Archive for the 'Green Living' Category
January 30th, 2012 -- Posted in Green Living |
It’s funny how militaristic Anchorage residents get about their lawn despite the fact that they have such a short time to enjoy it. The grass starts coming out during the middle of May and by the middle of September its greenery is quickly fading.
Nevertheless, Anchorites love their green grass, no matter how short it lasts, and de-thatching it during the springtime is one of the best ways to create a perfect lawn that your neighbors will envy and wonder to themselves how you do it.
What is thatch? What is de-thatching? How will it help my lawn? The answers to these questions will all be answered.
What Is Thatch
Thatch is basically a thick coat of organic matter that covers your yard. It is composed of many dead things. This includes dead grass and leaves from the previous year, roots, twigs, various items of debris and dead insects.
Over the last six months all these things have formed a top layer that has been sitting on your lawn and it covers it like a blanket. Depending on where you live will determine how thick it has become.
It is suffocating your new grass from growing. Heavy thatch is preventing water and oxygen from penetrating into the soil. Pests and diseases are also attracted to areas with heavy undergrowth and when these things invade your grass it can be very difficult to get rid of them.
What Does De-Thatching Accomplish
The process of de-thatching involves tearing your yard up and breaking up the thatch. Landscapers and lawn professionals use a machine with sharp racks on them to do this. They literally break up the top layer of growth that is sitting on your front and back yard. It pierces right down to the soil. Once they do this the way has been paved for fresh grass to grown in its place, completely unhindered.
Many homeowners who desire an attractive lawn get their yard de-thatched in late April or early May, depending on when break-up ends. It’s a good idea to get it done two weeks after break-up because the yard is going to soaking wet due to the snow melting and not evaporating yet.
When Should I Get It Done
When you get your lawn de-thatched you should ask whatever lawn care professional you employ to aerate the yard afterwards. They do this will a tool called an aerator. It is basically a pole with several spikes and the end of it. Using the aerator they go around the yard and poke holes in it. The purpose of this is to allow moisture and nutrients to sink through these small holes to aid in the process of making healthy green grass.
The most the service should cost is a couple hundred dollars. This number will go up or down depending on how or small your yard is.
January 30th, 2012 -- Posted in Green Living |
With everyone going green and trying to reduce their carbon footprint as much as possible, building an environmentally friendly deck is at the top of many people’s lists. There are more environmentally friendly options when it comes to deck building materials than you might be aware of. Here we’ll take a look at the different deck building materials available to help you decide what you’ll need to build your environmentally friendly deck.
* Wood deck building materials. Wood is probably one of the most popular and well-known materials for building decks. You may be surprised to hear that there are plenty of wooden options when it comes to building an environmentally friendly deck. One of the best is recycled wood. You can find a number of sources where you can get your recycled wood from without having to cut down new trees. For instance, wooden barns and old train cars are great choices for recycled wood deck building materials.
* Composite deck. A composite deck is usually made of half wood and half plastic materials. This already cuts down on the amount of new wood used for the deck, and many composite decks use recycled wood in the first place. In addition, composite deck building materials often use recycled materials such as milk jugs and other things to mix with the wood. If having an environmentally friendly deck is important to you then you should research the company you’re buying from in order to learn where they get their materials from.
* Aluminum. With aluminum decking, you don’t have to worry about treating it every year with a stain like you might with wood or composite decks. Chemicals in stains can be harmful to the environment, so aluminum can be a great option if you’re trying to be eco-friendly. Aluminum deck building materials are also completely recyclable and require little maintenance to keep them looking beautiful.
* Glass deck materials. Glass deck materials are fairly new but provide a great option for an environmentally friendly deck. Often, glass deck materials are made from recycled glass doors or other glass pieces, which makes it a sustainable choice. In addition, when using glass deck materials you don’t need to use treatments like you would on wooden deck building materials, so you can reduce your use of chemicals.
As you can see, there are many options to choose from when it comes to building an environmentally friendly deck. Whether you decide on wood or glass deck materials, with enough research you’re sure to find a product that’s affordable as well as fits in to your green lifestyle.
July 2nd, 2011 -- Posted in Green Living |
To get a great try looking in the home, one has to be careful when choosing garden furniture to obtain something which works out well. You need to have a theme that may help you select the items with no problem. You can check out various arrangements found online to get an ideal of what to pick or else you can also talk to a professional interior designer that will help you make an informed decision. After having this in mind, it’s time to look for the stores that have the things to find the ones you like.
This is when you’re able to compare the costs obtained through a few stores to get the one that has the most reasonable rates. This can also assist you to browse the various designs open to pick the one you prefer. The material the items are manufactured from is very important as individuals want to get something which can last for a long time without any problems. This helps one to save money while you don’t have to keep going to the store to be repaired or replaced.
The colour from the patio furniture can also be very important since you need to choose something which will blend in well with the d�cor. It is almost always best to choose warm colors to create a hospitable environment for anyone who definitely are using it. Try to obtain a cover for the items so they are not rained on which could end up destroying them. You don’t have to get all the items at the same time as you could possibly get the most essential ones and obtain the others later that will provide you with enough time to shop around and get the exact things you want.
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