Thursday, February 08, 2007

Caring for and Planting a Balled in Burlap

Tis the season when lots of people drag a real tree into their house and decorate it. Some people buy live trees that are balled in burlap instead of a cut tree. A live tree is a great idea, but many people make serious mistakes when it comes to handling a live tree, and they end up losing their money. The information in this article also pertains to any live tree you are planting, be it now during the winter, or during the summer.

1. Before you even take the tree in the house, dig a hole for the tree where you expect to plant it after the holidays. Put the soil in a wheelbarrow and park it in the garage. You'll need loose soil to backfill the hole, and the ground might be frozen after the holidays.

2. Keep your live tree in the house for as short a time as is possible.

3. Keep the ball plenty moist while in the house, but not in a tub full of water. You don't want the ball to dry out completely, but by the same token it shouldn't be soggy all the time either. Just moist. You can wet it thoroughly, but then don't water again until the water is almost gone.

4. After Christmas move the tree outdoors as soon as possible and plant it immediately. If you were not able to dig the hole earlier, the ground is frozen, and the tree can not be planted, leave it outside and pack bags of leaves or bales of straw around the ball. Find a way to heel it in in such a way that the amount of sun and wind the root ball receives is minimal.

Continue To Read Full Article Here : Caring for and Planting a Balled in Burlap

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Summer Gardening Tips

Don't be afraid to trim those flowering shrubs and trees that need it. Failure to prune is probably the biggest gardening mistake a person can make. I spent 20 years landscaping homes and businesses, and I watched people make the investment in my services, then they failed to prune when the plants needed it, and before you know it their landscape looks terrible.

If you make a mistake pruning, don't worry about it. It's like a bad haircut, it will grow out. Of course use common sense and read the previous articles that I've written on pruning.

Along with summer time comes high humidity. High humidity can cause a lot of problems with the plants in your garden and around your house. One of the simple things you can do is don't water just before dark. Make sure your plants are nice and dry when you tuck them in for the night and you can cut down of the chance fungus being a problem.

One of the more common fungi that I get asked about a lot is powdery mildew. This appears as a white film on the leaves of ornamental plants. Dogwoods and Purple Sandcherry are often the victim of powdery mildew. Powdery mildew isn't extremely harmful to the plants, it's just that the foliage is damaged, and little growing takes place once it sets in. Your local garden center will have a general fungicide you can spray if you'd like to try and control it. Usually once the plant defoliates in the fall the plant is back to normal.

Continue To Read Full Article Here : Summer Gardening Tips

Friday, February 02, 2007

When Gardening What Are The Right Tools That Anybody Will Need

For different kinds of gardens you will need different kinds of tools. Most hardware and DIY stores now have a wide range of tools available in stock, but if you want there are shops that specialize in the more expensive ranges that shout quality to you. But wherever you decide to purchase your tools from here a few points to help you make an informed decision.

Firstly you need to look at the size of your garden, is it small or is it large? A small garden does not require the same large equipment that would be used in a bigger one. Why bother purchasing a ride-on lawn mower if you only have a small lawn. Also you need to look at who in your household does most of the gardening. If you say it is your wife that spends a vast amount of time gardening then you need to look for tools that will suit her, there are some out there that are too heavy for women to use.

You are looking to purchase a pair of secateurs and you should always ensure that the blade is kept sharp to avoid causing undue damage to your plants. If you can look for a pair where the blades can either be sharpened or they can be replaced, as well as a pair that have a tension control system and a pair that best fits your hand size. Normally a good quality pair of secateurs can cost from around $50 to £130.

If you have a hedge or considering growing one (to provide that all important privacy that you crave) then you need to look at purchasing a good quality hedge trimmer or a good quality pair of shears. You may find that some hedge trimmers have a curved blade which stops branches from sliding out when cut, and as with secateurs the shears you decide to purchase need to be suitable for the blades to be sharpened or replaced.

Essential items you should have in your gardening tool kit are a fork, shovel, rake, chipping hoe and a pruning saw (not essential unless you have trees or large shrubs in your garden).

Continue To Read Full Article Here : When Gardening What Are The Right Tools That Anybody Will Need