Mulch. Mulch. Mulch.
Mulch. It doesn't sound like much, but there's a reason it's such a popular item to use around the home and garden. Mulch can help lock in temperature and moisture in soil, prevent weeds from going, keep unwanted critters out, decorate an area, and even improve the quality of the soil by enhancing nutrients (in the case of "organic" mulch). So if there's been something missing from your lawn or garden, there's a good chance that the answer to your problems is as simple as laying down some mulch. Here's how to do it.
First, mulching will depend on the kind of climate you live in. If you live in a cold-weather climate and your winters will see a thick layer of snow for months at a time, you'll want to apply cold-weather mulch before winter and make sure you replace it every year. If you live in a warm-weather area where temperatures are pretty stable year-round, you'll also want to annually replace mulch, but you probably won't need to apply it for the sake of the seasons.
Mulch can work in both temperatures, however, to keep the soil at a better temperature. In warm-weather areas, mulch can block out a lot of sunlight and keep the ground cooler - after all, you know how warm blacktop can get when it simply sits out in the sun all day. For cold-weather areas, mulch will have an insulating effect. For this reason, you'll want to apply mulch different: just a 1-2 inch layer in the warm weather areas, and more insulating mulch for colder areas, which means an even thicker layer.
You'll also want to plot out where you use your mulch. Mulch can make a great border between grass and garden; just remember that you probably won't be walking on it much. Take a look at your landscaping and ask yourself where the borders should go. Don't go overboard with them; simply realize that borders can really augment and improve the look of a great landscape design.
In general, the best idea for using mulch is to KISS, or "Keep It Simple, Stupid." Use mulch to help keep the soil protected and also provide a landscape border. Don't overdo it with the mulch; simply lay it, inspect it, and then leave it. You'll find that this approach will work just fine, and it will only take on Saturday afternoon of work.
Photo Credits: knitsteel
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Posted by Fix Handyman on January 5, 2010 in
Backyard, How to Fix, Landscaper, Lawn
Summer Blooms.
Let's face it: raising a garden isn't always easy. Even if you pull it off and design it well, there's still a good amount of manual labor and honest work that will go into it. Tilling soil, landscaping, acquiring seeds, and making sure that your plants get what they need to grow can seem like an everyday endeavor. But if you plan your garden smartly and know what will be involved, you'll be ready for a full, lush garden within a relatively short amount of time. If you want to plant you garden the right way this summer, check out these tips.
Look up all of the plants that work well in your area. It's one thing to plant a garden in Wisconsin during summer; it's another to plant one in Arizona in spring. The simple facts are that some plants won't thrive in some areas like they will in another. That's why it will be crucial for you to do your homework up front: what kinds of flowers and plants work best in your local climate? This doesn't mean you necessarily have to plant something that everyone else is planting. Hard research on your part will yield some interesting flowers and plants that other smight not have thought of. Bottom line? If you plant something in your garden, make sure you know what that plant needs. That way you won't be surprised if your garden seems lackluster this season.
Make sure your soil is high-quality. Local garden centers can help you with soil testing kits that tell you exactly what is happening in your soil. After you know what plants you want, you'll want to make sure to treat and till your soil that that it's ideal for plant-growing. You want the right nutrients and amount of moisture in your soil to be conducive to growing the plants you sew. So make sure that your soil is ready for those plants; if not, be prepared to buy some high-quality soil from the garden center and mix it in with what you've got.
Make sure that your garden gets the right amount of sun. If you can't plant a garden under a tree, look for an area that does get a ripe amount of sunlight during the summer. If the problem is too much sunlight in your area, ask yourself where you might be able to get shade for large portions of the day. Most importantly, ask yourself how the plants will receive what they need to - and how you might block what they don't need.
Photo Credits: brewbooks
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Posted by Fix Handyman on August 7, 2009 in
Handyman, How to Fix, Landscaper
Four Tips for Typical Lawn Problems
One of the frustrating things about growing a lawn is that even if you work hard on it, unforeseen problems can arise that simply stump your landscaping knowledge. Instead of overworking yourself and burning out, you'll want to simply increase your range of knowledge so that you know how to address these typical lawn problems when you see them. That's why this article will explain some common lawn problems and some easy tips to help fix them.
Tip #1: Take out bare spots through aeration and repair.
Bare spots in your lawn can mean a number of problems, but often it means that your grass may be fighting off a disease and losing the battle. If you need to reinvigorate one particular area on your lawn, make sure to treat that spot specifically. Aerate the area to loosen the soil, perhaps add some fertilizer and make sure that there are enough seeds to allow grass to grow there again. If one area of your lawn is stepped on a lot, it can mean compacted soil, which can lead to poor grass.
Tip #2: Avoid weeds by cutting your grass high.
There are a few reasons for cutting your grass high, but one of this is quite simple: clipping your weeds at their high point will help avoid weeds. First, longer and healthier grass will have stronger and deeper roots, starving out the weeds by taking up most of the nutrients in the area. Short grass won't need as much strength, and this will allow weeds to spring up by using up all of the soil. Mowing your lawn high will clip the weeds and allow your grass to simply starve them out.
Tip #3: Water deeply and less frequently.
You might have noticed how healthy lawns can look after a really wet rainstorm. This is because deep watering can promote healthy grass by forcing roots to go deep in order to soak up all the moisture that they can. Deep, infrequent watering will support your longer grass and help build up their strength, making grass look healthier and making sure that there are less nutrients for the weeds to use up.
Tip #4: Make sure to test your soil at the start of the season.
Testing your soil - even in different areas - can help you understand what potential problems you might be potentially running in to. If you must, test your soil after you've noticed a problem, and see if the problem is being caused by an issue with your soil.
Photo Credits: chippenziedeutch
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Posted by Fix Handyman on July 24, 2009 in
How to Fix, Landscaper
How to Grow Your Lawn Thick and Green
For some people, keeping a good lawn simply means installing a sprinkler system and making sure that it is mowed nice and short every few days. But the experienced lawn caretaker knows that growing a lush, thick green lawn needs a little more work than that. Even if you won't be putting in extra hours on your lawn, you can make sure it grows nice and green through some common-sense knowledge and a few useful tips. Here are some of the best ways to fix a lawn than grown brown and ugly.
- Mowing your lawn properly.
Some people think that the height of the blades of grass aren't very important - that the shorter you cut them, the better: this means you will have to mow it less. People who put a little more care into their lawns know that mowing it properly might mean a little extra work, but it will have day-to-day rewards that you can see.
In order to mow your lawn properly, you'll want to keep the height of your blades up, usually three to four inches. Keeping the blades of grass long also keeps them healthy, capable of fighting off grass diseases and other disturbances. These longer blades will also utilize extra nutrients in order to maintain their size, which means that their color will become a deeper green. When you see a short, brown lawn on your block, you know one of the things they're doing wrong.
- Don't worry about weeds.
By mowing your lawn in the above fashion, you'll also help fight off weeds. To maintain a lush green lawn, you'll want to mow your lawn to keep the blades high, which means you'll also want to mow it often so that they don't get too high and look rough. Mowing your lawn in this fashion will also clip off weeds and help kill them - no pulling necessary. If you want to fight your weeds, try cutting your lawn in the way just described for a week or two and see how long they survive.
- Water heavily when it needs it.
A heavy watering will make sure that your water goes deep into the ground, forcing the roots of your grass deep to retrieve all the moisture they can (remember, higher blades of grass will need more moisture!). That also helps starve out weeds who have to fight off the stronger blades of grass for the nutrients and moisture.
Growing your lawn thick doesn't mean a lot of work - it simply means doing things the right way, rather than working hard on something that doesn't make a lot of sense. Mow high, mow often, and water deep when the blades are thirsty, and you'll be able to grow your lawn thick and lush.
Photo Credits: Eric M Martin
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Posted by Fix Handyman on July 20, 2009 in
How to Fix, Lawn
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