Archive for June, 2010
Achieving a healthy and good-looking garden is difficult but not an impossible task. There are some gardening tips that come quite handy in reaping a rich harvest. Following are some useful tips from the seasoned gardeners who may also have faced similar situations while moving up on the learning curve.
Every gardener faces unique problems in regard to the soil condition of the regions he is striving to succeed in. Coming to the gardeners rescue, the United States department of Agriculture (USDA) has prepared a Zone Map for Plant Hardness. It comprises of all regions divided into 11 different zones, 1 being the coldest to 11 being the warmest. Referring this zone map can help you a lot in finding out the best plants suiting the specific region and soil type.
The basic ingredients – Sunlight and Water
Plants require a regular diet of six to ten hours of sunlight daily for healthy growth. Your garden can produce wonders if it is supported by soil with rich and sandy loam. You can also consider feeding nutrients in the form of manure and compost to the soil bed of your garden. Adhering to the directional tips like planting the rows from north to south, and having complementary plants side-by-side will ensure good results. You must always use fresh and new seeds while sowing fresh plants. Watering the plants regularly will get rid of all forms of air gaps in the soil, thus, roots will be able to travel far down and wide ensuring a strong root system.
Gardening manuals suggest that bulbs require at least twelve weeks of low temperature for flowering, thus, you may consider refrigerating them before planting. The ideal time to dig-up perennials is fall. Once you have dug them up you must split the bulbs up to keep them fresh and productive. It is ideal to have four or more splits resulting in as many plants. It is also suggested to undertake such splitting procedure every three years to keep the bulbs productive.
Fall is also the time for over-wintering or vernalization of the bulbs to ensure speedy seed development. As per this practice, one should place the bulbs under the soil during fall and let them be there the entire winter. This will result in them blooming wonderfully during the spring season. Laying chicken wire over the planted bulbs and then putting mulch over it will help keeping the rodents away from digging out the bulbs.
Spring time is busy time for gardeners all over the world as it is during this season that most of the weeding, mulching, fertilizing, composting, pruning and planting is undertaken. Spring is an ideal time to begin grass seeds. You should also deadhead the blooms during springtime as it will help strengthening the plants and also control the self-seeding plants from venturing out into the other parts of the garden.
The above mentioned gardening tips will make sure that you create breathtaking views in your garden year after year.
Removing stains requires the use of a poultice. A poultice consists of two materials: 1) an absorbent material such as Bounty or Viva paper towels, talcum powder or diatomaceous earth and 2) a chemical to remove the stain. There are five different categories of stains and each has its own designated chemical for the poultice.
Categories of Stain:
1. Stains: Organic (coffee, soda, mustard, gravy, tea, etc.)
Chemical: Hydrogen Peroxide (30%-40% by volume)
2. Stains: Inorganic (ink, dyes, dirt, etc.)
Chemical: Rubbing Alcohol for ink; Hydrogen Peroxide (30%-40% by volume) for all others
3. Stains: Oil (any type of cooking oil, some mineral oils, butter, margarine, etc.)
Chemical: Pure Acetone (avoid using nail polish remover as different brands have different ingredients)
4. Stains: Biological (mold, mildew, etc.)
Chemical: Bleach or MB-9
5. Stains: Metal (rust, copper, etc.)
Chemical: Iron-out (a white powder available at hardware stores)
The Removal Process:
Due to the nature of this removal process, you may want to test a small, inconspicuous area of the stone to ensure there are no adverse effects.
1. Begin by mixing the poultice (ex: talc powder and hydrogen peroxide). You will want to create a thick paste. It should have the consistency of putty.
2. Apply the mix to the stained area, keeping it only on the stain. The layer of paste should be about one fourth of an inch thick and overlap the stain about a half an inch.
3. Cover the area with plastic wrap and tape the edges down. Allow it to set for 24 hours.
4. Remove the tape and plastic wrap only, leaving the poultice in place.
5. Allow this to remain on the stain until it is completely dry. This can take anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days.
6. When the paste is completely dry, use a plastic scraper to scrape away the paste.
7. Wipe remaining paste away with a clean cloth.
8. Clean the area as normal and dry with another clean cloth.
9. If the stain remains, you may need to repeat steps 2-6 several times, especially for oily stains, each time removing more of the stain.
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You needn’t catch hold of your aunt who wins the neighborhood best garden ribbon or read up loads of thick books on gardening to come up with the best blooms; you can do all this on your own without bribing or even threatening to poison beautiful flowers in your neighbor’s garden if they don’t let you in on their secret for floral blooms every year. Yes, you can – with the help of some useful and practical gardening tips you can easily have access to when you pick up a good gardening book!
It’s true: gardening books are a great source of useful tips by experienced gardeners about the varieties of plants, including flowering kinds, veggies, fruit and herbs, that a beginner can start laying their garden down with besides telling them about the kind of precautions needed to ensure the garden grows each season and what kind of tools to use for the care of the plants and the upkeep of the garden. A good gardening book is also a great resource center for beginner gardeners who are on the look-out to gain knowledge about the various seasons to grow different kinds of plants in, the kind of soil each type requires, how big they will grow with the right effort, what kind of containers to use and how much water and sunlight they need to direct to the plant to ensure its health.
Since gardening books can sometimes be an expensive proposition also, especially the glossy, hard-bound collector’s edition ones, you can start off with purchasing a magazine for the same purpose or buy a starter’s guide, which is not too costly and serves well-enough as an initial guide to gardening. Or else, you can borrow one of these good gardening books from a good friend or the library. You can also read tips online.
Now, that we have covered ground for finding gardening books, you can move to the next step i. e. reading the book. Do not skip parts as you will need to read, remember and follow all the directions to plant a garden, how to break up the dirt and the quantity of water, manure mix, sun protection or energy the chosen plants will need. For every variety of plant, all these factors are different as are the season for sowing their seeds, frequency of watering them and nutrient values deemed fit for them, so read with care and follow to the T.
It is not important whether your gardening book is a mere pamphlet or a manual with over 100 pages; what is vital for your knowledge of gardening is that it should provide reliable and adequate information on sowing, protecting and growing a beautiful, insect-free garden, fighting plant diseases, keeping the garden free of weeds and ensuring you have the healthiest blooms every year!
A few weeks ago my wife decided to do some reorganizing of the furniture in our house. And that usually spells trouble and disruption, as us fellas already know. The problem we had was that she was reluctant to throw any furniture away, saying that we might need it at some point in the future.
As we do not have a spare room to house it all, my wife decided to fill up the shed. Now, I am unable to get in there at all. It has become a furniture store rather than a garden shed. So, I needed to get myself some outdoor garden shed plans, and set about building a new one. It was only when I sat down and thought about it, that I realized how much detail and planning goes into building an outdoor garden shed. Thank goodness I had some detailed plans to follow.
The first thing that occurred to me was to build the shed to a larger scale than I thought I needed. Make no mistake, it is really easy to fill a garden shed, so if you can, my advice is to build something bigger than you think you will need. Space permitting of course.
My reasoning was that if I am going to all this trouble and spending my own time on this project, I want a solid garden shed which is going to outlive me. So I did not want to scrimp on cheap lumber that would rot a few years down the road. I therefore decided to buy pressure treated timber for the construction.
My other major concern was security. With a shed full of equipment and belongings, I do not want a thief to come under cover of darkness and help him or herself to my precious belongings. So my advice is to go for a solid door and a good lock.
Do think about the weather conditions where you live, and take these into consideration before you plan and build. If you are subject to extremes of weather, this can shorten the life of your outdoor shed if you do not allow for it in the building phase, by using the right materials for the climate. Oh, and do not forget to have adequate ventilation. It can get pretty hot in there in the summer months. Good luck with your outdoor garden shed plans.
When many people think of Los Angeles, they picture a large and very populated metropolitan area, filled with subdivisions and glass monoliths that can be best described as generic. However, the city is rife with evidence of a pride in property ownership that is reflected in the way in which people decorate their homes, inside and out. The city of Thousand Oaks is a good example of this seeming phenomenon.
One of the quickest ways to discover the care that some people take in keeping the natural beauty of Southern California is in the effort made in landscaping Thousand Oaks. Yes, palm trees and yucca plants are in abundance throughout this area, but there are numerous other examples of botanical offerings that can be found dressing up the exteriors of homes, apartment complexes, and even commercial properties.
Flower gardens are very popular all over Southern California, and they are a big part of the effort in landscaping Thousand Oaks. This is true not only for residential properties, but along roadways and in public parks and other green spaces that offer room for floral improvement. Vegetable gardens can even be found integrated into outdoor landscaping themes, adding a colorful and practical touch to backyards here and there.
Of course, landscaping Thousand Oaks doesn’t stop there. The proliferation of unique designs in patio décor and exterior treatments in general is one of the trademarks of California life. This is natural, since the weather is so pleasant throughout the year. It is frankly amazing to see how much improved even a modest bungalow-style 2 bedroom house can be with a tasteful patio theme. Skillful use of stone or textured concrete on decks and walkways is a simple but effective way to make the most of an outdoor entertainment area. Patio covers are also a useful and decorative method of landscaping Thousand Oaks homes, and are very versatile as to design and construction.
Masonry walls can be a big part of landscaping Thousand Oaks as well. The typical chain-link or slat fence that define property lines can be greatly enhanced with a stone look. Even backyard areas and patios can be improved with walls made from stone, especially when capped off with flat stone or faux-stone that makes for a comfortable seating area for guests when they are enjoying the outdoor environment at a party. Walkways can be dressed up with textured concrete that can be color-matched to accent the theme of the exterior décor.
These are just a few of the innovative approaches people take when they are landscaping Thousand Oaks. The keys to successful landscape design are an overall picture of the way an exterior will eventually look, a careful planning that allows for flexibility in the way in which the design progresses, and above all, the imagination and desire to make it happen. Any property can undergo dramatic improvements with just a few simple touches, and the possibilities are limited only by the creativity and skill in which the plan is implemented.