Landscaping

Gardening in May out west is always fun… greenthumbers can hardly make a mistake, since nature has joined forces to warm up the soil so that seeds germinate faster. And as the days lengthen, and the sun warms the ground, annuals and vegetables will literally spurt from the ground.

Even cuttings root more easily. Plant foods applied to growing specimens bring almost instant reactions.

By the same token, fast-growing weeds can be knocked over quickly with any of the selective chemical weed-killers.

May is a kind month to greenthumbers because it seems that the garden suppliers, the weather and soil conditions are such that even a beginner will find it easy to plant his garden. The colorful seed display racks at the garden centers quicken the pulse, and the average temptation is to scatter so many seeds fore and aft of the house, that it will look like a blooming Persian carpet within ninety days!

In the favored rhododendron belts, Puget Sound, metropolitan Portland, the San Francisco Bay region, and the cool, coastal areas around Los Angeles, a big show of blossoms is on all month long.

There is still time to sow summer annuals.

Grow those which develop quickly and like heat. Though the list of these annuals is a long one, the most important ones are: zinnias, marigolds, nasturtiums, salvia, portulaca, sanvitalia, annual chrysanthemums, calliopsis, cleome, gaillardia and annual phlox.

For quick camouflage effects, sow some of the easy-to-grow vines. Some, you’ll discover, grow with Jack-in-the-beanstalk swiftness. These are especially good: morning-glory, moonflower, cup-and-saucer, thunbergia, balloon vine.

Perennials can be sown any time from May to the end of August. There are arguments as to whether it is best to sow early in the season or late. But if you are gardening in one of the hot weather sections of the West, you’ll benefit by sowing early. Germination of seed sown in July and August is poor because it is so difficult to keep the soil moist.

Raising perennials from seed provides an excellent opportunity to literally fill up the flower garden with fine items at low cost. Some recommended perennials are columbine, coreopsis, flax, hollyhock, Oriental poppy, Shasta daisy, campanula and stokesia.

Dahlias, gladiolus and tigridias can be planted now in all areas where the soil has warmed up. But first you should know first all the unusual house plants. In the higher elevations. where the weather is cooler, it might be best to wait a couple of weeks.

Some of the nurseries may still have a few begonia tubers and gloxinia tubers on hand, but you’ll get better results by waiting until later in the month and buying the new crop of seedling plants. Not only will these husky little plants provide you with blooms later in the season, but they’ll develop fine tubers for next year’s plants.

Nobody likes weeds in their garden, but unfortunately that is one of the things that a gardener has to put up with. However, you can manage the weeds in your garden so that each year you will have fewer and fewer weeds to deal with.

Probably the best way to manage weeds in the garden it to stay on top of things! Get at the weeds while they are small and before they have started to flower and drop seed. By eliminating weeds before they have a chance to go to seed, you are getting a head start on next year’s crop of weeds. Generally, when weeds are small they are very easy to pull or remove with a hoe. But if the weeds in your garden are overwhelming, you can use an herbicide to control them.

Herbicides are basically a chemical – organic or synthetic, that kills unwanted plants. You have to use care when you use any type of herbicide because they can harm the good plants as well.

Read the labels well to make sure you are using it in the right area. For instance, you will not want to use a broadleaf herbicide directly on your garden. This type of weed killer attacks plants that are not grasses. As a result, most of your garden plants would suffer. A broadleaf killer is good for lawns to get rid of dandelions as well as paths and driveways. An herbicide such as a broadleaf variety is a selective weed killer, meaning it only kills certain plants. There are pesticides that are not selective and they will kill everything in the area. Use care when using this type of weed killer because run off from rain and sprinklers can cause them to run into areas you didn’t want to kill!

Chemicals can be beneficial when you have a large amount of weeds to control.

However, you can also prevent weeds as you plant your garden by using weed barrier fabric and a thick layer of mulch. Not only will these things help control the weeds in the garden, they will also help to maintain the moisture which in turn will save on your watering costs. In addition to using the weed barrier and mulch, you can apply a pre-emergent herbicide after all the plants have sprouted to about 2 to 3 inches tall. This type of weed killer helps to prevent the weed seeds from germinating. Using this type of herbicide can cut down on about 90% of the weeds in your yard.

Garden weed control doesn’t need to be difficult or harmful to the plants. Herbicides used moderately and with caution help the garden grow bountifully without weeds overwhelming the good plants. But no matter if you choose to use herbicides or not, staying ahead of the weeds is the best way to keep them under control.

If you are wondering about effective weed eradication without the risk of endangering your organic garden then wonder no further because here are a few easy, cheap, accessible and, most of all, organic weed control tips that you can do to rid your garden of those pesky and persistent weeds.

First of all, you have to understand that weeds sprout on open cultivated areas. If you chose to grow your plants in a well-cultivated spot in your garden, there is a big possibility that weeds may contend with your young foliage and shrubbery and rob them of the nutrients that they need. Well, fear no longer because you can easily get rid of these pests through a number of organic weed killers.

One method is placing mulch over the cultivated soil. Mulch is a protective cover placed over the cultivated soil, first of all, to change the effect of the local environment.

But mulch can also be used as a means to control weeds. It does this by depriving the weeds of light – an essential aspect to consider if one is to succeed in this organic weed control method. Its advantages are that it is easy to lay down, retrieve, transfer and store. Some organic materials used as mulch are grass clippings, leaves, hay, comfrey and shredded bark. Using mulch also make the plants healthier as a majority of these materials are also used as a direct composting.

Another organic weed killer is the common, household vinegar. Yes, vinegar! The same vinegar that you use to cook dishes and season recipes! Vinegar contains acetic acid, a component which can get rid of weeds very effectively. The higher the level of acetic acid the more effective it is in killing weeds. A regular, kitchen-used type of vinegar contains five percent (5%) of acetic acid, a relatively low amount.

It would take repetitive applications of vinegar on the weeds to effectively kill them and stop them recurring.

It is important to note that although vinegar is an organic weed killer, it may still harm your other plants if it comes into contact with them. To prevent this from happening, you can consider applying the vinegar onto the weeds by means of a brush. This will make the application process a lot more selective and accurate, thus minimizing the chances of mistakenly applying the substance on other plants.

Another way to apply this organic herbicide is through the use of a spray. Just be sure to be very close to the weeds before you press the trigger as a strong gale or even a weak one can alter the direction of the vinegar.

Soil solarisation is another effective measure of amongst a number of organic herbicides. It is one of the safest and most effective ways to get rid of those irritatingly persistent weeds. It is most effective in areas with large amounts of sunlight and warm temperature. This is done by covering the soil with a clear, plastic tarpaulin for a time period of 4 to 6 weeks during the time of the year when the soil will receive maximum direct sunlight. If done correctly, the covered soil will heat up to as high as 125 degrees up to 6 inches from the top. For a period of a few weeks, that would be enough to kill wilt and root fungi, root knot nematodes and noxious wee seeds. It will also release nutrients stored within the soil making it an effective measure for garden soils.

These are just some of the most popular organic weed killers that most organic farmers use. Try some of them to discover which organic weed control technique is best for you and your organic garden.

If you’re a homeowner with concerns about termites and eye towards landscaping and gardening, then you’ve probably heard about termite resistant mulch. Tips on using mulch to control termites are pretty thin on the ground, despite this.

Mulch and termites are not something that normally goes together. Or rather, they go together a little too well, which is why it’s generally recommended that you keep mulch away from your house to prevent termites.

Termites are small, social insects that thinking that rotten wood and dirt are the highest of fine dining. Mulch is composed of dirt and rotted wood, so it’s not hard to see why having mulch around your house might not be the best of ideas if you’re looking to keep termites away from your home.

This is generally good advice, but there are other options available to homeowners these days.

Lots of places offer termite resistant mulch, which may help offset the problems with mulch and even serve as a deterrent to termites.

The trick to termite resistant mulch is what wood goes into the making of the mulch. Certain trees are naturally resistant to termites, and making mulch out of them results in mulch that is just plain unappetizing to the little buggers.

Cypress and redwood are the main two, and while they aren’t completely inedible to termites, they do appear to not particularly interest them. Since termites are relatively smart, in the insect sense, they will go for food that is easier to get to and more appealing to their tastes.

This a guarantee, by any means, so if you want to use mulch in proximity to your house, I recommend you take several steps to make sure that you don’t end up with uninvited wood eating guests.

First, make sure that you are in fact using the termite resistant mulch.

Make sure you request it specifically, and make sure that you are getting it from someone reputable. The mulch is more expensive than the regular variety, but the thousands that you’ll save in repair and extermination costs will be worth.

Second, wherever you are going to put down mulch, put down a layer of heavy black plastic as well. Termites move and sense through the ground, so putting a barrier that they can’t eat between them and food is a good way to keep them out.

Next, invest in boric acid, which is available almost everywhere. Boric acid is toxic to many insects, including termites, but safe for people in animals. You want to mix it in with the mulch, both by putting it in by hand and by mixing it with water and saturating the soil. The boric acid will kill any termites who attempt to eat the mulch, so any stragglers that manage to get around the plastic and into the mulch won’t be reporting back anytime soon.

Coming all three of the methods will give you the most protection and least chance of termite infestation. It all starts with termite resistant mulch. Tips on using mulch to control termites? These are the best you’re going to find.

Japanese Knotweed (named as Fallopia japonica, Polygonum cuspidatum, Reynoutria japonica) is a large invasive weed of perennial plants. These invasive species was originated in Japan, China and Korea and has successfully spread across Europe, North America and various other countries. It is listed as one of the world’s 100 worst invasive species by World Conversation union. In the UK it is listed under Section 14(2) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which states that “if any person plants or otherwise causes to grow in the wild any plant which is included in Part II of Schedule 9, he shall be guilty of an offence.”

These invasive weeds have small green-white flowers, blooms between late summers to early bottoms. Its stems are green with red purple specks and can grow 2-3 meters height grows in large density. While its leaves are 7–14 cm long and 5–12 cm broad with a flattened base and pointed tip and are arranged on arching stems in a zig-zag pattern. Japanese Knotweed is been called by various names which includes Himalayan fleece vine, monkeyweed, donkey rhubarb, Huzhang, Hancock’s curse, pea shooters, sally rhubarb, Japanese bamboo, elephant ears, American bamboo, fleeceflower, and Mexican bamboo. In Japanese, the name is itadori.

Why is the Japanese Knotweed so dangerous? : Japanese Knotweed grows underground and once it takes hold in an area it spreads invasive network of its roots (which is called rhizomes), killing the growth of other plants in the area. Japanese Knotweed acts like a wildfire, once it is introduced to a land it becomes extremely difficult to remove or eradicate this invasive plant. Even if you cut or fire the area, it will reappear in few seasons. It requires a small piece of its root to redevelop the plant and spread across.

These killer weeds grows in the areas which are used or disturbed by humans which includes Lands, House, Gardens, lawns, etc. It can grow from a smallest crack that may occur on roads, drains, pavements and even on large buildings and bridges. It can damage the grave yards and historical architecture or monuments. Moreover the flood defense can also be affected through its growth. The land covered with Japanese Knotweed will be low valued and it can becomes expensive to get rid of the weeds from all over the land.

What are the best ways for Japanese Knotweed control and Treatment? : Japanese Knotweed is very strong and spreads underground, hence the only treatment would be kill its roots. The experienced invasive species specialists or ecological consultant can help in picking the right herbicides and do the systematic ecologically friendly treatment. There are many products available in the market which are labeled as weed and grass killer, containing the most effective ingredient glyphosate. The first step would be to cut the Japanese Knotweed through the season it grows and then inject the weed killer into its stems, which will travel to its roots and stops its growth. These Japanese Knotweed treatment is to be done repeatedly till the plant die, which can take 3 years.
 
Robin Lawson is an experienced ecologist working with ecological consultants company, on eradication of invasive species since many years, having specialization on japanese knotweed control and treatment.

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