Aerating your Lawn

Lawn aeration comes in many different forms and can help keep your lawn happy and healthy. It can improve your soil, reduce water use and help break down the organic materials which can prevent moisture and other nutrients from entering you soil. Read on to discover all the ways lawn aeration can benefit your turf as well as how it’s done.

Lawn Aeration Benefits

There are many benefits lawn aeration. Below you’ll find of the best reasons to aerate your lawn.

  • Saves Water – When you aerate your lawn water is better able to permeate the soil. This is especially true if you have a buildup of thatch. This will help you save up to 50% on water.
  • Reduces Runoff – More of the rain that falls onto your lawn will be absorbed. This will help reduce runoff and puddles.
  • Improves Grass Rooting – Roots need plenty of oxygen to prosper. Aeration helps provide roots with more oxygen and nutrients to help them grow bigger and faster.
  • Improves Tolerance – When your lawn is properly aerated it will help to improve tolerance to stress such as heat and drought. This helps keep your lawn green and healthy even during the hot summer months.
  • Reduces Compaction – Over time soil becomes compacted. Compaction reduces your lawns ability to root and absorb nutrients. Loosening up your soil is a great way to improve your lawn’s overall health.
  • Breaks Down Thatch – Thatch is the layer of organic material just above your soil. Thatch can suffocate your lawn when it becomes thick. Aeration allows the growth of microbes which will break down the thatch naturally which allows your lawn to prosper.

Lawn Aeration Tools

There are many different tools you can use to aerate your lawn ranging from simple manual tools to professional grade power tools. Which tool you use will depend largely on how big your lawn is, how much you are willing to spend and how much work you want to put in. Below you’ll find some of the most common tools used for lawn aeration.

  • Core Aerators – These are sometimes known as lawn plug aerators. They use a hallow tube to cut a cylindrical plug of soil and thatch from your lawn. After the plug is cut it is discarded onto your lawn where it should stay until it breaks down naturally.
  • Lawn Aerator Shoes – You can wear special shoes or get attachments for your regular shoes to help aerate your lawn as well. If you use a push mower to cut your grass you can use your aeration shoes and cover your entire yard.
  • Spiked Wheels – You can also find manual lawn aerator tools such as spiked wheels that you can roll across your lawn. Using manual tools isn’t quite as effective as using a power tool like a core aerator, however they still provide some benefit to your lawn.
  • Tire Spikes – If you have a riding lawn mower you can strap a row of spikes to the tires to help aerate your lawn when you mow. This is probably one of the easiest and inexpensive ways you can aerate your lawn.
  • Pitchfork – If you’re looking for a great workout you can just pick up a pitchfork and get poking. This might not be the most effective method but it may work well for you if it’s all you’ve got and don’t mind using some elbow grease.

When to Aerate Lawn

The most common questions regarding lawn aeration is always “when should I aerate my lawn?” This depends a lot on what type of lawn you have. The best time to aerate a cool season lawn is at the end of summer or early fall. The best time to aerate a warm season lawn is late spring or early summer. As a general rule of thumb if you live in an area where the ground freezes you probably have a cool season lawn.

How to Aerate Your Lawn

Lawn aeration doesn’t have to be an exact science. In general the more you aerate the better as long as you avoid destroying your lawn completely.

  • How Often – This largely depends on your type of soil. Lawns that compact easily could benefit from aeration twice a year while sandy lawns may only need to be done every couple of years.
  • Hole Spacing – You really can’t overdo it if you’re using a manual tool and power tools will automatically provide the proper spacing.
  • Depth – Core aerators generally cut plugs about 2-3 inches deep. This is an ideal depth if you’re using manual tools as well.

Lawn Aeration Tips

Below you’ll find some tips to make the most of your lawn aeration.

  • Get the Right Moisture Level – Your soil should be wet but not completely sloppy. Aerating tends to dry out your soil so watering after aeration is also important. If you just had a lot of rain you may want to wait a few days before aerating. If it’s been dry you might need to water your lawn before you begin.
  • Make Two Passes – Most landscaping professionals agree that making two passes is your best bet for lawn aeration. This ensures that you’ve covered every inch of your lawn.
  • Apply Lawn Care Products – Once your lawn is aerated it will be ready for new seed and fertilizer. Depending on what type of products you use you may need to keep kids and pets off your lawn for 24 hours or more.
  • Be Safe – It may be a good idea to call digger’s hotline before aerating your lawn. Remember you are driving metal spikes into the ground. You need to avoid electric lines and other utilities. Use common sense and be safe when aerating lawn.

Build Your Own Hanging Tomato Planter

Using a hanging tomato planter is a great idea whether you’ve got a green thumb or you’ve never grown a plant in your life. Once you’ve established your upside down tomato garden it will be virtually maintenance free. Simply water your containers regularly and enjoy fresh, delicious tomatoes all season long.

The best thing about a hanging tomato planter is that it won’t require much space. Even people living in apartments or townhouses can enjoy fresh vegetables that they grow themselves. A small patio or balcony is all that’s required. You could even grow them indoors in a space that receives an adequate amount of direct sunlight.

Advantages of a Hanging Tomato Planter

Overall, hanging tomato plants grow much faster and are easier to deal with than traditional methods such as growing them directly in the ground or using other standard containers. Below you’ll find some of the advantages of using a hanging planter to grow your tomatoes.

  • Warms the Soil – The soil in a hanging planter is warmed by the sun which is excellent for root growth. This means you’ll end up with tomatoes up to a month earlier than planting in the ground.
  • No Weeds – Since your tomato plants will be growing out of the bottom you can easily cover the soil on top to completely eliminate the possibility of any weeds growing.
  • Less Disease – You can forget about soil born diseases with a hanging planter. Your plants will be much happier and healthier which allows them to produce more tomatoes.
  • No Cages or Stakes – Setting up and taking down cages or stakes to help support large tomato plants is a pain. This is completely eliminated when you use a hanging planter.
  • Prune with Ease – Since you won’t have to use any cages or strings to tie your plants down pruning becomes much easier.

Disadvantages of a Hanging Tomato Planter

Growing hanging tomatoes isn’t always better, especially among certain varieties or in some climates. Read on to discover some of the disadvantages of growing upside down tomato plants.

  • Needs Adequate Support – Once your tomato plants get big they will become very heavy. This is especially true when you water the soil. One alternative is to use a freestanding planter that doesn’t need to be hung. The only problem is that the height of your tomato plants will become somewhat limited.
  • Watering – Because the weight of the soil becomes an issue, hanging tomato planters will typically have less soil than other containers. Once the root system becomes more developed you will have to water your plants much more often. Automatic watering systems can help to eliminate this problem although they may add more weight.
  • Smaller Plants – Since your container will have less soil the plants you grow will likely be much smaller than they would have been if planted in the ground. Your best bet is to pick smaller varieties and prune them appropriately to help keep the size down.

Make Your Own Upside Down Tomato Planter

Making your very own hanging tomato planter is quick and easy. If you’re a natural born do-it-yourselfer you can follow the steps below to build your own upside down tomato planter.

What you’ll need:

  • Hanging Planter
  • Electric Drill
  • 2 Inch Hole Saw
  • Small Piece of Landscape Fabric
  • Tomato Plant
  • Soil

Here’s how you do it:

  • Step 1: Drill a hole in the middle of the planter with your electric drill and 2 inch hole saw.
  • Step 2: Place a piece of landscape fabric over the hole and cut a slit down the center to allow your tomato plant to be pushed through.
  • Step 3: Separate your tomato plant’s root ball from the soil it’s in and push it through the hole in the bottom of your planter and through the landscape fabric.
  • Step 4: Fill the planter with soil and hang.

Dethatching Your Lawn

A power rake dethatcher is a tool that can be used to help remove built up thatch that could be choking your lawn’s natural growth. Thatch is basically a natural buildup of dead grass, leaves, roots, weeds and other organic materials. This build up can have a negative effect on the growth of your lawn. Removing the thatch will help your lawn flourish by allowing more water, air and other nutrients into the soil and ultimately the roots of your grass.

There are many different types of lawn detatchers including gas powered models, electric models and even some you can pull behind your lawn mower or tractor. A lawn dethatcher works by using metal blades or prongs that penetrate your turf down to the soil in order to remove the layer of thatch which has built up. It can be a very labor intensive process which is sometimes seen as a last ditch effort to help save a lawn.

When to Dethatch Your Lawn

Typically, the very best time to dethatch your lawn with a power rake is in the spring or fall. It’s always best to dethatch during times which will disrupt your lawn the least. In spring and fall your lawn will be at the beginning or end of its yearly growth cycle which makes it an ideal time for thatching a lawn. This allows your lawn plenty of time to recover before winter and avoids damaging your lawn during times of summer heat and drought.

How Do You Know if Your Lawn Needs Dethatching?

Most experts would recommend dethatching your lawn only if the layer of thatch has grown to be more than 3 inches deep. The reason is that using a lawn thatcher can be quite damaging to your lawn, especially if you don’t know you’re doing. Not only that but using a power cake will often be extremely labor intensive and may be completely unnecessary. If your thatch is less than 3 inches thick you can often use a lawn aerator which will help to promote microbes which will break down the thatch naturally.

Types of Dethatchers

  • Manual Dethatching Rake – Using a manual dethatching rake is by far the most labor intensive method you might use. It’s best to only consider dethatching your lawn manually if you have a very small space to dethatch. Otherwise a power rake dethatcher will be a much better choice.
  • Tow-Behind Dethatcher – This is by far the easiest way to dethatch your lawn if you happen to own a tractor or riding lawn mower. For the best possible results you should drag your dethatcher in a criss-cross pattern across your lawn. Just be careful not to overdo it.
  • Power Rake Dethatcher – These dethatchers generally look similar to a push mower and are powered by gas or electric motors. Although they are powered by a motor you will still have to manually push them across your lawn. It may sound easy enough but it’s much more labor intensive than mowing your lawn.

Raised Bed Gardening

If you’re new to raised bed gardening or just gardening in general this guide can help you get started. Using raised beds has a number of benefits which makes it far superior to traditional gardening. You can choose to build your own raised garden beds or purchase kits which make the process even easier.

Basics

Creating and using raised bed gardens is easy once you understand the basics.

  • Height and Depth – As a rule of thumb 6 inches should be the minimum depth although 10 to 12 inches is ideal.
  • How Much Soil – Technically you could fill your planter all the way to the top although leaving a couple inches at the top makes it easier and less messy to deal with your plants.
  • Soil Mixture and Preparation – Although you may be able to find great premixed soils you can also make your own mix. Vermiculite is great for aeration, perlite is good for moisture retention and compost or worm castings are great for providing your plants the nutrients they need.
  • Plant Spacing – This all depends on the types of plants you are growing. Tomatoes can require 1-2 feet on each side while lettuce may only require 3-6 inches. Keeping plants as close together as possible helps create a microclimate which inhibits weed growth and can even extend your growing season.
  • Crop Rotation – If you always grow the same plants in the same beds every year they can make the soil unbalanced. Rotating plants while adding nutrients to the soil every year can help provide balance.

Materials

There are many different materials you can use to create raised garden beds.

  • Pressure Treated Lumber – There are some concerns regarding the use of pressure treated lumber. Toxic chemicals which are used to treat the lumber may be able to seep into the soil and ultimately end up in the plants. This may be eliminated by lining the wood with food grade plastic.
  • Cedar – This may be a popular choice and smells great but keep in mind that cedar is a soft wood. Use plastic liners to help prevent excess moisture in the soil from damaging the wood.
  • Concrete Blocks – While using blocks may not be as pleasing to the eye as wood, they can create a durable design that aids in drainage and helps the soil to breathe.
  • Stones – A great all natural solution, however not as easy to work with as blocks.
  • PVC – An inexpensive and easy to use choice for building frames. Not as aesthetically pleasing and will need to be combined with other materials to help hold the soil in.
  • Railroad Ties – Like pressure treated lumber railroad ties also pose the threat of contaminating vegetables. A food grade plastic liner may be used to help prevent this from happening.
  • Straw Bales – You can use multiple bales to build your raised garden walls or even hallow out the middle of a single bale and fill with soil.
  • Tires – Other than the fact that a used tired garden might not fit in with your décor, used tires can be an excellent choice. You can stack them high or use them one at a time. The chemicals are tightly locked into the rubber which prevents seepage into the soil. They help to heat the soil which is great for root growth.
  • Galvanized Steel – Sheets of galvanized steel are a great choice for building your raised garden walls. It looks great and can be combined with PVC or wood framing.

Advantages

There are many advantages to creating your own raised bed garden such as:

  • Cheap, Healthy Food – A raised vegetable garden can provide healthy, delicious food inexpensively.
  • Accessibility – Raising a garden off the ground can make it more accessible to the elderly and people with disabilities.
  • Improved Yields – Studies have shown that raised bed gardens can provide yields up to twice as large as a traditional garden.
  • Improved Soil Conditions – Avoids compacting soil and aids in drainage and avoiding the interference of runoff in your garden.

Tips & Ideas

Check out these tips and ideas to make your raised bed gardens even better.

  • Irrigation – Drip irrigation is very forgiving and can put your gardening on autopilot. A PVC pipe with barbed connectors connected to offset drip emitter tubing makes watering easy.
  • Liners – Using food grade plastic liners helps to contain moisture and prevent chemicals from seeping into your soil.
  • Landscape Fabric – You can use landscape fabric to help prevent unwanted weeds from growing and can even help keep pests out of the soil.
  • Covers – Creating covers for your raised garden is great for starting seedlings or keeping out pests.

Container Gardening Ideas

If you’ve ever wanted to grow your own vegetables at home but don’t have a lot of space then a container garden might be perfect for you. Container gardens are also great for growing flowers and other ornamental plants as well. Container gardening is extremely flexible allowing you to grow almost any type of plant in any container to fit any space.

Container Ideas

While almost any type of container will do, here are some ideas to help you get started.

  • Terracotta Pots – Traditional clay pots reign supreme in the world of container gardening. They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes to fit your needs. They are relatively inexpensive although they can easily break.
  • Barrel Planters – Barrel planters provide a unique country appeal and can be found made from wood, plastic and even Styrofoam. They also come in a variety of sizes to help you grow a wide range of different plants.
  • Cast Metal Enamel Planters – These metal planters are coated in enamel to help protect against rust. You can find them in a wide variety of styles and colors that range from small buckets to large urns.
  • Window Boxes – These convenient planters are typically rectangular and mount directly underneath an exterior window. You can then easily access the planets from inside by simply opening the window. This makes watering and even harvesting a breeze.
  • Storage Bins – If looking great isn’t the number one function of your container garden you can use inexpensive storage containers to easily create a large garden on a budget.
  • Kiddie Pools – Small plastic pools can be extremely cheap, especially at the end of summer. These pools are the perfect depth for growing plants and large enough for an entire microgarden.
  • Recycled Containers – Any container which once contained food makes a great choice as the materials are likely food grade and won’t add toxic chemicals to your soil. Things like old milk jugs, soda bottles, ice cream tubs, pots and pans, and coffee cans are all fair game on a shoe string budget.

Advantages of Container Gardens

There are many advantages of using containers to grow plants. Below you’ll find some of the benefits of starting your own container garden.

  • Healthier Plants – Using containers virtually eliminates any risk of soil-borne diseases in your plants.
  • No Weeds – The plants in your containers should take up most of the space in the container which reduces or eliminates any chance of weeds growing.
  • Mobility – Growing plants in a container gives you the ability to move the container whenever you’d like. This gives you more control over the sunlight, temperature and moisture your plants receive.
  • Accessibility – You can put the containers wherever you want. This makes them easy to access for the elderly or people suffering from physical disabilities.
  • Versatility – Being able to choose the size of your containers allows you to have a garden no matter where you are. This is perfect for growing plants on a deck or patio, on the roof of a building or even right in your apartment.