m. But for any larger ties, or if trees located far from the power supply, it may be necessary to select a gasoline powd unit.

Having a hundred feet or more of extens ce following behind the blower is convenient. The ce typically gets in the way. You may get caught up in it from time to time, and it always seems to e a knack of lying across the leaves that you want to blow away.

Gasoline powd leaf blow generally bulkier, but e the ability to blow much more air. On the flipside, they cape of ducing much more noise. Anyone that has iced a fessal gardener at work will by e iced the sound, a cross between a lawn-mower and a jet aircraft at a distance.

However, the gas powd unit is e to tackle any sized task you e, and several can funct in reve. Those will oate as a leaf vacuum cleaner, in addit to simply hurling the leaves to aher a. This can be a key considerat as blowing leaves into the street or onto a neing ty is often a ri alnative.

If all you require is to hurl the leaves into a central a to be picked up, this extra feature may be necessary. And you'll cainly pay more for a unit that has this opt.

Leaf blow can be ltwet at only a few pounds or as heavy as 30lbs, rly more. The lat may sound like that much, by imagine how your feel af dragging it around for an hour. It is important to consider the trade off between power vs. wet.

Landscaping Tools: Clawing Your Way To Success:

2009-05-09T03:15:00.001-07:00

You're a do-it-yselfer by nature, and know that using the proper tools is essential to achieving the desired result, no matter what the project. Now you've decided to turn y DYI talents loose on y yard, and you n inmation on landscaping tools. There are lots of landscaping tools available, so research is in order.

The old maxim, "The right tools the right job" is as applicable to landscaping tools as to tools of any other kind. So first you n to determine the nature of y landscaping job, and it is likely to fall into one of two categories.

Mowing Tools

The most common general landscaping tasks are mowing, and garing. Mowing is self-explanatory; the necessary landscaping tools are a power or push mower, w whacker, edge trimmers, and a watering system.

A larger lawn may require you to get a riding mower, but be prepared a significant expense, and decide if having y own riding mower as a DYI landscaping tool is as economical as just hiring a lawn service to give y lawn a weekly trim during warm weather.

Garing Tools

Garing encompasses a wide variety of landscaping chores, from planting, to pruning, to wing, to raking.

One of the most time-consuming tasks facing any DYI garer is that of wing. If you choose to, you can dowse y gar with chemical w killers. W killers require sprayers. However, if you prefer a hands-on approach to wing, you should get a garing claw.

Garing claws are among the most necessary landscaping tools. They look exactly as their name suggests, multi-pronged claws attached to handles, and they not only loosen ws at the roots easy removal, and they aerate the gar soil.

Rakes are landscaping tools which will do double duty, working both in the gar and on the lawn. Rakes come in a range of sizes, styles, and material, but they all serve the common purpose of collecting debris removal.

No collection of landscaping tools is complete without the traditional gar hose. Not only useful in watering the lawn or vegetation, the gar hose can be used to apply non-toxic pesticides and plant food. Y gar hose should be long enough to reach every corner of y yard, and can be conveniently stored on a hose caddy.

There are, it goes without saying, far more landscaping tools available than those mentioned here. If you have a specific landscaping project in mind, pay a visit to y local gar supply store and ask assistance in choosing the proper landscaping tools to get the job done right. Or perm an Internet search on landscaping tools; you'll find a tremendous number of websites either offering inmation on landscaping tools or offering the landscaping tools themselves sale.

Tips For Choosing A Lawn Mower. Read Before You Purchase The Lawn Mower.:

2009-05-08T21:06:00.001-07:00

How does one decide which lawn mower to purchase that will meet their needs? First determine how much grass you have that requires cutting, then, how much work you want to do. You can do the first part by measuring the total squ yardage of y lawn; the second part, you proby already know the answer to. If cutting grass is an option that includes y exercise the day that gives you one group of choices, but if y preference is making the job easy, that gives you another set of options.

If you live in an a where the lawns n't much bigger than the proverbial postage stamp, you could use a reel mower. These come in a variety of sizes usually availe as small push mowers. They work by the blades of the reel mower turning cutting the grass; however, if you do not trim the yard often, this method can become promatic, as the blades will get caught on longer grass - will be slowed down by grass piles. Keep y lawn cut regularly this type will be just fine.

If y lawn is average sized, an electric lawn mower is an option. Not only do these mowers cut well, come either with a long cord or a rechargee lawn mower battery. They also good the environment since they don't pollute as they cut - unlike most gas mowers, which create a plume of exhaust.

Perhaps you live somewhere that you have a couple of acres. If this is the case you, then a riding lawn mower may be the answer. These ene you to cut a larger a without as much physical eft. You simply need to be e to drive it. It will do the rest. This is definitely a good option if you live in a place with a hot climate, as cutting y yard with a labor-intensive mower can result in heat exhaustion.

There's a method of cutting that's even simpler: use a robot lawn mower. Although these tend to use more gas than does the average mower, they have the benefit that you won't have to do anything but relax while the machine cuts the grass. Consumer reports claim it can cut the grass in a tennis ct sized a in about two hs, which is considery faster than a push mower.

What if you need something to work on y hobby farm? If you're growing an acre of hay the couple of animals you keep, then a sickle mower is the answer, even though these mowers sometimes portrayed as outdated or only availe as antiques. These machines still used to cut hay. They availe in different sizes so there will be no prom finding one right you. The other need on a small farm can be trying to keep the growth of brush under control. This is done with a brush mower. You'll be impressed as it tears through the overgrown brush that you want to be rid of.

Consumer reports will show the lawn mower rating of the machine you're eyeing. Just remember to put aside something mower repair maintenance. That's the cost of doing the mowing yself. If you don't bother to hold money this purpose, you may find yself out of luck - with an out-of-control lawn - in a matter of weeks. If you can't afd to hold money mower repairs, you may want to consider hiring a lscaping business to do this you. If you shop around, you may be e to find one that is relatively afde.

Selecting The Perfect Trimmer Or Edger For Your Lawn Care:

2009-05-08T17:06:00.001-07:00

Apart from the lawn mr, the edger and t is likely to be the tool used almost as much. Not many lawn mrs will be capable of reaching everywh, since most garden lawns will butt up against a patio, wall, or have several trees on the property. As a result, the only way to maintain the lawn is by using a t of some type.

The basic lawn edger is equipped with dual blades and attached to a long wooden handle. These are relatively lightweight, require no gasoline, and th's no need for a cord to get in the way. If the blades are maintained dirt free and sharp, they will be able to adequately cut 35 feet of pathway in just a few minutes.

But they will need a lot of muscular exertion. For those gardening enthusiasts that enjoy pottering around outside, but are getting along in years, they may not be ideal. It's not going to be fun maintaining a t looking lawn if the end result is sore arms and a stiff back.

The next level up is an electric t. Reasonably priced and simple to use, they remove difficult to reach grass by carving it off with a swiftly spinning plastic string. The cartridge head that holds the t line is quick to replace, can last for up to several months and costs under $10 to replace.

A further benefit over the manual edger is that they can often be used in a variety of positions, and in situations that the manual tool is unable to work. If you lawn is adjacent to an outbuilding, for example a shed, it can often be tough to use a pole t to eliminate the grass. But the automatic feed t will work perfectly in th conditions. It will not do any damage to the shed and rapidly removes the grass.

A further style of pr t uses a small gas pred motor. They tend to be rather noisy, but the main setback is really the weight. They are much heavier than their electric t counterpart. On the plus side, they are not fitted with a cable to drag behind.

As you will not be restricted by cable length th are no limits to wh it may be used. If you have a huge garden, or have a need to tidy up certain spots that are not equipped with a nearby pr supply, using an electric pred t can be a problem. In these situations, a gas pred t is ideal.

A gas pred edger will also be equipped with much more pr. So if you are plagued with thick weeds, overgrowing brush, or other debris that you want to cut down to size, this model will do the job. Although, slightly more expensive, they will last for years and the cost will be worth the effect saved.

Lawn Care Solutions - The Right Way to Mow Your Lawn!:

2009-05-08T07:50:00.001-07:00

Lawn Mow

way you mow y lawn cd mean the difference between a healthy lawn and a very healthy lawn. Most people are not thrilled when they e to mow the lawn or weed it. But th are important lawn maintenance tasks t e to be done.

first step to mowing the lawn is to buy the right lawn mower. re are many different kinds on the market today.

Push mower -se are probably the oldest lawn mow in existence, but they are very effive for smaller lawns. You l get no special perks from this mower. With some updated mower, you may be able to change the blade height, but t's about it.

All you e to do is manually push the mower over the lawn and it l cut the grass. It is important to make sure the grass is dry or it l get caught in the blade and you l e to remove it.

l fall on the lawn.

You can grab a bag and rake them up, or you can let them decompose and feed y lawn. It's y choice.

Elric mower - An elric mower is a little easier to use because it is pow by elricity. This means t you l be able to cut y lawn faster n with a push mower. Older elric mow e a power cord t you l e to plug in order to use. se mow can be dangerous if you do not remember to look after the cord.

As with the push mower, you l e to clean up the or le them on y lawn.

Elric cordless mower - se mow do not e cords which make them much easier to use and do not require you to find an outlet on both sides of the house. Elric cordless mow also come with a bag t l store lawn . When the bag is full, you l e to empty it. se mow run on a battery t can be charged easily when not in use.

se mow can also be used without the bag if you wd rather let the lawn fertilize y lawn.

Ride-on mower - For larger lawns, a ride-on mower l help you not run out of energy to complete other tasks around the yard once the mowing is complete.

se mow e bags t l catch lawn .

Mulching mower - If you want to use y lawn , but do not like the site of them, you shd look into investing in a mulching mower. se mow l ground up lawn so they are not as visible as regular .

How to Mow

Regardless of which lawn mower you purchase, you shd learn how to mow the lawn corrly so t you do not do unnecessary damage. You shd consider following th tips:

You shd mow y lawn when the grass is dry and is about three inches in length. If you mow any sooner, you may end up killing the grass. You l then e to red and start all over again. If you don't want to walk outside each weekend and measure y lawn, you shd mow about twice a month or every other weekend during the summertime.

Each time you mow y lawn, you shd begin in a different dirion. If you mow in the same dirion each time, you l end up creating ruts in y lawn. se ruts cd destroy y lawn and also make it look run down and unkempt.

Even if you do not want lawn , and e not purchased a mulching mower, maybe you cd compromise and only pick up lawn once a month instead of twice. Full of nutrients, lawn l make y lawn healthier.

Mowing the lawn is not difficult, but it shd be done corrly so t you can get the most from y lawn during the spring and summer months. nutrients you feed y lawn during this time l keep y lawn healthy for the entire year. While mowing too much can be a problem, so can not mowing enough. Long grass can cause shorter pieces to not get enough sunlight.

Mow y lawn consistently and you l enjoy a lush lawn all season long. Fertilize it with fertiliz, mulch, compost, and lawn to keep t green alive all year long.

Lawn Care Solutions - Overseeding and Adding Nutrients!:

2009-05-08T03:15:00.000-07:00

Now that you h taken steps to seed or sod your lawn, you will h to watch it carefully for the first few weeks. Since the soil is not that same pH level througt, you may notice thinner patches of ss or bald spots. If these spots do not fill in on their own, you may need to practice some corrective mures.

Oveeding

One way you can repair bald patches is to oveed the area. This is a very y process that sld be pleted in the following way:

Since new seeds will be peting for sunlight food from ss that is already there, you sld cut the ss around the area rter than normal. This will give the seeds a chance.

After mowing the area, look around to see if the soil is pacted or if there is thatch present. You may need to aerate the area before planting new seeds.

You sld rake the soil pull out rocks or weeds. Make the area as clean as possible before planting. Throw down some ferizer or post.

Use a seed spreader plant the seeds. Then rake over the area carefully.

Water the area each day, but do not flood the area as the seeds will be washed away.

You sld continue to monitor the area un the ss es in. If you h cooler son ss, you may notice this problem in the summertime due to the sun's rays which will overheat cooler sses.

While you may experience the same problems with warmer son sses in the fall, you will not see as much damage.

You sld try to plant cooler son ss in shady ar so that it will thrive will not over heat. But since many sses are mixed, this cd be a challenge.

Try to buy ss that is suited for your region. This will help reduce the need to oveed. Oveeding sld help your problem allow your lawn to look great all year long.

If oveeding does not work, then you sld h another sample of your soil taken in these ar to see if the problem can be corrected by changing the ph of the soil.

You h a few options when it es to adding nutrients to your lawn. You can:

Apply lawn feriz
Apply mulch
Apply post
Le lawn clippings on the lawn after mowing
Watering the lawn often

These are all great ways to help keep your lawn healthy. When applying lawn feriz, you sld find one that is suitable for your ss type also one that has 'slow rele' nutrients. These feriz will rele nutrients slowly so that you do not h to use them as often. This sld reduce your weed problems keep your ss looking its best.

When applying ferizer, use a seed spreader so that you will give the lawn an even coat of ferizer. After ferizing the lawn, water it to allow the ferizer to saturate the soil.

Mulch post are also great ways to ferize your lawn in between using ferizer. You can spread mulch post as often as you see necessary since it will depose quickly.

If you do not mind lawn clippings on your lawn, use a bagless lawn mower let the clippings depose on the lawn. This will also keep your ss looking healthy.

In order for feriz to work their magic, you will h to:

Weed often
Remove thatch as soon as possible
Water the lawn often
Do not mow the lawn too often
Make sure the drainage system is working

Nutrients that e in the form or ferizer, mulch, or post will feed your lawn all year long. Even in the winter time, you will h to feed your lawn. Use feriz that are foe the right sons types of ss that you h. Read the instructions carefully only apply the correct amount.

Over ferizing the lawn can cause the ss to die, so be careful.

Lawn Care Solutions - Removing Thatch!:

2009-05-07T21:06:00.001-07:00

REMOVING THATCH

Thatch, like weeds, can grow anywhere on r lawn is very unsightly. Thatch can prevent the growth of new grass because it will suffocate the grass underneath. This grass will die add to the thatch.

While thatch will not migrate over r lawn like weeds, it can be difficult to control remove if it is not tended to immediately after be discovered. You should inspect r lawn in the spr in the f to see if there are any sm piles on r lawn that could be thatch. You will notice:

Discoloration of grass
Increased bug activity
Presence of old grass
No presence of new grass
Tough to the touch

The best way to remove thatch is to buy a steel rake. You will have to rake not only the top layer of the thatch, but also underneath the way to the soil. This is the only way to get rid of of the thatch.

If rak will not help because the layer is too thick, may need to rent a vertical mower that has big blades that are made for cutt through thatch t grasses.

Once have removed of the thatch, will want to prevent new thatch from form. Thatch forms in many cases because the soil is dry lack in nutrients. Aerat is the best way to prevent the return of thatch.

You should aerate r lawn in the spr in the f to prevent new thatch also to keep the soil healthy.

Your Lawn - Caring for Your Soil:

2009-05-07T17:07:00.001-07:00

SOIL

So, you e tested your soil and now know the pH level and the type of soil you e. Good for you. Now you may be asking yourself how do I care for this soil so that the grass and the plants, the flowers, and the trees will grow? You e come to the right place.

Since good, healthy soil is the foundation of a beautiful yard, you will need to start with the basics.

Watering

If you e sandy soil, then you will e to pay particular attention to this section. If you e loam soil, then you can d this with a smile - but remember that even loam soil needs water or it will quickly turn to sand. If you e silt or clay soil, the next section on drainage will also be ful to you.

The first rule of watering is that it must be done often, especially during the warmer months when th is less rain fall. You should water your lawn each day in order to make sure that the soil is receiving enough moisture.

Many people invest in watering systems which are underground sprinklers that are set on timers that will water the lawn each day. While these systems can be expensive, if you are the forgetful type, this is an option. If not, buy a hose that is long enough to ch the lawn or buy a sprinkler that can be moved around.

It is important to water your lawn enough, but not oveter it. You e watd your lawn too much when puddles begin to form. This is why you should move around your lawn and try to get an even amount of water on the entire lawn.

Fertilizing

Fertilizing your lawn is the best way to provide nutrients and help keep the weed population under control in order to cte a healthy lawn. When fertilizing your lawn, you keep in mind the following:

Types of grass that are on the lawn

pH level of soil

Type of soil

Types of weeds

Th are diffnt types of fertilizers for diffnt types of grass. Also, th are fertilizers that should be d at diffnt times each year. If you e recently planted seed grass, then you should aldy know the types that are on your lawn, but if you e moved into a home that was previously occupied, you may not know exactly which types of grass are on your lawn. You should ask your neighbors about their grass since the same grasses are typically d in an a.

Read the instructions on the bag of fertilizer before using it. This will tell you when to the fertilizer, how to apply it, and also suggest other fertilizers that should be d during the year. Each season, you should be using a fertilizer.

In order to spd the fertilizer evenly, you should buy or rent a spder. This will evenly distribute the fertilizer. They are very easy to . Simply put the fertilizer into the hopper and push the spder in even lines across the lawn.

Liming

If your soil is acidic, you will need to put lime down in order to bring the soil to a more neutral state. If you decide to send a soil sample to be tested, you will receive advice on how much lime to and when to it on your lawn.

Lime can be found at most home and garden centers and can be d the same way as fertilizer.

Once you e placed lime on your lawn, DO NOT repeat the process. If you put too much lime on your lawn, you will ca the soil to turn alkaline, which is not good for most plants and flowers.

Mulching and Composting

What better way to combine helping the environment and using fancy lawn equipment than by mulching and composting! This is a fun activity for the entire family.

In order to cte mulch, you will need to buy or rent a mulching machine. These little machines will grind up leaves, small branches, and bark. The material that shoots out the back of the mulching machine can be d to decorate your lawn or be d as fertilizer. Since mulch is made from organic materials, it is full of nutrients that will help plants and flowers grow. It will also replenish nutrients in the soil.

You will e the opportunity to mulch each fall as this is a gt way to get rid of all of those leaves.

Composting is a little diffnt from mulching in that you will be recycling not only dead leaves and other organic matter, but also your trash. Yes, your trash. Instead of throwing away left over food, you can cte a compost pile outside wh food will decompose with other matter to cte a nutrient rich mix that you can add to your soil. For many people the idea of composting sounds disgusting, and in many ways, it is. You will need to turn the pile every few days to make sure that all of the materials are decomposing at the same rate. This will also reduce the odor. When you e a large enough pile, you can it on your lawn. This is an inexpensive way to fertilize your lawn by using materials from the environment.

Many people would rather compost than chemicals on your lawn. The choice is up to you.

lawn care

Ingredients to Include in Your Compost:

2009-05-07T07:48:00.001-07:00

Compong your backyard garden or your indoor plants is a healthy and beneficial process your plants and the environment. For those who want to start the fun and fruitful process of compong, you have to be sure to keep in mind the good stuff you want to put into your compost. If you've d my earlier article Blacklisted Items to Keep Out of Your Compost, then you should aldy be well aware that things like bones, meat, wood ash and pet waste can be very harmful to your compost and garden. This article will explain to you what you should include in your compong and how it's beneficial to the overall process.

When you're dy to begin compong, whether it's in a compost bin, tumbler or n out in the open, be sure to include these excellent ingredients to make your ideal batch of compost. Food scraps are a gt and easily accessible source of waste compong mainly because ry single household produces it almost daily. Scraps like fruit rinds, old vegetable leaves and stalks, and n coffee grounds make excellent compong. Coffee grounds are especially rich in nitrogen and work as activators, generating heat and exciting microbes to keep the decomposing process moving. But remember, and I can't emphasize this enough, nr r throw in any meat, dairy products, gse, oils and/or bones; these items will not compose properly or take too long to do so. They also smell bad and will attract rodents and other wildlife.

Animal manure is a gt source rich in nitrogen that also works as an activator, which is always a bonus your compost. The best stuff comes from grass eating animals like llamas, cows, chickens, sheep and rabbits. Nr r throw in any cat, dog or human waste into your compost because one thing, that's just disgung! More importantly, pet and human manure carry all sorts of diseases, parasites and who knows what else, and you wouldn't want that in your garden.

Leaves, grass clippings, dead plants and seedless weeds make gt compong ingredients. Leaves are especially gt compong because of their versatility; if they're dry then they'll release carbon and if they're fresh they'll release nitrogen in your compost. The same can be said about grass clippings. Weeds can be kind of tricky but as long as you carefully inspect that none of the weeds are dy to seed and are free of any pecides or poison, you should be set. Other items like straw, hay, hair and n lint also make good compong ingredients; talk about recycling!

Always keep in mind that as long as long as you include the aementioned items and avoid the bad stuff, you'll achi the ideal black gold soil your garden through this fun and organic process.

*Referenced from Home Compong Made Easy by C. Forrest McDowell, PhD and Tricia Clark-McDowell, 2002.

Composting for Beginners - Do's and Don'ts, Bins and Tumblers:

2009-05-07T03:16:00.001-07:00

Lots of novice gardeners believe t their plants and vegetables only need ply of wa and sunlight in order to sustain a healthy and fruitful lifespan. Howe this is not irely true as plants also need healthy soil rich in nutris to be able to survive and grow properly. The solution to this dilemma is composting.

Now, most of us aren't too sure of what the heck composting is or what it even ails - I know I didn't! An easy way to explain it is composting is a way us to give back to the earth by using organic maials such as food scraps, vegetable scraps, grass clippings, leaves and manure from grass eas like cows, sheep and rabbits. In general, composting is a wonderfully organic process t benefits your garden and the environm tremendously. In today's article we'll go ah and talk ab the benefits of composting, what you should and shouldn't compost, and some composting systems you should consider investing in.

We all know t when anytg dies it starts to decompose - humans, animals, plants, it's all a y natural process. But did you know t in turn, the soil becomes y rich in nutris and new life starts to grow? That's the true benefit of composting and t's what you want your garden. In addition to improving your soil, it saves you my, makes rific mulch your garden, and places less burden on landfills.

Bee you start undertaking a large composting project, te are a few key tgs you should keep in mind, like what you can and can't use composting. Let's start with what you shouldn't compost; this includes weeds full of seeds and/or diseases, pesticide infested plants, wood ashes, lime, barbeque charcoal, meat, grease, bs, dairy products, cat, dog and/or human waste, plastic, metal, glass, branches, wood chunks, anytg contaminated, and large loads of soggy mat. Obviously anytg in the aemid list would have an adse effect on your compost, or won't decompose properly, especially the bs, but we'll go more into t la on in a future article.

With t said, it's highly recommended t you use grass clippings, leaves, non-diseased and seed spring weeds, d plants, food scraps like fruit and veggie wastes, cow, sheep or llama manure, straw/hay, coffee grounds, and even hair and lint when composting. These items break down quick and easily, giving you the end result t you're looking .

The next tg t you need to keep in mind is we you're going to be doing all of this composting work. While some don't mind working on their compost heap in the open, like in the woods or in an open area preferably away from prying eyes (I ne said it was a pretty looking process), I suggest looking into a bin or tumbler system. Te are a couple of compost bin systems t you should consider: the bin and multi-bin systems. For the my conscious the bin system is the preferred method since it is easy and most municipalities even work with manufacturers to make this method available to the public. In addition, it's easy to move ab, most can hold heat well and is sturdy enough to keep rods and ot wildlife . The multi-bin system is households t produce a lot of waste; it generally does the same tg as the bin method but it allows you to stockpile your maials in bin and in the ot when more maials become ry. Both methods take anywe from three to eight months in ms of ry to use compost.

Anot method you can consider is working with a compost tumbler, which isn't cheap, but it is small if you're working with limited space. Tk of the benefits though: tumblers rotate which keep your compost aerated and generate heat, which in turn means t you'll have a batch of ry to use compost in ab three weeks. The wire collector is anot option to weigh. Great garnering up quick, ry to use composting, it's cheap and you can even make yourself of rabbit wire or field fencing. Howe, I don't really recommend it too often because it's easy wildlife to break in to and it doesn't hold in heat y well. But the great tg ab it is af your compost is d and ry, all you have to do is just remove the wire coing.

Do keep in mind the laws of your city. You wouldn't tk it, but check with your local gonm agency to see what your city will let you compost, like food scraps and what not. Af all being cited not composting wit the legalities of your city isn't y green. And when choosing the ideal composting system, tk ab your needs, how much waste you can you'd regularly add to it, how animal-resistant it is, and whet you can easily remove your ry to use compost. I know it's a lot to tk ab bee you begin, but trust me, it's well worth the eft. In our next installm I'll go ah and talk ab the science and art of composting - stay tuned!

*Referenced from Home Composting Made Easy by C. Forrest McDowell, PhD and Tricia Clark-McDowell, 2002.

Mowing The Lawn - Do It The Correct Way:

2009-05-06T21:06:00.001-07:00

Without mng the lawn, a beautifully manicured yard can easily turn into an overgrown forest. Ignoring the proper techniques according to the type of grass possess can also lead to damaging problems that are be rather difficult to hide. As approach the task of lawn mng, there are a couple of factors to consider, which can either make or break the appearance of r grass overall presentation of the yard.

Debating Height

As a rule of thumb, grass generally responds best when selecting one of the higher lawnmower settings, especially during a heat-filled summer day. If the bl is set too low, scalping is often the result, which is highly undesirable. When the bl is set too low, a gouging of the soil may occur, which pulls up the grass in particular, turf that is dry straw-colored.

If find rself falling behind the growth of r lawn, may mow the grass at a higher length, then lower the bl for a mng that takes place after a couple of days have passed. A common rule is that should never cut off more than 1/3 of the length of grass in a single mng.

Recommended Mng Heights

Your location by region usually determines the type of grass in r yard, which is based upon selections better suited for various climates temperature levels. Below will find a few recommendations based on minimum maximum heights for an assortment of common grass types: Fine Fescue (1�"; 2�"); Tall Fescue (2"; 3"); Kentucky Blue grass (1�"; 2�"); Rye grass (1�"; 2�"); Bahia grass (2"; 4"); Bermuda grass (1�"; 2"); Buffalo grass (2"; 3"); Carpet grass (2"; 3"); Centipede grass (1"; 1�"); St. Augustine grass/Floratam (2"; 4"); Zoysia grass (�"; 2").

Mng Frequency

Typically, individuals should mow their lawn once per week. Sometimes, seasonal weather changes may also affect the frequency of mng. For example, grass tends to grow at a more rapid pace during the springtime. This means mng the grass twice a week may become necessary in order to avoid having to remove more than 1/3 of the length.

Bl Sharpness

Keeping the mower bl sharp will produce the best results when it comes to keeping a yard looking fresh clean. When the bls of a mower become dull, grass bl ends are torn in such a way that a raggedy appearance is the result. These jagged ends usually turn brown, causing the grass to look dried-out. This type of bl damage also promotes the spread of fungus disease.

Additional Lawn Mng Tips

Before mng r lawn, there are additional tips that may increase the prosperity of a lawn. For instance, mng in different directions helps to prevent the look of leaning grass bls. Try diagonal, horizontal, vertical patterns. When mng, should avoid making sharp turns. Also, it is important to never mow a lawn that is wet as it only invites fungus to attack.

Fencing Options for a Flower Garden:

2009-05-06T17:06:00.001-07:00

Do you have a flower and are interested in making it even more beautiful? A wonderful opt is to have a fe around y to make it a private place t seems even more beautiful with all the ot elements of the world shut out. Te are quite a few fencing opts for you to choose from and vinyl fes are actually one of the most popular. However, d through the types of fes available to see if t is w you want to go with or te is anot opt you like better.

Wood Fencing
Some time ago wood fencing was lly the only opt and the best one at t for a beautiful . It still is a gorgeous way to keep y separated from the rest of the world but it has its drawbacks. One of these is t wood is lly expensive. On top of t, it is subject to termites and ot insects, it can rot, bk, and have ot similar problems. Because of the expense and the problems many people are not interested in l wood fes anymore. But if you are then t is a gt opt for you.

Vinyl Fencing
Vinyl fencing is anot opt and it is perhaps the most popular one on the market at the moment. Not only does it look very similar to l wood from afar, but it lasts for a very long time and is incredibly durable. It won't crack or split like wood fes will and it doesn't need to be repainted. T means if y fe is white when you buy it, it will be just as white 10 years down the road. Of cse, you may need to wash it off occasally with a water hose but you won't have to worry about painting.

Metal Fencing
Metal fencing is anot opt but it lly isn't one lots of people are choosing. T is because it does not add a romantic and beautiful appeara to the at least not in most cases. Some metal fes are absolutely gorgeous but they also cost thousands of dollars and many people choose not to use them.

The type of fe you want for y is completely up to y desires and y wallet. Make a decis t works for you and y and you will be happy with y choice and y for years.

Lawn Mower Parts Overview:

2009-05-06T07:48:00.001-07:00

If you are one of those who works usually with lawnmowers, then you probably already know the big importance t lawn mower parts have. No matter w model of machine you drive, it will need s parts replacem after s years of use. Even the best ufacturers' models, which worked smoothly at the beginning or t model you bought being the sturdiest mower at the mnt will have sthing broken and therefore will go wrong after few years.

Damage and wear are two of the t typical reasons for replacing lawn mower parts. Since wear refers to parts t have been working hard and do not perform as they should, damage refers to parts t are totally broken and need to be replaced coetely. Wear situations c up usually due to worn parts. Unsharpened blades is a clear exae of worn parts. You just need to sharpen blades and you mower will cut the lawn as a newer one. Damage situations are easy to detect because t of the times the engine doesn't start at all. It can also happens t suddenly you'd had a lawn mower break when you have only mowed half of the garden size. It becs an annoying situation and very embarrassing as well.

One of the t typical problem for lawn mower parts replacems is when you broke off the clutch handle as well as blades sharpening. No panic when it happens, it's ply of mower parts out there, you just need to find the part t better fits your needs. You might be thinking on how easy is to find a mower part. However, it isn't as easy task as it seems at all. Finding the t suitable part t better works with your mower might be stimes a bit tricky. W professional gardeners use to do is to find the specific parts in a lawn mower parts catalog. But, not everyone have access to this parts catalog, specially regular h and garden owners t just want to find a small piece for their specific model.

How To Find The Right Lawn Mower Parts

The siest way to find specific lawn mower parts is at the gardening warehouses. You can find there t parts for common mowers' ufacturers. These warehouses have the knowledge and compatibility lists for your specific model as well as t parts to get your machine mowing again. If you are lucky, your mower will run again just a few hours later, if they don't have your required part in stock, then you might order it and pick it up a couple of days later.

Toro And Siicity Lawnmower Parts

They are two of the t reliable and truly ufacturers across the world. Toro mower parts can be purchased from alt any Toro dealer as well as from any mower parts or goods warehouse t are specialized in Toro ufacturer. Like y other products, lawn mower parts are divided into subcategories inside walk-behind or riding mowers models. These subcategories are essially the following 3:

�Engine assembly for curr gas powered mowers.
�Handle assembly for handle parts and parts like cables.
�Housing assembly for housing parts such as wheels or frames

Since Toro lawn mower ufacturer offers reliable perforce machines, they are yet not the t affordable mower for howners. Siicity mower parts give custrs the ability to repair their lawnmowers at affordable prices. Siicity is a truly mower and parts ufacturer focused to provided top quality for those who are confid enough to perform their own mower parts replacems. Siicity mowers are specifically designed to make repairs quickly and easily, perforce might not be so good, but enough for a small yard. However, there are also commercial siicity mowers such as three-wheel riding mowers as well as zero-turn riding lawn mowers.

http://www.lawn-mowers-and-garden-tractors.com

Organic Fertilizers:

2009-05-06T03:16:00.001-07:00

We can nr have too much organic matter dug into the gan pacularly in the vegele gan. Whilst in the humus (half decompo state), it s as a sponge in light soils to ret food and moise; in heavy clay it provides a drage filter between the soil pacles.

When preparing the beds for vegeles the organic felizer sho be added at a e of two bucketfuls to the sq. yd.

Manures

Well-rot animal manure is of the fst by-products that are available to the organic ga. It may sound like a messy and an unhygic substance to handle but in t f it looks completely difent m the fresh product. It doesn't smell, in f it resembles rich, brown, crumbly compost, ch of cse it is. Howr, when handling any type of composts and felizers it is sensible to wear gls.

Farmyard manure is a mixe of the dpings of horses, pigs or cows, including their ur and the litter u for their bedding. Cow manures are wetter, colder and er in nutrts than horse manure, and decompose more sly in the soil, ch makes them more suile for sandy soils. Likewise, pig manure is s ing but long lasg, as it is s to t, t too is a cold manure and thfore unsuile for the making of hot-beds. Bullock manure is recomded because many are fed a composition diet to build up tissue and body weight, thfore the residue co be transpor into their manure and ch might necessarily be beneficial to us.

One ton of farmyard manure will give about 10lb. Nitrogen, 5lb. Phosphoric acid and 10lb. Potash, much of ch is accessible to the plants soon after application.

Not ry lives in the country or close by riding sles but many of the animal manures can be purcha m d Gan Centres or m suppliers h web sites who can deliver to y home. Manures are geally d all round balanced felizers h amounts of nitrogen as well as a little of many other ingredts. It must always be u when it has maed, fresh will harm the plants by "burning" the stems and roots. If are able to collect it m sce let it rot for about 8 weeks but do make sure that cr it to stop the r-washing away all the nutrts. In autumn dig lots of manure into the vegele plots it will ensure that the plants have a really d start in the foling season. Besides root cs pre soil that has been manured the previous season.

Chicken Manure

Chicken manure is often sold in pellet f so it is easy and clea to handle. It is very rich being high in nitrogen but it is lacking in almost all other nutrts. Howr it is very useful when u combd h other felizers. Chicken manure must nr be u fresh.

Hop Manures

Spent hops are useful for improving the physical condition of the soil, howr they have little if any nutrts.

Compost

The term "compost" is geally thought to mean a mixe of soil, peat and sand, ch is u in potg and often called potg compost. Th is aher medium, ch is vegele waste of all kinds, ch has been thoroughly rot n and fed a blackish-brown crumbling material very near to humus.

I think ry is aware of the benefits of compos plant waste. Rich in all the necessary ingredts including micronutrts and micro organisms it is of the best if the best products we can use on soil. Whether it is a simple w bin or specially built conter, any who is keen to grow or her own food must have a compost sce. Not only will it be a place to dispose of the grass cutgs but can add lots of other waste too:

1. Leaves
2. Clippings
3. Straw.
4. Sawdust.
5. Shredded branches and twigs.
6. Cut fers.
7. Comfrey leaves.
8. Tea leaves.
9. Coffee grounds.
10. Egg shells.
11. Banana skins.
12. Fluff m the vacuum clea.
13. Manure.
14. Ur.
15. Shredded paper.
16. Vegele waste

If live near the sea can add kelp (a f of sea w). Nr add kitchen scraps because it will attr vermin. Other ingredts that sho be u are dog or cat manure (their wing treatt will kill off the composg ws); don't use citrus peel eer its too acidic for ws and don't use disea plants it co mean that run the risk of spreading the disease all around y gan.

To help the compost to rot n an ivator sho be u. T can be manure, bird dpings, ur or a priety ivator; in dry weather it sho be watd.

In a perly made compost heap the temperae will rise to 180deg. F. (82 deg C.). It is then that the inomycetes break n the more resistant proteins and carbohydes. As the temperae begins to cool and t co take about a month, the beria will begin their work to complete the breakn process.

It will take roughly about 12 months for the pile to break n perly into compost. If y conter does have a lid it is a d idea to cr the top h plastic sheeg or a tarpaulin weigh n to reduce the amount of rwater m leaching out the nutrts. It will also keep in the heat to al tation and a cker breakn. It's a d idea to give the pile a forking r m time to time t will accelee decomposition. Aher tip, chop-up the waste as it will take less time to break n. Vary the type of material making layers of the difent ingredts t all helps to sp up the process, ning it h a gan fork m time to will also help.

If the compos waste takes up an area of at least 12ft. x 12ft. it is a d idea to include a ventilation shaft that will help h decomposition of the material. T is d by inseng a post in the centre of the heap, piling the waste around it layer by layer until the pile reaches a height of about 6 ft., then the post is remd, leaving an air shaft through the middle; t will ensure that the waste does get a balanced airf.

It is easy to see when the compost is ready; it will be rich and dark brown, crumbly, loose, in f it resembles the potg compost that comes in bags m the gan centres that are ready to plant into. It will have become the perfect product to ren to f the soil.

Compost when perly made, can be more valuable than dung for it conts plant food and it is alive h millions of micro organisms for the health and well being of the soil. It will cont most of the minor mrals or trace elets all vital in d, healthy c cultivation.

When the compost is ready to use it can be added all around the gan but especially the vegele plot. It will impr the soil just dig in between 1 - 2 inches of compost. It can be use as mulch, or as an extra boost during the hungriest part of the growing season when the fruit are dloping. You can n mix some compost h water to make a lid f.

A compost bin can be construc using f woo pallets, each stood up on its side h the topside of the pallet, ch has all the slats, facing inwards so that the extra slats made d compost retention. Through the centre of each pallet to ret the position, two stout stakes are driven vecally into the ground. When the compartt is full up, three more pallets can be jod to the side, making a second chamber. After t too is full, a third can be c and ntually a fth; the total number of pallets rered is twelve. By the time the fth is filled, the first compartt will have compost ready to be u around the gan. Access to each compartt can be easier; eer of the outward walls of each bin may be simply lif r the stakes for the removal of the compost. If the pallets are first p h wood preservative they sho last for a te few years, after ch they can be replaced eer individually or completely at very little cost.

Lid manure

Th are so many things that can make up into a lid f. Comfrey leaves put in a bin h water and aled to rot n make a very d lid f. Howr, other ingredts such as manure, blood and b meal, a capful of concented seaw felizer aled to stand for about a week, make up a very f brew. It must be dilu at a io of about 1 parts lid f to 4 parts water. As draw the last dregs m the conter, it is wiser to dilute a little more, as the mixe becomes more concented at the bottom. W bins produce very d lid f and just as the previously tid brew, must be dilu before use. When using the lid, water it onto the soil around the plants avoiding the foliage as much as possible. T f can be administd about ry 2 - 3 weeks throughout summer.

Green manure

Green manure has been u for thousands of years for mly vegele cs; it is a way of replenishing organic matter into the soil, especially soils that have been imprished by chemical felization. It is a sustable enricht of soil by incorpoing un-decompo green plant material that will benefit the soil in many ways:

Increase soil felity
Increase biological ivity
Nish subsequent cs
Reduce soil erosion
Reduce nite losses
W suppressant
Soil struce imprt

The annual lupin is extensively u as a green manure c as is Crimson clr (Triglla foenum graecum) and Mustard (Sinapsis alba). These will add organic matter and really impr the soil as they rot n. One key ingredt in green manure is legumes, ch fix nitrogen into the soil. T is a d prise especially in soil wh hungry fers have been grown.

Green manure For more infation visit: www.mrsgreenfingers.co.uk (You n an Internet connection to visit t site)

Howr, green manure does give ck results as it is s to ivate - and the reason why it is often u in ordinary home gans. It usually takes at the very least six months for the vegele waste to rot n. When cs are dug into the land in a fresh condition, the soil organisms have to get to work on the green plants and break them n. In doing so they starve the land of nitrogen during the time the waste is being broken n. Thfore green manure method is geally applied on land that is to have a season of rest. Besides th are other fors, ch come into play in or that the best results are achid. The land sho be perly dred so that suffict air is present; it sho be adequately limed so that it is acid, and the soil sho be warm.

Short List Of Things To Do For Your Lawn (September - December):

2009-05-05T21:06:00.001-07:00

Autumn.

Septer.

Septer is the e when you will be planting fall pla and also getting y lawn ready the wintere. You mow y lawn a few more es and water it to make s that it is healthy. You may experience more rain, so wateg become less frequent.

You will also experience more wind which will start knocking the les from the trees.

In Septer, you :

Remove old mh and replace it with new mh

Mow the lawn

W the lawn

Water the lawn

Rake the lawn

Make s drainage systems are working properly

Store away the lawn mower at the end of the month

Repair any problems in the lawn mower, mhing machine, or tiller

Tidy up the shed and garage by throwing away unnecessary items

Get ready to plant fall flowers and pla

Use fall fertilizer cooler season grass

Till the soil in y spg plant and flower beds

Turn Perennial pla into mh

Plant Annual pla and flowers

Septer can turn cold quickly, so it is best to get the hardest jobs done quickly at the beginning of the month. This is the season to make s that you h everything you will n the winter months.

Items you may n:

Winter fertilizer

Stg and small posts trees

Covers lawn structs

Rakes, gloves, mhing machine

October

In October, the les will begin to fall in large nurs. If you like to make y own mh, then you will be in luck dug this e of year. Rent or buy a small mhing machine and you will be all set. Making mh is very easy and will s you money.

In October, you :

Rake up les

Turn les into mh

Spread mh all over the lawn

Sec small trees and shrubs with posts and stg

Trim pla and shrubs

Check drainage problems

Make s fall pla and flowers are growing properly

Add fertilizer where necessary

Remove fruit from the bottom of any fruit trees and add to mh or compost pile

Clean up any leaf piles laying around as animals will make nests out of them

October can be a beautiful e of year with the many colors and pla that are blooming. You will still h to take care of them as you wd y Perennial pla, but you will be able to let them grow witt ing to worry too much about ws or insects.

When designing y fall lawn, you keep in mind that you will only be able to fix minor grass problems as the ground will become harder as the cold weather settles in. If you h not aerated, you now bee it is too late.

Enjoy y fall lawn now because you will not h too long bee it will be gone. While a winter lawn is also beautiful, it is just not the same.

Nover

With the les almost gone, you will not h to rake as much. Nover is the e when y lawn care will begin to slow down. You will not h as much to do and you will be able to relax and enjoy what you h created.

In Nover, you :

Clean up any clutter on y lawn

Sec all lawn equipment the wintere in a shed or garage

If you still n to repair any lawn equipment, you do so now

Check on smaller shrubs to see if they will n reincement

Dig up bulbs and other ss to plant the spge

Lay down mh if necessary

This is a rt list, but the items on it are important. You complete them because they will help dug the rest of the year.

Decer

Dug Decer, you may not want to h to much do with y lawn. This is understandable. But you go outside and check on pla that are small and may n y help to make it to the spge.

In Decer, you :

Assess all remaining pla, trees, shrubs, and flowers

Reince any pla that are falling over

Make s that pla are safe against the snow

Check on tree branches

Take a good look at the grass

Drainage

Since water and ice can cause cracking in y lawn structs, you keep an eye on those as well. The winter may look peaceful, but in reality, y lawn still ns y care.

Reduce The Need For Pesticides - Correct Mowing And Watering:

2009-05-05T17:06:00.001-07:00

Correct Mowing Watering Technique

An excellent way to reduce the need for pesticides - we're all "green" (forgive the pun) nowadays, is to grow the Lawn Taller than you would expect. Tall ss provides shade! That is the Secret!

* Shade cuts down weed germination, such as Crabss!

* Tall ss has larger roots, which increases the uptake of nutrients moisture.

* Tall ss is better able to withst Summer heat.

* Correct mowing the use of natural fertilizers can, by themselves keep a Lawn Healthy thick.

So, cut down the use of pesticides let the ss grow.

* Set your Mower Blades to at least 3 inches for regular mowing.

* Four times a year reduce this to 2 inches - generally in the Spring Autumn. This will prevent remove Fungus.

* Always leave ss clippings on the Lawn. This will provide a natural mulch which further reduces the need for fertilizer.

Pesticides are in fact harmful to Human Health. They can result in decomposition lead to thatch, apart from the dangers to children pets.

* When mowing ensure that the Mower blade is sharp.

* Mow when the Sun is at its lowest. This is usually in the early morning or more preferably in the cool of the evening.

* Make sure the ss is dry.

Mowing with a dull Mower blade will tear the ss roots, turning the ss brown. Mowing when the ss is wet will have the same effect leave the ss more susceptible to disease.

Correct Watering

In these days of Water Conservation it is important to water only when needed. This should be every few days as required, not every day. Try to water later in the evening or early morning. Water deeply, but there is no need to water if there has been recent rainfall. Only water lightly if a fertilizer has just been applied.

Watering promotes growth during the Summer ensures a thicker Lawn which will reduce pest problems.

Thatch and How to Manage It:

2009-05-05T07:48:00.001-07:00

Thatch is a dense layer of living and dead organic matter on the l surface.

Thatch in ls is often misunderstood; both its cause and control. Some ls have serious thatch proms while others do not. Thatch is a layer of living and dead organic matter that occurs between the green matter and the l surface. Excessive thatch (over 1/2 inch thick) cres a favora environm for pests and disease, an unfavora growing environm for grass roots, and can interfere with some l care practices.

The primary compon of thatch is turfgrass stems and roots. It accumuls as these plant parts buildup faster than they breakdown. Thatch proms are due to a combination of biological, cultural, and environmal factors. Cultural practices can have a big impact on thatch. For example, heavy nitrogen fertilizer applications or overwring frequly contribute to thatch, because they cause the l to grow excessively fast. Avoid overfertilizing and overwring. Despite popular belief, short clippings dropped on the l after mowing are not the cause of thatch buildup. Clippings are very high in wr cont and breakdown rapidly when returned to ls after mowing, assuming ls are mowed on a regular basis (not removing more than one-third of the leaf blade)

Environmal factors typically are another primary case of thatch. Conditions favoring thatch include heavy, wet ls; alkaline, or high pH ls; and l compaction. All are commonly met.

As thatch levels accumul to grer than 1/2 inch, l proms may begin, and the thatch needs to be controlled. Thatch may be torn out with a dethatcher or vertical mower, but will most likely return unless the cause is corrected. Mechanical dethatching is also very destructive to the l because roots are in thatch instead of l, so plants tear out easily. Overseeding is usually required afterwards. For this reason, it's best to tear out thatch in l August for optimum reseeding timing.

Core aerating helps degrade thatch and also helps solve some of the causes of thatch.

Core aerification, followed by topdressing are two methods that will generally correct the reasons thatch is accumulating. Core aerifying machines will pull up small l cores to the surface that are left there to act like topdressing. The holes cred help solve proms such as compaction or poor drainage. Topdressing is simply adding a thin layer(1/8 to 1/4 inch) of compati l over the thatch, which adds microorganisms to help in breakdown.

Aerifying equipm may be red or services are availa to do it for hire. Aerifying is an excell l practice with many benefits, as it helps solve l proms that in turn leads to better root systems and healthier ls. Aerify in spring or fall, making sure adequ moisture exists in the l. Make two trips over the l, the second perpendicular to the first. An average of 15 to 20 aeration holes per square foot is suggested. Cores should remain on the surface and allowed to air dry. These cores act as topdressing that helps degrade thatch. Additional topdressing mrial could be added after core aerifying if desired.

Where Can I Find Organic Gardening How To Books?:

2009-05-05T03:15:00.001-07:00

Even if you are best orga dener in world you will still need help from time to time reading a few orga dng to ks should point you in right direction if you are having problems or give you a few tips you didn't know about. Reading about or people have achieved orga dng success in orga dng to ks should inspire you to get out into your den to try do better. Sometimes you will need help to solve certain problems such as insect infestations having a l at a orga to k is probably your first step in overcoming your problem. Here are a few orga dng to ks that you might want to add to your collection.

Orga Gardng for Dummies by Ann Whitman National Gardng Association. There are a couple of or orga dng ks in Dummies series. They are all very practical orga dng to ks, with easy-to-underst instructions.

Backyard Composting: Your Complete Guide to Recycling Yard Clippings by John Roulac of Harmonious Technologies. This orga dng to k will s you to start maintain a compost pile with ease.

The Frugal Gardener: How to Have More Garden for Less Money by Catriona Tudor Erler, MS. This is an orga dng to k of tips techniques gared from all kinds of experienced successful orga deners around world who offer ir expertise.

Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Applehoff Mary F. Fenton. If you want to know anything about worm composting, this is orga dng to k that answers all your questions.

Great Garden Companions: A Companion-Planting System for a Beautiful, Chemical-Free Vegetable Garden by Sally Cungham. Information on companion planting is hard to come by, this orga dng to k is an excellent resource.

The Orga Gardener's Hk of Natural Insect Disease Control: A Complete Problem-Solving Guide to Keeping Your Garden Yard Healthy Without Chemicals by Barbara W. Ellis Fern Marshall Bradley. One of best ks on pest control which all orga deners should read.

Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orga Gardng by Henry Doubleday Research Association. Rodale's is #1 name in orga dng, any orga dng to k from Rodale's is worth reading. This encyclopedia is full of pictures, too, so it makes for a relaxing read.

If you are unable to find what you are ling for in one of above ks a trip to your local library, browse internet or why not take a visit to your nearest den centre speak to an expert who will be happy to help.

What Is A Sickle Mower?:

2009-05-05T01:57:00.001-07:00

Sle mowers, also called reciprocating sle mowers, w originally invented for cutting cal but was adapted to cut grass plants in the 1960's. It became the stard tool used for cutting to feed various farm animals including sheep, goats, rabbits, cows, pigs. They was stored to feed them during the winter months because grass was in short supply throughout that season.

To harvest th w many other reel mower to choose from including a rowse, rotary disks, professional mowers but none could compare to the sle mower. It was very easy to use for both large small jobs. The sle mower was attached to a bar featuring 5 blades that w each 7 inches long. While it wasn't the best option for larger commercial cutting it was a very efficient tool in the early days because it didn't break the strs or sprin them.

For commercial harvesting the sle mower just wasn't practical but with a few modifications the sle bine was created. This was done by combining the sle mower concept with a strong frontal reel that could haul bent stalks efficiently at a very fast rate. It also featured an internal device that could break stems of th grass to allow the to dry very quly. The early sle mowers wn't capable of this.

Today the sle mower is still in use by some homemakers small farm owners. They are mostly considd to be antique machines though collectors look for them all over. You can find some of them for a decent price on auction sites including Ebay.

Mowing Fundamentals Part II:

2009-05-05T00:36:00.001-07:00

Types of Mowers

Two main types of mowers exist: reel and roy. There many versions of these two types such as electric, gas, push, and riding.

Reel-type mowers give a cleaner cut than roies, but h a hard time cutting weeds and tall grass. They cut by using a scissorlike motion of spinning bes against a bed knife. Reel mowers come in rear (most common) and front throw models. Since they manual mowers, they less expensive, quieter, and best for smaller lawns.

Roy-type mowers the most popular type because they y to maintain and h good maneuverability. Roies also work quicker, cut at many different hets, and most models h mulching capabilities. The drawbacks to a roy mower they 't cut effectively at lower hets (below 1"), don't cut as cleanly as reel mowers, and they will scalp the grass in unn as.

Armed with basic knowledge of mowers and what your needs should make it very y to select the mower that is rt for you. I personally own both types. I like the best cut possible during peak growing son when weeds and debris scarce. Otherwise, my roy mower is tough and handles weeds, les and other debris when I need it most.

Keep Mower Bes Sharp

Dull mower bes your lawn's worst enemy. They le your grass open to all sorts of undesirables. If you notice a brownish, gray complexion to your lawn a day after you mow, check the grass bes. The tops of the bes will probably be torn, jagged, or a little stringy. This means you need to sharpen your mower be. Reel mowers need to be sharpened at a lawn mower shop, but sharpening a roy mower be is an y DIY job. All you need is a file, vise, wrench and a be balancer that you get at just about any lawn and garden store.

Mowing Etiquette

Mowing etiquette is mostly up to your own disgression, but you should h a certain ll of respect for your nebors when you performing lawn maintenance tasks. In other words, you shouldn't wind up your gas blower at 6 a.m. on a Sunday morning when your nebors sleeping. Also, don't blow your les and clippings into the street or onto your nebors' property.

How to Mow

The goal of mowing your lawn is to h an nly cut, attractive lawn. Follow these rules to help achi that goal:

Remove any sticks, stones or other debris in your lawn before mowing.

Make sure the mower is set to the correct het and change if necessary.

Mow header strips at the ends of your lawn, around trees, and other obstacles.

Cut strat rows in between the header rows and overlap each row to ensure good coverage.

Avoid mowing when it's wet. It cause unn mowing and the clippings mat and suffocate the grass.

Change the direction that you mow ry time. Mow at a 45 to 90 degree angle from your previous job.

Mow in the ning so your grass doesn't h to suffer through the heat too.

Avoid sharp turns with the mower which cause unn cutting. Make wide turns or use sidewalks or driveways to turn.

Tip: If you h lots of shade on your lawn, you cut your grass 1/2" her than suggested to capture more sunlt to improve photosynthesis of the lawn.

Maintenance Secrets

If you do this, you signifitly incre the life of your equipment. Always keep your gas tanks full. Rt after you finish mowing, trimming or blowing fill each gas tank to full. This will prnt condensation from forming and polluting your machine. At the end of the son, run your equipment until it's dry or syphon out all the gas. Doing these two things will signifitly improve your sts. The last thing you want is slow sts or no sts :)

Finish the Job

Now that you h mowed your lawn, it is time to make the finishing touches. At the beginning of the son, you use an edger to cut strat lines along sidewalks and driveways. Then you use a trimmer to keep the line for the rest of the son and get hard to reach bes around trees and against buildings. Finally, use a blower or pushbroom to put any remaining grass clippings back onto the lawn. The finishing touches make all the difference between a mediocre lawn and a great lawn.

Compost -- Make a Wood Turner Your Friend:

2009-05-04T22:41:00.001-07:00

C is best made with a formula of gn br al mixed at equal volumes. This usuy gives a carbon to nitrogen ratio that ows for g decosition lots of heat to be generd. Gn al is usuy quick to h, especly during the heavy growing season. Weeds, pea pods, spent plants, grass clippi, kitchen waste from the gen bounty supply gn al. Br al such as dried grasses leaves are not that easy to e by however, during the gen season.

W turners have a different problem. They gener huge quantities of w vi. Roughing out a few salad bowls will fill a couple of garbage bags with vi in no time. This is a unique form of br ter, depending on the w being used. Wet vi from poplar birch will break d quickly on their while the al from dried w will take much longer regless of the t types. All of them will work well in c. Unlike sawdust the size of the vi prevents cacting ows for geed aeration of the pile with each turning. Some turners will have aging piles of vi that have already begun to break d.

There are a few thi to avoid. Eucalyptus ts of some varieties have oils that make them h to c. Ts of the walnut family in particular will produce a hormone like substance that will bat the growth of plants not of the walnut family. Hot cing will usuy break this d to a harmless al. While it is unlikely that any w turner would work with them, avoid the ws, leaves or vines from poison ivy, poison sumac, or poison oak.

With those cautions in mind, w turners are usuy happy to see the vi go. You can use them for mulch but they make great c. Mix them with the gn al at a one to one ratio by volume you should be fine. They will darken by the first turning will be h to distinguish after the second. Caution is often given about using w vi in the gen as they can "steal" nitrogen from the soil. This is not true of c made from vi. The finished c usuy has a balance N-P-K (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) ratio of 1 -1 - 1, regless of the starting als.

A couple of tooes now then should ensure a supply of vi for a long time to e.

Compost Tumblers -- Is there one in your garden's future? (part 1 Why Buy?):

2009-05-04T21:07:00.001-07:00

If you have a garden you likely know the value of "black gold," compost and the adds for the compost rs all seem to scream that "Now you cam have all the rich, dark compost you need in just a few short weeks!" Actually most claim that a compost r will give you finished compost in just two weeks with a turn of the crank or a roll of the container. Little work but lots of return. One might say that the compost just keeps bling out. Howe, when you find out that tests have shown the compost r does not make compost any faster than a well managed pile or bin set up, is this the rig for you?

Ey compost pile needs 4 things, nitrogen and carbon for food, water, and air. Here is where the compost r excels. Whene the r is d air is mixed into the material. If the r moves easily, one might add air ey time ey time the bin is passed or at least ey three or four days, depending on your mood. On the other hand a well managed and hot pile turned ey three or four days will produce finished compost just as quickly. Remember that the &quickly" will also depend on the environmental conditions since compost works faster in hot, moist conditions.

Well designed rs offer seal advantages o the hot bin or pile.

They are easier to turn than using a fork. Air tends to be added more often simply because the work is easier to accomplish. Thus the pile may be hotter and work faster than other methods.

They are generally neat, clean and tidy in the yard. With changing by laws goning what may or may not be in one's yard, this may allow a compost operation where a pile would not.

They are pest free as regards rodents and birds. Insects still get in and nothing will stop a determined raccoon who thinks there might be a tidbit left in the r.

Most odors are contained although the hot system tends to eliminate the worst ones any way.

Material is generally broken up by the action of bling and the compost may be a little faster and usually finer as a result.

Enclosed rs retain more moisture than open piles and thus use less water.

On the other hand, compost rs can be expensive to buy and restrict the size of the pile by their y nature. In certain circumstances though, they may make the difference between composting or not and one should compost. That is "black gold" after all.

Making Compost - Alchemy at its Best:

2009-05-04T17:07:00.001-07:00

In the days of the development of w is now modern chemistry with its podic table of the elements and a great alliance with physics, there existed a group of people called alchemists. y worked on their own in dark places practicing arcane rituals t at times appeared to be more mystical and magical than scientific. One of the great searches of the alchemists was for a method to turn base metals such as lead into gold. An organic dr in particular and most drs in gral would say t they h succeeded where the alchemists had failed. A good dr routinely turns waste pl al into "black gold, ", compost.

Compost is the answer to problems a dr faces every day or seeks not to face at all. I will let sandy soil hold water and clay soil drain water. great water holding source will open the soil and let in the air so necessary for good soil and pl health. Sick pls will often recover in a "hospital pl bed" consisting mostly of compost. Just w is this magical al and how does one get it?

re is only one simple rule behind composting, living al rots after it dies. Consider the forest floor. Living les and pl al fall from the trees and underbrush and join the bodies of insects and animals to lie upon the ground. We would be buried under mounds of waste al were it not for the bactal and fungal cleaning crews t come to our rescue. Literally millions of bacta and fungi attack the les, dead grass, weeds, twigs and more t fall bath the trees each year and busily turn it into black mold t lines the woodland floor. Scuff away a bit of t layer of debris t is so nice to walk on some bright summer day and look at the dark al below. Compost is everywhere.

So how is one to get it into the den? If you go to the nearest national, state, or provincial park and begin to gather it into bags for the car and homecoming, you will quickly realize t it is heavy to move and the local ranger will h objections. In fact, millions of drs seeking compost from our forests would likely cause more damage than clear cutting. Some municipalities h composting programs along with their recycling efforts. y make it available free or for a fee or in some combination for homeows. Again, this is heavy work and can be expensive.

Some landscapers will h compost available in quity and for a start to a den or for rwing a lawn. This may be a viable one time expense for a home ow. Garden centers will h it bagged for the person who only needs a little for a pl pot or two. However, compost will be wed every year for the successful dr. best way to get it is to imitate the alchemists of old and make one's own.

re are simple and complex systems for making compost. simplest of all goes back to the cardinal rule, things rot. Make a pile of pl debris in the back yard. All year let it grow. Add weeds pulled from lawn and den, spent flowers and vegetable pls, kitchen waste like peelings and apple cores, lawn raking debris, and other pl als. It is grally advised to avoid adding animal waste like fat and bone because it may attract pests. In the fall, when the les come down, cover the pile with les about 6 inches thickness. In the spring, start a new pile.

After the pile has sat for a couple of years, it will h shrunk about a third in size. Scrape down to find the finished compost. It will look and smell like good earth, full of life and growth. Any al t has not rotted down can be used in the pile now building. re are faster and more complicated methods, but this will produce compost as it has for thousands of years with little effort and great results. Black gold will make the den grow with true richness of life and beauty.

Composting -- Doing it in a Big Way:

2009-05-04T07:48:00.001-07:00

Te is the magic number for a comt pile, especiy in a quick comt system. In order for it to work well it needs to be te t, te t wide and te t long. For m people this translates into a comt bin te t on a side or a pile te t in diameter. What about the times when you simply have too much erial for a sm pile?

You could make more bins but that cs time and money and will likely leave you with lots of empty bins once the wind f of organic ter is over. Lots of little piles are a sibility but there is a much faster and simpler solution. Go long.

One of my first comt piles came after buying a new home. The back half acre of the property was hugely overgrown with weeds and grasses. There was no real time to deal with the problem until f so I let them grow, ure and dry. Come f I a half acre of field about 3 t high in half dried grass and weeds.

Basicy I cut and raked the erial into sm piles around the half acre. My wife was not impressed with the look so I began a comt pile. My aim was to be te t high and wide, but as long as I needed. This turned out to be 20 t. So I ended with a pile 3 x 3 x 20. The height and width are necessary but the length is a 3 foot minimum.

The pile heated well. After te days I turned it to find that it started to break down. Grass has a tendency to form clumps of ter and this , but they were reasonable to break up at this time. For a pile like this it is best to simply have room to one side and turn it to the side. Try to get the outer ter to the center of the new pile. It was still 20 t long and a lot of work to turn.

The next turning was about four days later. Again the heat been good and it was starting to cool down. Material was much darker and the grass was no longer 3 t in length nor was it clumping as bad. I simply flipped the pile back onto its first footing, trying once again to get the outer erial into the interior of the new pile. I l about 3 t of length due to the uring of the pile. It was a lot of work to turn.

Each successive turning was easier. After the fourth turning I a pile about 15 t long but still 3 high and wide. It taken about te weeks. I sifted the comt leaving me a starter pile still about 3 x3 x 3. The rest went on what would be next spring's garden. These turnings were much easier simply because the ter was breaking down so well. It was hard to tell what started as grass and what as weed. Clumps broke as the fork went ough. Sometimes it is simply necessary to make a large pile and work it. Incidenty, very few weed seeds made it ough the hot comting process.