Mulching Tips for Your Garden

Mulching your garden has many benefits. When you mulch, you limit the number of weeds that can grow and smother out your plants. It also reduces the amount of water your garden will need to be healthy among other things. When you’re ready to mulch your garden, use the tips below for the best result.

Mulching tips for your garden:

• Know When to Mulch – One of the hardest decisions for many people is deciding when to mulch. Normally, the best time to mulch a garden is in the late fall to help protect the soil and roots of the plants during the cold winter months. In very hot climates, you can mulch in the summer to help keep the soil cooler. Avoid spring and winter mulching; this can do more harm than good.
• Decide Which Type of Mulch to Use – The type of mulch will depend on the specific needs of the soil in your garden.
• Prepare the Area – You’ll need to remove any weeds from the garden before you mulch and water the soil. The water should be allowed to soak into the ground about six inches.
• Determine How Much Mulch You’ll Need – To do this, you can measure the length and width of the garden to determine how many square feet you’ll need to cover. Remember to take into consideration how deep you want the mulch to be. You can use a mulch calculator to get the exact amount you’ll need to cover the entire garden.
• Apply the Mulch – The average thickness of mulch is around three inches. You may choose to use a little less or a little more depending on the type of garden you have. However, there is no point in going any deeper than four inches. Spread it out evenly and loosely but keep it about two to three inches from the plants root to prevent damage from occurring.
• Repeat the Process – Mulch will eventually break down over time so repeat the process when necessary.

Mulching will help to keep the soil moist and prevent the roots of the plants from being damaged from the cold in the winter. As the mulch breaks down, it adds valuable nutrients to the soil, which is an added benefit to mulching your garden.

US $6,695.00 End Date: Saturday Jun-16-2012 14:23:17 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $6,695.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list

US $19,900.00 End Date: Saturday Jun-16-2012 14:13:41 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $19,900.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list

Tips for Catching and Storing Water for Plants

All plants, whether indoor or outdoor, need to be watered to stay healthy. With conserving water being a big issue today, learning how to catch and store water to be used for these plants is a great idea. You’ll be conserving water and still have a way to keep your plants green and healthy. The rain naturally waters outdoor plants but when you go through a dry spell, it’s up to you to keep the plants watered.

Catching rainwater to use for your outdoor plants during dry spells and anytime for your indoor plants is a great idea. All you need to do is catch and store the rainwater. The best way to get started is by purchasing a few large plastic trash containers to catch the rainwater. Look for the ones that hold somewhere between twenty-five to thirty-five gallons. Place these underneath gutters or out in the open, wherever you prefer. Put a screen over the top of the barrels to keep all of the debris out of the water that can make it dirty and smelly.

Rainwater is not all that you can catch and store. Consider catching the water in your tub while you’re waiting for it to get warm by placing a bucket under the faucet. You can do the same in the kitchen sink. This water can be kept in smaller buckets with lids or you can have a large plastic container outside with designated just for the water that you collect from inside the home.

When storing water for more than a couple of days, it’s important to keep it covered. This will keep the water clean and prevent it from becoming foul. It’s also a good idea to keep the container in a shady area. Now all that’s left to do is use a ladle to dip the water from the large containers into a watering bucket when it’s time to water the plants.

US $9.59 (1 Bid) End Date: Thursday May-17-2012 23:28:15 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

US $22.25 (4 Bids) End Date: Wednesday May-23-2012 19:40:54 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list

Tips for Trimming Hedges

Trimming hedges is a fairly simple task for the most part but it can often be difficult getting the shape and size the way you want it. However, there are a few tips that can help make this part of the job go much smoother. Your goal is to create straight lines and edges to give the hedges a uniform appearance in the shape and size that you choose. With the right tools and the proper planning, you can achieve this goal.

Tips for trimming hedges:

• Gather together your tools which should include the hedge trimmer, strong contractor string, metal or wooden stakes and a sledge hammer.
• Decide what your landscaping goal will be. In other words, how tall and wide do you want the hedges to be when you’ve finished trimming?
• The next step is to build a frame that will go around the hedge in the dimension that you want it to be when finished. Allow an extra foot or so for the stakes to be placed in the ground.
• Now, drive a stake on both sides of the hedge. Make sure you measure the distance between the stakes so you can place them the desired distance apart. Measure from the ground to the top of the stakes to make sure they are the correct height.
• Tie the contractor string on the top of both stakes and pull tightly. Now your hedge is framed in and you have a visual outline of where the hedge should be trimmed.
• Start by trimming the sides of the hedge first. Begin at the bottom and work your way upward keeping the trimmer straight. The bottom portion of the hedge should be a little wider than the top for the best results.
• Use the string as a guide and trim the top of the hedge using a sweeping motion while continuing to go in the same direction from one end to the other.

The tips above can help you create the perfect size and shape every time. If you keep your hedges trimmed on a regular schedule, it will keep them looking great and make the job much easier. Don’t use any trimmer that is damaged and always keep your blades sharp for a more professional look.

US $375.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday May-24-2012 19:19:57 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $480.00 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

US $454.45 (0 Bid) End Date: Wednesday May-23-2012 19:41:06 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list