Companion Planting

Companion planting is all about planting things together in your garden that get along and benefit each other. One important benefit of companion planting is pest control. One plant can hide another plant from pests or produce odors that keep pests away. Some plants can be used to attract pests away from other plants. Another benefit is pollination where one plant attracts insects, like bees, which help pollinate the other plant. Some plants add needed nutrients to the soil that benefit their companion plants.

Companion planting has been done since the days of the Romans. Native Americans are known for their technique called the Three Sisters technique in which they planted corn, pole beans and squash together. The beans would climb up the cornstalks and the beans would provide nitrogen for the corn. The squash spreads along the ground preventing weeds and add mulch which retains moisture in the soil. Companion planting became popular in the seventies when the organic farming movement began. There is still limited science to support its benefits in large scale farming but home gardeners espouse its benefits.

Marigolds are a popular companion plant particularly for tomatoes. The smell of the marigolds keeps pests away because they don’t like it and French marigolds are known to keep nematodes away. Nematodes are microscopic worms that can harm plants. There are good and bad nematodes located in soil. The bad ones attack the roots. They are parasites and suck the nutrients out of the plant. It is hard to detect but if the leaves of your tomato plants are yellow you could have nematodes. Next year consider planting French marigolds near your tomatoes to protect them from nematodes.

Basil is a popular companion plant especially for tomatoes. They supposedly improve the flavor of tomatoes. For me they improve the enjoyment of growing tomatoes because every time I smell the basil when watering the tomatoes my mouth waters thinking about the delicious fresh mozzarella, basil and tomato salad covered with extra virgin olive oil I will enjoy. Basil also repels mites, aphids and mosquitoes.

Yarrow is an interesting companion plant used for a few different reasons. It provides a lot of nutrients for other plants and is a good companion for most plants. These nutrients really help if the yarrow is grown near a sick plant. Plants that offer healing benefits for sick plants are called Physician plants. Yarrow, marjoram and oregano are Physician plants.

It is worthwhile to consider companion planting for your next garden to improve the quality of your harvest. Rather than planting your tomatoes in one long row think about planting them near other plants that can assist in their growth by adding nutrients and repelling pests.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years,she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.

Recycle and Compost

Recycling is now a mainstream activity and hopefully the types and volume of items being recycled will continue to increase even during the current weak economic times. There have been a lot of old, dead cars recycled in the past year because of the value of the metal. It wasn’t uncommon to get $300 to $500 per car. Demand has slackened due to the global recession but it is a good example of the benefits of recycling.

Paper, cardboard, glass, cans and metals of all kinds are now recycled. Less and less waste is going to the landfill these days. Families who religiously recycle and compost their organic materials are reducing their trash collection by up to 75%.

The recycling of organic materials by making compost is the most exciting type of recycling for many people. That compost bin on the kitchen counter gets filled up fast by families who eat a lot of fruit and vegetables which most do today.

There are certain items in your kitchen that you shouldn’t put in the compost bin because they can create odor problems and attract rodents and flies. Don’t put meat or fish bones or scraps, any dairy products and any fats grease, lard or oil in your compost bin.

Most yard waste, grass and leaves can be composted. It is best to separate your leaves from your regular compost pile as they are high in carbon and it is best to work them into your compost pile with the other items you compost which are higher in nitrogen. Grass can go directly into the compost bin because it is high in nitrogen and will decompose quickly.

A lot of municipalities don’t allow yard waste to be taken to the landfill nor do they allow leaves to be burnt in the fall which has forced many homeowners to learn to compost their yard waste. Yard waste decomposes very slowly in landfills because of the lack of oxygen and takes up a lot of space in the process.

It is possible to compost just your yard waste without adding your kitchen scraps to it. It just takes a lot longer for it to decompose and it produces much less compost. Leaves and grass are great additions to an active compost pile. The grass is hot which means it decomposes quickly and the leaves add bulk that allows oxygen to flow through which assists in the decomposition process. Kitchen scraps, leaves and grass mixed together make a productive compost pile if turned regularly.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years,she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, water hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.

Growing Tomatoes from Seed

After a few years of buying tomato seedlings to grow some people start thinking about trying to start their tomatoes from seed. Somehow it is a lot more meaningful to grow things from seed. Rather than adopting an already born seed you feel like you have created the tomato plant. Or it could be that I feel like this because I am Italian and growing tomatoes is the main focus of my garden. I have had mixed luck with the few attempts I have made to grow from seed.

Start by finding good, fresh seeds from a source you can trust. There are so many interesting types of tomatoes. Everything from heirloom to San Marzano plum tomato seeds is available. Italians particularly like the San Marzano plum tomato as it is known to be the best tomato in Italy for making the gravy (tomato sauce). Of course you have to remember that San Marzano is a region of Italy and where you try to grow these tomatoes may have totally different soil and growing conditions.

Choose a soil to start the seed in that does not compact easily. Your best bet is a commercially prepared seed starting mix. Tomato seeds should be started 6 to 8 weeks before planting outside which should be one to two weeks after the average last frost of the season in your area. When ready to plant the seeds moisten the mix with warm water and let it sit overnight. It should be damp when ready to use, not soggy, kind of like a wrung out sponge.

You can start growing your seeds in any small container. Many people use the tomato germinating flats purchased at local garden centers that have plastic domes to put over them. The key thing is to make sure the containers can drain any excess water.

Plant the seeds about 1/8 to ¼ of an inch deep. Try and lightly firm up the mix around the seed to make sure the seed gets moisture from the mix. Cover your containers with the dome or with plastic that allows some air to circulate. Put the containers in a warm spot out of direct sunlight. The optimum temperature for germination is from 70 to 80 degrees. The seed usually germinate in 5 to 10 days. Seeds will germinate at lower temperatures but at a slower rate.

The seeds need to be in bright light once they sprout out of the soil. You need very strong light to support tomato growth. Consider using a florescent light a few inches above the seedlings 12 to 18 hours a day. Otherwise put in a south facing window.

When watering soak the container and let it get almost dry before watering again. The first leaves are called Cotyledons and are actually part of the embryo of the seed. The next leaves that develop are true leaves of the seed and when these develop it is time to transplant into a larger container. Don’t let your plants become root bound. If you see this occurring transplant the seedlings again into a larger container.

When it is time to put the plants outside make sure you harden the plants by taking them outside slowly, a few hours at a time. Try to keep them out of the wind and full sun when you first put them out. Once they seem like they have hardened off and adapted to the outside conditions it is safe to leave them out there permanently.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years,she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, garden hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.

Automatic Irrigation Systems

If you are away from home a lot but want your lawn to be beautiful an automatic irrigation system could be a perfect solution for you. An irrigation system can be installed and programmed to water at the optimum times. There is an emphasis on green living and conserving valuable natural resources today and an automatic irrigation system is a politically correct choice because you actually conserve water using it.

A lot of water is wasted when you simply use your hose and automatic hose reel to water. It is easy to over water your plants and then the water goes right down through the soil and is wasted. Depending on the type of soil too much water can actually move so quickly through the soil that the roots don’t even have a chance to absorb any.

The first step needed, prior to even researching automatic irrigation systems, is to put together a landscape irrigation design. This design considers the watering needs of different areas of your yard. It is simply mapping out your yard determining how much water each area needs. One area may have plants that are drought resistant and don’t need as much water. Plants with a southern exposure may need more water than plants with a northern exposure.

Having plants that have similar watering needs in the same area is optimum. Considering the watering needs of your plants and forming beds with plants that require the same amount of water is best for plant health and for water conservation. When plants that need a lot of water are planted next to drought resistant plants and watered to keep the thirsty plant happy the less thirsty plant suffers. Drought resistant shrubs can be planted with drought resistant annuals and perennials and all can be happy.

Once you have a good idea of the watering needs of your landscape and have created a plan you are ready to learn about automatic irrigation systems. Whether you plan on hiring a professional or doing it yourself you should know something about them. There are two types of irrigation systems: the sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation.

The sprinkler irrigation system with underground piping has four basic components. One basic component of the sprinkler system is the timer which controls when the water is released. The other components are the underground piping and irrigation valves and sprinkler heads. Drip irrigation systems distribute water differently. They are basically a series of tubes which have holes at different intervals for the water to go through. You will probably have a need for both types of irrigation systems in your landscape. Drip irrigation works best in areas where shrubs and flowers are growing and sprinkler irrigation works best on lawns.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years,she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.

Know Your Soil Type before Installing a Lawn Irrigation System

An important first step in planning a lawn irrigation system is determining what type of soil you have. How often you should water your lawn will depend on the type of soil you have. The two major concerns with any irrigation system are the health of the plants and conserving water.

There are three basic types of soil. The three types are: clay soils, loamy soils and sandy soils. Sandy soils dry out quickly and require frequent watering. You have to be careful you don’t water too much at one time with sandy soils. Too much water will drain quickly down through the soil moving too fast for the roots to absorb it, plus the water is wasted. The best approach with sandy soils is to water for a short period of time several times.

Clay soils also benefit from watering over several short periods. Clay soils retain water but absorb it slowly so several short periods allow the water to slowly seep into the soil.

Loamy soils are considered the best soil for almost any plants and if you have loamy soil you are to be envied. Loamy soils easily retain water but they also drain well which lets air get to the roots. These soils can be watered regularly without having to worry about watering in several short bursts.

As an example of how the different soil types handle water 1 inch of water will penetrate sandy soils to 12”, loamy soils to 6-8” and clay soils to 4-5”

If you don’t know what soil type you have you can send a sample of your soil off to your state’s soil analysis lab or cooperative extension service. The lab will determine the soil texture and oftentimes also do a nutrient analysis for you. The nutrient analysis will tell you what nutrients your soil lacks which will help you determine what type of fertilizer to use and how much. There is normally a small fee for this service.

Or you can do your own simple test. Pick up a small hunk of moist soil and try to shape it into a ball. If your soil is clay you will be able to roll it into a ball. With loamy soil it will seem like you can form a ball but it will eventually fall apart. Lastly, if it is sandy soil you won’t be able to form any kind of ball.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years,she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, hose reels and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.

Repairing a Garden Hose Leak

When a garden hose gets a leak, you may be tempted to just toss it and buy a replacement. But fixing a leaky garden hose is often fast and easy.

And remember the mantra “Reduce, reuse, recycle.” The words are actually in that order for a reason: to lessen your negative impact on the environment, it is most ideal to reduce the amount of things you have and use. It is second most ideal to reuse the things you have. Recycling things that you can no longer use is the third best option. And “throw it away and get a new one” is nowhere on the list! So, by repairing your leaky garden hose rather than running out to purchase a new one, you will also be doing your part to help lessen your environmental impact.

If your garden hose has just a small hole or crack in it, simple tape will be enough to fix it. If you have electrical tape, you can use that; or, if you prefer, you can buy some tape that is specially designed for garden hose repairs. This is available at home improvement warehouses. The first step is to clean and dry the hose; after that, simply wrap the tape around it to cover the hole or leak, making sure to overlap the tape and secure it well, but also being careful to not wrap it too tight.

If your garden hose is leaking at the spigot, just replace the washer. Because they can deteriorate, sometimes you will just need to swap out the old one for a new one. If you replace the washer and still have a leak at a spigot, then replace the coupling.

If your garden hose has a leak coming from a larger hole, it is still possible to repair it on your own. Again, when repairing a hose with a hole or crack in it, be sure the hose is clean and dry before you begin. A large hole or crack can be fixed by cutting that section out of the hose itself—make straight cuts with a sharpened blade while doing this, rather than using a sawing motion or a dull blade—then adding in a new part that attaches with clamps or crimps. These parts are available at home improvement warehouses. Be sure to take the damaged part of your hose with you so that you can buy the correct replacement.

Finally, to extend the life of your hoses, be sure to store them on hose reels, as they are unlikely to incur damage when they are neatly tucked away.

About the author: Jon Bassfarm is an Internet content writer who enjoys researching and writing about many subjects including garden hose reel and landscaping.

Winterize Your Garden and Garden Tools

Yard work is probably among the furthest thing from most people’s minds in the winter; with the hustle and bustle of many holidays, plus the cold weather, yard work in the winter is something few people likely want to do. But there are several things that can be done around the yard in the wintertime to get everything squared away for the cold weather.

The first is to take care of all your garden tools. Clean all hand tools, such as pruning shears, and lightly oil any metal parts. The handles, if they are made of wood, can be sanded down and also lightly oiled before they are stored for the winter.

Preparing power tools for storage is more labor-intensive than is preparing hand tools and the process can vary by tool. For details and advice, you can ask a mechanic or a customer service representative at the manufacturer of the tool to find out the proper maintenance procedures for cleaning power tools before storing them away.

Garden hoses should be detached from their hose bibs and removed from their hose reels, if applicable. Each hose bib should be opened so that, if any water remains inside, pressure will not build up if it freezes—that can cause the pipe to burst.

If you have a koi pond—or any other decorative water element in your landscaping, such as a waterfall—that will need to be prepared for winter as well. They should be kept free of leaves and any other debris; if you do not want to make clearing debris off a daily task, you can install a piece of netting on the surface to act as a cover. Fish can and will hibernate, provided the pond is deep enough for them to do so; a pond with depths of two feet should, as a general rule, be sufficient. In order to help the fish along with their hibernation, stop feeding them when temperatures start to cool—45 degrees Fahrenheit is a good benchmark. Be sure to check with a professional if you are not experienced with winterizing your pond and ensuring the health and safety of your fish.

While taking care of each of your tools may seem tedious, in the long run, the time and effort spent will pay off. The better care you take of your tools, the better and longer they will be able to serve you well.

About the author: Jon Bassfarm is an Internet content writer who enjoys researching and writing about many subjects including garden hose reel and landscaping.

The Right Soil and Site Preparation are the Key Ingredients of a Successful New Lawn

The best way to ensure you have a beautiful lawn is to prepare your soil and perform the proper site preparation before the lawn is seeded. If these two things are done properly lots of maintenance and money will be saved over the life of the lawn which can be decades.

For grass to grow properly it needs four things: air, water, sunlight and nutrients. The air water and nutrients all come from the soil. If there isn’t enough of any of these four things the grass will suffer. Proper preparation of the soil for these key ingredients will likely produce a beautiful lawn.

The best soil for a lawn is rarely found on any building site. Loams, sandy loams and loamy sands with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0 are the best soils for a lawn. Normally the soil needs to be improved by adding lime to acidic soils with a PH of 6 and below and sulfur or gypsum to alkaline soils with a pH of 7.5 and above. Test the soil PH with a soil test to determine what pH adjustments are needed.

The first step in preparing the site is removing all rocks, stumps and anything else larger than 3 inches. The site needs to be rough graded to eliminate any drainage issues, to slope the grade away from the foundation, to fill in any holes and make it as level as possible. The second step is to till the site at least a couple inches down to get rid of any existing weeds and to make it easier for new topsoil to mix properly with the existing soil. The third step is to apply the topsoil with a total depth of 4 to 6 inches after it is firmed. At this stage it’s good to add some fully decomposed organic matter into the soil.

Step 4 is where you perform the soil test and then apply what is needed to the soil. You then apply fertilizer high in phosphate to the soil and work it in so it is distributed throughout the soil. After this the final grading can be performed to even out any high or low spots and slopes. The final step is to use a lawn roller which is partly filled with water to firm up the surface which can reveal any low or trouble spots which can then be corrected. It’s best to let the site settle further by adding more water before seeding the lawn.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years,she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, water hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.

Dethatch Your Lawn to Keep It Healthy and Beautiful

A beautiful lawn is enjoyed not only by the homeowner but by neighbors and everyone who passes by. A beautiful lawn can be the envy of the neighborhood. Many people have cut back on lawn services to cut expenses in this poor economy and are doing it themselves. Learning how to properly care for a lawn requires understanding terms like dethatching. Experts say that dethatching your lawn is a necessary task if you want to have a beautiful lawn.

Thatch is the layer of plant material both living and dead that can include grass clippings, leaves, dead stems and roots which reside between the roots of grass plants and the green grass. Thatch can develop quickly if you don’t mow your lawn regularly and leave the large grass clippings for mulch. These large grass clippings decompose slowly and can create a thick layer of thatch. It’s best to mow the lawn frequently so that the grass clippings are small and will decompose quickly. Thatch develops naturally also as the grass throws off roots, leaves, etc.. Some thatch is good because it protects the roots. Too much thatch stops the moisture, air and many nutrients from going into the soil. Lawns with too much thatch dry out quicker which makes the lawn turn brown particularly during a drought.

How do you know if the thatch on your lawn is too thick? You can tell by looking at it but the thatch shouldn’t be more than 1 inch deep on the lawn. If it is thicker than this it is a good idea to dethatch the lawn. Once this is done you should only have to dethatch every 2 or 3 years if you maintain your lawn regularly.

If you have a small lawn you can use a thatching rake. This rake slices into the lawn vertically and brings up all the dead material. It is best to rake in one direction to minimize damage to the grass roots. Once you have the dead thatch material on the surface you can use a leaf rake to rake it all up. The thatch makes great compost which can be reapplied to the lawn after it has decomposed.

If you have a large lawn you can rent a power rake, also called a vertical mower, from a equipment rental store. This machine has blades that spin vertically and pull the thatch to the surface as they cut into the layer of thatch.

The best time of year to dethatch a lawn is in the summer, fall or early spring. It shouldn’t be done once growth has started in the spring because the grass needs the nutrients and energy stored in the roots.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years,she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.

Aerating Your Lawn

Lawn aeration is beneficial when soil has been compacted. Soils get compacted for a number of reasons: sports, car or other vehicle traffic and parking or wet, poorly drained soil.. Think about a football field. All that activity compacts the soil which kills the grass. Aeration is a common practice on sports fields to keep the grass healthy. When the soil gets compacted there is little pore space in the soil to hold air. Grass roots need air to grow and the space to absorb water and nutrients.

Lawn aeration removes small soil plugs from the lawn. A manual aerator is a cylinder with a handle which extracts a soil plug approximately ½ to 1 inch wide and 5’ to 6” deep. The plug is pushed out of the top of the cylinder the next time you use it and deposited on the lawn. These holes are made 2 to 6 inches apart depending on the degree of compaction. It is better to use an aerator that pulls the plugs out of the soil. Some aerators simply push solid spikes into the soil to aerate and are not as effective as the cylinders.

Aeration is needed when the grass roots are less than 2 inches deep. To check and see if aeration is needed remove a small piece of the lawn to determine the depth of the grass roots.

It is best to aerate in the fall. During the dry summer months lawns are already stressed and aeration may damage the lawn. Soil should be moist when aerating so it is best to water the lawn the day before aerating if it isn’t moist from rain. Try and aerate in two different directions to make sure you get air to all the roots. The soil plugs can be left on the lawn. If the soil in the plugs is compacted you can break them up and they will work back into the soil faster.

Your soil will benefit from aeration in many ways. The soil microorganisms will be able to work faster at decomposing thatch. The soil will receive more water, oxygen and nutrients moving into and through it. Roots will grow stronger. Water will filter through the lawn better. If your lawn needs fertilizer or seeding you can do both of these things right after you aerate.

If you have a large lawn you can rent an aerator at rental equipment stores or you can hire a lawn service to do it for you. Make sure the machine that is used has hollow tines so that the soil plugs are brought to the surface.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years, she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, automatic hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.

What Type of Grass to Plant?

Choosing the right grass seed mixture for your lawn is important and a few factors should be considered. If you make the right choice your lawn can last for decades.

The first step is to determine the zone of the area you live in. In the United States there are three basic zones: warm season, cool season and the transition area. You can view a detailed U.S. Grass Seed Zone Map here. This map shows the different kinds of grass, the seed rates per 1000 square feet, the planting depth and tells you when you can plant.

The second step is determine what kind of lawn you want, how much maintenance you want to perform to keep the lawn how you want it and any issues based on your site and soil type that need to be considered. Do you want the best lawn in your neighborhood; a nice looking and well cared for lawn or just a lawn that is green. Also think about how your lawn will be used. Will it receive heavy usage with sports and other activities? Will there be lots of traffic on the lawn? Will it be too wet or too dry most of the time? How much maintenance do you want to perform on your lawn? Keep in mind that typically the best lawns require the most maintenance. Site issues such as slope and shade and soil issues such as soil type and ph should be considered.

The third step is to choose what basic type of grass to use. Your zone can limit your choices here but the biggest difference between grasses is in the way they grow. There are two basic types of grass: bunch or creeping. Most of the warm season grasses are creeping and cool season grasses contain both types and are usually mixed in northern areas to improve appearance. Determine the texture you want a fine or a coarse grass type. The coarse type has wider blades.

The last step is to review the Grass Seed Zone Map and choose the grass seed best suited for you based on the factors discussed above. Seed mixtures are usually the best choices because each type as certain characteristics which cover a broad range of issues be it drought, insects or disease. Naturally, your choices are different if you are adding seed to an existing lawn to fill in bare spots. You will want to choose a grass seed or seed mixture that closely matches the existing lawn.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years, she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, garden hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.

Cool Season Grasses

There are a number of cool season grasses used throughout the United States. The three major cool season grasses are: Kentucky bluegrass, fescues and perennial ryegrass. Mixes which include different varieties of the different types are available and chosen based on the needs of the particular lawn. A detailed description of the cool season grasses follows.

Kentucky Bluegrass

Kentucky bluegrass is the most popular cool-season grass. It has a greenish-blue color and is identified by its canoe shaped blades. It is best suited for those climates with cold winters. This grass has a fine texture and creates beautiful lawns. It is known for its tolerance to extreme winter weather. It can also handle full sunlight with moderate amounts of moisture. It does not tolerate droughts well however, and needs to be watered in the hot summer months. It is slow to germinate and doesn’t like shaded areas and wet soils. Many people will mix Kentucky bluegrass with fescues to provide more tolerance to drought and high heat making the lawn more durable.

Fescue Grasses

Fescue grasses come in four varieties: Chewing, Creeping, Hard and Tall. Tall is the most common. Fescues are commonly found in the transitional zones where it is too hot of cool season grasses and too cool for warm season grasses. They are typically dark green and medium fine in texture. Fescues are very durable with a deep root system and are low maintenance. They usually stay green year round and are tolerant to moderate shade, heat and drought. The downside of fescue grasses are they aren’t as pretty as other cool season grasses and need to be properly maintained to ensure they don’t go dormant in extreme temperatures.

Bent Grass – Colonial

Bent Grass – Colonial is most often found in Pacific Northwest and Northwestern areas of Canada. It has a fine texture and is used for golf course fairways in these regions. It likes lots of rainfall and moderately cool weather but is also drought tolerant. It is a very attractive grass if properly maintained. The downside of bent grass – colonial is that it produces thatch requiring frequent dethatching and aerating and it has shallow root systems which need frequent watering. It also is susceptible to diseases and pests.

Bent Grass – Creeping

Creeping bent grass is a fine-textured grass commonly found in Pacific Northwest and Northwestern areas of Canada. It does really well in areas with a lot of rainfall and moderately cool weather. The creeping bent grass is often used for golf course putting greens. This grass likes sunlight, can tolerate shade and droughts and looks good if properly maintained. Like bent grass colonial its downside is it tends to produce thatch, requires frequent watering, isn’t very durable and is susceptible to disease and pests.

Annual Ryegrass

Annual ryegrass is only planted for one season and is used as a transitional grass. It is reseeded over warm season grasses in the fall to keep lawns green year round in the south and northern areas of the U.S. where warm season grasses are planted. It is cheap and germinates quickly. The downside is a low tolerance to heat, drought and shade and needs a lot of water.

Perennial Ryegrass

Perennial ryegrass is a tough grass that is deep green and fine textured. It is often mixed with other grasses, particularly Kentucky Bluegrass because it provides increased durability and faster growth. It does best in areas with mildly cool climates and damp summer conditions in the coastal west and northwest regions of the U.S. and Canada. The downside to perennial ryegrass is that it can delay growth of other grasses if seeded over them.

Dayelle Swensson is an avid writer for the web on a number of topics. Having gardened herself for many years,she is able to advise others about a variety of things including gardening tips, lawn and tree care, watering, hose reel and keeping your home garden looking good and healthy.

How to Prevent Frozen Pipes

That water expands when it freezes is a widely known fact. But what some people may not realize is that this expansion can cause serious damage to pipes in the wintertime when temperatures drop below freezing. When frozen water expands, it puts pressure on whatever might be containing it. That includes pipes, and not just plastic ones; freezing temperatures can cause extensive damage to metal pipes as well. While pipes that are outdoors and thus exposed to the elements—such as a hose bib for a garden hose or a water supply line for a swimming pool, hot tub or sprinkler—are obviously subject to the dangers of freezing, indoor pipes can be damaged in cold weather, too. Pipes that run inside the exterior walls of a house can be damaged if the walls have no or little insulation. Pipes in unheated areas of a home—including the attic, the basement, the garage and any crawl spaces—are also at risk for damage when the temperature drops.

So what steps can be taken to prevent frozen pipes?

First, before the cold weather hits, detach every garden hose from its hose bib, then drain and store each garden hose. This even applies to those kept on hose reels. Open each hose bib—this will allow any remaining water to drain out of it, preventing it from freezing, expanding and breaking the pipe. Similarly, drain the water from swimming pools, as well as any supply lines to swimming pools, hot tubs or sprinklers.

Inspect unheated areas of your home and make sure that any pipes in these areas are properly insulated. Insulation sleeves specially designed for pipes are available; you can purchase these at home improvement warehouses or even from a plumbing supplies store. These pipe insulation sleeves can be layered to ensure adequate coverage.

If you have faucets coming from pipes that run along exterior walls or other unprotected spaces, it is wise to let these faucets drip. It does waste a bit of water, but having even just a very small amount of water flowing will relieve pressure and thus keep a pipe from bursting. If you have left a faucet dripping and the drip stops, do not turn the faucet off. It is a sign that the pipe has frozen and thus needs the outlet for the pressure still. If you suspect you might have a frozen pipe, call a plumber right away.

About the author: Jon Bassfarm is an Internet content writer who enjoys researching and writing about many subjects including garden hose reel and landscaping.