6 Tips to Do Gardening on Tight Budget

A lot of people are into gardening but those people end up losing all of their money because there are a lot of things to buy. For people who are highly interested in improving the looks of their garden, all you have to do is be creative with how you work on it. Gardening on a tight budget may have you thinking that it's impossible, but you'll be glad to hear that we have tips for you to get started while saving.

· If you naturally have a green thumb, you can easily make something out of your garden with the help of other people's garden. Buying pots of plants in shops can be quite expensive and you may even end up using your credit card for it. Ask your neighbors if you can get a few cuttings from their plants. Putting them in a glass of water will help it grow. Just make sure you replace the water regularly, or around every 2 days.

· By putting up a few things in your garden, you can easily update its look. Water features can make a huge improvement for your garden but of course, fountains and those water items can be expensive. Save all of your old cups and glasses and be creative with it. Glass bowls would look really fresh in a garden. You can just look for ideas in magazines or online.

· If there are a lot of things that you have to buy for your garden, you can go to flea markets to get cheaper prices for the items. You can even haggle for it to get even better prices and sometimes, the seller will give you a better discount if you are going to buy everything from them or in bulk.

· Lighting can also make a huge difference on your garden. Remember you don't have to put a lot in order to make it beautiful. You just have to strategically place everything so that they are blending in.

· Try to attract the natural pollinators as well such as bugs and other insects. This will help you garden grow faster. Leave a few cracked items in your items for them to hive and you will attract those little critters in no time.

· You can also plants bulbs in your garden because they are quite easy to grow and are low maintenance. As soon as they're big enough to be cut, plant them all around your garden so that by the next season your garden will be blooming all over. You can plant snowdrops in your garden, they look pretty even if they are just scattered everything.

Follow these tips and avoid using your credit card that may end up hurting your credit score and credit report. Be creative and look for ways to save money. Make use of the old items in your house to save even more money.

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Why Some New Lawns Can Develop Weeds

The laying of a new lawn is usually a time of happiness and pride for many people. A new lawn really does look spectacular after its installed and now has pride of place in our yards, framing our lawns and gardens with natural green beauty. However, for some people these times of happiness can quickly be eroded away as the new sod is overcome with weeds. Leaving the homeowner bewildered as to how these weeds got into the sod and why they seem to be overtaking the new lawn.

There are some simple answers to this perplexing question, and the cause of the problem is not a single one, but rather a combination of factors which all contribute at the same time to cause a mass of new weeds in a new home lawn.

Initially the homeowner will of course be upset, and the very first place to point the finger is at the sod farm, with the reasoning that the new sod must have left the farm full of weeds. We can say confidently that this is highly unlikely. Sod farms are professional businesses who must supply a product of the highest quality, or otherwise risk going out of business. So these farms will have very strict controls on weeds and diseases at the farm. Which then ensures only turf of the highest quality ever gets sold. So lets take our focus off the sod farmers.

Now we're on the right track, and a little bit of logic will give us our answers.

If we have weeds in our new lawn, then they were grown from weed seeds. So we must ask ourselves where these weed seeds came from. Firstly, let look at our own yards first, and remember what was in our lawn area before the new sod was laid. If the lawn area was left neglected for some time before the new sod was laid, and had weeds present, then we can now see that it was those weeds which implanted seeds into our lawn soil prior to the new sod being laid.

Alternatively, if the lawn area was clean and weed free prior to the installation of the new sod, then we can look around at the nearby yards in our immediate area. If we can see there are yards full of weeds nearby, then it is also logical that seeds were dispersed into our turf area from these sources.

Weeds often put out masses of seeds, and these weed seeds can last up to 10 years in the soil before ever germinating. A percentage of these seeds will germinate each year, creating new weeds, with each generation waiting under the soil for the perfect time to spring forth.

So now we've found the true source of our weeds, and why they were waiting for so long hidden under the soil, we must now work out why so many weeds suddenly sprang forth when we put in our new sod. This too is very easy to understand with just a little more logic.

What did we change when our new turf was first laid? Well of course we immediately began to apply masses of water to get the sod established, and we may have put down a little fertiliser to help with the growth of the new lawn. In doing so, we created optimum growing conditions for our turf, which is great, but we also just created perfect growing conditions for all those thousands of weed seeds underneath the lawn, which were previously hidden in the soil.

All that wonderful lawn care was just what all those weed seeds have been waiting years for, perfect growing conditions for their survival, at which point we find that the majority of these seeds suddenly all germinated under these peak growing conditions. And as a result, filled our beautiful new lawn will ugly weeds.

So we can now see why some new lawns get infested with weeds so quickly after installation. Of course we can minimise some of these problems from occurring by properly killing all weeds in the area to be turfed before the new sod is laid, however this will not cure the problem entirely.

Once a new lawn is laid, and if it becomes filled with weeds, we must wait until the turf is fully established and healthy before any weed treatments can be undertaken, otherwise we risk damaging the new turf. Instead, we can mow regularly during the establishment phase, which will control many of the weeds from re-seeding, while keeping the lawn looking clean and tidy. Once the lawn is healthy and established properly, we can then look at using weed sprays to remove the weeds completely from our beautiful new home lawns.

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Why Should You Choose a Solar Water Feature for Your Garden?

Are you thinking about adding a water feature to your garden? Have you been thinking about going solar to save on your energy costs? These are questions that you may be asking yourself, and they have a great answer. Solar water features in a garden are something can bring you pleasure in more ways than one. Solar features do not use the electricity that electrical features do and they tend to be much easier to install than their counterparts. They also have other benefits that you may want to consider when choosing a water feature for your garden.

The Benefits of Solar Water Features

The benefits of a solar feature are not limited to less energy consumption. They are much easier to install than an electrical installation and can be less hassle. You may even be able to install a small feature that can be moved or changed to accommodate your tastes.

The solar products that are available today are much more affordable than they once were. This makes them not only attractive but affordable. It may even be cheaper to buy a solar feature than to have an electrical system installed for a water feature. It also makes them an easy weekend project for people who like DIY-type projects.

The solar water products that are on the market today may also be a lot quieter than their electrical counterparts. This makes them a more ideal solution for the water features in any garden. If you want a quiet place to sit and read a book with the pleasant sound of a waterfall; solar power may be the way to go.

Installing Your Solar Water Feature

One of the best things about your solar feature is that it can be installed in a matter of hours depending on what type of feature you want to install, but even if it is a bigger project, it will still be much easier with no electrical installation. All you will have to do is find the place and start your project.

Once you have decided on the type of feature you want to install you will be ready to start getting your hands dirty. If you are making a waterfall or pond; you will need to find the spot you want to start with and lay the liner for the water fall or pond. A waterfall should have a basin to collect the water. You can also combine a waterfall, pond, fountain, or any other features. If you are going to install lighting; you can use solar power as well, which you will find that there are many choices of lighting, which will allow you to light up your water feature at night.

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Easily De-Thatch A Lawn With Lawn Mowing

All lawn types will naturally build up their thatch layers over the years, in fact, thatch is a normal part of every lawn, and is what provides that nice soft cushioning feeling underfoot. If it weren't for the thatch layer of turf the sod would very quickly wear out when exposed to everyday use, and the soil would rapidly dry out from the heat of the day, as it is the turf thatch layer which is responsible for insulation of the lawn soil against moisture loss from evaporation, and from wear.

Over the years, all warm season grass types, and most especially when these grasses are grown in full sun, will continue to build up an excessive layer of thatch which will then cause other problems for the home lawn. An overly thick thatch layer will most often scalp when normal lawn mowing is undertaken, will increase the difficulty of lawn mowing, will prevent much of the water being applied to the lawn from ever reaching into the soil, and will trap this water in the thatch layer - thus promoting lawn diseases and other pest problems. The list of problems of an overly thatched lawn just keeps going on, so if our lawns do become thatched over the years, it will need to be eventually dealt with in order to keep our lawns in their best health possible.

The easiest way to control thatch in lawns is by regular maintenance routines which control the thatch on an ongoing basis, and the good news is that doing so is really very easy. Once a year in the Springtime while mowing the lawn, we simply lower the mowing height to deliberately cut deeply into the thatch layer of the sod. Sometimes this process will require going over the lawn area twice to finish the job properly.

If de-thatching a lawn using the lawn mower, it is important to remember never to mow the turf too low, as this can possibly damage the lawn or even kill it in some circumstances. Instead we must find a balance between the sponginess of the sod and how much thatch we remove in one of these lawn mowing sessions. For a heavily thatched lawn, we may need to do a less perfect job and remove only a portion of the thatch in the first mowing. After which, the lawn should be left to fully recover back to full health, at which time the lawn can be cut low again to remove an even greater amount of thatch. Using this method of careful thatch control really is the safest and surest way to safely remove any excess thatch buildup in home lawns.

The lawn mowing method of thatch control should never be a highly aggressive treatment on the lawn, we never want to mow so low to the soil that all is left of the sod is some prickly brown stems. Instead, the process should be mild in nature, regular lawn mowing, mowing at a lower height, and at a height which we can see is biting into the thatch. When the job is complete the sod should still be green and look relatively healthy, while still looking scalped from the low mowing.

Be sure that the turf is receiving adequate water for the week or two following the lawn mowing thatch control, while monitoring the turf for any developing brown patches. Should any brown patches occur in the sod, the best response is to keep ensuring the affected lawn is getting plenty of water until it fully recovers. A very light application of a quality lawn fertilizer can also be applied at a reduced application rate of around 25% of what is normally applied, but this fertilizer application is not necessary.

Good yearly thatch control is a great practice we should all get into when we own a warm season lawn type. Such lawns can include Zoysia grass, Bermuda grass, St Augustine grass, and Kikuyu as examples. The only final consideration we must provide for anyone undertaking these practices is to never use this thatch control method at any time when the weather is expected to be hot. Hot weather in the heat of summer can cause severe damage to a scalped lawn. Alternatively, we also don't want to undertake thatch control too late in the Fall, as the lawn may not have time to repair itself fully before the onset of Winter. The best times to undertake thatch control in turf is early to late Spring, or early in the Fall.

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What Is a Cold Frame Greenhouse?

A cold frame greenhouse in its simplest form is a box with a transparent lid or top. It was originally built to use beside a larger heated greenhouse on a farm. The term "cold frame" comes from the difference between the larger warm greenhouse and the much smaller unheated cold frame greenhouse. They were often placed at the foot of the larger greenhouse on the south side of the building. This allowed for maximum exposure to the sun, which was especially important during the colder months of winter and spring.

Originally the cold frame greenhouse construction was very simple. Its frame was made of wood and the transparent top was made of glass or some type of clear plastic. The top of the structure has a slope to it, allowing for sunlight to warm the inside of the structure, when the sun it not very high in the sky. The sloping top also helps drain-off rain water.

Because the air and ground inside of the greenhouse is warmer then the outside air and ground it is useful for extending the growing seasons of the plants placed inside it. Seedlings can be planted earlier in the spring, using the warmer confines of the greenhouse. Later in the season the seedlings can be removed and planted in the ground when the weather is warmer, the days are longer and there is no risk of frost. The structure also provides protection from strong winds, frost and unexpected snow falls.

Building a greenhouse of this type is very simple and can be done without much instruction. However there are kits available for purchase, if you need to go that route.

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Garden Pests - Fight the Pests the Natural Way

Every garden, at one point or another, encounters pests and bugs. Bugs are always found in a natural environment, and on plants and leaves. Though these bugs are not life-threatening, some of these bugs can cause significant damage to plants and, therefore, should be got rid off as early as possible. A proper plan of action must be in place to get rid of garden pests permanently or at least for a longer time period. First things first, understand the kinds of bugs and identify the 'bad bugs', such as Aphids, slugs, snails, Japanese beetles, Root Maggots, Army Worm, etc., that can ravage through a beautiful garden. The next step would be to appreciate the use of natural, chemical-free or organic pesticides and methods to keep the garden free of pests.

There are plenty of natural methods to fight garden pests.

• One of the coolest ways to get rid of pests is to resourcefully use the natural ecosystems and useful insects such as lady bugs, lace wings, spiders, praying mantis, etc. This is called fighting nature with nature.

• Lady bugs are easiest to find and voraciously feed on bugs such as aphids, chinch bugs, grape root worms, thrips, mites and whitefly, as well as most of the other soft-bodied eggs and insects. Make friends with lady bugs and maintain your garden the organic way.

• Praying Mantis has a huge appetite for most garden insects and their larvae. These insects grow fast and efficiently control garden pests. Their eggs can be mail ordered easily.

• Lacewings are perfect to get rid of aphids and quite a few other varieties of insects. They are usually found around flowers such as asters, yarrow and black-eyed Susan.

• Brachonids and Ichneumon Wasps are great for destroying leaf-eating caterpillars.

• Hover Flies are also beneficial insects that consume aphids larvae and other insect larvae. They are usually attracted to composite flowers such as asters, goldenrod and yarrow.

• Nematodes are also excellent to control pests in the garden. There are basically three major kinds of nematodes. One which is harmful to the roots of the plants, the second one which helps in organic decomposition, and the third one which is extremely useful against beetles, cutworms and root weevil larvae.

The nematode eggs are usually microscopic in nature and they hatch and grow in soil usually in millions. However, they are completely harmless to humans and pets.

• Marigolds offer natural pest control. Not only are they beautiful to look at, they also attract beneficial insects that help control pests. Many insects are repelled by the scent of these flowers.

There are also several organic pesticides to prevent garden pests.

• Ground coffee, vinegar and herbs such as tansy, thyme, lavender and catnip should be mixed with water and sprayed on plants to avoid bug infestation.

• A pesticide spray can be prepared by soaking garlic, ginger, onions, Indian lilac and mint in water overnight. This solution acts as a deterrent to soft body insects.

• Egg shells and salt are great to kill slugs and snails.

• Mixing mineral oils or canola oil with water and spraying on the underside of leaves kills insects.

• Mixing baking soda with water or milk with water and spraying on plants and leaves is also a completely natural and healthy way of eliminating bugs.

Extensive use of chemicals for pest control will create long lasting damage to the environment and may also have some adverse effects on the person who handles such chemicals. Therefore, many gardening experts recommend usage of organic chemicals. Besides the safety factor, it has its own set of unique benefits as well.

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