| |
| |
|
Landscaping & Gardening Information |
|
|
|
A Compost Primer
Most gardeners and landscapers will agree almost unanimously that the single best thing you can do for your lawn is to add compost. Good, organic compost can remedy almost any problem you have with your soil. If you soil is too acidic, adding compost will help neutralize it and bring it back to a proper pH level. If your soil is too alkaline, ditto! Adding compost will help balance the alkalinity in the soil. If you live in an area with a lot of heavy clay, adding compost will help loosen and aerate the soil. If you live in a coastal or southern area with a lot of sand, adding compost will help bind it together. Soil lacking nutrients? Add compost to add new life to overworked soil. So how do you make compost? It's easier than you can imagine and cheaper than anything else you will do. How cheap? How about free! All composting is, is the natural decomposition of organic matter. Walk through a dense forest and take a deep handful of soil from under your feet. Notice how black and rich it is. It didn't get that way from fertilizers or manure. It got that way from all the decomposing organic matter. A forest takes care of itself by recycling. It recycles every leaf, branch, berry, and bush. It does this quite simply. All the organic and living matter in the forest decomposes into compost which feeds the existing plants (and some animals!). In the forest, when leaves fall from the trees, they all gather on the forest floor. In storms, branches may fall, as well as entire trees. This creates layers of organic matter on the forest floor. Eventually it rains adding fuel to the mixture. The rain aids the microbes that begin to eat the organic matter, eventually turning it into the rich, thick carpet you see on the forest floor. This compost feeds the living trees and other plants providing nutrients that rival the best fertilizers. You can emulate the forest by creating your own compost. Avoid store bought compost, especially those made from manure. There's nothing natural about spreading rotted and decomposed cow feces on your lawn or garden. It's actually pretty gross! Especially considering the number of chemicals and steroids that are given to cattle and cows in the United States. If you must purchase or acquire compost from somewhere else, call your local municipal office. Many municipalities have their own composting facilities and they give away the compost to their residents for free! In our township, for example, all the leaves that are gathered in the fall from the local streets, are mulched up and composted in a huge field. In a year or two, once the leaves have thoroughly composted, we are permitted to haul away as much compost as we like! The only catch is that we must load it ourselves, but this is a small price to pay for free, organic mulch. Dean Novosat is an avid gardener and landscaper. He has transformed many boring yards into beautiful landscapes. He has several websites including http://www.the-garden-doctor.com and http://www.dr-landscape.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Landscaping-Gardening - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Dream Yard Do you ever dream about what your yard could look like some day? As you look through garden catalogs filled with beautiful trees, shrubs, flowers and pictures of beautifully landscaped yards--complete with ponds and garden sculptures--the choices seem endless. Before ordering hundreds of plants or giving up because you cannot decide what you really want, here are a few things to consider. The Ultimate Magic Garden Spring is the season to start planting seeds for the future. For me, the ultimate Magic Garden would be planted using the Feng Shui bagua as a guideline for the boundaries of the plot and incorporate flowers herbs and plants that correspond to each signifigant direction. The Design Principle of Unity in Gardening and Landscaping A principle of all art is unity. This means that each piece of art has one meaning. Discount Patio Furniture - An Easy Way to Get the Best Buying discount patio furniture is an economical way to obtain quality furniture for your patio. Many department stores offer patio furniture at discounted prices towards or at the end of the summer season. Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction To Hydroponics Gardening For Beginners (Part 5) Plant Growth PLANT GROWTH & PHYSIOLOGY. (Part 5)There are three classes of plants. Growing Your Own Herbs for Tea If you love herbal teas, as I do, you know they are just a little bit pricey. However, growing your own herbs is easy and so much fun!Here are just a few of the herbs you might want to consider for a tea garden:Chamomile: Remember the favorite tea of Peter Rabbit? Only the flowers of this fragrant herb are used when making tea. Feeding the Hummingbirds Early in May here in west central Wisconsin, I can count on seeing a Ruby Throated Hummingbird hovering in front of my kitchen window, flitting back and forth, as if to say, "there was a hummingbird feeder RIGHT HERE last year. Where is it?"And then I know it is time to put out hummingbird nectar. Bottle Gardening or Terrarium - Design and Maintenance Women take pride in home decoration and gardening and want some unique and prized possessions that are not part of the neighboring dwellings. Gardening offers opening as there is no end to creativity, especially in the fields of flower arrangement, bonsai, mini-rock garden etc. Garden Statuary - Time for a Fresh New Look Spring is coming, and now is the time to get out and whip those outdoor spaces into shape. With new growth appearing on trees, bulbs popping up and birds and butterflies coming out of hiding, your patio, garden or backyard is ripe for a fresh new look with decorative accents that put a delightful finishing touch on your own little corner of nature. Using Annuals in Your Perrenial Garden Annuals in your pernnial garden are something to think about! Annuals give you season long color, easy propogation, they're cost efficient, and provide first season interest.If you're just starting a perennial garden annuals are a great choice to fill in gaps. An Outdoor Swing is A Great Way to Relax There is simply no better vantage point from which to view the beauty of nature, the occasional passerby and the antics of wildlife than an outdoor swing. Outdoor swings do more than provide a beautiful addition to your outdoor dcor; they provide a relaxation spot, gathering place and a comfortable outdoor perch that will be greatly appreciated by everyone in the family. Do You Know About A Bamboo Orchid Bamboo Orchid PlantWhen you think of bamboo you really think of bamboo sticks, don't you?There is an orchid that grows wild in some of the warmer climates like Hawaii and Southeast Asia called the Bamboo Orchid Plant. This is a very pretty orchid plant that easily grows on the hillsides. Natural Garden Pest Control No dig gardens essentially strive to be their own ecosystem. This is the sign of the best sort of garden, one that is in tune with itself without the need for pest or disease control. Developing the Perfect Landscaping Idea Using landscaping ideas can be an effective way to attract wildlife, such as birds, to your yard and neighborhood. Thoughtfully placing bird feeders or houses around your yard can make it an inviting environment for different types of bird species. Introduction to Aquaponics Hydroponics and aquaponics are very similar in every way except hydroponics requires the addition of fertilizer and there's no fish in the nutrient solution.In aquaponics, plants and fish live a symbiotic life with the fish feeding the plants, and the plants cleaning and filtering the fish's environment. Teak Adirondack Chairs Outdoor furniture constructed with teak wood is a favorite among consumers due to the beauty and durability of the individual pieces. For this reason, a wide variety of outdoor furniture is made using teak ranging from teak Adirondack chairs to classic, formal furnishings. Gardening During Hard Times or Emergencies - You Can Feed Yourself! Do you ever worry about always having to rely on getting seeds and fertilizer from the store? What would you do in a survival situation, if you could not go to a store to purchase these things?Let's compare it to your food supply. What would you do about your store-purchased food? Many wise people buy more than they need of food items that store well, and create a "year's supply" of the essentials in their basement or other cool, dry place. Garden for Birds #4 I would like to know.. Lawn Edging How do you make those flowers bloom where they are planted and not go overboard and how do you make your turf stick to its own turf and not edge into your flower beds, borders, and garden spaces? Lawn edging is the answer!Edging bricks, lawn timbers, and treated wood edging , molded plastic edging and heavy duty plastic strips are all ways to wall in your flowers and keep weeds out of your garden and the other landscaped areas of your yard. In addition to curbing your weed problem, lawn edging also keeps mulch and decorative landscape treatments in place. Sleeping Beauties: Porches For Dreaming There's something magical about sleeping outside, drinking in the night sounds of crickets, frogs and wind chimes, watching fireflies and stars, and feeling the cool night breeze. You'll find children giggling long past their bedtime from sheer excitement.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |