Handy Helpful Hints

You've done all the hard work of early spring, cleaning out the planting beds and waking up your lawn. Now it's time to decorate, and all across Aus the decorating material of choice is mulch. A layer of mulch on a planting bed helps suppress weeds, retain moisture, and moderate soil temperature. But the biggest problem we see today is too much mulch. When added year after year, mulch can actually harm plants by creating a layer that doesn't decompose and doesn't allow root growth. The soil becomes so matted that nutrients and water can't penetrate to the roots, and the...

What is mulching? The process of covering the open surface of the ground by a layer of some external material is called mulching & the material used for covering is called as ‘Mulch.’ Mulching is usually practiced when cultivating commercially important crops, fruit trees, vegetables, flowers, nursery saplings, etc. It is beneficial in yard gardening, containers & raised beds of home gardens. Where can you mulch? You can mulch practically anywhere in your garden. From orchards, hedges to potted plants apply this technique wherever you wish. When should you mulch? Mulching can be done throughout the year. But keep in mind that...

Mulch is general term used for any material that allows air and water access to the soil while attractively covering the soil surface for a long time. Mulching garden beds is entirely worth the time and effort upfront because the benefits are more than just its attractive appearance. Mulching a garden pays off throughout the season and even in future years.   Why Mulch? Water Less Often - Mulch retains moisture in the soil; consequently the plant will require less frequent watering. Adding a top layer of mulch slows the evaporation of water from the soil, keeping moisture available for plants...

Garden tools have evolved a lot over the years, from the digging sticks of antiquity to today's highly specialized tools. Every season brings new garden gadgets and having the basic tool groups will help you maintain your garden year after year. Selecting Garden Tools Using the right tool for each garden job makes your work easier and more efficient. This can mean that there are lots of tools with different designs and sizes. Learn about the basic tools you'll need to simplify the shopping process with our garden tools list. When selecting garden tools, don't just make sure you get...

You’ve spread your fresh mulch at a nice even depth of four inches around your garden, flower beds, trees, and shrubs. You step back and proudly marvel how good it all looks. Then you say to yourself, “I wish it could look this good year-round.”     For starters, we’ll tell you that mulch doesn’t need a lot of attention, but it will benefit from a bit of upkeep. Ideally, you will mulch in the spring and the fall. One of the first things you’re going to want to do is check the depth as it should be between two and...