Everything Matters
When leaves are changing, the temperatures of the hot summer are beginning to cool off, and the days are beginning to feel shorter, you know it’s that time again. These point to one direction, signs that it’s the fall season; they are also signs when homeowners need to prepare their homes for winter. Preparing your home for winter is not always the funnest activities to be doing during the fall. The following are some suggestions of things you should put on your “to do” list before old man winter comes knocking on your home’s door.
If you are using a swamp cooler or and air conditioner, make sure to cover up your unit for the winter time. There are damages that can occur if not waterproofed correctly. Some of the common problems with not water proofing your units are rust and most importantly is moisture entering your electrical box of the AC unit. By keeping the rust out, turning your unit on for the summer time is a breeze.
Although chores aren’t that fun, one important chore around the home is cleaning up all of those leaves that are covering your lawn. This is not only done to make sure your house looks nice, but it also allows moisture and sunlight to be able to penetrate you grass making sure that your lawn comes back thicker and greener next spring.
The usual method cleaning up leaves is with a rake but you’ll probably find a quicker and easier method is using your lawn mower. Not only with your lawn mower suck up the leaves, but as the leaves go through the blade they will be mulched up so they will take up less space in your garbage can.
Every home is a bit different with ways that they need to be prepared for winter, but don’t forget about your rooftop. Make sure you get on your roof and get those rain gutters cleaned out so that as the snow melts it has a clean run off path. This will prevent any unwanted flooding and save you money down the road.
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Tags: Landscapers in Phoenix, Outside, Phoenix landscaping
Posted in Outside · November 14th, 2009 · Comments (0)
Most home owners dream of having a beautiful garden and lawn. It is a great addition to any house. There are two options when it comes to having a lawn installation. You can take the time and effort to do it yourself or you can hire the services of a professional company. Whichever of these you decide upon it makes sense to have as much knowledge about the process as possible.
The most popular method for lawn installation involves the use of turf grass. There are many different types of lawn grass that are available; you need to choose the right one for your garden’s requirements. Many professionals will suggest using a grass that is native to your region, but other varieties are still very popular such as Buffalo grass and Kentucky grass as local grasses are not always easy to get hold of. If you can get a local variety then it is likely to be more water efficient and will take to the conditions much better.
When creating your landscape plan it helps to minimize the area of lawn so as to improve the overall water efficiency; this is more of a concern today than in the past due to well-known environmental and ecological factors. You need to consider whether it makes sense to have narrow strips of lawn close to paths and fences. Such strips are likely not to be able to hold sufficient water to flourish.
Before laying out your new lawn it is essential to conduct proper soil preparation. This will enhance the time it takes for your grass to take root. The aspects to consider are good drainage, smooth contours, no high or low spots, and good topsoil. Remember to slope the ground at a slight angle away from buildings for drainage purposes, and ensure the turf is not too high above footpath level.
Anybody that has experience with laying a lawn will know that it is best to use a well drained loam as topsoil. Sandy or gravelly options may dry out too fast especially during the summer months. Clay based soils are best avoided as they can contribute to water logging. More often than not, the soil that already is present will be adequate enough.
It always helps to add organic matter to the soil to improve its inherent qualities. For this you can just use regular garden compost or other matter such as mushroom manure, chicken manure with sawdust, or even peat moss. This should be broken up and spread evenly across the lawn area to provide an even growth once the grass is laid.
It can also be beneficial to add a quantity of lime to the topsoil. It all needs to be broken up and tilled over. For this many people will use a mechanical roto-till though if you are fit you can use a pitch fork. It is best to break the soil up to a depth of around six inches. This should then be left to stand and settle for 3 or 4 days. Afterwards you can take a rake and level the lawn out as you like and then use a roller to compact the surface.
It is well worth taking the time to conduct a decent lawn installation as it will result in a garden area that is hard wearing and will last for many decades.
If you are in the orlando area and are in need of sod installation visit Ground Source Landscaping or call 321-231-5961 Orlando Sod Installation | this article was distributed by Orlando Marketing Firm InBusiness, Inc.
Tags: irrigation installation, landscaping advice, landscaping companies, orlando landscaping, orlando sod installation, Outside, sod installation
Posted in Outside · November 13th, 2009 · Comments (0)