10 Eco-Friendly Gardening Tips

Taking care of your lawn and garden is just as important as taking care of your roof in terms of resale. An attractive landscape can increase the value of your home and add curb appeal. Maintaining your lawn and garden properly can save money and time. Eco-friendly, or "green landscaping” habits can help the environment and decrease the amount of hazardous chemicals around your home. Did you know that the average suburban lawn uses six times the hazardous chemicals per acre as conventional farming does? Learn how to avoid chemical use below.

Tip 1 : 

Water Efficiently Water during strategically planned times only. The best time to water is between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m. Watering in the afternoon is inefficient since water is lost due to evaporation and wind. The second-best time to water is between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Running an irrigation system excessively can waste a lot of water. Just one hour can use up to 250 gallons of water.

Tip 2 : 

Install an Irrigation System Consider the installation of a sprinkler or irrigation system for your lawn. Irrigation systems work well at targeting only the specific areas of your lawn that need to be watered, thus cutting back on unnecessary watering of uplanted areas. Irrigation systems are available with a timer option, which helps homeowners avoid overwatering by turning off the system at predetermined times. Make sure to check the weather forecast and turn off the timer when rain is predicted.

Tip 3 : 

Go Organic Say goodbye to chemical fertilizers and pesticides. There are many top-quality organic and natural weed killers. Additionally, organic compost can be used.

Tip 4 : 

Make Your Own Compost Make your own compost to use in your garden. Compost can be used as a fertilizer, serving as an excellent alternative to chemical-based fertilizers. Making your own compost involves mixing browns (such as dead leaves, branches or twigs, greens (such as grass clippings, vegetable waste, fruit scraps and coffee grounds) and water in a compost bin.

Tip 5 : 

Mulch Garden mulch can enhance the look of your garden and help keep it healthy. Spreading mulch in your garden can also save time by decreasing the need for watering, applying herbicides and pulling weeds.

Tip 6 : 

Drought-Tolerant Plants The technique of using drought-tolerant plants, known as xeriscaping will significantly help reduce water usage in your garden.

Tip 7 : 

Native Plants Planting native plants will cut down on the need for water and fertilizer. For example, if you live in Arizona, don't plant high water plants such as bluegrass or clover.

Tip 8 : 

Make Your Own Planters Making your own planters is a great way to reuse empty containers. Rinse out plastic containers (cottage cheese, yogurt and dessert whip containers are just the right size), fill them with dirt, add a plant and you have a great new planter. Not only is this eco-friendly, it's also inexpensive.

Tip 9 : 

Harvest Rainwater Harvesting rainwater means collecting and storing rainwater to be used for your lawn or garden. This is a simple way to conserve water and help your garden bloom.

Tip 10 : 

Hang Birdfeeders and Nesting Boxes Birdfeeders and nesting boxes attract birds to your garden. Birds are a great benefit to gardens as they eat unwanted pests, such as snails and slugs. Instead of using pesticide against these little bugs, simply invite the birds in and they'll take care of the pests naturally.

written by : Marcy Tate

Useful Tips About Roof and Terrace Gardening

A roof garden is a type of garden situated on a roof of a building. Ever since, humans have developed a fondness to growing plants on top of structures. Aside from the decorative benefits, these roof plantings actually provide temperature control, food, and habitats for wildlife, along with recreational opportunities and architectural enhancement. In certain cities, due to the lack of gardening areas, many resort to roof gardens.

This type of garden can be on top of building, taking care of its own waste and water supply. With hydroponics, and other methods, you are able to expand the numerous possibilities of gardening on roof tops. A good way to accomplish this is by reducing the tremendous weight or soil needed. This is why planting in containers are prevalent in these gardens. Pots may be too heavy for the roof and cause ceilings to leak.

Living in small-sized apartments should not hinder you from having a garden. You can have vertical gardening or square foot gardening. Vertical gardening is planting with the use of your living walls. It uses lesser space than the traditional square foot gardening method.

Before starting, it is important to till, weed, and eliminate any pests. Also recycle by composting. In fact, for small apartments, having a Bokashi type of compost system is far more practical as compared to conventional composting. The safest type of compost is the manure derived from vegetarian animals.

In this busy world, most people find solace from nature. If you are too tired to take strolls in the park and you cannot go to nature trails all the time, having a garden at home, specifically in your terrace is the best solution to this dilemma. Hence, terrace gardening is a kind of indoor gardening that entails taking care of indoor plants.

Follow some tips in roof gardening. Your roof needs to be strong enough to carry the garden's weight. Also check for an efficient drainage system. And lastly, make sure there are no water leaks.

For terrace gardening, keep proportional the shrubs, lawns, small trees and ground covers. You can also enliven your garden corner with rocks and other naturalistic designs.

After this, you need to choose the kinds of plants you want. Fiber-rooted plants are better than tap-rooted plants. This is because tap-rooted plants can grow into the building and harm the structure.

For the soil, get the type that will not exert pressure onto your building. Peat moss and soil rite are good options. Since these are a bit expensive, you can mix it with manure and garden earth.

To arrange your drainage system, it is imperative that you do your roof garden construction. You can uniformly lay 2-inch to 4-inch burnt bricks on your terrace. This type of bricks is the best because the normal ones eventually turn into mud and consequently collapse the drainage system. A good alternative are corrugated sheets which needs to be placed on 3 inch distances, making the water freely flow onto the drain.

On top of these bricks, you need to place a net lawn. This prevents your soil from getting into the bricks. If your garden is a bit large, you need to have a drain constructed in several places. You should also place some pipes along several areas that would lead to the main holes. Make sure that these pipes are not visible. Keep in hidden beneath the lawn.

Lastly, place the soil mixture you prepared into the pot or any container. These gardens will beautify your home, and also promote a healthier environment.

written : by David Urmann