Posts Tagged ‘gardening’

You probably haven’t thought about it much but their are 5 or 6 different ways to aerate your lawn. Each method produces different results and for a different cost. This review is written to help you compare the different types of aerators you can use and determine which is the best for you.

Learn more about the 6 different type of aerators with this basic aeration review guide. This guide compares, spike aerators, liquid aerators, mechanical aerators, aeration sandals, tow behind aerators, and mechanical core aerators to help you find out which is the best for which type of uses.

Lawn Aerator Shoes- (Price $10-$40) Effectiveness (2 stars out of 5) Durability (1 of 5) Price Cost (5 of 5) Ease of use (4 of 5) *** We give lawn aeration shoes a 2.5 star rating overall. It is a great idea but the cheaper lawn aeration shoe models break easily. The shoes that actually work, need to be used quite regularly (about twice a month because the holes are so small they only last for about two weeks.

Lawn Aeration Liquid, (price $25 to $50) Effectiveness 2.5 of 5 (out of 5 stars) Durability 3 0f 5 Price Affordability 3 of 5 Ease of Use 4 of 5 Lawn aerating liquid gets an overall ranking of a 3. It is a good idea. It is also one of the easiest way to aerate your lawn. It works well if it is put down at the right time or in conjunction with other types of aeration. The best time is before the ground gets to hard. Also lawns tend to require a few applications before a sustainable difference can be achieved.

Hand Aeration Tools, ($10 to $50) Effectiveness 4 of 5 (out of 5 stars) Durability 3 of 5 Price/Affordability 4 of 5 Ease of Use 1 of 5 Please use on lawns under 1000 ft. Lawns that are too big may prove difficult and time consuming. Hand aerators may also be a great compliment to other types of aeration like yellowing spots, and parking strips. The best type of hand lawn aerators have two coring tines. Spike hand aerators are not as good as the coring models. For best results areate while lawn is still soft.

Machine Core Aerator- ($40-$110) Effectiveness (5 stars out of 5) Durability (4 of 5) Price Cost (2 of 5) Ease of use (3 of 5) ***We give mechanical core aeration an overall rating of a 4. Using a mechanical core aerator on your lawn is the quickest way to see visible results. The down side is that you need to rent it and it is more expensive than aeration shoes or a hand aerator. These machine are very heavy they can do a great job. Many people can also aerate their lawn 2 or 3 times for better penetration and better results. Rental rates range from $40 to $110. Surprisingly, you can often find a local service willing to do it for the same price. The advantage of renting is you can do your neighbor’s lawn at the same time and split the cost.

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Good for you! Most likely you have recently made a decision to start an organic garden, great choice! Read this and you will know where to begin.

Decide what goes where!

First, look at your garden during the day. Where is it sunny? Where are the shady areas that perhaps just get a glimpse of sunlight?

Vegetables usually need a lot of sun to grow and mature well, so make sure to choose the sunny spots for them. However, many perennial flowers grow quite well in the shade, or actually prefer the shade.

Accordingly: put your vegetables where the sun goes, and your perennials where the shade is, but feel free to mix the suncraving perennials with your veggies to add even more beauty to your garden.

Soil preparation

Next you want to take a look at your garden soil. Is it sandy? Muddy? Dry? Moist? Or different in different parts of the garden?

To prepare a sandy soil in the best manner, you should add organic matter. If you are the lucky owner of a compost pile, you can simply use the degraded material from that. You do know that a compost pile is the backbone of every organic garden, so make sure you have one. However, if by any chance you do not have one at the moment, you have to purchase for example cow-dung or the like, which is very good as it will not only bring organic matter to your soil but also a lot of nutrients. Be careful with peat though, as it may make your soil to acidic.

Your soil will improve over time if you remember to add organic matter every spring.

What if your soil is muddy then? If it’s heavy clay, you’ll probably do well to add some gravel or coarse sand to make it drain better. Beware of fine sand, as it will turn your muddy soil into concrete. And thats not what we are looking for, is it?

Shovel after shovel of organic matter will make wonders with your muddy as well as your sandy soil. It will get porous and give the earth worms plenty to eat and thereby airing your soil.

It is tempting to use a rototiller since it is fast and seemingly efficient. However, it will spread some of the weeds by shredding the roots into pieces that will turn into more plants, huh. The earth worms will also thank you if you instead take the old shovel and simply dig two shovels deep.

Now it is time to rake and prepare for sowing. When your garden flourish, make it a good habit to walk through it every day to check for pests and weeds, and discover any problems as early as possible!

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Solar lights have become popular and are lights for today and the future. We have been using energy from the sun for years, but it has only been recently that we can use this power in an efficient way. With solar lights, we are able to take another big step towards keeping the earth cleaner and safer.

Not only are solar lights able to be used in many ways, but they are earth friendly too. The sun is a source of energy that is renewable and we can use the energy from it without causing more pollution to occur. Using solar lights allows us to light up our world without having to increase negative effects on the earth.

It’s a good idea to take a look at how solar lights actually work. The light fixtures actually have a little solar power on top of them. They are a lot like the panels you see on roofs for homes, but much smaller. During the time that the sun is out, the panel collects energy from the sun, which is transferred to a battery that can be recharged again and again. When the sun is out, the battery charges up, and then when it gets dark, that energy is taken and used on the LED light, which provides light through the dark hours.

For the most part, solar lights are used for backyards, pool lights, lights around doors, and for lighting up the gardens as well. You can find various types of solar lights, and some of them are merely functional, while others are beautiful and decorative in nature. Solar lights can be hung from trees, put up on buildings, or even mounted on posts to provide even more light. Various lantern style lights are available, and they can be put near the ground to help you safely be able to walk down a sidewalk or path. There are even floating lights available, which look great on pools or in ponds, and add a bit of decorative charm.

Installation of solar lights is quite easy. There are no trenches to dig for the lights and no complicated wiring to deal with either. It’s very simple to press these lights into the ground or to hang them up somewhere. These lights are independent from each other, and only need to be placed in an area where they get plenty of sunlight.

LEDs are much longer lasting than regular light bulbs and use very little power to keep going. More often than not the LED will last as long as the solar light fixture itself, years. Because LEDs are dimmer than regular bulbs, fixtures are manufactured using reflective surfaces and are available with numerous LED to increase brightness.

Solar lights are going to vary in costs. Some home improvement stores offer great prices, while a boutique with garden enhancing lights may charge a bit more for the lights. No matter what you pay for them, you won’t have to keep paying for electricity to use the lights, since sun light doesn’t cost a thing. If you replace other lighting fixtures that use electricity with these solar lights, you will probably notice that you save some money on your electric bill.

There are so many benefits to using solar lights. Even during the winter when the days are gloomy, the battery will still get enough sun to charge them. The lights will go on and off on their own as long as the sun rises and sets. There is no heat coming from the LED’s either, which means your kids and pets are totally safe. If the power goes off, you can go outdoors and enjoy the light from your solar lights. They also benefit the earth, and they make great choices for your outdoor lighting needs.

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