July 29, 2008
Filed under: Gardening — admin @ 5:19 pm
At Southwest Greens, we realize that no one ever installed one of our backyard putting greens solely to benefit the environment. In the process of bringing the game home to countless golf enthusiasts nationwide, however, that’s exactly what has happened. More and more we’re learning how environmentally unsound mowing and maintaining natural grass can be. By installing one of our putting greens made from the finest artificial grass on the market, you’ll not only be drawing attention to an important issue but also doing something about. Best of all, you’ll be doing something about it while having the time of your life.
Exactly how can one of our indoor putting greens or outdoor golf greens benefit the surrounding environment? By virtue of what you won’t have to do to maintain it. Did you know that using a gas lawnmower for an hour is equal in emissions to gassing up your car and taking off on a 100-mile trip? Or that while you’re mowing you’re releasing something called hydrocarbons into the air that have a nasty habit of reappearing as smog? Because there is no mowing involved with synthetic grass all of these issues simply fall by the wayside, as does the issue of wasting water. No watering means no waste, and in a country where the average household uses some 25 gallons of water per square foot of lawn per year and water conservation is an issue that is a significant savings indeed.
The correlating benefit of all of the environmental good you’ll be doing is that our greens have virtually no maintenance involved. That means no mowing, no watering, no fertilizing or chemicals, ever. Your sole responsibility will be to enjoy the convenience of playing the game you love, whenever you please, in the comfort of your own backyard. The added bonus of environmental soundness is yet another great aspect of your purchase.
More and more of your friends, neighbors, and fellow golf enthusiasts are discovering the many ways they can benefit from the installation of one of our backyard putting greens. Will you be the next to follow sit? Bring a sense of convenience to your game, renovation to your backyard, and relief to the environment. At Southwest Greens, we can help on all three counts.
Duane Diede has owned and operated MAE Landscaping, Inc. since 1976. He has been installing high quality http://www.seattleputtinggreen.com/”>landscapes> and irrigation systems for residential and commercial areas for years.Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com”>ArticleRich.com>
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July 18, 2008
Filed under: Gardening — admin @ 11:43 am
Want to spruce up your garden or yard? Nothing else does the job quite like a bird feeder does. A bird feeder will brings dozens of beautiful birds into your garden and yard, giving it a colorful, lively feel. To get the full benefits of a bird feeder, though, you must first learn about the different types and varieties of bird feeders, and how you can go about the best on for your needs. It isn’t complicated, but knowing a few things can go a long way towards making your bird feeder a success.Â
The first thing to consider with any bird feeder is the look. If it doesn’t fit with your garden and house, its not going to do you any good. Fortunately, you can get bird feeders in a wide variety of colors and styles. You can get sheet metal bird feeders, wood bird feeders, hanging feeders, standing feeders, solar powered bird feeders, and many more. Look with what fits in with your garden, and make your decision. While a stone angel feeder may look great in one yard, the gazebo style might be a much better choice for yours.
You also need to consider what type of feeder you want. The most common type of feeder is the traditional birdseed type feeder. These feeders take the traditional mixed birdseed, which will attract a wide variety of different birds. If you have a lot of finches in your area, a finch feeder maybe be for you. Since finches have long, narrow beaks, and can eat different types of seeds, you can attract these birds with a specialized finch feeder. These can be a great compliment to your regular feeder, as it will provide some nice variation. Finally, you can get a hummingbird feeder, which feeds liquid sugar to hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are always fascinating to watch, so getting one of these feeders is a great idea.
You should also consider some special features for your feeder. The most important feature, in my opinion, is squirrel proofing. If you have squirrels in your area, they will get into your feeder if you let them, no doubt about it. You will find out how outlandishly clever squirrels are once you start trying to keep them out of your feeder. Even though many of the squirrel proof designs aren’t perfect, if you don’t have this, you’re just giving them a free lunch.
Another interesting feature you can get with your bird feeder is a lighted feeder. Powered either by battery, or a rechargeable battery powered by solar panel, you can watch birds feed into the evening and in the early morning with the feeder. This makes it a great conversation piece for those summer outside parties. A very unique and wonderful choice for a bird feeder.
Overall, you can see that choosing a bird feeder isn’t an extremely easy decision, but neither is it that hard. Just make your choice among the wide variety of styles and options available, and you will get to enjoy the relaxation and aesthetic appeal that only a bird feeder can bring to your yard or garden. Just keep those squirrels away!
David Wilson loves birds, http://www.buybirdfeeders.info/”>bird feeders, and life in general. Shop for a wide selection of great bird feeders, including http://www.buybirdfeeders.info/category/hummingbird-feeders”>hummingbird feeders, http://www.buybirdfeeders.info/category/garden-angel”>garden angel bird feeders, and many more, at the best prices on the net.
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com”>ArticleRich.com>
July 10, 2008
Filed under: Gardening — admin @ 9:58 pm
Before anything else, different gardeners seek to stay away from fall gardening as much as they can due to the winter frosts that ordinarily arrive quite early and have the ability to make things a bit demanding.
Discovering all you can about fall gardening plus other gardening information will certainly prove effective to you in dealing with any hitches that may well develop.
Every person I know wants a perfect looking garden. A perfect looking garden will surely require more than just investing a great deal of cash. It will require sustenance as well as concern to accomplish the required shape.
But, what is cost when compared to getting the exact form of garden you desire? How much do you authentically know concerning the fertilization process as a gardener? If you authentically don’t know much, then listen closely. Each and every gardener should
It is not adequate to get just about any form of glove for gardening as a gardener. Various men and women believe so, and are severely saddened when they find how erroneous they are.
You see, the glove for gardening has got to fit you exactly on account of the fact that an extra large one will surely slide off whereas an undersized one will surely result in aches as well as cramps. Bear this in mind when out shopping for your gardening glove. Subscribing to gardening magazines has numerous rewards.
Gardening magazines give gardeners the chance to share their thoughts and knowledge with other readers by submitting their own pieces of writing to be published. You can easily have your such articles included also, if you have them.
What you prefer to eat and even available space which you have for fall gardening are the determining factors behind the crops you will have to cultivate; it is authentically not unusual from spring planting.
Embellishing your garden will surely make it much more attractive as well as exceptional; it is a sensitive way of giving it a personal touch, a form of mark which identifies it as your own distinctive work.
Insects ordinarily focus on unhealthy plants so gardeners have got to work on developing healthy plants which can get over minor insect wreck.
Your yearning to learn all you can as regards to back ache and also the different solutions can be fulfilled on the Internet where you can access a number of websites online which provide elaborate and also complete clues as regards to it.
To finalize, if you authentically need to engage in organic gardening but you are fearful of weeds, it’s easy to prevent weeds from exasperating you into dispensing with organic gardening by using organic mulch and corn meal gluten that slows down weed outbreak when used early enough.
by Stephen Campbell Â
To read more,visit http://www.gardeningtips101.info
Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com
July 6, 2008
Filed under: Gardening,Plants — admin @ 4:44 pm
Growing sweet corn is the most popular one to grow out of all the corns for the home gardener. It is important to establish when and where to plant. May and June are the two best months to plant. Plant your corn in the sunniest place in your garden, first making sure there are no risks of any more frost.
Your corn needs at least eight hours of sunlight a day. For proper germination, soil temperature should be about 60 degrees, for the super sweet varieties slightly higher.
Those who require an early start on could cover the soil with plastic mulch, a black or clear polythene sheet is ideal, this will help warm the soil and create faster germination.
If you are going to plant different varieties of corn, it is important to keep them separate, as they can cross pollinate. If, for example, your neighbor or other people in the area are growing corn keep a look out.
The distance between should be about 300 meters. Corn is pollinated by wind and any other person in the same area can have theirs contaminated or vice versa.
The seeds should be planted in well draining soil; otherwise the kernels will rot if they are sat in damp wet soil. It is easy to test your soil pH with a soil tester. These can easily be purchased at your local garden center.
The soil should read around 6.0 to 6.5, if your pH is low limestone can be added to raise the pH if this is needed it is better to add the limestone during the winter.
This will have your soil ready for the next growing season. To help balance out drainage and pH, adding organic compost will also help.
Now that you are ready to plant the seeds, it is better to plant them about a foot apart for each row, and approximately one inch deep. If your soil is very sandy, plant the seeds a little deeper.
When growing sweet corn, it is far better to plant them in groups of four rows; this works well to stimulate pollination. A good standard distance between rows is approximately 32 inches.
Always keep your sweet corn watered to produce full, healthy ears. When the tassels start to appear, make sure you are watering at the very least one inch of water per week. Do not let the soil dry out between watering.
If at some point the weather is unusually hot and dry, compensate for this and water more frequently. Corn will not grow well if it becomes to dry for long periods.
Growing vegetables or plants in the garden always brings little pests to interfere with the growing process. Corn rootworm beetles can cause problems with pollination; these immature beetles are normally found in old corn fields.
Once they mature, they migrate to feed on tender new corn. Keep a lookout for these beetles when the corn starts to produce silk.
The time to harvest your corn is known as the “milk Stage”. This is when the ears are fully formed but not quite ripe. This normally lasts about a week. To see if it is ready to harvest, look at the silks. These should be brown and starting to dry, this usually happens about 3 weeks after the silks first appear.
The kernels will produce a little milky fluid when pierced, and the husks should hold tightly to the ear. Each stalk usually yields at least one ear, if lucky, sometimes more.
Harvest your corn in the cooler hours of the morning. Remove ears of corn by twisting at the base and pulling them off. Store them in cool temperatures, the cooler the better. It is best to eat your corn within in a few days of harvesting.
Tracy Ballisager is a stay at home mum and provides info on gardening online. See her website for tips on Growing Vegetables.
To read more go to http://gardening-tips-idea.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tracy_Ballisager
Filed under: Gardening,Plants — admin @ 8:22 am
No vegetable lover can resist a ripe, juicy tomato fresh from the garden. I don’t even need to make a case for how much of a difference tasty organic tomatoes make in dressing salads (or my personal favorite: BLT sandwiches!)
The tomato growing secrets I’m about to share with you, are specific easy steps you can take to grow and enjoy your own flavorful organic tomatoes this garden season.
Secret #1: Forget The Junk Chemical Fertilizers
It’s a proven, undisputed fact that organically grown tomatoes taste much, much better than chemically grown tomatoes. Â You see, food companies use chemicals because it makes their tomatoes grow quicker, which allows them to turn around crop faster so they can make more profit.
Remember, making money is not your goal here.. you want great tasting, mouth watering, juicy tomatoes that will amaze your family and guests!
Secret #2: Find a Sunny Patch Of Ground And DON’T Make This *Crucial* Mistake…
Every expert will say “make sure you find a nice patch of sunny ground” – that’s common knowledge and you probably already knew it – but here’s the thing lots of folks leave out and will destroy your garden if you don’t do it: that patch absolutely needs to get at least 6 full hours of focused sunlight!
Feel free to use a garden bed, patch of land near your patio, etc. – just be sure about the 6 hour minimum sunlight requirement!
Helpful Tip: Place your garden near your watering source whenever possible.
People get so preoccupied with where to place their garden – and rightly so because it’s important – but then water becomes a stressful chore because the watering source is far away.
How To Know What Type Of Tomato Will Grow The Best
There are plenty of different tomato varieties, and depending on where you live, one type will grow better than others. (So many people falsely assume it doesn’t matter, and select the wrong type for their soil!)
So how do you find what tomato grows best in your garden? Call a local nursery expert. I’ve found them to be an excellent resource, as they will tell you exactly which tomatoes have proven track records for growing nicely in your climate!
Secret #3: Fertilizing Schedule And A ‘Trick’ That Makes Them Grow Healthier
You’ll want to naturally fertilize your tomatoes every other week until you see fruit, and then fertilize again after each flush of fruit. A balanced organic fertilizer will work fine or if you’re the do-it-yourself type, you can use fish emulsion in water.
Healthy Growing Tip: Use mulch in your tomato garden and put up tall stakes or wire cages) for them to grow. (Tomato plants can climb as high as 6 feet!) Point is, don’t let them grow along the ground – they’ll get diseased and eaten by pests!
Secret #4: Keep Away Pests With These Easy Home Remedies
You definitely want to discourage pests from inviting themselves into your garden. Here’s how to do it: use hair to stop slugs in their tracks, dipel for hornworms and soapy water for aphids.
Secret #5: When To Harvest Your Tomatoes
Make sure you harvest your crop when they’re at the “pink shoulders” stage – that’s when they first start to ripen. If you wait much longer you’ll have birds and insects fighting you for them!
Discover more shockingly easy organic garden tips for your garden, including easy ways to keep your garden healthy and thriving at http://www.OrganicGardenTips.net
Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Costas_Peppas“>
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Costas_Peppas>
July 5, 2008
Filed under: Gardening,Plants — admin @ 6:01 pm
If you are interested in producing your own homegrown incense right in your backyard, then there are two particular plants that are absolutely ideal. The first is sweetgrass, or Hierochloe odorata. Sweetgrass primarily grows in Canada, however, you can also find it sprouting up in northern Europe.
Sweetgrass possesses a vanilla-like scent, and is commonly used for making dried braids in addition to incense. The other plant that is very suitable for growing your own incense is white sage (Salvia apiana), which is also known as “bee sage” or “sacred sage”.
White sage thrives mainly in a small portion of southern California on the coast and also in northwestern Mexico.
White sage is used as a purification incense. It was used by Native Americans in a process called smudging, where the smoke from the burnt white sage leaves is spread about the body with a bird feather or wing.
In addition, white sage also possesses medicinal value (clearing the sinuses, stomach tonic, etc.) and typically the leaves are burned in order to produce the incense through the use of bundled leaves called smudge sticks.
The nice thing about both these herbs, is that they can be conveniently and efficiently grown in your own backyard with a little specialized care. The first thing to do is to must make sure that the soil is continually replenished with nutritional elements that these plants need, like phosphorous, nitrogen, and calcium.
This is important because each time that you harvest the leaves of your plants, minerals are removed that are not effectively replenished solely by chemical fertilizers.
Rather, an all-natural fertilizer such as bone meal or blood meal is appropriate in order to replace a wide variety of soil nutrients that sweetgrass and white sage require, without affecting soil microbes that facilitate plant growth.
Sweetgrass stands (areas in which sweetgrass grows) are mostly created through the use of root plugs, because a large amount of sweetgrass seeds are incapable of reproduction. These root plugs should be grown in plastic pots that are not too deep or narrow and then, after being kept in a shady area and filling out the pot, they can be transferred to your garden.
Make sure that the soil is rich in nutrients, especially trace elements and also that it is moist and not full of clay or poorly drained. It is also important that your sweetgrass plants have access to plenty of sunlight, and are fertilized at least twice during the growing season with a natural fertilizer.
As for white sage, it can also be initially planted in pots and then transferred. Starting with the seed is possible, however, white sage seed is difficult to grow unless in sandy soil with plenty of water daily.
White sage is not as resistant to cold weather as sweetgrass, and so outside of its natural habitat it needs to be brought inside for the winter in pots or used as an annual instead of a perennial. White sage also needs excellent drainage, as it won’t stand much excess water.
All things considered, using an all-natural fertilizer is the best way to ensure that your sweetgrass and white sage will grow effectively outside of their natural growing areas.
If you follow the guidelines for planting these herbs and avoid using chemical fertilizers that can easily burn the plants, then you’ll have your own supply of incense right in your backyard!
Christopher A. Williams (aka Natural Fertilizer Guy) edits the website: http://www.safe-fertilizer-reviews.com
The website contains articles about natural fertilizers and seaweed based fertilizers, as well as general natural gardening tips.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_A._Williams
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July 2, 2008
Filed under: Flowers,Gardening — admin @ 12:55 pm
Many gardeners like to jump right in and plant all kinds of
flowers,
plants and vegetables and they don’t even know anything about what is needed to place, feed and maintain those gardens. Hopefully the following information will get those brain cells working as to what must be done and do it right.Â
Disease-susceptible
It is best to know if your plants are subject to diseases or fungus. This should lead you to picking the right plants to put in your garden. The right plant and the right soil are most important at this time. In order to get a good looking garden and keep the maintenance to a minimum choose plants that are disease resistant.
One thought to keep in mind is to try and stay with native plants. If you live in zones 1 thru 6 don’t try to grow bougainvilleas. It just does not work for you or the plant.
Experience is the best teacher as to what can be grown and what to do for its soil. Go visit a good local nursery and if you can trust them ask them what may be best for your area. To keep you as a customer they should be happy to help you. Also the local county extension service and even nursery catalogs put out a lot of good information. Disease resistant plants can save you a lot of time and money.
There are resistant kinds that are around for such diseases as apple scab, armillaria root rot, bean mosaic virus, black spot, blueberry mummyberry, cherry viruses, fireblight, juniper tips, lilac bacterial blight, pea enation mosaic virus, potato scab, powdery mildew, root-knot nematode, rust, tomato fusarium twig blights, verticillium wilt and other diseases.
Location
Know what location to place those plants. Do some planning and look at what, where and when to plant. Pick those plants accordingly.
Shade
A good nursery will have everything labeled especially with the needs of the plant like if it needs sun, part shade or full shade.
Place a shade plant in the sun and you will get yellowing and it will grow poorly. A sunburn will happen and there is no coppertone for plants to prevent it. One rule of thumb I have heard is “stay away from western or southern exposure”.
Sun
On the other hand if a sun plant is placed in the shade you will get poor results like stunted or spindly growth. By chance they do grow they will be frail and lacking leaves which are energy producers.
Your flowers will lack blooms by putting in the shade. Or say, the sun will increase those blooming flowers to their max.
Water
Use water conservation landscaping whenever you can. Water is abundant on the earth but we do not need to waste it. If and when you water your plants or lawn you will need to know that your driveway and sidewalk will not grow from a lot of watering. Drought climates know the importance off conserving water at all times. When watering, do it to a depth of 1 inch.
We take our water supply for granted by squandering more than we ever should use and in many areas, additional groundwater is pumped and mother nature can’t keep up with by replacing through precipitation and runoff.
Drought-tolerant
One suggestion is use plants that are tolerant to drought. Once established these plants grow better with little water. We tried to adapt afghan pines to south Texas which are arid tolerant pines but even here they got too much water and die at a young age.
However, every plant needs to be mulched, mother nature’s blanket for heat, cold and even drought.
Some grasses need heavy watering to stay green and growing. Maybe a good idea to replace with drought-tolerant ground covers, therefore, may save on water and money.
If your favorite plant needs plenty of water try grouping them together and then layering them with a couple inches mulch.
Pollination requirements
We need to maintain our pollinators of bees, butterflies and hummingbirds by getting a food source for them with the right plants. New gardeners attempt to grow fruit trees and find the trees are fruitless. No cross pollination is happening.
Many kinds of trees need cross pollination to produce blooms and their fruit. On some it is mandatory but not on all.
Research the pollination requirements of your desired tree before hand. Growing one on limited space try a self-pollinating fruit tree.
As mentioned before pollination will not take place without insects, butterflies or hummingbirds.
One last thing I feel that I need to harp on is if chemical pesticides are used by yourself or a neighbor, the honeybees and other pollinating insects won’t be around so that fruit production will suffer.
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