30 May

Use Palmolive detergent on powdery mildew

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, Tips

Use Palmolive detergent on powdery mildew

Palmolive Detergent vs. Powdery Mildew on Fruit Plants

Here’s a tip you might find interesting. Researchers in Canada have discovered that household Palmolive detergent both prevents and fights powdery mildew symptoms on fruit.

It was as good as the registered chemical product for commercial control with one important exception. It caused fruit damage at the rates tested (russeting on apples and grapes, premature dropping of cherries).

If you want to test this – start with .05% of detergent in water and increase the concentration until you see control or damage. There are simply too many variables here to judge what’s going to work and what’s going to damage plants.

There are reports that some gardeners have combined sodium bicarbonate (baking soda which is often recommended for pm control) with the detergent to give a broader spectrum of control at lower doses. Again, this is a test and trial kind of thing.

What is clear is that if you go and spray at heavier concentrations, you run the risk of burning or damaging plants.

There is room here for experimentation but like all things, do take precautions to avoid breathing the small droplets of spray (wear appropriate masks)

Reference: Peter L. Sholberg (Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Summerland, British Columbia, CANADA V0H 1Z0), Palmolive Detergent Controls Apple, Cherry, and Grape Powdery Milidew,Canadian Journal of Plant Science 89(6), November 2009, 1139-1147.

Lawn Care Ideas

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, landscaping ideas, Tips

Lawn care requires a reasonably high amount of attention. While not the single most labor- or time-intensive aspect of the landscapes around our homes, lawn care does require some attention to detail. Regimes concerning lawn mowing, fertilizing and watering face us all with the necessity to try and wrestle with something usually enjoyable, yet often challenging, time wise. I know that from the perspective of one who installs entire lawn and garden systems, from grass to irrigation, seeing my product taken good care of means I will have a sense of pride and design ownership for long years

Generally, I install places and then leave. I acquaint clients with the systems of course and generally leave a sheet with instructions and tips. I also recommend certain lawn care professionals. For me, I generally recommend Tru Green – who have provided great services for me over a long period of years. I realize the actual amount of time couples and families have for the work. Installing the landscape itself is a chore some folks take on by themselves. Obviously, I make my living with those who are reluctant to take on such high-energy, high labor tasks, especially in newer homes. In this day and age when everyone is necessarily busy making a living, it can be a delight watching someone else provide your lawn care services at reasonable rates.

And, before I pound the lawn notion into the ground, businesses who provide lawn care also provide analyses of tree and plant issues. Being the professionals they are, they have a professional interest in seeing every growing thing in a landscape do well. It is not only a reflection on them, it is just good business. These lawn care pros can analyze issues such as diseases, pests, and over- or under-watering issues in the midst of their daily routines and recommend some easy cures.

My interest is in seeing a home owner’s investment pay off in beauty and natural enjoyment of their landscapes. Lawn care and what good attention to detail and progress can provide is the real secret behind good-looking and long-lasting landscapes.

Overseeding a Lawn

Author: admin // Category: Tips

Overseeding a Lawn

The goal of most lawn mavens is to show a thick, lush cover of green foreground, welcoming any and all to a home where one cares greatly about his appearance. I could make a long, long list of guys and gals to whom this means something magical and serves a vital role in their well-being. Sure, some are a bit “out there” and darn near obsessive with it all. It happens!

In the end, a lush lawn is, by any criterion, gorgeous to look at and improves such things as air quality and the maintenance of dust control for a home. What we often overlook in the maintenance end of any lawn is a certain “tired” nature a lawn can acquire after a period of years. It is for this reason the entire notion of “overseeding” takes place. An informed sprinkling of grass seed over an existing lawn is never something to overlook. It is one chore which may be the easiest of all toward maintaining a healthy lawn. It also allows the introduction of new species of seed to augment or to ameliorate existing conditions, leading to an improved stand of grass lawn. Whether we are looking for an improved substance to walk on or one which may be, say, more disease resistant, overseeding allows this function.

Typically, overseeding commences with a real low mowing of the existing lawn – at a severely low setting. Seed is then sprinkled over the entire lawn, with some manual raking with a grass rake to follow. This “bedding” of the seeds allows contact with soil and some protection from elements while the germination period transpires. It also allows a couple of weeks between mowings, which we would do without a catcher.

Naturally, watering the new seeds is required on a very regular basis, either by one’s own devices or by rain. But attention to this detail is fairly vital. In the end, what one finds is a far lusher stand of lawn than before, with an improved top, lush as when it was initially installed, if not more so. A gradual shifting from here can tale place, in terms of the grass chosen. Bear in mind many types of grass combine exceptionally well.

How to mow a lawn and keep it healthy

Author: admin // Category: landscaping ideas, Tips

Lawn mowing is usually seen as a chore, but it can be good exercise, a mental relaxant and an important way to maintain a lush growth in your lawn. Always try and mow the lawn when it is dry, at least twelve hours after it has been watered. Mowing a wet lawn helps spread weeds and fungi, because they get a conducive environment to grow at a new spot. If a lawn is mowed when dry, chances of this are reduced.

Additionally, your mower would fare better in the long run.When mowing your lawn, it is good to let it grow to at least 2-3 inches of length, and cut only 1/3 the grass length. This is because cutting more traumatizes the grass and leaves it unable to recover from the mowing. If for some reason you have let your lawn grow longer, maybe 4-6 inches, you still cut 1/3 the length, wait for some time, and cut the rest of the length at a second session to bring it down to 2-3 inches.

Always remember that a higher mowing lets the grass retain its strength, and scalping a lawn leaves it vulnerable to diseases and parasites, as well as making it unsightly.Direction of mowing is important, alternately mow the lawn vertically and then horizontally. For a neat look, mow diagonally. Ensure your mower blade is sharp, so it cuts easily, instead of hacking and cutting, damaging the grass all the while. Leave the cut parts on the lawn so they can naturally decompose and provide nutrients to the lawn.

For a Healthy Lawn, Go Organic!

Author: admin // Category: Home Gardening, landscaping ideas, Tips

Research says that chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides used in lawns can be carcinogenic, and increase the presence of harmful nitrates in drinking water wells. An easier healthy alternative is to go organic.

To get the lushest lawn possible, research well on the varieties of grasses that do well in your climate before planting the lawn, and select the right mixture of grasses. Also figure out the watering time required, so that the roots are strong and less vulnerable to disease. Aerate the lawn so that compacted soil is loosened and water does not run off, but soaks into the ground, this will eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers.

Ensure that you do not have a layer of clippings and dead grass more than an inch thick by regular but controlled de-thatching, so that you do not get fungus, and the water reaches the roots. Apply organic fertilizer containing bonemeal, fish emulsion and manure early in summer so that the grass gets time to harden for winter.

Make sure you mow properly using a sharp blade, because dull blades tear the grass leaving them vulnerable to disease, and do not mow down to less than 3 inches in summer. Let the occasional weed hang in there, because going for bust will mean using chemicals.

Use weed control products containing corn gluten meal to prevent weeds. In short, going organic is all about growing wiser, trying to prevent damage before it happens, and growing a healthy lawn without risking family health.

Lawn Mowing: Is It Better To Mulch Or Catch?

Author: admin // Category: Tips

I bet the biggest debate in the yard care world is “is it better to mulch my clippings or catch them in the bag?” In fact, in my years in the lawn care industry, I have had customers swear by one way or the other and they just would not listen to reason! Let me break this down for ya ok?

Why Mulch Clippings When You Cut

Mulching lawn mowers are ones that clip the grass blades and then grind, slice and cut the pieces into super fine bits before dropping them back into the lawn. This is a very good and “green” practice because you are literally recycling the clippings back into the yard. Remember, 90% of the grass blade is water and the rest is organic nutrients. When you mulch with a properly powered mulching mower, those small clippings dry and shrivel up withing hours and drop their precious nutrients right into the lawn.

A common misconception with mulching is that doing it over and over all year will contribute to a lawn thatch buildup. This is a complete fallacy as I mentioned above, the clipping shrivel almost immediately. Now I will tell you that many homeowners go wrong by trying to convert a non-mulching mower into a mulching mower, and this is asking for problems.

What I mean is they take a cheap, bagging mower and take the bag off and let the clippings fall as they may. Problem here is the mower does not have a mulching blade so clumps drop out! Those clumps will contribute to thatch and kill sections of the lawn! ouch!!!

Another big issue I have seen is that people buy underpowered mulching mowers. Even if you have a mulching lawn mower with a good mulching blade, if it does not pack enough RPMs the bits will fall out in clumps. I dunno why, but many companies make mulching mowers that are just not powerful enough for thicker lawns. I always recommend you get a mulching mower that is a minimum of 5 horse power. This will be enough!

Wait, there are more things to consider: Even if you have a good mulching mower with plenty of power, if the lawn mower deck is not deep enough, the clippings will still fall out too quickly and clump! You want a deep deck!

That’s a lot to consider, so what is the best mulching mower? Look.

Why Catch Grass Clippings

Now that I have hopefully convinced you to mulch, there are a few situations where it will be best to catch and the first one is if your lawn mower is not able to mulch correctly (like I already talked about above). If you can’t go buy a new mower, then just keep catching, but DO NOT try and convert your mower… it ain’t gonna work and it’s a safety hazard anyway!

When to Catch Grass Clippings

I do want you to catch the clippings when you notice a lawn fungus or disease present. If this happens, you want to suck up the clippings and get rid of them. No sense is spreading the spores around. In addition, you need to catch if you have let the lawn grow too tall between cuttings. This can happen if you go on vacation in May, for example, and the lawn overgrows. In this case, even the best mulching mower will leave clumps, so you should catch the stuff just to be safe.

I also recommend you catch at least every 3rd or 4th mowing and use the grass clippings as mulch around annual flowers in your garden. Grass clippings will do a nice job of holding in moisture around annuals. I don’t think grass is a good mulch for regular shrub beds, but it works well for annual flowers.

So what do you think? Wanna argue with me? Go ahead, I’m good with it… maybe you guys can give me some better tips?

What Does Nitrogen Do For Your Lawn

Author: admin // Category: Tips

What Does Nitrogen Do For Your Lawn

If you want your lawn to be green, then you need to give it nitrogen. In fact, nitrogen is the primary element found in most lawn fertilizers. Keep in mind that lawn fertilizer is NOT lawn food. Grass and other plants make their own food (in the form of sugars) through the process of photosynthesis.

Lawn nutrients like potassium, phosphorus and, yes, nitrogen, support the process of photosynthesis.

In short, nitrogen is what makes your grass green, and the greener the grass, the more photosynthesis can occur and the thicker the lawn gets. But be careful!

Too much nitrogen can create big problems for your lawn.

First off, too much nitrogen causes the lawn to overgrow, meaning you may have to cut it two or three times per week. If you don’t, then the turf gets too long and when you do cut, you stress it out. That’s not good.

In addition, with too much nitrogen and too much top growth, the lawn’s root system cannot support the vigor of the plants. If the roots cannot support the top, they get stressed and thin out even more. It’s like a child who eats too much candy and then crashes out to sleep after a couple hours of frenzied energy.

How much nitrogen?

As a basic rule, I recommend 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn in the spring, and another pound in the fall. During the summer you can apply very slow release organics to your grass just to give it a nice, long feeding. Simple!