Tips for backyard water features

 

With the growing trend of taking vacations at home to save money there is also a growing trend in adding a water garden, water fountain or koi pond to the backyard to add a more relaxed feel your private oasis.

The thought of adding a water feature may be a little daunting but with the right information and guidance, it is really pretty easy. A properly set up pond is easier to maintain than a lawn. It also uses far less water and adds a beauty that influences the entire backyard, garden areas and the home.

Here are a few points to consider before taking the final steps in choosing the location and starting the project.

Children and pets. Are their young children that will need supervision around the water features? If so place near the home and in eyes view from all locations. You may want to consider child safety features near a pond.

Some people are concerned about mosquitoes. However, ponds can be the best defense against mosquitoes because the fish in the pond will eat mosquito larvae. A properly set up pond will not breed mosquitoes.

Neither a concrete pond nor a pond liner is a wrong choice. The advantage of pond liners is that it eliminates cracking problems that can happen with concrete. Most concrete will last a long time without cracking but a tree root can grow 40 feet and end up under a concrete pond, which will crack the pond.

Filters and pumps play an important part in pond maintenance and the choices in filters and pumps can be confusing. Do you need expensive equipment, or can you just use plants to clean your pond?

Just keep in mind that the key to a successful pond is balance. If you use a bigger filter that means you do not need as many plants, and you can have more koi or other fish. And if you add more plants that means you do not need a large filter.

You can also go with an “all natural pond,” with only plants, which will work well too. But go easy on the fish in an all-natural pond. This is particularly important if you are raising koi. Too many koi fish can lead to the spread of disease.

Most important when adding any water feature, no matter how big or small is to match it to your families needs to make it a wanted and valuable feature in your backyard oasis.

Tips for successful new perennial plants

 

Spring is a time for adding new plants to your backyard and garden areas. By planting in the spring the plant will have time to adjust to its new home and start producing new roots before the blazing hot days cause the plants to dry and add additional stress to a new plant.

Many may not realize this but plant stress will cause the plant to be more susceptible to insects and disease.

Here are a few tips to consider before you buy a new plant:

Read the plant tag before you bring it home to see if it will grow in your climate zone and will fit into your backyard growing area. There is no sense in buying a shade loving plant if your backyard is all sunshine.

Check the plant over well before you buy it. Are the soil and roots healthy? Is there a lot of stem or leaf damage? Are there any signs of insects or disease? If you see any of these problems, select another plant.

Check the size it will grow and if it says, “spreads easily” This is a nice phrase for “invasive plant that will take over your yard.”

Tips to acclimate your plant to its new home

Check the plant over when you get it home. Remove any damaged leaves.

Water the plant if it needs it and then set it in a quiet place to rest. Plants suffer from stress to and you don’t know how the plant was treated before you bought it.

Make sure your plants new home is ready by adding any soil and removing all the weeds.

I let a plant set apart form other plants for a few days to make sure it does not have an insect problem that you did not notice. You don’t want to infect all your other plants.

Slowly set the plant outdoors. The plant needs to adjust to sunshine so set out for a few hours then move into a shady place. I usually acclimate a perennial for about 5 days, then plant.

Plant your perennial in the morning or late at night so that the plant has less sun just after being planted.

I mulch the area around a new perennial plant to help hold in moisture and keep the roots cool.

You may want to install a chain link fence or plastic around the plant until family and any pets are used to the plant being there. I have lost several plants due to them being stepped on, mowed over or played with by a happy pet.

Perennials will add years of color to your backyard so give them time to adjust to their new home.

Mowing Tips For A Healthy Lawn

 

It may seem like mowing your backyard and landscaped area is just a process of turning on a machine and cutting the grass but there is a right way to mow.

And during dry spells your grass will not brown as fast if its left a little longer.

Before mowing, its best to check the lawn for debris, branches or trash that could become harmful projectiles. Branches can also wear or break mower belts so take the time to pick up the yard.

The best time to mow is during the day when the grass is dry, never when the light is dim or the lawn is wet. But I also try not to mow during the hottest time of the day. The mower will get hot, particularly if you are mowing more than an acre.

It’s best to leave grass clippings on the lawn to return nutrients to the soil. In many areas this practice is frowned upon but you could make compost out of the grass clipping and other mulching materials, which would be beneficial to the gardens and landscaped areas.

Children should also never be allowed to ride on a mower. There have been many unfortunate accidents where children have fallen off a mower and been severely injured.  We has such an accident in our family, so please, watch your children and practice safe mowing habits.

To avoid soil compaction and wear, vary the direction the lawn is mowed. For example, mow vertically one week, horizontal the next and diagonally the week after. This is especially beneficial to small areas.

With my yard with the slopes it has I am forced to mow in one pattern. My mower would tip over if I mowed the hills horizontally. This year I am going to use ground cover and plants in these areas to make them prettier and healthier.

Mowing Equipment

Keep extra gasoline on hand and make sure it is fresh and stored in a clean container. And always check the oil before mowing. I mow a large yard, five acres, so I also check the tires to see that they have the proper air pressure.

It’s important to keep mower blades sharp. You get a more even cut with sharp blades and the grass is stronger with a clean cut. Have the mower blades professionally sharpened once a year to avoid tearing or wounding the grass stems, making them vulnerable to pests and damage.

To prevent residual grass clippings from interfering with the mower blades’ motion, remove the spark plug lead from the engine and hose away any grass sticking to the deck. This will help keep dirt and debris off the engine to insure it doesn’t overheat.

And at the beginning of the season, have a tune-up and safety inspection performed on the mower. Change the oil after every 50 hours of use and the air filter every 25 hours. Always use fresh fuel in a clean, approved container. This step is very important after sitting all winter when gas can go stale. If your mower sputters in the spring the first time it is started it may be due to stale gas.

I try to get the mower as empty of gas as possible and add fresh gasoline in the spring.

Following these simple mowing tips and mower maintenance practices will help produce a hardy, healthy lawn that easily withstands even the most vigorous family pastimes. Your mower will also benefit from maintenance and safety checks.

If you have any questions about mower maintenance, check your owner’s manual for specific information on your equipment. My manual is kept close by the mower.

By keeping your mower maintained and practicing good mowing habits your lawn abd backyard areas will be beautiful and healthier.

4 Easy Steps to Organic Gardening in the backyard

 

With pollution affecting our water, air and soil methods of organic gardening are becoming more popular by the day. Switching over from practiced gardening and yard habits and “Going Green” can be difficult but these four steps will start you one your way to  healthier garden produce and a safer and lush backyard.

1.  Keep your soil healthy by working with Nature rather than against it.  Organic fertilizers such as manure and compost will replenish the earth. All healthy refuse produced by the garden should be recycled back into the garden. If you notice a plant has an insect problem do not add it compost or the garden soil.

Organic gardening uses all yard and garden material to rebuild soil. This would include grass clippings, leaves, and leftovers from the kitchen. Leftover vegetables can be added to make compost that will feed the soil and keep it full of the nutrients necessary to grow crops.  Compost is also beneficial to indoor plants and will make a nice compost tea for watering all plants and shrubs.

2.  Avoid the use of all synthetic chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides.  These products harm the environment, birds, insects, pets, and other wildlife. It is also unhealthy for adults and children. Synthetic weed killers and fertilizers on the lawn and shrubs linger for a long time and children and pets can get daily exposure, which in time can harm them.

And garden vegetables grown in a pesticide-free and additive-free environment are healthier in the long run and can be snacked on directly from the garden without being scrubbed to remove toxins.

There are many chemical free garden insect repellents that can be made at home for pennies. Organic gardening, Mother Earth News, Jerry Baker and the Internet have healthy insect repellent recipes available for people to make at home and use safely in the garden and backyard.

3.  Organic gardening techniques protect against the loss of nutrients and topsoil in the garden. This is achieved by using compost, fertilizer, protecting the soil and creating a healthy environmental balance where healthy insects thrive. Plants will be healthier which keeps unhealthy bad bugs out of the garden and yard.

Organic gardening means that the environment benefits from the reduction in contamination of the water supply and air pollution.  It means that we provide a habitat for wildlife including beneficial insects, and animals. This all leads to a better-balanced world that can take care of itself.

Using chemicals in the gardens and backyard seem like the easier method for insect and disease control but you will find once you stop using harsh chenicals and build your soil your garden and backyard will become healthier. I have hardly any insect probelms or plant disease in my yard and have not used chemicals of any sort in years.