Keep Your Garden Lush and Green This Summer

Natalie Norbut / July 17, 2015 / Comments are off for this post.

With the “Dog Days” of Summer approaching, many people are trying to figure out how they are going to keep their gardens lush and green during the hottest (and often driest) time of the year. Maintaining a garden during the hot summer months is definitely no easy task, however, it is not an impossible task either. As these tips from Quicken Loans, will show you, keeping a lush garden and/or lawn may be easier than you think. These tips are also meant to help minimize your water usage when gardening this summer. A lush green garden without a hefty water bill? Sounds pretty good to me!

Keep Your Lawn and Garden Lush

Rain Collection System
Many people living in dry areas have developed rain collection systems to reduce their dependency on local water systems. Something as simple as putting a few five-gallon buckets in your yard when it rains can reduce your dependency on municipal water. If you’re interested in going bigger, rain collection systems start at about $60 and hold about 40 gallons of water. The more money you shell out, the bigger and more elaborate the system you can get.
Cover Exposed Garden Soil with Mulch
A friend’s mom recently told me about this and after reading more about it I might go pick up some mulch after work tonight. The idea behind this is that you water the garden beds or pots really well and cover the soil with mulch right after. The mulch acts as a moisture barrier, preventing evaporation. As an added bonus, mulch also helps to keep weeds away. If I don’t have to weed and water so much, this sounds like the perfect option for me!
Water Early in the Morning or Late in the Evening
If you water your garden or lawn during the hottest part of the day, which is usually around 3 p.m., more water will evaporate than if you water your landscaping during cooler parts of the day. I try to water my garden in the morning before work and after dinner at night. This ensures the maximum amount of water reaches the deepest roots rather than vanishing into the air.
Avoid Cutting Your Lawn
If your local forecast calls for hot conditions and no rain for a few days, hold off on cutting your grass. According to Scott’s Lawn Care, allowing your lawn to grow taller will result in deeper roots. It’s easier for deeper-rooted grass to locate water in the ground during dry conditions. Besides, who wants to cut the grass when it’s excruciatingly hot outside anyways? Take a break and let your lawn go for a while.
Keep Your Garden and Lawn Weed Free
Even the most dedicated landscaper hates weeding, but getting those pesky, unwanted plants out of your garden and lawn helps increase efficient water usage. By removing weeds, your garden plants and grass aren’t competing for water.

These few simple tips can help save your lawn and garden during those rainless summer days, and won’t drive up your water bill.
Read more at http://www.quickenloans.com/blog/lawn-garden-wilting-away#PbzPEEM4zLmZMIX0.99

Cleaning Up Your Yard After A Long Winter

Natalie Norbut / April 1, 2014 / Comments are off for this post.

While some areas of the country may still be dealing with some winter like conditions (hopefully not for long), most of the country is beginning to feel more and more like spring. With the melting of snow and overall thaw of spring, lawns and gardens begin to emerge again. Before you can have the greenest lawn or prettiest garden on the block, there is a clean-up job to be done. In this article from Lawn Doctor, there are several tips on how to properly clean-up your yard after the harsh winter months.

End of Winter: Tips to Clean Up Your Yard After Winter

This winter has been one of the worst in years – and in some areas of the country, even decades. That severe weather, including snow and ice, has wreaked havoc in many parts of the United States. Even areas like Atlanta faced multiple snowstorms this year. All of this winter weather could mean damage to your yard. Here are some tips to clean up your yard and prevent winter yard damage:

Clean up rock salt and other deicing products

Using rock salt, ice melt, and other liquid or solid products to deice the sidewalk or the street may be important in the winter to keep you from falling or sliding around on the roads. But some of the products can potentially cause damage to your greenery. When the snow starts to melt, make sure that you clear off the deicing materials off your lawn, shrubs and trees to potentially protect against any winter yard damage. Apply gypsum to the areas of the lawn where road salt or salt from the driveway or sidewalks may have made contact.

Prune trees and shrubs

You many have put burlap around your trees or shrubs to protect them from the worst of the winter. If so, now is a great time to remove the burlap. However, winter storms may have done damage to the shrubs or trees in your yard. Make sure that you clean up your yard by pruning any branches damaged by the winter, so that new growth can take its place.

Remove dead materials and litter

One of the pitfalls from winter is that many things may blow onto your lawn that do not need to be there. Once the snow melts, you may see that litter has made it onto your lawn. Obviously, you need to clean it up. Other things you will need to remove include things like leaves, pine cones, fallen tree branches, and dog waste that may have ended up on your lawn.

Trim back perennials and remove annuals

Cut back the dead leaves and branches on your perennials to ensure future growth. In addition, if you have some annuals that you did not remove in the fall, now would be a good time to do so. Many of this plant material could end up in your composting bin.

Control weeds

If you did not get rid of any existing weeds at the end of fall, apply weed controls when temperatures are 50 degrees or higher.. Do not put the weeds, though, in the compost pile, as they could sprout and overwhelm your yard.

Treat snow mold

You may have an unpleasant surprise after winter – snow mold. This is common in areas with significant snowfall. Areas that have been matted down by the snow mold, use a leaf rake to remove the dead leaves and allow the lawn to recover.

Fertilize for spring

Now is a good time to start on spring fertilizing to get your yard ready for summer enjoyment. Use a fertilizer which includes crabgrass preventer. Follow label directions to avoid over fertilization.

Keep Weeds Out Of Your Garden

Natalie Norbut / May 1, 2013 / Comments are off for this post.

Today is the first of May, which means if you have a garden weeds are going to begin to take over soon. To help you keep those pesty weeds out of your garden, our friends at Housekeeping, have 15 tips for you to help keep your garden weed free. Here is the article…

15 Ways to Keep Weeds from Growing in Your Garden

Cultivating and maintaining a garden, whether ornamental or edible, can be a relaxing and rewarding hobby. Watching plants that you’ve nurtured and carefully chosen begin to thrive in your garden is a joy, but there are some unwelcome guests that are eager to crash your garden party. Weeds are persistent and difficult to get rid of, and can spoil the look of an ornamental garden altogether. These 15 tips can help you keep the weeds at bay.

Remove Weeds as They Appear – It’s tempting to put off the chore of weeding until the weekend, but a few days of growth can give those weeds quite a foothold. Remove them as they appear to maintain some semblance of control.
Install Black Plastic Under Topsoil – A layer of black plastic under topsoil that you’ve brought in can prevent weeds in your lawn from growing into flower beds and vegetable gardens. Just be sure that you supply plenty of soil to support healthy root growth of the plants you want.
Apply Mulch – Mulch is a gardener’s best friend. It helps to retain moisture, prevent soil erosion and block weed growth.
Use Intensive Planting Methods – Choosing plants that are tolerant to crowding and planting them close together will make it difficult for weeds to thrive, as there won’t be enough space for their root systems.
Apply Herbicides – If you’re not planning to eat anything from your garden, commercially-available chemical herbicides can kill weeds. There are some herbicides that can be used on vegetable gardens, but you should be sure to check the labels carefully.
Use Weed-Free Soil – Bringing in bagged soil is a great alternative when the existing soil isn’t ideal for gardening, but you should always make sure that you’re choosing sterilized soil that’s clearly marked as “weed free.”
Make Cover Crops Work for You – Cover crops like clover and vetch can act as a natural barrier against weeds, preventing their growth altogether.
Install a Drip Irrigation System – While a sprinkler provides much-needed water to everything in your garden, including the weeds, a drip irrigation system will only water the plants that you want to grow. In dry climates, this can be quite effective at preventing weed growth.
Use a Weed Prevention Product – There are chemical weed prevention products on the market that come in granule form that will stop weeds from germinating. They may not be ideal for all gardens, but they’re effective.
Look for Double-Duty Products – Some fertilizers also contain chemicals that inhibit weed growth. Choosing products that do double duty will reduce the amount of work you have to do while supporting a healthy, weed-free garden.
Prevent Seeding – A weed that seeds on the other side of your lawn can cause growth in the garden, as many seeds are carried on the wind and can move quite a distance. Be on the lookout for weeds in other parts of your property and remove them.
Compost Carefully – When you compost for fertilizer, the temperature of your compost heap may not be high enough to kill any weed seeds in the mixture. Make sure that you’re not introducing weeds to the compost heap by tossing them in as you pull them out of the ground.
Mind the Gaps – Just as a weed yards away from your garden can cause trouble, so can those pesky ones that grow in the gaps of walkways. Sprinkling a healthy dose of baking soda, salt or even borax can kill those weeds, preventing their proliferation throughout your garden.
Know What You’re Dealing With – A weed is really just a plant that’s growing where you don’t want it to, which encompasses a wide range of plant life. Knowing the specific type of weeds that you’re battling can help you tailor your approach accordingly, so read up on your weeds.
Watch for Hitchhikers – Potted plants from a garden center or nursery are much more convenient than those you start from seed, but weeds can take root in those pots, too. Be sure that anything you transplant is something you want, and avoid the introduction of undesirable shoots that might be lurking on the perimeter of the pot.