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25 May 2012
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Picking the Right Gardening Tools

If you’re thinking about taking your gardening seriously and going out there each day to increase the appearance of your garden, then you will need to find the right gardening tools to help you in this. You may be tempted to look out to the shop and simply pick the closest items you see, but you’ll be much happier when you put a great deal of thought into the styles and types of tools you’re getting. There are styles designed only for gardening, and you’ll be better off getting those.

 

You will find most of the tools you should have in your nearby gardening or home improvement shop. Most of the employees will be thrilled to assist you in finding the proper tools. If you go to a shop that specializes in gardening, you can typically get some ideas in addition to service. Gardening store staff are commonly an untapped wealth of wisdom, and they’re how I learned almost all that I know about gardening now. In case you are having a hard time choosing the right gardening tools, or if you wish to save some money, you could try browsing online for the items you need. You’ll need to pay the delivery costs and wait an extra week or two, but typically if you buy several tools, the total savings will likely be worth it. It is best to purchase from a respected seller, though, and check around in advance for anything negative that people had to say about their buying experience.

The Right Gardening Tools

What are the Right Gardening Tools? I’m glad you asked.

What kind of gardening tools you need depends on what type of garden you are trying to grow. Basic garden tools can be found at your local hardware store, while high quality and specialty tools can be found in shops that cater specifically to gardeners. Here are a few tips on gardening tools to help you get started:

The first thing to take into consideration is the size of your garden. Obviously, large, heavy duty equipment may not be necessary for a smaller garden. There’s no need to purchase a ride-on lawn mower for a small patch of grass. Speaking of larger equipment, make sure that you have enough space to maneuver around your garden while using bigger tools. Also make sure that you are physically capable of using the equipment before you make your purchase.

right gardening tools

So far as basic searching for tools go, you might currently have all you’ll need. There are numerous types that you should have though, for a variety of specific tasks. A round point shovel is perfect for digging holes for plants. A spade is necessary for all the intricate work. A garden fork you might not use as much, but I have one in my tool shed and I’ve been grateful for it on multiple occasions. Obtaining these different types of digging tools can help you to minimize the work you need to do. For example, if you try digging a huge hole with a little spade then you’ll end up rather exhausted. The same goes if you are trying to do more detailed work with a big clumsy shovel.

A rake is an overall basic need. You probably already have one, but I’m guessing it’s a lawn rake rather than a garden rake. There is definitely a difference, and if you try to use a lawn rake in a garden then you will not be happy with the results. Same if you buy a grading or a contractor’s rake. You’ll wish to get a bow-head rake. I’ve found these are the ideal for gardening purposes. They will provide you the highest control and accuracy, so you don’t accidentally tear up your precious plants.

As far as hoes go, I don’t believe any gardener needs to have less than 3. There are so many useful varieties out there which i have a hard time recommending only one, and that’s why I’ll let you know all the ones I usually use. The one I use the most is the onion hoe, which is really lightweight and ideal for small cultivation and weeding. The Warren hoe is a bigger model, with a pointed end. If you want to make a hole or dig out a pesky weed, this is the one for you. There are many other types, but I recommend beginning with the ones I mentioned. As you progress in your gardening savvy, you will find the need for more types.

Here is a list for the right gardening tools:

• Keep the blades of your secateurs sharp, so that you don’t damage your plants unnecessarily. Look for models with tension control that fit your grip. Secateurs typically cost about $50 – $130.

• When trimming your plants, remember that a pruning saw is for trees and larger shrubs, while secateurs are for smaller plants, such as roses. Pruning saws are usually $27- $55.

• Shovels are best for moving around dirt and soil, while spades have a flat blade that is best for digging, cutting edges and dividing plants. Like secateurs, make sure the edges of your spades stay sharp. These are basic garden tools that everyone needs and usually cost from $30 – $50.

• When buying a Fork for turning compost and breaking clumps of soil, look at quality, not price. If you skimp on price, then your fork will most likely not be strong enough and will break in areas of heavy soil. Expect to spend between $30 – $100.

• A chipping hoe is a fantastic for tearing out little weeds. A Dutch or push-hoe is a bit easier to use because the action required to use it doesn’t strain the shoulder and neck as much.

• A rake is a common necessity for the garden. Use a strong rake with a flat head and sharp metal prongs for leveling a garden bed and keeping it smooth. Only use a plastic rake is used to collect loose, light debris.

Most people believe that gardening just consists of a simple spade. But there are many, many tools with many variations that you will use in your gardening career. Typically you can start with just a few different tools, but you’ll always find that you may use more varieties for special situations. It’s only a matter of recognizing when one tool could be more efficient than another.

Need more gardening tools suggestions? Talk to an expert! Call 805-773-5395.

18 May 2012
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Healthy Soil Preparation

healthy soil

In the event that you’re getting ready to continue a new garden venture, you have to ready your healthy soil to ideally house your plants. A good thing you can do within the soil planning process is to reach the ideal mixture of sand, silt, as well as clay. Preferably there’d be 40 % sand, 40 percent silt, and 20 % clay. There are several assessments used by expert gardeners to tell whether the soil has a good composition. First you may compress it in your hand. Whether it doesn’t hold its shape and crumbles without any outside pressure, your sand ratio is most likely a bit high. If you poke the compressed ball with your finger plus it doesn’t break apart quickly, your soil consists of an excessive amount of clay.

Assessing a healthy soil

If you’re still unsure concerning the content of the dirt, you are able to separate every component by using this easy technique. Place just one cup or even two of dirt right into a container of water. Shake the water until the soil is suspended, after that allow it to set before you see it separate into three individual layers. The highest coating is clay-based, the next is actually silt, as well as on the bottom is sand. You should be able to assess the presence of every component in your dirt, as well as act appropriately. Right after you’ve examined this content of the soil, should you choose that it is low on a particular component then you definitely should really make a move to correct this. In the event that coping with an excessive amount of silt or sand, it’s better to add some peat moss or compost. If you’ve obtained too much clay, add a combination of peat moss as well as sand. The peat moss, when moistens, assists in the new component in order to infiltrate a combination much better. If you can’t appear to have the ability to achieve a suitable combination, simply mind down to the local gardening shop. You ought to be capable of finding some type of item to help you.

The water content from the soil is an additional essential thing to think about while preparing for the garden. In case your garden is at the bottom of a good incline, it is most likely going to soak up too much water as well as drown out the plant life. If this sounds like the case, you’ll want to raise your backyard several inches (4 or 5) within the remaining floor. This can permit more drainage and less saturation.

Adding nutrition for your dirt is another essential area of the procedure, as most city soils have virtually no nutrients already inside them normally. One to two weeks just before growing, you need to give a great deal of fertilizer for your garden. Mix this within very well as well as allow it to take a while. Once you have done this, your dirt will be completely ready with regard to whatever seeds you may grow inside it. When your seed products are grown, you’ll still want to pay attention to the dirt. The initial few days, the seeds are anxiously using up all the nutrition about these to sprout into a real grow. When they run out of meals, exactly how could they be designed to grow? About a week following planting, you need to include the same amount of eco-friendly fertilizer that you simply additional before. After this you ought to continue using eco-friendly fertilizer, although not as frequently. If you give a tiny bit every few days, that needs to be plenty to keep your backyard flourishing.

Basically, the entire process of healthy soil care could be compressed into simply a number of steps… make sure the make-up from the dirt is acceptable, be sure you possess correct water flow inside your backyard, add eco-friendly fertilizer pre and post growing, then add eco-friendly fertilizer frequently next. Adhere to these types of simple steps, as well as you’ll have a variety associated with healthy plants very quickly. And if you’ll need any more details on an individual action, go to your nearby gardening center and enquire. The majority of the employees will be more than pleased to provide you with advice

Need more assistance in your landscaping needs? Contact us at 805-773-5395 or fill out our form.

11 May 2012
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Gardening Advice for Eco-Friendly Backyard


Psychology Behind Gardening

I don’t know what it is about a garden that has usually drawn humans to them. But they have usually been very popular, as well as an essential part of peoples’ way of life. Most beliefs feature gardens as their locations for several of the biggest events. According to Christianity, humanity has begun in a garden and the son of God was resurrected in a garden. The Buddhist builds gardens to let nature to permeate their surroundings. Pretty much every major structure and government building has a garden. But what’s so wonderful about these? They’re just a bunch of plants, after all.

Obviously, the reasoning is fairly obvious behind why people cultivate food in gardens. It is to consume! If you settle off the fat of the land and really survive on goods from the garden, it is simple to comprehend the thought. But I’m wondering about those people that grow flower gardens just for the benefit of looking nice. There is no immediate benefit that I can realize; you simply possess a bunch of flowers in your yard! However, after pondering thoroughly about the inspiration behind growing decorative gardens, I’ve formulated quite a few probable theories.

I believe a primary reason people love gardens so much is the fact that while we have a natural desire to advance and industrialize, deep within all of us is a primal passion for nature. Although this drive might not be as solid as the desire for modernism, it remains powerful enough to persuade us to build gardens, small outlets of nature, in the midst of all our commotion.

gardening advice

Considering that being in nature is a lot like regressing to an earlier stage of humanity, we too can regress to a time of comfort and complete happiness. This is the reason why gardens are so soothing and relaxing to stay in. This is the reason why gardens make the perfect spot to reflect and do tai chi routines. A garden is a way to swiftly get away from the busy world.

I have assumed at times that perhaps we as people feel a kind of guilt driving us to restore nature and care for it. This guilt can stem from your knowledge that we, not in person but as a race, have destroyed so much of nature to get exactly where we are today. It is the least we can try to create a small garden in remembrance of all the trees we kill each day. It’s my theory that this is the main basis for most people to consider gardening as a pastime.

Gardening Advice

Many people are probably not aware that gardening can actually hurt the environment. A significant amount of carbon dioxide can be released through tilling the soil. This contributes to global warming. Cultivating and compacting the soil, destroys good fungi. Fertilizers like nitrogen and manure will many times come out of the soil and pollute the water you drink.

Global warming

You may not know that the earth’s soil gives out carbon dioxide in the atmosphere ten times more than all human activity? This comes from the pill bugs, microbes, fungi and worms when they breathe, digest food and then die. Previously plants have been capable of absorbing carbon dioxide caused by small-scale tillages, this isn’t the case nowadays.

The rise of the globe’s average temperature is because of the carbon dioxide the soil emits when tilled. There is good news in that tilling can be minimized by mulching or sheet composting.

Good Fungi

In untilled soil, there is a good fungus, the vesicular-arbuscular-mycorrhizae or VAM for short. VAM actually forms a symbiotic relationship with plants. Their filaments increase root hairs and provide nutrients to the plant. They give out zinc, copper, potassium and phosphorus. Plants provide carbohydrates for the fungi in return. It is entirely possible to grow gardens without tilling the soil at all by mulching heavily until the soil is soft.

Surplus Nitrogen

Many gardeners waste nitrogen and manures; farmers do otherwise. Farmers only need a quarter to a third of nitrogen to mix with an inch of compost, horse, or cow manure. Notice that gardeners apply larger amounts of compost and manure than farmers. Obviously, they are not only wasting their fertilizer but also their money.

gardening advice

The best gardening advice that can be given to those concerned is to do all things in moderation. Remember that too little and too much of something is not healthy. This is the most valuable advice one can heed.

Gardening is definitely a wholesome habit though, don’t get me wrong. Any hobby that provides physical exercise, helps the earth, and enhances your diet can’t be a negative thing. So no matter what the root psychological cause for gardening is, I think that everybody must continue doing so. In the USA especially, which is dealing with obesity and pollution as the two main issues, I think gardening advice can only serve to improve the state of the world.

Of course I’m no psychologist; I am just a curious gardener. I often stay up for hours wondering what makes me garden. What is it that makes me leave the house for a few hours every day with my gardening tools, and facilitate the small-time growth of plants that will grow naturally on their own? I may not know, but in this situation ignorance truly is bliss.

Looking for more eco-friendly gardening advice? Contact us For a Free Consultation or call 805-773-5395.

16 Mar 2012
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Water Saving Tips on California Drought


Water saving tips has always been essential to Californians, and now it’s more important than ever. California is currently facing one of the worst droughts in history. In fact, for several areas in California, 2013 was the driest year in recorded history. Governor Brown has been calling for all Californians to cut their water use by at least 20-percent. That is why, here are a few smart water saving tips you’ll need to know.

3  Ways for Water Conservation

  • drip irrigation (utilizing a pipe or hose with small holes to progressively seep to the roots in the plant);
  • the career of plants in types of equal watering needs (to save lots of water on plants that do not require it); and
  • utilizing compost or mulch to insulate water and prevent drainage.

Water Saving Tips during the California Drought

Mulch Your Gardens Well

Most people think of mulch as a great way to keep weeds down while making a garden bed look more attractive. However, mulch is also a valuable resource when it comes to saving water. Because it prevents evaporation from the soil, a well-mulched bed will use far less water than one with no mulch or only a thin covering.

Choose Drought Tolerant Grasses, Trees and Shrubs

If you want to reduce or eliminate the need for sprinklers, choose a drought-tolerant grass that doesn’t need to be watered. You can also invest in a wide variety of drought-tolerant trees and shrubs that won’t need watering except in the very driest of conditions. Redesigning your landscape is a small investment that will help you conserve water and save money on your water bills.

Reconsider Your Sprinklers

Watering your lawn regularly uses up a huge amount of water, which means that during this time, you should severely limit your sprinkler use. In fact, some areas have made sprinklers illegal, except for on certain days of the week and at certain times of the day. Check with your local Department of Water and Power to see which sprinkler regulations apply to your neighborhood.

water saving tips

If you must water your lawn, make sure that you’re using an efficient sprinkler system. Check routinely for leaks, and keep your sprinklers adjusted so that the water is falling where you need it most – not on the sidewalk or the side of your house.

Using Rain Barrels for California Drough

But one of the better ways and also hard-wearing garden alive throughout a drought is always to take preventative measures. From time to time a drought is going to be predicted far in advanced, or individuals already dealing with a drought will be provided a few days of heavy rain. Should this happen, you need to make chance to setup several rain barrels. Many individuals think this is a period consuming, silly factor to complete. However it could save you many gallons water, and hardly requires any work.

Choosing the barrels will in all probability function as toughest part. You should use your own garbage cans, or mind to your residence improvement store to acquire a handful of 55 gallon plastic drums. These may be expensive and hard to move, so remember that before you go for the store. You’ll most likely desire to cover the very best barrel having a screen of some type to get rid of any undesirable leaves or debris that may cover the rooftop of your dwelling.

After you have your barrels ready, you’re confronted with your decision of where you can place them. Usually throughout rain, there’s the corner or segment of the home that rain tends to pour from. If you’re while using simple method of barrel positioning, just put the barrel under all the places in which you see huge amounts of drainage. However, although this can be the simplest approach to place them, you will not see high volumes of rain inside the barrels.

water saving tips

In order to possess a harder approach to placing the barrels, you should look at fine-tuning your gutter system a little. Should you remove every individual segment and set it in an exceedingly slight slant to make sure that all the water is diverted for the nearest corner of the home, you can put a rain barrel each and every corner. Basically your whole house functions just like a catcher for that rain, rather than a couple of ft price of shingles. This is the way to increase the amount of water your rain barrel will catch.

Following a heavy rain, every individual barrel most likely won’t see greatly rain. Whether it seems like it will not be pouring down rain more soon, it’s smart to empty each barrel into one primary central barrel. Seal it and save it taken care of, for if you might need it. Then next time it starts to rain, you’ll have the ability to rapidly invest your catching barrels into position without needing to take with you all the water you’ve gathered up to now.

Using water barrels might seem as an old idea. However, when you’re at the time of the drought and you’re in a position to spare that extra number of gallons for that garden additionally the town allotment, you’ll be thankful just for of cash and time you invested in collecting everything rain. It just takes a couple of outings out outside every time it starts to sprinkle, and you’ll be a really happy garden enthusiast when water isn’t so abundant.

If you are a novel reader which has a limitless method to obtain water, consider yourself lucky. You will find a lot of us who reside in drought zones where the garden and lawn watering rules are incredibly constrictive towards the healthy growth and development of gardens and plants. Lots of people just quit once they discover how handful of gallons water they’re permitted to utilize, but some individuals have just found methods to handle less water.

There are many more water saving tips to practice inside and outdoors. Check with your local water department or utility company for even more great ideas. With California facing a severe water shortage, saving water during the drought is the socially responsible thing to do.

Looking for more water saving tips for your garden during drought season? Call  805-773-5395  or  ask-your-question2

09 Mar 2012
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Using Gardening to Get in Shape

You may wonder how using gardening could possibly give as much exercise as working out. Just think about all the various facets of preparing a garden. There are holes to be dug, bags and pots to be carried, and weeds to be pulled. Doing all of these things help to work out almost every group of muscles in your body.

Using Gardening to get in shape

Before you go out into your garden, you should always stretch. Even if your goal isn’t to work out and get exercise, it’s still a good idea. Often gardeners spend long periods of time hunched over or bent over. This can be bad for your back. So not only should you stretch out before hand, but you should always take frequent breaks if you’re spending long amounts of time in these positions.

Mowing your grass can also be a great exercise. If you’ve got an older mower that isn’t self propelled, just the act of pushing it through the grass will give you more of a workout than going to the gym for a few hours. During the course of mowing the grass, you use your chest, arms, back, and shoulder to keep the mower ahead of you. Your thighs and butt also get worked a lot to propel the mower. Not only do you get an all around muscle work out, but it can improve your heart’s health. It’s good for you as a cardiovascular activity, as well as a great way to lose weight due to the increased heart rate and heavy breathing.

using gardening

Weeding and pruning are some of the best workouts a gardener can get. With the constant crouching and standing, the legs get a great workout. If your weeds are particularly resistant, your arms will become particularly toned just from the effort required to remove them from the ground. If you plan on taking the whole workout think very seriously, you should always be switching arms and positions to spread out the work between different areas of your body.

One of the most obvious ways to get exercise is in the transporting and lifting of bags and pots. Between the nursery and your house, you will have to move the bags multiple times (to the checkout, to your car, to your garden, and then spreading them out accordingly). As long as you remember to lift with your legs and not your back, transporting bags and pots can give you a fairly big workout, even though you probably don’t make those purchases very often.

If you plan on using gardening as a way to get in shape or lose some weight, you can hardly go wrong. Just be sure to stretch out, drink plenty of water, and apply sunscreen. As long as you take steps to prevent the few negative effects such as pulled muscles, dehydration and sunburn, I think you’ll have a great time and end up being a healthier person because of it.

Do you want to learn more benefits using gardening? Call us today!

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03 Feb 2012
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Using Vines to Decorate your Garden

Vines are a beautiful way to decorate your home. They are extremely low maintenance and look good just about anywhere. If you’ve got a fence , then growing a vine over it can be a quick and gorgeous solution. However, there are many types of vines for different situations.

There are many different options as far as ground vines are concerned. These types of vines grow fast and strong, and just inch their ways along the ground. They are very easy to direct, so they can make a border around your garden, or weave in and out of the plants. I suggest using these as a hardy ground cover if you just want some green on your dirt or mulch. Usually you can find a type that is resistant to being stepped on. It’s like a leafy, nice alternative to grass. Even if you have kids and a dog, it should have no problems staying alive.

You can also try  “twining” vine. This refers to their method of climbing. Twining vines require a lattice or equally porous surface to climb up, since they are not sticky at all. They just climb by sending out small tendrils and loop around whatever is nearby.  Usually you have to guide them a lot more during their early stages, and after that they will grow neatly.

Vines look good on the ground or on lattices and you can also blend them in to the very architecture of your house. This is usually achieved through the use of vines with small tendrils that have adhesive tips. They extend from the vine and attach themselves to almost any surface. If your garden is adjacent to your house and you want something to camouflage the big unsightly wall, it’s a great idea to start out a few vines near the base. If you have a vine like the Virginia Creeper growing, then your entire wall will be covered in a matter of months. However I have seen situations where the vine got out of control. After that, you have no choice but to watch the vine take over your entire house.

One of the vines that you would probably recognize is Ivy. You see it around a lot, generally because it is so adaptable. Out of the types I mentioned above (ground, twining, and sticky pads), Ivy can fill in for pretty much anything. It makes a great ground cover, and will grow up about any surface you put it on. Although it grows quick and strong, I wouldn’t suggest growing it up your house. This is because recently, buildings which have had ivy for many years have found that it has been deteriorating the building.

So no matter what you want to do with a vine, you should have no problem getting it to grow. You should always do your research beforehand and find out about any negative qualities the vine has (such as its ability to destroy buildings, in Ivy’s case.)

Looking for more tips and suggestions for your garden? Contact us For a free consultation or call 805-773-5395.