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Vacation for your plants

This is a great time of year for a vacation. Ok, any time you can get away is a great time for a vacation. But, the question is, who will mind your plants while you go and have fun? You've spent a lot of time, money, and effort to bring those plants to peak condition. You won't want to take off and leave them to wilt. Fortunately, there is a good solution, that will protect your plants from drought while you are gone, and insure a flourishing condition when you return.

This vacation-time problem solver is called, appropriately enough, Vacation. It is a liquid that you mix with water and apply to the saturation point to the root zone of your plants. You can then walk away with a clear conscience and enjoy the vacation you are so ready for. The Vacation solution works by causing the plant to enter a state of drought tolerance, resembling dormancy, in which it does not lose water at the normal rate. So, conserving water that way, your plants can survive a good two week vacation, and be ready to thrive when you get back to tend them again.

This is not one of the water-absorbing products, but a real method of treating your plants so that you cans safely leave them for a long weekend or a full two-week vacation. It is completely safe for people, pets, wildlife, and the environment. Vacation is an all-natural product and is fully bio-degradable. The drought-hardening effect slowly wears off over the two week period, and it is eliminated by watering or by natural rainfall. Once you return from your trip and resume watering, the plants will return to their pre-Vacation state and continue to thrive.

Vacations are good for people, and Vacation is good for your plants. It works outside in the sun or for indoor plants, just the same. Water it in well, then go on your trip and have a good time. Of course you could trust your good ol' Aunt or Uncle to take care of your plants while you take a break, but what if they want to take some time off too? That leaves only the neighbor's kid and, well, good luck with that. Get some Vacation, and you won't have to worry the relatives with watching your plants, or count on one of the juveniles on your block to protect your investment of time and money. So pack your bags, and go have yourself a good time. Vacation will take good care of your plants while you are gone.

Is electric fencing for you?

Is electric fencing for you? Consider these things: Are critters getting into your yard, troublesome varmints that you don't want in there? Are there creatures in your yard that you'd like to keep in, like dogs or other pets? Or maybe you have got the garden of your life going, and would like to feed your family and friends, instead of supporting the local deer population. If any or all of those are true, an electric fence installation can be just the thing for you.

You can do research and find directions on how to set up your own electric fencing system. Or you can purchase pre-made kits that include all you'll need. The commercial items will be safety rated and guaranteed, and really are probably the best choice. Things you'll need include wire and poles, of course, with some sort of energizer. You can get energizers that work off of house current, and also battery powered and solar powered units. There are also kits available to extend your existing electric fence, once you've tried it and know you like it. A fence tester might be nice, so you don't have to touch the fence, or try to fool someone else into touching it, to see if it's working. And it would be a courtesy to put a few of the vinyl electric fence warning signs around too, for creatures that can read, like  neighbors and the meter reader.

Electric fences provide a high-voltage but brief duration electric shock to animals that touch the fence. The shock is painful, but not dangerous. Because the current is not constant, but only in brief high-intensity pulses, nothing will be electrocuted by your fence. Anything that touches the fence is going to get a high-energy nip that will be remembered. Avoiding that fence will become a priority for whatever has tried it once. Brand name products are certified safe for people as well as animals. You don't have to worry that you will harm anybody or any animal.

Electric fences are good protection for gardens, especially in combination with existing conventional fences. Electric fencing also can deter predators and protect small animal pets. With coyotes spreading and stray dogs becoming a problem in more areas, an electric fence may save the family pet from harm. You may also want to protect garbage cans from marauding animals. Stray dogs, raccoons, or such varmints looking for a free lunch in your garbage will get a discouraging surprise once you electrify the area. I'm not sure what one of these home kits would do to a Grizzly bear, so if Grizzly bears in the garbage is your problem, you might want to consult an expert. But for ordinary animal pests, an electric fence installation could be a simple solution to a pesky problem.

Hot Garden Searches 8/09

Here is a list of the garden topics getting the most searchs.

Diatomaceous Earth, Chrysanthemum, Fall Vegetable Plants, Green Bean Plants, Cabbage Plants, Brussels Plants, Celery Plants, Tomato Plants, Herb Plants, Frost Protection

How to Kill Lawn Grubs

Those ugly, white lawn grubs can destroy your lawn.  These are actually the larvae of numerous types of beetles, though the most common is the grub that produces the Japanese beetle.  You can tell that you may have a serious infestation when you happen to see the grubs in the lawn; then try to pull the grass up in the same area where you see the grub(s).  Grubs eat the roots of your grass and if you have a significant infestation you will be able to pull the grass back from the soil easily and should be able to easily see and count the number of grubs within a specific area. You really shouldn’t worry or treat your lawn unless you can confirm that there are 8-10 grubs per square foot. 

There are a number of natural ways to treat.  One such product is Milky Spore.  This product is an all natural product that will attack and eliminate the Japanese beetle grub.  Another common solution is NOCDOWN III, which is a cedar oil that, when applied, makes your lawn unattractive to a host of pests, including grubs, Japanese beetles, mosquitoes and snakes. Your local garden center or college extension service should be able to help you identify the type of grubs that inhabit your lawn. 

Your other option is to use strong chemicals and there are any numbers of these available.  The first type will kill in short order.  Most products that contain Trichlorfon, also manufactured under the brand name Dylox®, will kill grubs within 24 hours after application.  Dylox® should be applied in late August to early September when the grubs normally start to hatch.  This can be used when you first notice the infestation.  If you are aware of an infestation the year before, you can almost be guaranteed an infestation the following year.  If you did not treat in late summer or the early fall, you may want to be proactive and treat with Imidacloprid in early to late spring.  This chemical takes time to build up in the soil and is effective prior to the hatching stage of the larvae.   

Your choice on what to use is purely personal.  Natural vs. potentially dangerous Chemical.   For future prevention, you might try over-seeding with a fescue type of grass, as these seem to be more resistant to grub infestations.  Also practice moisture control.  Deep water your lawn, letting it dry out before watering again.  Those ugly little grubs love high moisture content.  It’s critical to their life cycle.  Of course, if you live in an area of the country that is very humid, then aggressive natural or chemical control may be your only option.

Plan Ahead to Grow Quality Veggies in a Fall Garden

Gardening season isn’t over just because summer ends – there are plenty of vegetables well-adapted for planting in the late summer for fall harvest.

Planting a fall garden extends the gardening season and allows you to continue harvesting fresh vegetables long after the summer crops are gone. In fact, many cool season vegetables, including carrots, broccoli, beets, onions, brussel sprouts, spinach, lettuce and cauliflower, produce their best flavor and quality when they mature during cool weather.

Growing a productive fall vegetable garden is easy with advance planning. For instance, you’ll want to plant vegetables that take 60 or longer to mature, such as broccoli and cauliflower, in August, to allow time for harvest before a hard freeze arrives. Faster maturing vegetables, such as leafy greens, can be planted in September for harvest in October. It’s handy to stagger your plantings of leafy greens, such as lettuce, so that the crop doesn’t arrive all at once.

Just like the summer garden, most cool weather vegetables need six or more hours of sunlight daily. Remember, the sun is weaker and the days are shorter in fall, so only plant where light is adequate.

Remember that the key to successful vegetable gardening is planning and preparation. Your garden can provide you with food and fun for the whole family if you put a bit of planning into your choice of fall garden vegetables.

Lawn Sweeper for any time of the year

Any time of year, a lawn sweeper is a good thing to have. The kind you need, of course, depends on the lawn you need to sweep. Lawn sweepers come in lots of types. You can get a smallish lawn sweeper, either powered or pushed, that will handle a good sized yard. You can get good sturdy medium-duty tow lawn sweepers that you can tow behind a lawn tractor or riding mower. You can get a heavy-duty commercial lawn sweeper if you have an estate, or just enjoy a wide expanse of lawn.

The simple push lawn sweeper is inexpensive, sturdy, and practical for reasonable size areas. You can get powered or manual versions of the push sweeper. The manual push lawn sweeper will give you a little exercise, clean up the area many times faster than raking, and still be easy on the environment. Whether used as a grass sweeper or a lawn leaf sweeper, push lawn sweepers are handy to have around the property.

The tow behind lawn sweeper is a great choice for the mechanized home lawn-care person. Tow lawn sweepers come in several sizes, and can be hooked to a riding lawn mower or lawn tractor. This type of lawn sweeper pulls along at a quick pace and collects the debris into a container for disposal. You could bag those clipping or leaf sweepings, of course, but even better, you could compost them. The convenient collection devices of lawn sweepers make that a pretty simple and easy chore. The tow lawn sweeper will leave your lawn looking good and you with still some energy left to enjoy it.

When the leaves begin to fall, you'll be glad to start calling your lawn sweeper a lawn leaf sweeper for a change. Raking is hard work, though healthful and even fun, perhaps, for a while. But a lawn sweeper will beat the best raker, and delivers the leaves collected and ready to bag or compost. No more blowing them around again and again. The lawn leaf sweeper will get it done the first time around, and you can put those leaves in their place.

Anyone who's ever spent much time with a rake will appreciate a grass sweeper. It cuts down the work and does a clean job. You can opt for the tow lawn sweeper, or just an inexpensive manual push   sweeper. You can call it a grass sweeper or a lawn leaf sweeper, depending on the season. You can use a lawn sweeper in some way or other most of the year. Lawn sweepers can handle debris of various types, and leave your lawn smooth and ready to enjoy. A lawn sweeper makes mowing more effective, and easier and even safer as well.

Whatever size, big commercial lawn sweeper or small hand push sweeper, the right size and type of lawn sweeper will help you keep your place looking great.

What can SunCalc do for you?

What can SunCalc do for you? It can help you plan, it can help you succeed, it can even help you figure you why some things haven't gone the way you hoped they would. If you've ever wondered just where exactly is full sun, full shade, partial sun, or partial shade, SunCalc can tell you that. It can help you figure out where to plant whatever you want to plant. And it can help you figure out why what you planted didn't thrive.

SunCalc is an amazing little device. It's simple to use, yet extremely accurate. Funded by an academic grant and developed at a college, this instrument can give you the results that large research stations get. It is proven to be accurate and reliable. And it won't cost you nearly as much as a grant-funded research project, either.

This little device, which looks sort of like a meat thermometer, but prettier, is stuck into the ground in the location you want to evaluate. You leave it there for a day, and it tells you what the sun or shade situation is. You know how important that is. It's listed on all your seeds or plants, and is absolutely crucial for your plants to thrive.

For the record, full sun is six or more hours of sun, while partial sun is less than six hours but more than four hours of sun. Partial shade is less than four hours but more than one-and-one-half hours of sun, and full shade is less than one-and-one-half hours of sun. I'm willing to bet that some of us didn't know that. But if you had a SunCalc, it would tell you, by lighting up a little LED next to the right level, after as little as twelve hours of exposure.

You can see now what it could do for you. If your plants perished in their previous location, the SunCalc may let you know why, and where to put them next time. If you are planning a garden or maybe a major expansion project, one day of SunCalc use may be the difference between success and failure. It's easy to use, and it beats standing out in the yard and looking at your watch all day.

Sojos Complete Dog Food Mix

This all natural dog food mix is good for your dog. It's getting great reviews from people, too. In the light of public attention due to pet illness and even death caused by commercial dog foods, a lot has been revealed about what goes into commercial dog good.

 

Many are based on various flours and meals, hardly the diet you would expect to be natural for a dog. Some products are composed mostly of rice flour, ground corn, fish meal, and ground grain sorghum. Sojos Complete, on the other hand, is a mixture based on freeze-dried USDA certified turkey, combined with whole eggs and natural ingredients to provide a safe and wholesome diet for your dog. It reconstitutes with water to form a nutritious natural raw food.

 

Sojos is easy to use. Say you have a good medium-sized dog, oh, about a forty-pounder. You mix a cup of Sojos Complete with a cup of water and let it soak at least fifteen minutes before serving it to your eager animal friend. Or you can mix several cups and keep for up to four days, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. You can also mix large batches and freeze them for future use. You can add extra greens or vegetables to that mix, to provide variety. Your vet will be able to advise you as to what is best for your dog.

 

Just like their owners, dogs need a chance to get accustomed to change, so Sojos recommends at least a two-week transition period. Start by just adding a little of the Sojos to whatever you are already giving them, and gradually increase the amount until the transition is complete. You can divide the amount recommended into two feedings a day, or feed the full amount in just one feeding, whichever works for you and your dog.

 

Sojos Complete is reasonably priced and a complete healthy food for your dog. Your dog will thrive on it, and you will be free from the worry of strange additives and dangerous chemicals that can be harmful to your pet. Pets and people agree, Sojos Complete is a great way to give dogs a natural diet that they will love.

Most Prized Tomato!

The Brandywine is absolutely one of the most popular of heirloom tomatoes. It is popular because it is wonderful to eat, having a taste that is best described as "real tomato". We all know what those "not real" pale, hard, squarish things you get in a store can taste like. Brandywine is rich and delightful and really tastes like a tomato.

The Brandywine variety has a history generations old, and has been one of the most prized of the strains brought back to life during the heirloom revival era. Old seed catalogs, from the time when hybrids were beginning to be so highly promoted, sometimes praised their new varieties, saying that they were better than Brandywine. Now we know better, and are going back to some of the good old varieties for eating pleasure.

The most common sort, if any heirloom should be called common, is the pink variety. It produces a large tomato of the beefsteak size and shape, with a fabulous flavor. The plants tolerate heat well, and in fact produce some of their finest fruits late in the season. They require about eighty to ninety days to maturity. There are also other strains and offshoots of the Brandywine. It can be found in red, yellow, and even a "black" variant, all appreciated by tomato fans.

Brandywine heirloom tomatoes can be used any way you like to eat tomatoes. But some favorites are plain and simple sliced, seasoned with salt and pepper, in any salad where a tomato will fit, and in a tomato pie. A Southern favorite and one of the finest things that can happen to a person, a tomato pie can be constructed by combining your cut up Brandywines with cheese and herbs, and baking in a flaky pie crust. I think you will say that the effort was worth it.

Kozy-Coats

Kozy-Coats plant protectors are an accessory that no serious gardener can live without. These simple to use protectors are sturdy and easy to use and are considered by many to be better than the original ‘Wall O’ Water’. They can allow you to start your temperature sensitive plants early allowing you to extend your growing season by up to 8 weeks and gives keen gardeners the satisfaction of being the first to produce seasonal crops in the neighborhood.

Kozy-Coats will work equally well in frost or heat. The tough plastic tubes are filled with water and during the winter, these mini tanks act like storage heaters, absorbing the warmth of the daytime sun and radiating that heat inside the protective container during the night, keeping your tender plants safe from the ravages of frost. Even if the water freezes it simply acts like a solid protective wall and continues to hold in heat and prevent frost burn. Kozy-Coats work equally well if temperatures soar. The cool water absorbs the strong rays from the sun and prevents the plant from burning or loosing moisture.

Horticultural scientists agree that filtered red light has a hugely beneficial effect on young plants. Fruit and Vegetable growers have found that plants nurtured by the advanced Kozy-Coats plant protectors are shown to produce a yield increase of as much as 12%. Kozy-Coats plant protectors are made from toughened plastic that will not buckle or crack in extreme weather or if knocked by children or pets.
Even beginners can produce robust sturdy plants that are the envy of more experienced gardeners.