Lawns and Gardens

Renting big tools can often save you time and money over hiring professionally or doing your job by hand.  Now that its time to get that yard work done, you need to start thinking about the equipment you will need to do the job properly.  Today we will discuss two popular tools that are fairly simple, but can be intimidating to use.  We will talk about auger and stump grinder rentals.

An auger looks like a really big screw.  It bores into the earth while pulling up dirt on its threads.  Augers can be a little tricky to use, so be sure you have someone who will work with you to steady it if needed.  The first thing you want to do is measure several times where you want your holes dug.  Once you have marked the center of each hole, give each hole a little start with a shovel.  That way the auger will have a place to start and it won’t slip around when you get it started.  Only after you have these pilot holes started should you pick up your auger rental (this will save you money because you won’t have to rent it for as long).

A stump grinder can be intimidating as well because it is normally very large.  They range in size from a big lawn mower to a small car and weigh as little as 1000 pounds, but they are not too difficult to use and with just a few minutes of training from the rental shop, you should have no trouble using it.  Before you start using the grinder, be sure that you have a clearance of 25 feet from any cars, windows, or anything else that could be damaged from flying wood chips.  Then remove any rocks from around the base of the stump you are grinding.  They can quickly dull the blade and perhaps cause even worse damage to the machine.  When you are ready to start, you will level the wheel just on top of the stump.  Then pull the lever down and grind the stump down four inches.  Move the grinder and start again going down four inches until the whole stump is roughly four inches shorter and start again until you have finished grinding the stump out.

One of the most functional and versatile home structures is the garden pergola.  Pergolas are not just pretty frames that provide a backing for plants, flowers, and other hanging decorations but they also provide shelter, beauty and can act as connections between your home and other backyard living spaces.

Common to all garden pergola designs is the interlaced pattern of the roof.  This pattern provides partial shade to whatever is under the pergola and additional shelter can be obtained by adding a weatherproof canopy or other fabric covering to the pergola structure.  Pergola roofs and sides are typically created from a variety of slants and shapes and the entire pergola can be attached to another building or a freestanding over a patio, deck or other backyard or garden area.

Vinyl and wood are popular materials used to making of garden pergolas but a smart and attractive choice is aluminum.  Aluminum pergolas are very low maintenance because they are inherently resistant to insects, moisture damage, and cracks.  Most modern aluminum materials are also rust-resistant because they contain a weatherproof coating.  Aluminum can easily be made to look like grained wood or can be painted to match existing buildings on a property as well.

Outdoor pergola designs vary greatly, from small, decorative pieces to large areas that are perfect for outdoor entertainment.  Some companies can customize a garden pergola to your exact specifications or you can find cheaper ready made kits.  In fact, most pergolas are marketed as kits because even a novice builder can set it up.

See Build a Pergola Hardware Kit and Stencil from Amazon

Pergolas can complement and enhance any type of outdoor living area.  You can use them as garden archways or to create areas for your family to gather, entertain, or simply to kick back and relax.  Pergolas can add visual appeal and function outside of your home without a hefty financial, time or labor investment.  If you are contemplating an outdoor living home improvement project, you should definitely consider a new pergola.

An attractive vegetable garden layout has many benefits for your garden aside from it being nice to look at. The particular arrangements are one of the main factors to be considered if you want to grow your vegetables healthily. Below are some popular garden layouts and the benefits to your vegetables:

• Potager layout- This type of layout is perfect for those who want to see a lot of mixed colors in their garden, since the potager style is mixing your usual vegetable or herbs with flowers here and there. This style will help your vegetables grow beautifully and will ward off pests since you are pairing the plants up. We all know that there are some plants that are excellent for warding off pests such as nematodes.

• Traditional- The traditional garden layout means planting your vegetables by row. This is ideal if you have a large garden, and will help the vegetables soak up a lot of sunlight–which is good for them

• Raised bed- This is ideal for those who only have small gardens since you can plant the vegetables closer through the raised bed pattern. You can do this pattern if you want to start early in planting, since the raised bed will help the soil get warm quicker, which is ideal for tropical vegetables.

• Four square pattern- This pattern is best for those who want to be able to see the full coverage of the garden, since it is designed in a way that the vegetables are planted in the four corners of a garden, leaving a cross pathway so that it will be easy to reach the produce.

• Formal asymmetrical garden layout- This pattern is best for those who want order in everything he or she does, since through this pattern you will be able to decide as to which vegetables go on each side, etc. You can also add other stuff such as a bench if it will fit into your design. This is actually considered a free-form pattern.

These are some of the more popular designs for vegetable gardens, but you do not have to strictly follow any single pattern. You can make your own designs if you have your own ideas. It never hurts to be creative when gardening. Although vegetables grow well in different types of patterns, a primary factor in the health of your garden is through the way the gardener takes care of it.

A garden pergola is an excellent addition to most properties. If you construct it yourself, it can cost less than a few hundred dollars. All you need is a good set of plans, little or no experience, materials and preferably step by step instructions. There are plenty of garden pergola plans which can be obtained online with varying sizes, shapes, and styles. However, if you cannot find a free plan, you may have to pay a small fee to obtain a professional or custom plan to fit your needs exactly.

Square and rectangular are the most common outdoor pergola designs, but they can also come in circular, diamonds, and even hexagonal shapes. Building a pergola is not as difficult as it sounds. Although you will need some experience with basic tools and machinery, it can be a fairly easy task if you have the right plans and materials. Unless your project requires specialized equipment, most of the materials can be obtained from the local hardware store. If you do not own the tools necessary for the job, you can rent them instead which will save you money as well.

Building a garden pergola yourself is far cheaper than using garden pergola kits, but you will need to make sure that all the measurements are correct. Make sure to choose the location very carefully for your pergola and plot every angle because overhanging trees or other structures could pose a problem.  Often builders underestimate the size of the structure from their plans, so having the right dimensions will make the entire process much easier.  You should not use plans that are too large or too small for your garden because it can ruin the overall appearance of your landscape. If you cannot find an exact plan to fit your garden, try hiring a builder to draw up a plan for you.  This extra step will definitely cost more but in the end, you will end up with the pergola structure of your dreams.

You do not have to engage the services of an experienced mechanic in taking care of your lawn mower because there are very easy do-it-yourself mower maintenance methods. You will be pleasantly surprised at the amount of money, time and effort you can save by doing the maintenance yourself. With basic knowledge on maintaining a lawn mower, such as the Bosch Rotak 34 lawn mower, you can have the guaranteed service of the equipment for many years.

It is vital that you know the proper way of putting fuel in the mower so that there will be no wastage and no negative environmental effects of fuel leakage on the soil. Use a clean siphon to put fuel on the mower engine. Keep 1 to 2 gallons of fuel around so that you will not need to make several purchases of fuel on the day when you mow. High fuel octane rating signifies good fuel quality so get fuel that has an octane rating of not less than 87. Buy just enough fuel for your mowing needs and put just sufficient fuel on the mower every time you mow because great quantity of fuel that is not used over time loses octane and leads to clogging up of the fuel lines and the carburetor.

Maintenance of the mower deck includes regular check-up for any presence of grease, grime and other deposits. Before you start checking, disconnect the mower’s spark wire from spark plug first to avoid electrocution.

Use water and soap to wash the mower housing and remove the dirt, grime and grass clippings that are attached to the mower. For heavy buildup of grime and grass under the deck, you can use a rubber scraper or a sturdy plastic. It is essential to clean and remove the dirt or debris from the mower engine’s air screen and cylinder fins to ensure the engine’s maximum performance. Regularly check the condition of the engine belts and you should replace any worn out or damaged belt you find.

Check the gear case as well as the drive system area and keep them free of dirt and grass buildup. The advisable frequency of cleaning the drive cover is every fifteen hours of usage or two times each season, whichever comes first.

Never put a four-cycle gas into a two-cycle engine and do not also put a two-cycle gas into a four-cycle mower engine. Put the appropriate gas into the appropriate engine such as a four-cycle gas put in a four-cycle engine. Lawn mowers can run for some time with the use of gas and oil mixture but the engine will eventually be difficult to restart because oil has dampened the plugs. If this happens, drain the gas-oil mixture from the fuel tank and change the old spark plug with a new one. Put fresh gasoline into the fuel tank and that should make the mower work again.

You may encounter other problems with the use of the mower and most of the solutions can be found on the lawn mower manual. Take time to read and study the manual so that you can address any problem that may arise. However, if the problem is too complicated and proves to be difficult to solve, do not make any guesswork solutions and methods because you may only damage the mower further. It is best to take the equipment to the service center or experienced mower mechanics for repairs. If you purchase a mower, make sure that it comes with long warranty so that the repairs will be free.

Here I was busy dusting off some of my old Home & Garden issues this spring, getting ready for the summer rush that usually follows my grandkids around when they come over to visit and I was surprised to find a Reader’s Digest magazine amongst them all. That too an issue from the early 2000s. Since I am usually pretty neat an organized with all my belongings I found it hard to believe that I had misplaced this single issue in the Home & Garden stack – which I only read for the construction and building tips mind you. Being a 56 year old male I have absolutely no interest in Gossip or in decorating my whole home with doilies. We leave things of that nature up to the wife in this house.

So anyway, I pulled up a chair and popped open the magazine looking for clues as to why I had slotted this one in here instead of somewhere more appropriate and boy did I find my answer. A few pages into the Digest and I realized how much fun this piece had been to read to my Son who’s a carpenter by profession. This piece listed out in a very methodical fashion all the things that carpenters find challenging to build and was it a big list. The first was rooftops and the second was stairs – when I asked my son about this, he simply said stairs take up too much time and roofs take up too much acrobatic skill; just get prefabricated stairs and rooftops made from outside and get your carpenters to fix them all up for you.

A carpenter, if my son’s opinion is to be believed should only be working on the more artistic side of carpentry instead of running up to grab anything and everything on a construction site that has to do with wood of some sort. Quite an artist my little son is!

Bravo Sports produces various sizes of canopies. The Bravo Sports Weekender 64 is a good all purpose size that will go from backyard parties to days at the beach with ease. The canopy is lightweight and easy to move around. It stows away in a compact case that makes it convenient to transport. The canvas canopy does not absorb heat like a metal canopy would and creates a cool place to sit and relax. These canopies are great for creating a focal point for outside gatherings at places like the park, your backyard or the beach.

Bravo’s weekender 64 model is eight feet by eight feet or 64 square feet. It is large enough to put a table under and allow six people to sit in the comfort of the shade to eat. Once you own this portable sun canopy you will be surprised how many uses you find for it. The aluminum frame is made so that it is completely assembled. All the owner has to do is open it up, lock down the legs and attach the top. The top goes on super fast with velcro fasteners. The height can be adjusted through springs in the legs. It extends to a maximum height of seven feet. You also have the ability to elevate one side and keep the other slightly lower to help block blowing sand and dirt at the beach or other areas.

The Bravo line of canopies are very durable. The fabrics that are used block one hundred percent of the UV rays. These canopies also resist fading and will not absorb heat. When your canopy stays cool so do those sitting beneath it. Bravo offers a warranty for one year from date of purchase. Purchase price for the weekender 64 is approximately sixty dollars depending on the vendor. This price makes the weekender 64 very attractive to potential buyers since comparable canopies start at over one hundred dollars.

The Bravo weekender 64 has received positive reviews from many customers who have purchased it. Feedback praises the easy set up and break down of these canopies. Owners also like the amount of shade the canopy provides making it useful for so many applications. One thing buyers would like to see changed is the canopies performance in the rain. Rain soaks into the canopy and causes it to buckle. Making the canopy waterproof would add to its usability. Overall the weekender 64 makes a durable and portable source of shade that owners like.

Making a pond is so easy these days with all the things that are available today on the market and it is also a very enjoyable hobby. One thing you need to make sure of is to feel your fish properly if you want them to stay healthy. There are many types of fish pond food available on the market today.

Pond fish often live on foods like floating pond plants, plankton, and the very small roots of the pond plants that float in the water. Pond fish also eat the larvae of insects, worms and other small creatures. A natural food supply is not always available all year round so you need to feed your pond fish other things such as store bought fish food. Pond fish will rush to the top of the pond to feed and it is very enjoyable to watch.

Pond fish are generally bigger in size than the everyday aquarium fish so you need not over feed them, and it is actually recommended to skip one day of feedings. This will keep their digestive systems regulated. Never just throw an over abundance of fish pond food into the water as this can cause an excess of algae to form on top of the pond. An over abundance of food can also bring unwanted visitors such as raccoons as well as other creatures and also it will cause your pond to give off a foul odour. Make sure to give your pond fish a variety of pond food.

Eating the same food everyday is not good for us and it is not good for our pond fish. Before you buy any fish pond food, you need to take into consideration the time of year, temperature of the water, and the age and spawning cycles of your pond fish. We all know one food does not meet all the requirements your pond fish. So be sure to read the food labels carefully.

Try to feed the fish several times a day but in small quantities, just enough that the pond fish will eat, leaving none left floating on the top. Try to feed them at the same time of day and in the same spot if possible. By doing this you will be able to regularly check your pond fish to make sure they are healthy and disease free.