Choosing the Best Rake for the Job

by Kathleen Hennessy

For most homeowners taking out a rake usually means there is a carpet of leaves covering your lawn. But that may not be the case. Different types of rakes serve different needs, and choosing the right one may just help the job go a little easier.

For tackling those leaves a steel tine rake is the most durable rake you can buy. It's great for clearing loose or compacted leaves, getting under bushes and around trees. Steel tine rakes can also be used as light de-thatching tools. If you're looking for a lightweight rake, poly or plastic rakes are a good choice. They're easy to handle and good for raking leaves, grass and other loose materials. Combination rakes that are made with both poly and steel can incorporate the best features of both types.

If you have a lot of tight spaces such as shrubs, fences or landscaping to maneuver around, a shrub rake can do the trick. The smaller, more compact size makes it perfect for getting around and under tight spaces.

For landscaping chores there are a number of different rakes to help out. The most basic is the bow rake. Bow rakes are great for gardening, moving soil and removing debris.

A thatch rake is the manual tool for removing thatch from your lawn. Use one side for loosening the soil. Flip the rake over to lift up and remove thatch.

Level head rakes are great for leveling gravel and grading soft soil. These rakes feature widely spaced tines and tough steel construction, so they're ready to take on the big jobs. Similar to the level head rake, the aluminum landscape rake is a lightweight tool for smoothing soil, gravel and other landscape materials. Rounded teeth on the landscape rake make it perfect for use in areas where lawns or landscapes have already been established.

With so many choices, it's easy to find the right tool for the job.

Kathleen Hennessy has been writing about home and garden topics for more than eight years. An avid gardener, and weekend home-improver, she and her family make their home in the Midwest.

Grass cutting: Bring in new machine

2010/11/10
LIONG KAM CHONG, Seremban, Negri Sembilan
letters@nst.com.my

Grass cutting: Bring in new machine

WE often read letters complaining about the lackadaisical work by municipal council workers charged with cutting grass by the roadside and in playgrounds in housing estates.

Grass is cut but is neither swept nor collected. It is untidy and most unsightly.

Sometimes, the council reacts to complaints. Workers are sent to sweep and collect the cut grass. But this is rare; it is the exception rather than the norm. Soon, it is back to the same old practice.


As residents of housing estates, are we supposed to make a complaint every time grass is cut before action is taken?

Some grass-cutting jobs are outsourced. And I believe it is in the contract that the cut grass has to be swept, collected and disposed of neatly. Why is this not adhered to?

It may even be informative to analyse this "grass-cutting, sweeping and collecting" job.


Let me make it clear from the outset that I respect all manual workers who are efficient and effective. And I appreciate that these workers have to labour and sweat much to get the work done.

The worker uses a shoulder-mounted grass-cutting machine. Once the motor is switched on, all he needs to do is to swing the handle holding the rotating blade to cut the overgrown grass.

Just swinging the blade handle is easy work. There is no plucking, ploughing or cutting by hands to be done. The worker's hands are not even dirtied.


Perhaps, this is why this part of the job is done satisfactorily.

Not so for sweeping and collecting the cut grass. Because the cutting blade rotates at high speed, cut grass usually flies off some distance onto the road or into the roadside drains. To sweep and collect this cut grass, a rake, shovel, scoop or broom may have to be used.

The worker has no machine to help out in this task. Also, the grass swept and collected has to be put into plastic bags before it can be disposed of.

This has to be done by hand. I guess this is the part of the job the workers don't like to do and have not been doing faithfully. It dirties their hands and it is hard and tedious work.


But is there a solution? During a recent trip to Sydney, I saw workers cutting grass by the roadside in a suburban housing estate. They used a four-wheel grass-cutting machine with a collection function. It cut, swept and collected the grass; much like a mechanical combine harvester.

It was neat. I believe the workers there also enjoy their work because much of the work is done by machine. They are just driving the machine. Their hands are clean, too. Of course, the road kerbs and road shoulders on which grass is grown have been designed and maintained to suit this grass-cutting machine.

New housing estates in Malaysia can start building according to the required specifications and older housing estates can carry out such modifications later.

When these are ready, the local authorities can bring in these special grass-cutting machines with the collection function.


Read more: Grass cutting: Bring in new machine http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/24grass/Article/#ixzz14rvL1OeJ

Zero Waste

Zoos are turning the droppings of animals into compost

By MARC BENJAMIN


Fresno Chaffee Zoo’s waste is no longer going to waste. Zoo officials have embarked on a new project to cart dung from elephants and other vegetable-eating animals to a corner of the zoo’s service yard. The plan is to water, turn and age the scat for several weeks until it turns into compost and can be used for landscaping.

In addition to saving on hauling and composting costs, Chaffee Zoo in Fresno, California, might start marketing its end product later this year, officials said.

“With all the talk we do about the environment, we want to practice what we preach,” said Steve Feldman, spokesman for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. “More and more zoos are starting to recognize and use this valuable resource.”

Tucson’s Reid Park Zoo donates some of its composted waste to a farm operated by a community food bank, where produce is grown and then sold at local farmers markets, said Jed Dodds, education co-ordinator for Tucson Zoo.

At the zoo in Columbia, South Carolina, manure entrepreneurs are selling “comPOOst;” in Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo, it’s known as “Zoo Doo”.

John Davis, curator of mammals and manager pf the comPOOst operation in Columbia’s Riverbanks Zoo, said the soil additive is helping keep the landscaping lush. And purchasers also say good things.

“We have return customers who say they are pleased with how it’s working,” Davis said. “But, I can’t say it’s that much better than (other) compost.”

The money earned through sales pays for conservation programs that Riverbanks Zoo participates in around the world, Davis said.

Woodland Park Zoo sells its Zoo Doo to the public by the truckload or in containers. There are 28 different types of animals that contribute to the zoo’s programme, said Dan Corum, the zoo’s self-proclaimed curator of “endangered faeces.”

Corum said the zoo earns about US$15,000 (RM46,500) from Zoo Doo sales annually and also saves about US$60,000 (RM186,000) by not having to send millions of tones of waste to the landfill each year.

One of the nation’s longest-running composting projects is at the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. Over 13 years, the zoo has saved US$1.5mil (RM4.65mil) in landfill and landscaping costs, said Gin Wall, curator of horticulture.

“We use every bit we can get.” Wall said. “It has more than paid for itself.”

Chaffee Zoo employees on doo-doo duty are mixing elephant dung with leftover straw, landscape clippings and fruit and vegetables that can’t be used as feed. Eventually, they’ll also use dropping from the zoo’s zebras, giraffes and addax to create the compost material.

Only herbivore eliminations are used; the fecal material from carnivores can contain parasites, but samples also are being taken to ensure that parasites haven’t been left behind by herbivores, said Scott Barton, Fresno Chaffee Zoo director.

Fresno Chaffee Zoo’s two elephants produce about 55 tonnes of stool annually. All the zoo’s waste hauling is paid for by the city of Fresno. If all the zoo’s elephant dung is used in composting, the city would save about US$11,000 (RM34,100) in disposal costs, said Ann Kloose, city of Fresno public utilities spokeswoman.

To become a usable soil additive, the waste is built into windrows; zoo employees must turn, water and take its temperature for weeks, said Greg Gorby, the zoo’s horticulture manager.

Becky Thompson, a local gardener participating in the Fresno zoo’s project, said that for the poop to compost properly, the temperature must remain between 49° and 60°C.

“If it gets too hot, it will kill the bacteria, and if it gets too cold, the bacteria slows down,” she said.

If the pile rises to 71°C or more, it could spontaneously combust, which is why the zoo is acquiring a thermometer to measure internal temperature of its manure piles.

The key to the composting process is the activity of microbial bacteria, which need water, food and a steady diet of fecal material, Seattle’s Corum said.

The corner of the yard where the brown matter is stored at Chaffee isn’t stinky and has not attracted large number of flies.

Zoo poop from plant-eating animals typically is less odoriferous, Corum said.

“We are only working with herbivore manure, which smells notably less than, say the household cat box or the steamer the neighbor’s dog leaves on the parking strip,” he said. “Odour is not an issue with well-managed compost piles. Finished quality compost does smell, in a good way, like forest duff.”

The Fresno Bee/ McClatchy- Tribune Information

Planting in Pots

by RobinMcaf

Quite a few people have been asking in the Forums asked about planting herbs and vegetables in containers - here is my advice:

Containers
Herbs and certain vegetables thrive in containers. Feel free to experiment with the material. Mediterranean terracotta is beautiful but porous and dries out quickly. Use plastic pots, window boxes, buckets, or even baths (as in the picture above). Remember that the smaller the pot, the more you will need to water and the quicker the root will dry out so buy the biggest that you can afford within the space that you have. I have always found Sage to be unhappy in small containers so I would always give this herb a larger pot (at least 8 litres).

Soil
Make sure your container has drainage holes. If it doesn't, drill your own and have at least three holes, each with a 80mm diameter. Place a piece of broken terracotta or a stone over the hole to stop the soil running through or the hole getting blocked. I use John Innes Potting Compost but you can buy cheaper multi-purpose composts with a little John Innes added. John Innes tends to retain moisture more effectively than some standard multi-purpose composts.

Aspect
Most herbs and vegetables thrive in the sun. However there are some herbs and vegetables, which will tolerate partial shade. Spinach and mint are invaluable exceptions.

Top ten herbs and vegetables for containers
Cherry tomatoes. You will need full sun and plenty of food and water, but cherry tomatoes will thrive in containers. Planting with basil will improve the flavour. Feed regularly with a liquid tomato feed.

Basil. Plant with tomatoes, on it's own or in a mixed herb container. Basil is annual but will last the summer and taste delicious with your tomatoes. Basil is also said to repel flies and mosquitos. You can even just buy a pot from the supermarket and keep it inside on the windowsill close to hand.

Wild rocket. Will take partial shade and is extremely low maintenance. Fresh rocket tastes peppery and potent and the flavour will leave it's supermarket packet rivals on the shelf.

Mint. Peppermint makes a delicious fresh tea, which always impresses guests. It is also a valuable companion for cooking, particularly with potatoes. Never combine mint with other plants. It has shallow creeping roots and will take over. Keep it self-contained.

Rosemary. Great in a mixed herb arrangement and useful for cooking with meat and vegetables. I like the creeping variety Rosmarinus officinalis Prostratus Group which will curl over the edge of your containers.

Chives. Chives keep aphids away and the purple flowerheads are a real treat in early summer salads – the garlic flavour tinged with sweet nectar. The leaves are more commonly used.

Parsley. Needs little explanation. An extremely popular biennial herb that is used in a variety of dishes. It does like rich soil, to be kept moist and fed regularly. When you feed your tomatoes don't forget your parsley too.

Spinach. The final three plants can be picked when they're young and will keep cropping if you keep picking, hence the title ‘cut and come again'. Perpetual spinach is delicious cooked or raw and suitable for partial shade.

Lettuce. Lettuce prefers partial shade and a cool spot and is also happy grown in small containers.

Pak Choi. This Chinese cabbage is my final ‘cut and come again' option. It has a good strong flavour and will last into the winter months. Pak choi has shallow roots and needs little watering – ideal for container gardening.

Useful links

http://www.jekkasherbfarm.com/plants.asp

A wonderful resource where you can buy organic herbs, their seeds and learn more about the wealth of varieties available.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/gardening/article.php?id=157

Save Mother Earth!

One of the ways to reduce your carbon footprint is by planting trees. Trees absorb carbon dioxide to produce oxygen and wood.

By helping to plant tree you will be helping to:

-Offset CO2 emissions
-Provide wildlife habitats

The amount of carbon, a tree will absorb depends on many factors;

-amount of room it has to grow
-type of tree
-location where the tree is planted


So,let's start planting!!

We Are Hiring!

BjGardeners.com is growing at a rapid pace. We are now looking for great people to join our team.

(1) Gardeners

(2) Garden Assistants

(3) Sales Executives

BjGardeners.com offers a competitive salary and excellent benefits package including medical, EPF, and SOCSO.

Please click on the links for more information.

Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir dan Batin

BjGardeners.com wishes all Muslims a Selamat Hari Raya.

How to Add Organic Material

1.Organic material such as well rotted garden compost or in high in nutrients. Fork in when the soil is dug.

2.If the soil has already been dug, the organic material can be lightly forked in or left on the surface. The worms will complete the task of working it into the soil.

Choosing and Using Fertilizer

To anticipate a healthy growing plant would mean to provide a wide range of essential nutrients for your plant. The amount of fertilizer, you ask? Well that depends much on how often you need to apply it and also the amount of fertilizer you mean to use. The former would depend largely on the conditions of your soil and the types of crops you are trying to grow.

Essential Nutrients
Nature plays a major role in the nutritional cycle of which growing plants get nutrients from the soil and then would eventually die and rot, bringing the nutrients back to the soil. You can imitate nature as well in maintaining your garden by recycling your organic waste in a compost bin and the compost will return nutrients to the soil. Hence, it is always a good idea to have a compost bin in your garden. Note that the soil would also need extra boost from other sources, for instance organic and inorganic fertilizer.

Below are the primary nutrients where each macro-nutrient promotes a different type of growth:

(N): This nutrient encourages leafy growth.

(P): An essential nutrient for healthy roots and promotes the ripening of fruit

(K): Available in the form of potash which promotes flowering and good food production.

The proportion of these primary nutrients is expressed as a ratio of N: P: K on labels of fertilizer packs.

Other secondary nutrients are calcium, magnesium, sulphur, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zink. These are needed is smaller quantities.

Types of Fertilizer
Organic fertilizer: Originate from organic materials such as animals, plants, bones, fish (high in phosphorus) and hoof (high in nitrogen), is slow acting because they have to be broken down by micro-organisms in the soil before the nutrients are ready for plants.

Inorganic fertilizer: Manmade. Most are manufactured, but a few such as rock potash, naturally occurring minerals that are mixed. Concentrated and is quick acting because they are soluble in water and hence are readily made available to the plants

We Are Expanding !

We are proud to announce that we are expanding our services to the following areas :

• Bukit Jelutong (Sec U8)
• TTDI Jaya ( Sec U2)
• Denai Alam (Sec U16)
• Sunway Kayangan
• Kayangan Heights
• Cahaya SPK
• Alam Budiman
• Hicom-Glenmarie Industrial Park
• Subang Jaya
• USJ
• Ara Damansara

Drop us a line at www.bjgardeners.com. Your lawn is OUR's to maintain!

How to Lay Gravel

1.Excavate the area to the required depth- about 2 inches of gravel is sufficient in most cases. Don’t disturb the soil to the greater depth than you need to.




2.Level the ground. Lay punctured, heavy –duty black polythene or a semi-permeable membrane over the area to suppress weed growth. Overlap strips about 2 inches. These types can be found at any hardware shops.



3.Tip the gravel on the base sheet and spread evenly over the surface, making sure it is about 2 inches thick. Use a rake to get the gravel level.



Pictures by Colin Smith

Lawns and Alternatives

Today’s entry will be looking at methods on how you can play around with lawn presentation and on a few tips on how to maintain these presentations.

Why Lawn?
Most gardeners would certainly advise you to choose a lawn as a method to cover large areas of grounds and it certainly is cheep too. It is also a quick and easy to lay and minimum skill is required to maintain a lawn. Just make sure that your lawn is regularly mowed and trimmed and in not time at all your lawn exhibits an attractive open space.

There are a range of other options other than green grass lawns to consider for covering the lawn. Below are some alternatives that you can come up with in presenting your lawn at its best.



Gravel- A particular favorite among many designers. Gravel, pebbles and other aggregates are versatile and easy to lay. Nowadays, there are many attractive grades and mixes to choose from including colored glass chippings. They are also easy to combine with plants to create a natural-looking effect.

Paving & Decking- These permanent ground coverings are amazingly maintenance-free and there is a wide range of materials available to suit any garden design. Paving requires a lot of work before laying, particularly on a sloping site and it also an expensive option. One of the recommended timbers used for decking that suits Malaysia’s humid weather is Chengal. This choice of timber should last for at least 15 years minimum.

BjGardeners.com August Poster

We have arrived and set to stay. So take time off to do the things that you really want and leave the mowing to us. We cater and cut to perfection. Your lawn is our's to maintain! We are, after all, Your Neighbourhood's Green Thumb!

Enhancing Your Soil

Soil Conditioning
Organic matter in the soil tends improve structure of heavy soils (by allowing water and air in) and helps in holding moisture in the soil. Furthermore it provides food for beneficial soil-borne creatures (for instance, earthworms) which would further aerate the soil. Such examples of these organic matters are garden compost and mushroom compost.

Forking
The soil should be roughly turned and placed back in the same position using a garden fork. You may incorporate the said organic matters as you are doing this. Be sure to remove weeds or any other debris by hand

Digging
I’d like to explain a few main methods of digging your garden : simple digging, single dinging and double digging .

Simple Digging
As its name suggests thus is the least complicated to do. This method is particularly useful for removing weeds and to roughly cultivate your soil. Your spade should be forced vertically into the soil (be sure to the full depth of the blade!) and the handle is eased back to lever the earth up. Then, the spade is turned and the soil deposited in the same place, though inverted. You may remove weeds or other debris by hand and break clods of soil with sharp jabs of the spade.


Single digging
Single digging is exercised on heavier soil and it is also a great technique for mixing organic matter into the upper layer of the soil. Though its process is very similar to simple digging, however for this method you may need to reserve a trench of about 30cm wide across the plot and the soil deposited on one side. A layer of well-rotted garden compost is placed in the bottom of the trench. Mowing 15cm back, the next row is dug, but the excavated soil is thrown forward to fill the first trench. After two passes across the plot the first trench will have been filled and a second trench created. This process is repeated until the entire plot has been dug. The excavated soil from the first trench is moved to the other end of the plot to fill the last trench.



Double Digging
This method of digging is to break up compacted soil or to prepare deep beds. After excavating each trench, use a garden fork to loosen the subsoil at the bottom of the trench and mix in well rotted organic matter or grit to improve the drainage if required. Then follow the procedure for single digging. Be sure to not mix the soils from each layer.

Making Your Own COMPOST

An economical way to beautify your garden is to make your own compost. It is apparently also an easy way to get rid of waste. Furthermore, making your own compost also would mean to lend Mother Nature a hand as composting recycles material that would otherwise find its way to landfill sites.

Equipment for Making your Compost
To compost successfully and efficiently, you would need the right equipment and also to have a basic understanding of the principles of the decomposition process. Although you can compost organic waste perfectly well in a loose heap, it may appear untidy and would tend to decompose unevenly unless carefully managed. In most gardens, having a compost bin to develop your compost is a far better option.

Making a Compost Bin
Ideally a bin should contain at least 1 cubic meter (about 30 cubic feet) of waste to allow it to heat up adequately and compost material quickly. The bin can be a simple structure made from old pallets nailed together to form a box or a neater home-made version fashioned from second-hand, tantalized fencing timber. However, avoid using untreated timber because it will rot along with the contents.

What to Compost
Almost all organic waste materials from the garden and household can be recycled, but to decompose quickly and form the perfect texture - a crumbly, sweet smelling fibrous texture - the right ingredients must be combined. Ideally, add dry material such as dry leaves (high in carbon), with equal quantities of green, wet organic waste, such as grass clippings (high in nitrogen). Before adding to the compost heap, make sure that dry and woody material is chopped finely. And, a note of advise - do not add meat, fish, fat or other cooked foods to the compost bin because they will attract rats and snakes. Also throw away perennial weed roots and that are setting seed because these may survive the composting process.

Mix up the material before adding it to the compost bin or add the material in layers no more than ½ feet (6 in) deep.



Speeding up Composting
There are several actions you can take to minimize the time for the composting process to be completed. Give the decomposition process a kick-start by adding a proprietary compost activator such as Effective Microorganism (EM) solution which is easily available. This will provide extra nitrogen and introduce the necessary micro-organisms needed for decomposition. Fill the bin with all the material and make sure they are moist enough when added. Check after a few weeks to see if it has dried out and water if necessary.

To ensure that the material does not get too wet, cover it with a lid or a sheet of plastic. If the compost does get too wet, turn out the bin and mix in more dry material before refilling the bin. Be sure to mix the decomposing organic matter a few times a day. This will introduce air and produce more uniform compost at the end of the process. After about two months the compost should be ready to be used.

Feeding Your Plants

Just how can you have a healthy plant? Just how can you save the time on weed spraying, pruning dead and dying branches or even removing completely a diseased and dead plant? One way is to make sure you feed your plant healthily. Just like us, if we would follow a healthy diet regime, we would be trim and fit. Hence, it is pivotal that your plant gets nourishing feeding at certain times and environment.

Basically, there is a wide variety of plant food that we can choose from, may it be organic or chemical. Inorganic feeds come in dry or liquid form. For acid-loving plants, you should ensure to provide lime-free feed. It is also vital to feed only in the growing season.

Additionally, you should too ensure that you do not overfeed your plants. Lush green growth may grow on overfed plants and overfeeding may eventually deter the plants from growing flowers. Hence, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s directions for dosage rates in order to grow healthy and beautiful plants in your garden.

If you need help in planting and maintaining you garden, do not hesitate to call us at bjgardeners.com.

Preparing for Planting

Today’s entry looks at the right approach in preparing to plant. Before you start to plant, the soil should firstly be well prepared:

• Small stones which had emerged to the surface should be removed, as well as weed seedlings.

• Lumped clods should be disintegrate beforehand, so as to form a breadcrumb-like structure which is ideal for sowing and planting

• Try not to walk on the soil since your weight on the soil may result in compaction. (Tip : what you can do is to scatter short planks on the ground so to work from these)

• At this initial the planting stage, it would be a good idea to add fertilizers
(preferable organic – call us at Bjgardeners.com for on sale fertilizer!)

Mowing

When the grass starts to reach about 3 inches, it will need to be cut and trimmed. Brush off any wormcasts before you mow.

Make sure the blades of the mower are set high so they trim off about 1 inch. Gradually lower the cutting height over the next few mows until it is cutting the grass back to 1.5inches. If lawn is mowed too short, this will results in thin and dying grass, shallow root systems, less green.

Collect lawn clippings from the early cuts, or you always make your own compost.

And more importantly, always, be sure to mow with a sharp mower blade whereby the cut should be clean with no shredding or tearing of the grass blade.

If you got no time to maintain your lawn, you can always contact BjGardeners.com, Your neighbourhood green thumb.

Watering Tips

The best time to water your lawn is in the early morning. It is unadvisable to water in the evening since this may leave the turf moist for a prolonged period of time. Most lawn disease activity will increase if there is available moisture in dark surrounding. This will in affect induce fungal activity and eventually deteriorate your turf.

When planting trees, insert a used cylinder plastic bottles with the top removed and bottom cut-away- along side the plant. When watering, slowly fill the pipe or bottle with water, which will go directly to the roots without evaporating. Wetting the soil to a depth of 6 inches is generally adequate.

Big trees usually do not require extra water, except during extreme hot weather. One way to retard water losses is to place mulch over the soil.

A common question: What if I’m to busy to water the plant every morning?
Install a sprinkler in few locations and set for at least one hour.

Well, that is it for today. We hope that by following these few tips, you will allow your lawn to achieve its highest potential, combined with the services that we provide. Remember, BjGardeners.com is just an email of phone call away!

Lawn Matters

Today’s entry might be a long one and its on ‘Lawn Matters’ – well, your lawn should matter!

1. pH- the measure of acidity or of a solution, or in our case, your soil. An improper pH practically assures you of non growth and weeds. Hence, your lawn needs to be growing at the proper pH or it will be unable to absorb the necessary nutrients.

2. Check that your lawn-mower blades are balanced and sharp- When the blades are dull they are likely to shatter or break the ends of the blades of grass, practically pulling on the grass rather than cutting it. This creates uneven lawn and not at all the attractive lawn that you are aiming for.

3. Keep the lawn properly aerated- Remember those pesky signs of ‘Don’t Walk on Grass’ which we can find on perfectly manicured parks? Well, those signs do have a point - continued walking on a lawn area can compact the soil and cause stress in the lawn as well as the surrounding plants.

4. Keep the lawn properly dethatched- Continued mowing over fertilization can contribute to problem of thatch. Excessive fertilizing also tends to decrease the pH of the soil, which leads to decrease in microbial activity resulting in more thatch. The buildup of thatch leads to reduced air, nutrients and moisture in the soil. Subsequently, your grass will become yellow and unhealthy looking.

5. Buried debris- Buried debris can be any number of things. The most likely objects to cause problems are building refuse, stones and stumps. When they are close to the surface, they can cause a moisture deficit that makes the grass die back. Stumps and logs can cause soil slumping as they decay. They can also be responsible for fungal growth, such as mushrooms.

6. Moss- It takes a number of conditions to grow moss; poor air circulation, low fertility, high compaction, and high air-moisture content. In most cases, shade and acidity are also contributing factors. Lime does not always correct mossy conditions, but is used to raise the soil pH. There are two options for dealing with moss. First is to learn to love it and the second is to break the chain of conditions that make it grow.

7. Those obnoxious algae- Algal growth relies on high fertility and weak, thin turf. It is most often found in low lying, compacted, shaded, and wet areas. An indication of past algal growth is a thick black crust that is cracked and peeling like the dried surface of chocolate pudding.

8. Salt injury- Lawn areas next to walk, roads, pavements are targets for salt damage. You can use a salt-tolerant grass or you can treat the area by flushing the salt out with water or applying calcium sulphate.

9. Water- Once you’ve grown the perfect lawn, it doesn't make much sense to ignore it. Always to make sure in keeping it watered and fertilized, and you’ll keep the lush lawn you worked long and hard to achieve. The ideal way to water is with an automatic underground sprinkler system. By using an automatic sprinkler system, you don't have to drag hoses around or waste water, plus you’ll get the whole lawn watered.

10. Shrubbery and flowers need to be watered separately. If you use the same amount of water on your landscaping as you put on the lawn, you could kill many plants from over-watering.


You can always check out BjGardeners.com to find out more about our lawn maintenance services. We are just an email or phone call away!

Tips for Planting Trees

One might think that the course of planting a tree may be simple and a straight-forward task. Yes, it may be straight-forward, but there are certain rules that one must follow in order to ensure that the job would be fruitful, literally that is. The following are some of the few tips that one should live by when planting and maintaining a tree :

1. It’s important to take good care when it comes to mowing and handling your plant. It’s easy at this point to break the dirt away from the roots with rough treatment-so don’t.

2. You must at all time ensure that the plant’s rootball must not be dropped off a wheelbarrow or dragged on the ground.

3. Never lift a plant by grabbing it by the stem. Always lift from the base. It’s sometimes helpful to have help lifting the crown (the top of the plant), particularly for a large tree It is useful to have someone to help lifting the top part of the plant especially larger trees


If you need the right people to lift and plant your trees correctly, you can always contact us at bjgardeners.com any time.