GARDENING

Irrigation

Proper irrigation scheduling is a tricky skill that surprisingly few landscape professionals have mastered. By far the largest loss of plant materials on new landscape projects is the direct result of improper irrigation scheduling. You may be surprised to learn that the most common irrigation scheduling problem is not too little water, or even too much water, it is watering too frequently. Many of the common turf grass and landscape shrub diseases are made worse by, or even may be the result of, watering too frequently.

Using Vinegar for Inexpensive and Organic Weed Control ( Vinegar as a Herbicide)

Is Vinegar a Herbicide?

Vinegar has shown promise as a broad spectrum herbicide. Effectiveness depends on the type of weed, the age of the weed and the concentration of the acetic acid in the vinegar. Household vinegar is a 5% acetic acid solution. Stronger concentrations of 15, 20 and 30% acetic acid are also available All concentrations of acetic acid, including household vinegar, should cause treated foliage to brown within 24 hours. Young, tender weeds and annual weeds like crab grass are susceptible to treatment with household vinegar. However the roots are often not killed entirely and the weeds may reappear within a few weeks. Repeated applications, usually 3, are more effective and stronger concentrations of acetic acid work even faster and longer.

What is Horticultural Oil?

What is Horticultural Oil?

Oil based pesticides are an effective and ecologically friendly way to handle many garden insect pests and even some diseases. The majority of pest control oils are some type of mineral oil, a refined petroleum product. There are a few vegetable oils that are also effective pesticides, such as cottonseed oil and soybean oil. The oil is usually combined with some type of emulsifying agent so that it can be mixed with water and used as a spray.

If you mention in certain circles that you practice ant control in the yard, you're likely to have some smart aleck pipe up and rant, "That's not really necessary. These insects don't cause much damage to plants, so just leave them alone." But what your Mr. Know-It-All isn't recognizing in his rant is that, indirectly, ants can cause significant damage to plants.

Organic Ant Control Part 2

I ended Page 1 by noting the problem some homeowners have with traditional ways (e.g., the growing of plants thought to repel ants) used to get rid of ants: namely, that they don't have time to experiment with such methods for getting rid of ants. Such homeowners may well ask, "Is there an organic product sold in stores or on the Web that will kill ants?"

Every year, you should plan on cleaning your sprinkler system at least one time to clear out any debris and dirt that may have accumulated in the system when your sprinklers have not been used for an extended period of time.

Unusual Herbs to Plant in Your Herb Home Garden

An herb garden can offer more than simple herbs and spices. Whether it's for their culinary advantages or medicinal purposes, you can discover a world of new herbs that you never knew existed. The following article outlines some of the most unique, practical herbs available.

Lime is one of the most popular kinds of citrus in the United States today. If you have a lime tree in your backyard or are planning on planting one soon, there are several things you should know before planting this wonderful fruit tree.

Varieties

There are a number of lime varieties that are popular in the United States, but the two most popular are the Key Lime (also known as the Mexican Lime) and the Tahiti Lime (also known as the Persian Lime). Key Limes are sweeter and bear small fruit that is about two inches in size. Tahiti Limes are larger and bear fruit that is approximately thee to four inches in size.

Safety When Using Indoor Pesticides

Safety is an important consideration when applying chemicals to treat or prevent a pest's infestation, especially indoors. For this discussion, we won't be including weed control products (herbicides), although many definitions of "pesticide" would, as weeds are also "unwanted organisms." Also, we will not be addressing current methods of termite control in this article.

The pesticides that homeowners typically use fall into two broad categories, insecticides and rodenticides. Their names are fairly self explanatory. One kills insects the other kills rodents (mammals). The accidental poisoning dangers, however, are quite different.

Definition Pesticide

A pesticide is any substance or mixture of substances specifically intended to prevent, repell, destroy or lessen the effect of a pest. The term pesticides is technically a catch-all phrase that specifically means one of the following: insecticide, herbicide, fungicide or any other chemical substances used to control pests.