Right after the early spring cleanup up North is a good time to start the annual fertilizing program for the lawn. This early application is one of the most important of the season because grass soon will be utilizing nutrients when the weather warms. Fertilizer will help it to grow vigorously at a time when growing conditions are most favorable. And since a dense stand of grass is one of the best ways of keeping down weeds, lawns should be given every opportunity to grow with vigor, fertilizer is a key requirement.

There are a number of very good lawn fertilizers, these should be used according to recommendations of the manufacturer. A good standard rule for the amount to use is to apply one pound of actual nitrogen for each thousand square feet of lawn surface. The first number in a fertilizer formula refers to the per cent of nitrogen. Divide this number into 100 and the answer will be the number of pounds of that fertilizer to use for each one thousand feet of lawn surface.

If you want to make the most attractive and beneficial use of your grounds, you’ll want to make sure you plan your landscaping very well. Most people take the idea of pathways, coverage, foliage and so forth for granted, having no idea how much thought and planning it requires to get it just right. Properly planning ahead is the key to having a great looking landscape.

You’ll want to consider several elements in your design, including access (walkways), lighting (if any), coverage, and color. One of the most often overlooked plants are trees, as they are not only to be incorporated in the beginning, but must be accommodated over time as they grow and take up more space and ad more beauty to the landscape.

Remember that trees have an annual cycle of growth, leaf shedding, flowering, and so forth. Some trees do this more than others, with evergreens shedding almost all year round and larger-leafed trees shedding all at once. Be aware of this and how it will affect your landscape’s overall look.

Get started decluttering your house. Having a home free of clutter will enable you to declutter your life as well. You can follow these simple tips to get started decluttering.

1. Quit Buying “Stuff”. This is probably one of the hardest things to do for people who are in the habit of buying stuff. Just because it’s on sale doesn’t mean you need it or should go buy it.

2. Stop Procrastinating. Choose one small easy job to do every day. After you’ve developed this as a new habit, you’ll be ready to take on a few bigger projects. If you tackle the smaller jobs, it will make the declutter process a lot easier. If you try to tackle the whole house at once, it will overwhelm you.

3. Quit Hoarding. Get rid of the junk around your house. The problem with decluttering is the emotional attachment to objects. The sad part about this is that most emotional attachments are to things that really don’t merit that emotion.

Square foot gardening is a wonderful way to introduce anyone to the first time gardening experience. It requires so little work! Once you have the right soil, there is no tilling, no weeding, and no backaches! You can also be assured of greater success in growing those delicious vegetables. Square foot gardening requires a box that can be made in many different sizes according to your needs and desires. A 4×4 size can hold enough food for one adult for the season. The soil for your box must be carefully mixed with the right ingredients. It should be a mix of three equal parts of vermiculite, peat moss, and several composts. Once you have these components for your box garden, all you have to do is water! The common mistake of novice gardeners is over watering. This will be avoided because the soil mix has natural moisture retainers. The excess water will simply run off. You can place your box garden just about anywhere as long as it has a lot of direct sunlight.

It is much more convenient than a large plot located way out in the back of the yard that seems to attract every weed imaginable. A box garden will have very few weeds because the soil consists of specific clean ingredients.

So you’ve decided to redecorate, including bedrooms, and you’re right in the middle of it. Use a simple redecorators trick for your bedding choice.

When you look in those home beautiful magazines with all those stunning bedrooms beautifully decorated? Matching bedding, color and design and all. Ever wondered how they get those stunning looking bedrooms you see in the magazines?

Yet you try and reproduce the look and you can’t. You can find a great looking duvet cover but you can’t find pillow cases to match. So you do the best you can and try and find something that looks good with that cover. But it never looks like it did in the magazine picture.

Professional decorators know exactly what they’re doing. They know how to make a bedroom look great, at minimal cost, and usually they achieve it by using a bed in a bag. What in the world is a bed in a bag? Well it is what it says. A complete set of bedding all in one bag. Comforter, bedskirt, sheets and shams and pillow cases all there.

If you’re thinking about putting up a greenhouse, there are a number of things you’ll need to plan out ahead of time. Greenhouses come in a huge range of sizes, styles, and prices. You might decide to build a greenhouse yourself, or simply assemble a pre-fabricated kit. Regardless, you’ll have to think about some essential factors before you get started. In the end this will save you a lot of time.

First of all, put some thought into where you’re going to locate your greenhouse. You might already have a suitably flat area on which to build it. Or perhaps you’ll have to find a section of your yard that can be leveled. Then there are your trees to think about. You need to locate your greenhouse away from large, overhanging trees so they don’t block the sun.

You also need to take into account some weather related issues, like how much sun you get and the climate conditions in your area. If you live further north, you’ll get plenty of sunlight in the summer months. But in the winter months, not so much. If this is the case, you will need to supplement the sun’s light with a greenhouse lighting and heating setup. This, of course, is an extra expense and more work for you.

They will be indoors a full month longer than they should be and during this time they will be struggling to make the right kind of growth. Leaves and stalks will be pale and weak and the plants will not be the strong, vigorous type needed to start the season outdoors. Tuberous begonias started to root about the first of March will be developing during more favorable light conditions: the days are brighter and longer in April when they will be making leaf growth.

Sometimes tuberous begonias are planted too early because they have started to sprout and this suggests to the grower that the tuber wants to start growing again, that they will suffer if not permitted to grow. The young, pink sprouts may appear early, due to the storage conditions being too warm, thus encouraging growth.

By keeping the tubers in a cooler place this can be prevented. Preliminary rooting before top growth is made is essential with tuberous begonias. This rooting period takes about 30 days. By then there are enough roots, the top has grown a few inches and potting should be done.

As perennials in the South begin growing during March keep a close check on them for diseases. When peonies start out they make rapid growth, so keep a close check for botrytis blight and aphids, both of which can cause the buds to blight and fall off.

March on pests! Now is the time to save many long hours of trouble later on with roses. Check for any kind of dead tissue and remove it; remove old leaves and litter all are harboring places for insects or disease spores. As soon as new growth is a few inches long start spraying and dusting to control black spot.

If the protective mounds of soil around the base of the canes have not been removed they should be now. Prune back any winter killed canes. In case of a late freeze (which is entirely possible in much of our area) , do not remove the blackened canes too soon. After a few days nature will form a ring around the cane to a point where the tissues have been killed”prune to this point and new growth will then be stimulated. Paint the wounds made by this pruning to prevent bleeding. When you are certain that the danger of freezing is past put on a mulch of well-rotted cow manure to improve the quality and increase the quantity of the first crop of blooms. Keep the manure from touching the canes.

As I mentioned in my previous article, children under age 5 are the usual victims of plant poisoning owing to their curious nature. At this age, it is hard to resist the allure of bright-colored and sweet-smelling flowers even if some of them are poisonous.

“Lots of plants are poisonous or capable of causing highly allergic reactions. Some will also pierce you with their sharp spines. Few actually do lasting harm but some should be treated with care and respect,” according to doctors at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Australia.

“Many plants have poisonous bulbs or roots but as these are usually safely underground, they are not likely to poison anyone. Others taste so awful that it is difficult to eat enough to cause a serious injury. Oleander, for example tastes so bitter and unpalatable that it is difficult to accidentally eat very many of the leaves. On the other hand there are plants that look appealing but contact can have bad results,” they added.

However, protecting our kids is easier said than done since it can be difficult to recognize a poisonous plant. Often there are no telltale signs or characteristics that distinguish a poisonous plant from one that isn’t. Therefore, we have to educate ourselves to save our children.

How fast to Koi grow? This is a question we hear often. A Koi’s grow the rate is dependent on the feeding pattern and several other factors. The key determinates are the water temperature, water quality, number of fish in the pond and the basic genetic background of the fish. Some types just grow faster than others.

They need food that contains various elements such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. These elements are essential for all animals to maintain healthy bodies, grow and reproduce.

The type of food and quantity that you give them is dependent upon the size of your fish. Make sure that the food you use can be eaten by the smallest fish in the pond. If it won’t fit in their mouth, they can’t eat it. If the is an assortment of both large and small fish, make sure there is both large and small foodstuff. You’ll need to make sure that the small Koi receive enough and are not kept from the dinner table by the larger fish.