Home And Garden

Plant damage can stem from a variety of sources. These may be environmental, cultural, mechanical or chemical. Sand storms in the desert wreak some of the most severe havoc on your garden. Desert garden protection methods can help prevent the damage that drying wind, scorching sun and scouring sand can cause on tender plant leaves, roots and trunks. Learning how to protect plants from desert storms can minimize the symptoms of storm exposure and help keep your plant healthy. Damage from Sand Storms in the Desert Deserts aren’t the only place plants can become exposed to extreme arid wind storms, but the combination of the sand and the gusty weather scrub plant leaves and dry out the entire tissue. The symptoms noticed are leaf scorch, torn foliage, seedlings ripped out buy their roots, dropped leaves or cactus pads and other physical injury. A desert dust storm swirls scratchy dry soil and sand around the area, leaving behind plants that look like they have been in a blender. Mu...

Green trouble free lawns take work. The growth and replacement of blades of grass produces a thatch, which can cause trouble for the health of the lawn. Lawn aerating will help break through thatch and increase nutrient, water and airflow to the roots of the turf. There are several aerating lawn tools on the market, which can help make this annual chore easy and even fun. Benefits of Aerating Your Lawn There are several benefits of lawn aeration. Lawns with a thick build up of thatch that is more than an inch deep can suffer from disease and insect problems. This deep layer of old material harbors pests and disease pathogens, such as fungal spores. The thatch also minimizes the amount of nutrients and moisture that the roots need to grow. The benefits of aerating your lawn also include stimulating root growth by providing a more porous and easy to navigate soil texture. Lawn aerating is not always necessary annually on low thatch varieties of grass, but it cannot really hurt to ...

There are times when the only way to get rid of a stubborn weed is to treat it with an herbicide. Don’t be afraid to use herbicides if you need them, but try other control methods first. Pulling, hoeing, tilling and digging will often take care of weed problems without the need for chemical sprays. Let’s learn more about using herbicide in gardens. What are Herbicides? Herbicides are chemicals that kill plants or prevent them from growing. Their method of killing plants is as varied as the plants they kill. The first step in understanding herbicides is to read the label. Labels tell you how to use herbicides safely and effectively. It is illegal to use herbicides for any purpose or by any method other than as indicated on the label. Here are some tips to help you use herbicides safely and effectively:  Avoid using herbicides on windy days and near bodies of water. Always wear a protective mask, gloves and long sleeves. Make sure children and pets are indoors when you spr...