Hints and Tips for your Yard

Want a flower bed on rocky soil?
Build raised flower beds, as long as you like, but no more than 4 feet wide. it will make planting and weeding much easier because you can work from both sides without having to climb into the bed.
   

Looking for a Deer Deterent?
Spray trees an shrubs with a mixture of 1 teaspoon dishwashing detergent, 1 egg and 1 quart of water. Deer hate the smell of this mixture but it is undetectable by humans.
 

Hauling a lot of Man-size Boulders?
Drill holesin two corners of a 4x4 piece of 1/4 inch plywood and attach an 8 foot rope. Pile on the bolders and pull the rope. The board should slide easily accros the ground, saving you from severe back strain.
 

For Blister-proof Garden Tools-
Pad Handles with ordinary pipe insulation after coating the handles with contact cement.
   

Insecticide safe for Kids and Pets!
Mix 1-3 teaspoons mild dishwashing detergent per gallon of water. Spray plants thoroughly every 2-3 days for 2 weeks.
 

To Seed or Fertilize Evenly-
When using a seed or fertilizer spreader, add a handful of lour to the seed and mix thoroughly. When you spread you seed or fertilizer, it will leave a trace of white everywhere you've already been, and it will wash away as soon as you water your lawn.
 

How much do you water your plants?
Water 1 inch every watering. To measure your water flow, place an empty glass in the sprinklers path. When it has 1 inch of water in it, stop watering.
   

Frequency of Watering
-For Clay Soil...
Water every 10-14 days
-For Loamy Soil...
Water every 7-10 days
-For Sandy Soil...
Water every 5-7 days
 

To Determine Soil Texture-
Extract several small samples of soil from the root zone of your lawn. Mix them thoroughly, then extract 1 tsp and squeeze it in your fist.
-If it makes a ball that can be poked several times without falling apart, it is Clay Soil.
-If makes a ball that falls apart after 1 or 2 pokes, it is Loamy Soil.
-If it crumbles easily, it is Sandy Soil.
 

Settling a Patio?
When loacking flagstomes or pavers into a sand bed patio with a power vibrator, a piece of plywood laid on the pavers evenly distributes the weight of the machine, reducing the liklihood of uneven settling or cracks.
   

Aerating your Lawn-
Small lawns can be aerated with a simple pitchfork. Just step on the fork, until the tines are 3-4 inches down in the soil, then slowly rock back and forth to enlarge the holes.
Large lawns should be aerated with wither a hand-held hollow-tined aerator tool, or a professional aerating machine.
 

Do you have other hints and tips? Send them to us and we'll post them on this Website for others to see.

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