Here are some tips that will make your gardening easier and more economical! They are from Blackthumb Bob, Blackthumb Bob's Mom and Dad, and READERS LIKE YOU who have come up with time and money saving ways to a beautiful garden!
from Blackthumb Bob's Dad
One of the most used tools in the garden is the mower. Keep it maintained and it will serve its purpose well. The heart of the mower is the motor. Most mower motors are designed to be rugged and sturdy, but you will need to change air filters and oil regularly to keep it running at top efficiency. The blade is the action end of this tool and should be kept sharp. Dull blades beat the ends off the grass instead of cutting it. This leads to damaged grass with brown ends. If your mower mulches, then the blades have to be extra sharp or the clippings will be far too big. Your mower can be used all spring and summer to cut the grass and through the fall and winter to pick up and shred leaves. Keep it maintained for top performance.
from Blackthumb Bob's Dad
Perhaps there is nothing more pleasing than a big, shady tree. To imporve the looks of trees, it is sometimes necessary to cut away some branches.
The best time to cut branches is when the tree is dormant. As a general rule, when the leaves have turned brown, it is alright to prune.
In a pinch, you can cut small branches away at any time. Also, if a storm has damaged some branches, you have no choice but to prune in order to avoid further damage, no matter what time of year.
from Jeff Williamson
Many spring bloomers start forming buds in the fall. Don't forget to feed them during this time. A good application of fertilizer in the fall will have a big effect in the spring!
from Jeff Williamson's Next Door Neighbor
Just rember this, if you are in the south (Zone 7). You pay yout taxes annually, so tax time is time to plant your annuals.
from Blackthumb Bob
About the time all of the perennials have died back, mother nature dumps all the leaves off of the trees. Instead of bagging up those you don't compost, try this. Blow them into your perennial beds to form a 1 to 3 inch layer covering areas where the plants (such as hostas, astilbees, etc) have died back completely. As the winter passes, the bottom layer will start to decompose and release nutrients back into the ground. This layer will also insulate the ground and plants beneath it from the harshest of the bad weather and will discourage germination of winter growing weeds and grasses (such as fescue). Then BEFORE the desirable plants start to come up again in the spring, blow the leaves back out of the beds and dispose of them as you wish. You can now pull any weeds, add an appropriate layer of your favorite mulch (and some of that compost you have) to the beds to prepare them for the growing season.
Killing Posion Ivy, Root and All
from Bill Darnell
One sure way I've read about to kill one posion ivy plant and its root system is to mix a five gallon bucket of roundup, don't cut the vine, but pull it from the tree, coil it and put it in the bucket of Roundup®. Leave it there, it will finally get to the roots.
Be sure you look at the concentration on the jug. Some packages starts with something like a .05% concentration. Get the jug with at least 18% concentration, and mix it about twice the recommended strength.
Dealing with Dandelions (Summer Tip)
from Ann Ogle
Each year I have a bumper crop of these fuzzies. I have two methods of eliminating them: use the vacuum hose or a grill starter torch. By killing them before the seeds scatter it really reduces thier spreading. (And, like tree
leaves, you can always turn the vacuum contents towards your neighbor's yard...)
Come early, Stay late (Year-round Tip)
from Blackthumb Bob
Weed! You can almost never sit back and say, "Well, there are no weeds in my flower beds to worry about this weekend!"
Dealing with weeds is one of those garden tasks that is never done. To make the job as easy as possible, try not to get too far behind the weeds.
In the spring, remember that any weed you pull will not have a chance to reproduce! Catch them when they are young and not deeply rooted. (This is a rule that applys in all seasons.) The more you can eliminate in the spring, the less you will have to do later. Keep in mind, however, that weeds, like your flowers, have seasons. Some germinate in the summer, so, you won't be able to sit back then either. In the fall, when your flowers begin to die back, you will find some weeds that have hidden among them. Get them out then, before they make seeds or otherwise reproduce. Winter brings a new set of weeds and winter grasses. Use the sunny days to get out there and eliminate them.
Remember, it is much easier to pull them out BEFORE they have deeply rooted themselves! Use mulch to prevent some germination as well!
from Chris Owen
To protect your plant bulbs from animals that may want to eat them, try this: Dig the bulb bed out down to the level where you plant. Lay down a layer of galvanized chicken wire, folding up the edges so that they extend above the soil surface. Plant the bulbs, and cover with soil. Lay down another layer of chickenwire. Fold the edges of the bottom chickenwire over the edges of the top chickenwire, and cover the whole shebang with mulch. The bulb roots and stems can grow through the wire, but the critters can't tunnel in.
By the way, this is a great method for planting bulbs that need to be divided, too; come time to divide, you can just peel the chickenwire cage out of the ground, leaving the dirt behind, with all the bulbs inside.
Getting Better Coverage with Roundup®
from Bill Darnell
When using Roundup®, get some wetting agent and mix. Especially important with plants like posion ivy, because the leaves are oily.
Optimizing your Tools (Year-round Tip)
from Blackthumb Bob
Keep your tools clean and sharpened in order to make gardening more pleasant and safe. A dull tool makes you use more force and could cause you to slip and lead to injury. Using more force also makes you more tired. Keep tools hung up or otherwise stored in a convenient, safe place where you can get to them without unnecessary effort. This will make the chores less frustrating. Who wants to climb over four lawn chairs, three kids bikes, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree to get the rake?
Mixing Chemicals Made Easier (Year-round Tip)
from Teresa McPherson
Ever notice how most garden chemicals foam up when you add water? Then the foam flows out of the top of the container and makes a mess while making it harder to tell when the container is full? Simple solution: Add almost all of the water first, leaving room for the couple of onces of chemical. Next add the chemical and top off slowly with water. Less mess and less foam.
A New Use for Kitty Litter
from Anne Ogle
I've been recycling kitty litter (Not for the cat!) I dump and allow it to dry and aerate (get air, whatever) then I spread it around
walks, patio, pour into mole holes, fill cracks in concrete, circle plants and areas where slugs are. I've been using a white brand and it hasn't caused any bad side affects and looks good.