Perth Experts Share Tips on How to Select the Right Mulch for Your Landscape

No mulch is perfect. However, understanding the attributes of various materials can greatly help you choose the best mulch for your landscape.

Important Considerations When Choosing the Best Mulch

Summer or Winter Mulch?

Summer Mulches – These are also known as growing mulches. They are normally applied after the soil began to ward in the spring. Some of their primary roles include warming the soil, retaining soil moisture, and reducing the growth of weeds.

Winter Mulches – They are used primarily as insulation for woody plants. They must be laid down in late fall to keep the soil evenly cool through the entire winter season. Some of the effective winter mulches include shredded leaves, pine needles and straw.

Where to Place The Mulch

1. For vegetable gardens or small fruit plantings, it is best to use black plastic and straw. 
2. For shrub beds or perhaps around trees, wood chips, pine needles and barks are considered the best-suited mulches. 
3. For rock gardens, use fine gravel or crushed stone mulches. 
4. For perennial or annual beds, consider using wood shavings, cocoa shells, and barks.

Characteristics Of An Excellent Mulch 

1. Readily accessible 
2.  Can be easily applied and removed 
3.  Cost-efficient 
4.  Gives organic matter to the soil 
5. It is free of toxic weeds, diseases, and insects.

Uses Of A Mulch

    Reduces soil erosion - If water droplets will land on bare soil, the soil particles usually fly in all directions which then can result to crusting and slow water infiltration. Mulches will actually break the impact of water droplets, thereby reducing soil erosion and crusting, as well as enhancing the penetration of water into the soil.

   Improves soil structure – As organic mulches decompose, they will provide organic matter that will prompt soil particles to aggregate. Large aggregates will actually boost aeration as well as enhance moisture condition in the soil. In turn, these conditions will encourage additional root development as well as biological activity – and this will indeed further enhance soil structure.

     How To Manage Mulches In Your Landscape 

 

1.  Prior to covering the area with mulch, you have to bring the site to its desired grade. Also, it is indeed a smart idea for you to treat the area with a pre-emergent herbicide before mulching. 
2.  Organic mulch must thoroughly cover the area to a uniform depth for it to become very effective. Be reminded that bare spots are very much prone to weed problems. Moreover, uneven mulch will not properly insulate the soil.

When it comes to mulching, there are indeed a lot of important things to consider for you to make the most out of your mulch.

About the author: Kenneth Lawrence is a homeowner and a writer. He usually spends his free time learning more about home improvement tips. He continually visits sites like http://www.mulchperth.com.au and reads books in order to increase his know-how about this industry. He shares what he learned through writing.

Hotel Room Number

 The number of our hotel room has lovely yellow touch.  The room located in the third floor, not in the 12nd floor :)
Thanks to a close friend, she allowed me to enjoy the beauty of a five star resort. I couldn't say that we got best service as we had some complaints about their service. But that's okay, our last trip was a blast.

Monday Mellow Yellows

Making Your Home Dog-Friendly

If you thought thing through and decided you want to buy or even better yet adopt a puppy you must have a lot of concerns.

First thing you need to know is how to choose a puppy from the litter.

-Never pick the smallest or the biggest puppy from the litter.

-Do not take a puppy that is already at the age of 2 month and that looks like an adult. A puppy has to go through several stages of growing up.

-Do not take the puppy that is standing aside on the ones that have a sad look in their eyes. There is a high possibility that it is sick or full of worms.

-Choose a cheery puppy that looks fun at first sight. Find one that will look you right in the eyes and have that confident look on its face. To make sure that you pick the right one you should play with them for a while.

Preparing your home

Determine the best place to put your puppies before you bring them home. This place has to be warm but avoid putting the bed or the basket near heat sources such a radiators and ovens. It is not recommended either to put your puppies close to the front door. One thing that will be of great use is the bed for your pets that you can buy in your local pet stores. The basket should have an opening though which your puppy can easily get in and out. Look for beds made out of biodegradable or recycled materials. If you are short on money a wider cardboard box will do at first. You should cut it a few centimeters from the ground to make sure it is not too high for your pet. It is important that you put a warm furry blanket to simulate the feeling of care due to the separation from its mother.

Buy a par of bowls so you can separately give him food and water. The best advice is to avoid plastic bowls even though they are cheaper the materials that they are made out of are unstable and unhealthy. The second reason is because the plastic bowls are too light and you puppy can easily roll it over. Heavy metal bowls with the rubber at the bottom can prevent the bowl from slipping on the floor and making a mess. Prepare a place where your puppy can urinate if you don’t want to clean the urine around the house. If you have a backyard you should buy a pet door for ensuring that your dog will stay active and outgoing.

Get rid of things around the house that could be easily knocked over and broken. Hide the newspaper and slippers so your dog doesn’t play with those things instead buy him a toxic free toy at the local pet store. Clean the toys regularly to avoid any diseases. Buy a leash of a collar at its early age to make him get used to walk along your side. In is very important to choose a vet who will follow its development and progress. Brush you dog regularly and buy a product for keeping the fleas out you house. In order to dress your dog not to jump on the bed the best thing to do is to reward him with a treat every time he obeys the command. Buy covers for the furniture so you can easily remove the hair. Don’t hit your dog when he does something wrong instead punish him by sending him to another room.

Brush Concrete

Yard, carport, patio, paths or paving in gardens, often using a layer of cement and coral. Some people admire its beauty, without knowing the name and how to make it.

The surface of the concrete floor where given rock or coral on the top as well as stones fractions with a diameter of 2 cm to 5 cm is called brush concrete. It’s called brush concrete because a steel brush is used to accentuate the rocks.

image:lababan.com

Sprinkles rocks above the concrete can be created with a variety of motifs or designs, depending on the desire of the maker. The pebble stones can just be spread without any pattern, either colorful or single color. Brush concrete’s function is to keep the road surface becomes not slippery, both for vehicles and pedestrians. Many estates today are also using pebble stones for road materials inside the complex. Hotels often use brush concrete roads in front of the lobby.

How to make a brush concrete is relatively easy. The basic ingredients used are cast concrete and coral or pebble stones. The making begins by covering the floor with cement as usual, then sprinkle coral on it. After a mortar rather dry, the surface that already sprinkled with stones is brushed with steel brush. If you want to create brush concrete walkways, the cement is printed with a particular shape - such as a square or a round- then sprinkle the pebble stones, and after a bit dry, brushed the surface with a steel brush.

Selecting Specialists In Lawn Care – Virginia Beach, VA Homeowners’ Guide

A picturesque lawn is not something that happens overnight. If you want a lawn that looks like those on the covers of magazines, you have to pay your dues in terms of time, effort and even money.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury of time. Most homeowners have their hands full with their commitments at home and at work and would rather spend their days off with their family or with their personal pursuits rather than spending hours and hours in the front yard or backyard. Lawn care also requires diligent research and investment in the right knowledge to prevent costly mistakes. It is for these very reasons that many opt to hire the experts in lawn care Virginia Beach, VA residents trust.

But why should you entrust the care of your lawn to others?

The primary reason why people enlist companies to perform lawn care tasks for them is convenience and time. Lawn care companies allow homeowners to have a lush garden without requiring too much of their time.

Second, lawn care companies have invested in learning how to make lawns thrive and become more attractive. They also help eliminate the guesswork in crucial tasks like the application of pesticides and fertilizers. With their knowledge in handling these chemicals, the impact to the environment is lessened.

Hiring lawn care firms also helps homeowners eliminate the need to purchase and store tools, equipment and chemicals which need to be properly handled.

But with so many lawn care companies operating today, how do you choose the best one to select as your partner?

First, solicit recommendations from your relatives and friends. If your neighbor's lawn looks stunning, it will serve you well to ask for the company that performs lawn care for him. In lieu of a recommendation, you can search online for lawn care companies operating in your area.

Whichever route you take, make sure to check that the lawn care firms on your shortlist have the proper license and that they have liability insurance. Reputable firms are also members of professional associations that promote excellence in their trade.

A good lawn care firm will tailor-fit solutions based on the unique qualities of your lawn instead of offering a cookie-cutter solution.

Finally, the best lawn care firms acknowledge that a lush lawn is the result of the partnership between the property owner and the firm. As such, they'll readily share helpful tips with their clients.

About the author: Kenneth Lawrence is a homeowner and a content creator. He is fond of sharing his insights regarding home improvement. He continually reads books and visits sites like http://www.sticklelm.com/ in order to boost his know-how. He shares what he learns through writing.