Are you overwhelmed by pests? Pests can make the best landscaping job look like an amateur stepped in. In actuality the pests create the mess. This post is going to give you some ideas to consider to keep pests away from your landscaping.
Did you know the best way to keep pests away is to take preventative measures? You can use pesticides to control pests when they arrive, but what if you can cut down on pests before they even make a home in your yard?
There are certain plants you can plant that actually repel pests, such as marigolds, petunias, and dahlias, to name a few. If you plant some of those you have made your first step in getting rid of pests. You should consider keeping all plant life and trees at least six inches from your home, as this helps with the creepy crawlies who can live indoors as well as outdoors.
If you use mulch, consider changing it out for red stones. If you really think about it, mulch is nothing more than decaying vegetation. And it can bring in a whole host of unwanted pests. Sure it’s nice to look at but it is also a tasty treat for bugs and pests.
These are few things to consider when landscaping, if you don’t want to have to deal with pests. This is not to say you won’t have a pest problem at some point but it will certainly cut down on unwanted visitors.
Source: Lifehacker
Image ℅: Wikimedia Commons
Sponsored by: Scenic Landscaping
Tags: Landscaping, mulch, pests, red stone
When it comes to plant nutrition, nothing is more important than fertilizing. But, as all good gardeners know fertilizing can either really help your garden, or it can really hurt your garden. Picking the wrong time to fertilize is one of the main causes of garden problems, so if you want to save yourself some pain, take some of this advice.
When it comes to New Jersey the summer months can get very hot very quickly. Summer is also one of the months where most inexperienced farmers typically use their fertilizer. Instead of making the biggest mistake of your life, try fertilizing in different parts of the year. I would recommend fertilizing in late May, early September, and the first week in November. These dates might seem a little close, but they are the best time to fertilize. In most cases there is no heat factor to that plays a role and you fertilize the recommended three times per year. Doing this will ensure that your lawn remains health and ready for the next summer.
References
1. About.com
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Tags: Garden, Gardening, Gardening Tips, Landscaping, Landscaping tips, Lawn care, New Jersey, plants, Scenic Landscaping
How does an electric dog fence really work? Is it cruel? Basically, it’s a system that keeps the dog inside the perimeter of the yard without the need for a physical “fence.” Installation goes underground and around the enclosure, and the electrical signal the buried line emits is tied to the collar the dog wears. When the dog goes near the perimeter, the collar beeps a warning, and about 4 seconds later, if the dog does not move away, an electric shock (uncomfortable but not harmful) will startle the dog. This occurs every time the dog ventures near the buried line, thereby training the dog to stay within the perimeter or risk an unpleasant shock.
Eventually, the dog learns to step back when the warning beep goes off, avoiding a shock altogether.
The problem with electric dog fences, though, is that other dogs (and other animals) can come into the yard without impediment. This could mean other animals coming after your dog and either playing or picking fights, which can cause injury. And if your dog, under the influence of adrenaline from playing with or fighting another dog, goes across the perimeter without stopping for the shock, then it might have trouble coming back in, as the shock would prevent him from crossing back into the yard.
Another problem is that, since the fence is electric, any power failure means a fence failure. The dog would be free to leave (although the hope is that the training from the collar would make the dog continue to avoid the perimeter).
The good thing, though, is that your beautiful landscape is available for everyone to enjoy. It makes you a friendly neighbor, too.
Several brands of electric fences are available, like Invisible Fence, Dog Watch, Pet Stop, Dog Guard, etc. Have you tried one or several of those? What electric dog fences work? (Note: if your dog is heavily furred, an electric fence may not work as well since there’s insulation between the dog’s skin and the shock.)
Be cautious, though: Some cities, towns or neighborhoods restrict or ban the use of electric fences. Check your local laws and/or HOA guidelines first if you plan to use one.
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Tags: electric dog fence, keep dog in the yard, pet fence, protect yard, safe yard for pets
When it comes to lawn care, too much water can be a bad thing. Weeds, bugs, and diseases are on the list of things that homeowners worry about when it comes to their yards, but over-watering is often an overlooked and preventable problem that can plague a lawn.
In most cases, over-watering is a result of having the sprinkler system on when it rains. It sounds silly, but it is something that people do to their lawns all the time. It is for this reason that many people add a rain sensor to their existing system. The device itself is rather simple: when it rains, the sensor ensures that the sprinkler system does not come on. That way, mother nature is watering your lawn instead of you.
Installing the device is also an easy task. The important part is to make sure the sensor is placed in an area free of obstructions. If a branch or a part of your roof is blocking rain from getting to the sensor, it will never know to turn off the sprinkler system. A common place to install one is on a fence, but it really doesn’t matter as long as the rain can get to it. After that, it’s just a few small wires to connect and you are done! Then you no longer have to worry about over-watering.
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Tags: effects, Gardening Tips, installing a rain sensor, Landscaping, Lawn care, over watering your lawn, plants, rain sensor, sprinkler systems
Think about it for a second, a solar powered lawnmower, that is a really good idea. You are out in the sun all day, and you have to get all that work done, that is just a no brainier. This solar powered contraption is the brain child of Studio Volpi, a company that has already had lots of great ideas for things that we use every day.
Speaking of awards, this design has already won a number of them, most of them are coming from the way this lawnmower works which, I have to admit is awesome. The only problem with it is that it’s only a concept at the moment. Ya, they won’t officially make one which is a real shame considering all the craze with anything considered green or eco-friendly. But who knows, maybe they will build one sometime into the future. Until then, we can only stare, and dream about what could have been.
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Tags: concept, Gardening, Green gardening, Landscaping, lawnmower, solar powered
As summer is leaving us and fall is quickly approaching it is time to think of that lovely flower garden that will soon fall asleep for winter. Those colors won’t be there to brighten up the day in the frigged months. But once spring arrives they will pop back up, green and new. So you better take care of them now. Even the mildest frost can kill a hearty perennial and leave you with a dry dead garden.
To keep your outdoor flowers protected from the harsh temperatures of winter you may want to take the following steps:
1. Plants that are very delicate and will not stand up well in the cold should be taken into the house. Dig around them and place them in pots with plenty of mulch and compost (if you have any). The plants that have been taken indoors should be kept in a sunny area, but you should note that windows may be too cold or drafty depending on the outside temperature.
2. For those plants that you decide to leave outside you need make sure to add liberal amounts of mulch and compost around them to blanket them from the cold. This will also give them much needed nutrition that will help them make it through winter.
3. You should check the forecast so you know when a freeze is expected. It a frost is coming you should cover your outside plants with clear or light-colored plastic. This will help keep the frost from freezing your flowers. Be sure to remove the cover in the morning.
4. If you are adding flowers to your garden or just starting to grow choose flowers that are known to last in cool temperatures. Choose hearty perennials.
References:
1. More information here
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Tags: Flowers for fall, gardens in winter, tips to save flowers in winter
The type of fertilizer I use doesn’t matter, right? Wrong.
Fertilizers can be extremely dangerous and harmful for the environment as well as people. Very little of the fertilizer people put down actually goes into the plant. Most of it is washed away by rain or excessive water.
The run off of fertilizer can find it’s way into lakes. Because many fertilizers contain high levels of nitrogen, once they amass in a body of water they create spontaneous algae growth which can cause problem of eutrophication. This kills of native aquatic life which disrupts the inter ecosystem of that lake.
Nitrogen is also very toxic to humans in high doses. People in rural areas that rely on wells for their water source have the highest rate of a condition called Methemoglobinemia, aka Blue Baby Syndrome which damages the blood cells and is linked to high levels of Nitrogen. Because fertilizers get into ground water they can find their way into the water we drink and cause many harmful affects.
Also the toxic chemicals can lead to kidney and liver problems as those two organs process out toxins in the body. They also lead to miscarriages in pregnant women and in high enough levels, to cancer.
So before you go out and by the cheapest brand of fertilizer do a little research. Shouldn’t you know what you are putting in the Earth?
Try an organic fertilizer or compost and use that to replenish the nutrients in the soil.
For more information visit www.Allexperts.com, www.organicfacts.net, and www.westsidegardener.com
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Tags: Fertilizers, organic fertilizer, the best fertilizer, the harmful effects of fertilizer
In recent years people have been switching over to organically grown produce, farmers markets have sprung up practically over night, and people are starting to grow vegetables in their backyards. With such a push toward self-servant agriculture people are learning to incorporate a food rich garden into a stunning garden, creating an edible landscape.
Ripe red roman tomatoes replace roses, while grape vines look like morning glories. All the colors and life of a vegetable garden is organized to create a breathtaking landscape. You would hardly know that it isn’t flowers you are staring at, but vegetables.
This type of garden doesn’t just provide a pretty site, but it also gives you delicious vegetables that you know were grown without harmful pesticides since they came from your backyard.
Both a flower garden and a vegetable garden take a lot of hard work, so why not reap the benefits of the latter. You can grow your corn and your sunflowers, plant your carrots and your cosmos. This mix of beauty and function will create a wonderful landscape wherever you live.
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Tags: edible landscape, flower garden, vegetable garden
Grass is the backdrop of our landscapes, and if it’s green and healthy, the better it looks. There are 3 tips for a green and healthy lawn: Food, Water and Care
- Food Fertilize often; It’s not enough to do it once in the spring.
- Water Regular Watering. You really need an automatic sprinkler system to give predictable, regular water.
- Care Aerate and cut EVERY week. It puts the grass into stress when we go longer than a week between cuts because we cut too much off the plant.
If we do these 3 things, in addition to a great appearance, the grass will be strong. When grass is healthy and strong, it forms a web (all the roots are attached) and it keeps out unwanted pests like insects and weeds.
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Tags: Landscaping, Lawn care, lawn care tips
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