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Landscaping programs can change the way that you feel about your home and your yard. These programs can give your home that professional look without ever being visited by a landscaping contractor. Just remember that there are some terrible landscaping programs on the market today. It is important that you take the time to learn about a few of them so that you can choose the one that is right for your yard.

Some of the programs I have come across will not help you to do anything but waste your precious time. Some have awful graphics that do nothing but annoy you while others are perfect in their rendering of yards and plants and trees. It is vital that you compare landscaping programs before you make a purchase. You work hard for your money and you do not want to throw it away.

A landscaping program is not a replacement for a landscaper, not really because it is not going to do all the work for you. What this program is going to do is be the tool that you need to get the job done right. You supply the ideas and the program will show you how it is gong to work, or if it will at all. If you choose a good one, it is gong to show you what the finished product is going to look like. Begin able to see things like this is powerful because many time things seem like they would be good in your head, but once you actually see them laid out they are not so hot. Without the landscaping programs you would have to guess and only find out you didn’t like it after the job was completed. That is mighty costly to fix, let me tell you! It is far better to iron out the kinks before you start digging and planting and spending all of your savings. (more…)

What are soil textures? It’s actually the feel of the soil when you rub it between your fingers. How it feels will determine what type of soil you are dealing with in your garden. The soil will be classified as clay, sand, or silt. Having your soil analized by a lab will give you the right composition, but you can roughly do the same by rubbing some moist soil between your fingers.Clay soil is classified as ‘heavy’ soil due to the fact that the particles are so fine that if you walk on it or till it will become cloddy and very compact. If you rub it between your fingers it can become very cylindrical. It will absorb nutrients and moisture therefore becoming more compact and difficult to drain. Adding compost and other organic materials to this soil will be a great improvement.Sandy soil will feel gritty and its grains, made up of granite, limestone, quartz, and shale, will barely hold together. If these particles were any larger they would probably be called gravel. It will drain easily, and many of the nutrients will filter through it with water. If enough organic matter has been added it is easy to cultivate. It does have a tendency to over-drain and become dehydrated in the summer months and during wet weather it has difficulty retaining moisture and nutrients. Silt soil has particles that are smaller than sand and larger than clay. If you rub it between your fingers it will feel smooth. It drains slower than sand but is poor at holding together. It makes superior farm land but will erode very easy and will get blown away in heavy winds or even a dust storm. This is also the soil that is found in the bottom of a river.Loam is a medium textured soil that contains equally balanced amounts of sand, silt, and clay. This is also termed as good soil; all clods will break down easy and create smaller particles.  With this good loam you probably won’t want anything else. It holds moisture and with proper maintenance you can grow just about any crop. You will still have to add compost or humus and fertilizer regularly to maintain the good levels and maybe some lime occassionally to correct the acidity level.Now that you have a little better idea about the different soil textures you will be able to amend your soil to the proper level for growing your gardens.

With proper lawn care maintenance, the home owners and property owners can keep their lawn in a lush, green and healthy condition. A healthy lawn and garden will increases the value of your property. For maintaining a great looking lawn, homeowners and property owners must provide consistent care.  Performing the right task at right time can be the secret to a healthy lawn and garden. Consider the following steps to maintain your lawn and garden: 1. Water the lawn deeply once a week when dry conditions prevail, with at least 2 inches of water.2. Proper fertilizing. It is recommended to apply fertilizers in late summer or the early fall but they can also be done in early spring and winter.3. Make sure you evenly apply lawn fertilizers to achieve a uniform green lawn. 4. Make sure your fertilization includes the three main nutrients that work to keep it attractive and healthy.  These nutrients are:5. Nitrogen to maintain a dark green color, thick turf and a strong lead and blade. 6. Phosphorus for a healthy root and to promote long life of plants 7. Potassium to help keep the plant strong and resistant to wear, drought and cold winters. 8. To determine the amount of nutrients needed by your lawn, test the soil. Problem soil may have a pH imbalance. Ask your garden centre where you can purchase a soil test kit to check. Hiring a lawn care service is also an option.9. Control weeds by pulling them out by hand when the soil is moist for easy removal and to get as much of their root as possible.10.Raise your mower height and keep your lawn between 6 and 8 cm high (2.5 to 3 inches) Dull and damaged mower blades should kept sharpened.11.Mow your lawn in different directions and leave your lawn clippings on the lawn after you mow — they make an ideal (and free) fertilizer12.Wash away small colonies of pests on trees or shrubs before they infest your gardens.It is important to remember lawn care and lawn maintenance may vary from day to day. Be sure to observe your landscape conditions daily. No matter the time of year, you can follow efficient lawn care and maintenance tips to make your lawn greener and healthier.

If you aren’t too careful, you can go overboard with your summertime lawn maintenance. The reason is because during the hottest months of July and August, grasses can become semi-dormant. This makes the grasses more vulnerable. If you want to keep your lawn fresh and green during these hot months ahead, then there are certain things you can do to encourage this.
The first thing to remember is, don’t stress your lawn. Your grass doesn’t grow as much during the summer, being in a semi-dormant state, so less mowing is commanded. Keeping the blades on your lawn mower sharpened will give you a clean cut of around 2” to 2.5” on your grass height. You don’t want your grass getting to tall during the summer, but if it does, don’t cut it all down at one time. Instead, take it in steps, cutting it down gradually, little by little.
During extreme heat or drought, your grass runs the danger of losing its moisture through the grass tips. Stress to your lawn can also come from the wheels of your lawn mower, as well as lots of foot-traffic from people barbecuing and playing games on the lawn. This can lead to required lawn maintenance during the fall season in order to repair the damage.
How often do you need to be watering your lawn during the summer months? Many people think it needs to be done often. But with good lawn maintenance throughout the rest of the year, watering during the summer months could be kept down to an acceptable minimum. Now, when you do water, if you don’t want to lose grass during the hot months of summer, then the best time to do your watering is in the early hours of the day. Doing this will allow the water the chance to evaporate during the day and prevent damage to your lawn. For those of you who are using an irrigation system to water your lawn, you’ll want to moisten the ground down to about four inches. But remember too that your local government may have water destruction policies and ordinances in place where you live, to prevent water shortage, especially during a drought season.
Problems with insects are to be treated as needed. But you need to properly evaluate any insect infestation to be certain of implementing the right treatment for whatever insect problem has arisen on your lawn. It might be necessary to call in professionals if your infestation is a major one.
If you grass becomes diseased somehow, then there is not much you could do but want to take care of it in the late summer or early fall. You will need to repair your lawn, and most likely even replace it at that point.
Weed infestation can be helped by herbicides or even hand-weeding. Be sure if you choose hand-weeding as your method that you get down to the rest of the problem, otherwise you will not regain control of your lawn from these weeds.
Fertilizing your lawn during the summer is not a good idea. Doing this activity during the hot days of summer will suck out precious moisture, making your lawn susceptible to heat and drought conditions. Instead, wait until the fall season to add fertilizer to your lawn. The best kind of fertilizer to use is one that will slowly release nutrients into the soil throughout the search.
Remember that good lawn care doesn’t happen in one day. If you plan properly and utilize the summer lawn maintenance techniques discussed here, you will have a lush, green lawn that will be enjoyed not only during the summer months, but all year long.