sudesh asked:


ARA – As days grow shorter and temperatures become cooler, it means the inevitable is just around the corner: everything that came out of your garage this spring needs to go back in before winter rolls around. That means you need to find room for the gardening supplies, the patio furniture, the sandbox toys and more. Not to mention corralling all the tools that you’ve used throughout the summer to tune up the bikes, fix the swing set and put together the new picnic table.

If you’re wondering where it’s all going to go, maybe it’s time to spend part of the weekend creating some order in all that chaos. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Divide and conquer

Start by separating the clutter in your garage into piles. For example, all snow shoveling equipment (shovel, ice scraper, salt) should be together, all sports paraphernalia goes in another pile, lawn care items in yet another pile … you get the picture. This will give you an idea of what you’re dealing with in terms of organizing.

Be sure to have a “throw it out” pile and a “donate it” pile. Throw away broken toys, almost empty cans of paint, and rusty garden tools. Donate sports equipment your kids have outgrown or that extra lawn edger.

A place for everything

Now you know what you need to store. Home improvement stores are a good place to start. Look for storage systems that match your needs. If your family owns bikes, consider hooks designed to hang them from the ceiling or a vertical bike rack to get the bikes off the floor and create more space. A tall storage cabinet provides a place to put out-of-season toys and tools. Shelving units or wall-mounted cabinets supply a convenient spot for sporting equipment.

Take care of your tools

For many homeowners, the garage doubles as a work area. If your tools have become scattered over the summer, or if they’re in a pile on your workbench, now’s the time to corral them. A pegboard and a good tool chest will help keep tools safe and handy. Waterloo Industries, the world’s largest manufacturer of tool storage products for professionals and do-it-yourselfers, has a variety of high-quality options.

“Our Shop Series is perfect for use in the garage or workroom,” says Mark Ryan, senior product manager at Waterloo. The line includes tool chests, tool cabinets, and tool centers in varying sizes and drawer configurations to fit any need. “These types of products are popular with the ‘weekend warriors,” those individuals who love getting their hands dirty once Saturday rolls around.” There are units that offer a bulk storage area for those large items or power tools. Many chests offer split drawers for all your small hand tools as well as a roomy top tray. If you’ve found that your tools have multiplied over the summer, and you’ve outgrown the storage in your current chest and cabinet, why not consider adding an intermediate chest to expand your tool storage capacity? Intermediates are available in most categories and stack in between your chest and cabinet to help organize your tool clutter.

Start with a clean sweep

Before you start putting all your organized stuff back into the garage, take the time to sweep the floor and hose it down to get rid of accumulated dirt and dust. If your car has been leaking oil, use a product made for this problem to get it cleaned up as well.

With a little time and compartmentalizing, it will be easier than ever to find what you’re looking for, your garage will seem roomier and it will be a more pleasant place to work.

You’ll find a wide array of tool boxes and other tool storage ideas at hardware and home improvement stores such as Sears, Menard’s and other retail outlets.



Lawn Care Business Marketing Plan
Brian Jenkins asked:


Like most good things, achieving a bright green lawn takes some planning and work, all year round. It’s not enough to take care of your lawn in spring when it’s about to start growing. Good lawn care requires that you combine some essential elements-sunlight, water, mowing, and nutrients, in the form of fertilizer.

Controlling the amount of sunlight your lawn gets isn’t possible for the most part, but there is one thing to watch out for. Sections of lawn that are overshadowed by your home, or heavy tree shade may need more special care, as they may not get as much sunlight as they need. If this becomes a problem, try trimming tree branches to open up the ground beneath them and allow your grass to get more sunlight.

Soil

If you’re not sure about the composition of your soil, it’s best to have it tested. The sand-silt-clay ratio of your soil, and the types of nutrients it contains, will affect the health of your lawn and the type of fertilizer you need to maintain that luscious bright green.

Watering

The perfect loamy soil is around 40% sand, 40% silt, and 20% clay. If your soil has a higher percentage of clay, it’ll hold water more easily, and may cause drainage problems after heavy rains. On the other hand, a higher percentage of sand and less clay means the soil won’t hold water well, and may need more frequent or deeper watering.

Ideally, you’ll schedule weekly deep watering rather than more frequent light watering, to keep the lawn green and healthy. In most conditions, the lawn will need to be soaked to a depth of eight to twelve inches each time you water, but in hot climates, you may find that more is needed. If walking on your lawn leaves imprints in the grass, too little water is usually the culprit.

Mowing

The height at which you cut your grass will also influence how healthy the lawn is, and how green it appears. Mowing helps keep your lawn healthy because it reduces the amount of work the grass’ root system must do to keep the grass nourished. Mowing also helps reduce weed problems because frequent cutting helps promote thicker lawn cover.

In general, cool-season grasses should be kept at a height of around three inches, while warm-season grasses should be maintained at two to two and a half inches. However, you should never cut more than one third of your lawn’s height in one mowing, as this can shock the lawn (due to the fact that you’ve significantly reduced its ability to photosynthesize).

Some experts suggest that the best time to mow is in the evening, as the sun’s heat won’t scorch and yellow newly-cut blades of grass.

Fertilizing

Using the correct fertilizer-and the correct amount of it-is the single biggest contributor to maintaining a sparkling green lawn. Other factors such as water and mowing are important for health and color, but without the right fertilizer, your lawn will sulk and turn pale yellow.

Grasses need a number of different nutrients to thrive. Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are the most important, but a plant can obtain these from air and water. The three macronutrients that are most important to plants, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, tend not to be available in soil in large amounts. Without the three macronutrients, a plant simply can’t grow.

Depending on where you live, your soil may or may not supply enough of those macronutrients to satisfy your grass or plants, and that’s where fertilizer comes in. In addition, if you mow frequently, your grass will need more of these essential nutrients, because frequent mowing will encourage it to grow more quickly.

For the most part, it’s the nitrogen in the fertilizer you add that will give your lawn its rich green color. However, it’s still important to choose a fertilizer with the right balance of macronutrients. Phosphorous, for example, is essential for new lawns, but established lawns don’t need as much, and may suffer if they get too much of that nutrient.

If you would prefer to use organic fertilizers, try blood meal. This nitrogen-rich natural supplement is great for greening up established lawns (however, it’s not suitable for new lawns). Just be sure to limit your application to no more than three ounces per square yard, and don’t apply blood meal more frequently than once every three months. Blood meal is extremely rich in nitrogen, and too-frequent application is harmful.



Create a Lawn care Business
John Pawlett asked:


What type of lawn care works best for you depends on the time and money you decide to put into your lawn. If your lawn is your hobby, you can spend thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of time on it.

On the other side of the fence, if what you want is a low-maintenance green expanse that you can enjoy with family and friends, you’ve come to the right page!

The best lawn care tip you can get is to start with a solid plan.

1. Do you need to plant grass? Do some research on the best seed for your area, where to buy it cheap, and when it’s available. Depending on where you live, you’ll plant either cool season or warm season grass.

Cool season grass, planted in northern areas, is usually best planted in early fall, but if you missed planting then, plant it in the spring when soil temperatures reach 50 F.

Warm season grass needs soil temps of 70F to thrive and is the choice for southern plantings. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can plant warm season grass in the upper Midwest. Warm season grasses are bred to thrive in southern climates and are not winter hardy in the north.

2. Of course, you’ll keep new grass plantings moist, but once grass reaches a height of three inches, water it deeply once a week.

A healthy lawn needs about an inch of water a week. When watering, remember to consider recent rainfalls. Shallow watering techniques keep grass from sinking the deep roots that your lawn needs to compete with deep-rooted weeds.

3. Do you already have a lawn? Aerate it in the spring while it’s still moist and before the spring rains are done.

Aerating your lawn in the springtime gives microbes and other small life forms a breath of fresh air after winter. Aeration also makes new paths for drainage and keeps your lawn from becoming saturated.

4. A lot is written about lawn fertilizer and the big question is why? Grass is the most efficient user of nitrogen on earth!

Feed your soil with nutrient rich compost and let your lawn get its nutrients the natural way. The more chemicals you use, the more you disturb the natural biological processes that convert organic matter into nutrients and the microbes and other small organisms that take natural care of your lawn.

5. Mow your grass high. A 2 to 3-inch high cut makes your lawn look fuller, feel softer, and helps keep it healthy. Taller grass shades pesky weed seeds and keeps them from getting established. In addition, a taller lawn is better able to absorb sunshine and better able to retain moisture, the two main contributors to a healthy lawn.

6. Enjoy your lawn. After all, isn’t that your main reason for having a yard?



Lawn Care Business Marketing Plan
Anthony Olender asked:


Humans have a fundamental desire to keep contact with nature as plants exert a myriad of effects on human life. Our perception and moods are highly influenced by the colors we see in and around us.

Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of a land. It generally includes ‘gardening’ which is the art and craft of growing plants for creating a beautiful environment within the landscape. Landscaping a backyard with trees and other plants help minimize the bad effects of pollution and hugely enhance the sales appeal of a property.

A good landscaper understands the elements of nature and construction, and blends them accordingly. Landscape Designer professionals aid in the design and layout of a yard into what one is visualizing. They plan Horticulture and provide custom designs and installation techniques to optimize the beauty and value of a property.

There is enormous scope for Landscaping In New York, from truly rural to wholly urban. With variations, gardens proliferate in every part of the state. There are must-see destinations, from famous botanical gardens to farmers markets!

New York Landscaping is commonly referred to as New York Lawn Care or New York Lawn Services. There is a bountiful of Landscape Contractors In New York who provide services, starting from Landscape Design to its Installation & Maintenance. They employ different Garden Irrigation practices for ensuring lawn and plant’s health. Various tasks include Lawn Mowing, Organic Fertilizer/Pesticide Applications, Privet Trimming, Small Shrub/Tree Pruning, Rose Care, Annual Garden Upkeep, Mulching, Aerating, Over Seeding etc.

People, who wish to have a beautiful yard and landscaping, hire these lawn and Garden Maintenance services through Landscape Companies In New York, for mowing and trimming lawns and bushes, and for installing and maintaining automatic sprinkler systems. These Garden Designers provide special services on a regular basis, such as dethatching, reseeding, fertilizing and aerating lawns when seasonally appropriate. They can spot problems and suggest solutions to homeowners for areas that are yellowing or being over or under watered.

Landscaping is both a science and an art. It combines the natural, living elements with structures and material objects. A well-designed landscape not only adds beauty and value but is also economically viable as it reduces the heating and cooling costs of a home or property.

If you are interested to know more about Landscaping In New York, please search our site (http://www.oceanviewlandscape.com/) for more in-depth information and resources.



How To Build Auto Lawn Sprinklers
Marcie Snyder asked:


People are afraid that if they switch to an environmentally friendly lawn care method, they will have difficulty having beautiful green grass because of grubs or unwanted weeds. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, if you have done the ground work, you will notice that an environmentally friendly lawn care system is superior to using insecticides/pesticides for many reasons.

First of all, you will notice that once the initial work is done, this innovative lawn care method is more economical than the old-fashion method of having to buy lawn fertilizers and spraying twice or more times during one summer with all kinds of chemicals.

Secondly, using ecological or natural lawn care methods supports the ecosystem in many ways.

1. Your grass keeps getting thicker and thicker which prevents soil erosion

2. Your soil becomes a rich source of worms and other microorganisms which help nourish the soil and keep it healthy. In turn, a healthy soil promotes growth.

3. A soil full of worms provides food for the birds which in turn help you get rid of unwanted insects

4. Grass which is not contaminated can filter contaminants from rainwater and many types of pollutants such as soot and dust from the air

5. And more importantly for us humans, healthy grass, like trees, can absorb the carbon dioxide from the air and give off oxygen back into the air. This exchange helps clean the air. Switching to an environmentally friendly lawn care system is one way to help diminish the effects of global warming.

In order to get good results when using an environmentally friendly lawn care system, you must think “preventative”. In other words you must take steps to discourage weeds and insects from taking over your lawn.

If you follow these steps, you can work with nature and avoid using pesticides/herbicides but still have a beautiful lawn:

A. Mow high (up to 3 inches) and often so that you cut no more than a third of the blade length at a time.

B Use a mulching lawn mower and allow the mulched clippings to fall back onto the lawn where they can decompose into rich fertilizer which promotes a slow but steady growth year round. With nutrients being slowly but constantly released, the grass can produce good strong roots which are not as attractive to grubs.

C. If you must fertilize, avoid fertilizers which make the grass grow very quickly. Too much fertilizing or using fertilizers with a high nitrogen or using “green up” liquid fertilizers makes the grass grow fast — too fast. It cannot develop good firm roots, so you end up with weak roots which grubs just love. Fertilizing once a year is more than enough.

D. As more and more of your clippings continue to fall back onto the lawn, it will accumulate between the grass blades. If you have half an inch or more of this thatch, you may need to dethatch. Otherwise, the water will not get through to the soil.

E. Water sparingly (once or twice a week) and deeply. Keep a small container on your lawn at all times to measure the amount of water your lawn gets when you water or when it rains. When watering, don’t stop until there is at least 2 cm of water in the container. In addition make sure the water has penetrated the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches minimum.

F. If you need to level your lawn, top dress with topsoil for lawns mixed with compost to prepare it for overseeding

G. When overseeding, use grass varieties which suit the specific location (sunny spot? shady spot?)

H. When the soil becomes compacted, aerate and add soil amendments such as compost or sand to relieve compaction

I. Use an environmentally safe method to control white grub. Put nematodes back into your lawn. Nematodes seek out white grubs, citrus root weevils, the Japanese beetles, the May/June pupa of the beetles, the European/Masked chafer, the black vine weevil, and the sod webworm.

Taking care of the environment begins in our own back yard. We now know how insecticides and herbicides are having huge detrimental effects on both humans and the environment, so why not work with nature to create a healthier, greener environment for ourselves and our children — the sooner the better. Switching to an environmentally friendly lawn care system is one of the many ways we can all help clean up and save our environment.



How To Build Auto Lawn Sprinklers