5 Summer Garden Maintenance Tips and Tactics You Have To Know

Published on: 03 August 2018 Last Updated on: 07 August 2021
Garden Maintenance

The summer is a season for critical garden maintenance says the best weed removal experts. Otherwise, your lovely plants, flowers, and trees might suffer from disease or be infested by pests if you don’t perform the much-needed maintenance. But no matter what the summer throws your garden, you can keep up provided you know of some maintenance tasks like the following.

5 Summer Garden Maintenance Tips and Tactics You Have To Know

If you are not confident of pruning the trees and plants yourself, hire experts that can help you do the same. The best garden maintenance tips from Tree Service Riverside focus on understanding the individual personality and nature of every tree in your garden. This is why you need to be different in terms of fertilizer applications, watering schedules, and other areas. Let us look at some of the major tips below-

1. Ensure Having A Good Soil:

You can add organic matter to the soil, but it must be as varied as possible.  For example, you can consider adding manure for nitrogen.

Manure is valuable because its nutrients are ready for consumption by the soil and plants.

You may also want to consider composting, which is the recycling of organic wastes that speed up soil formation.

Finally, you may also want to make use of earthworms in the method called vermicomposting. These organisms can convert manure, green crop residues, and food wastes into usable forms for the plants.

See that the nutrient balance is correct by running a test to check for soil fertility. For this, you can hire a lawn professional to inspect and evaluate if the soil is balanced with nutrients, including potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus.

2. Remove The Weeds:

Weeds are real survivors, and they cannot just seem to stop annoying you. Be able to fight dirty by getting rid of them. At the very least, remember not to leave any roots behind, so do not yank only the leaves or they will grow back. Grab them lose to the ground and then pull them straight up.

The best time to remove the weeds is after the rain because the ground is still moist.  Just a word of caution though. You should be careful walking around in your wet garden, or else the soil will be compact.  If there is no rain, you can water the garden before pulling the weeds. Finally, remove them while they’re still small.  But if you want to get rid of them effectively, you should consider hiring weed removal experts. Another thing you should be careful to be the weeds and other grass near the garden sheds and make sure they are removed as well.

3. Watering the Garden:

Prevent the effects of the summer heat to your plants and flowers.   At the very least, you should keep the temperature at 90°F by using a combination of weeding, watering, and shading.

Also, one of the golden rules for summer garden maintenance is to keep the soil moist. So if needed, you should water it twice a day.

The best time to water the plants is early in the morning when it can easily infiltrate the soil. Another is the late afternoon especially for soil that looks crusty.

For maximum water absorption, you must water at the plant’s base. You may also want to put a shade, such as a protective screen in your garden. It can prevent the water from escaping due to evaporation and reduce the surrounding temperature by up to 10 degrees.

4. Pruning:

Pruning’s main objective is to get rid of the problem, such as ailing or dead branches.

Always make an angled cut, which must be just above but sloping away from a bud above the point where a leaf is attached to a branch.

Do not cut close to the bud or it will be damaged and eventually will dry out and die.

Also, do not cut too far above a bud because the remaining stub is going to rot away, die, or become an entry point for plant disease.

Tips: Inspect the shrubs and trees for any broken or dead branches. You should also look for branches rubbing together because the wounds from those would just expose more surface area that will require more time to heal versus the clean cuts because they become entry points for disease and pests.  So as soon as you notice any broken, rubbing, or dead branches, prune them.

5. Remove Dead Plants:

Get rid of dead plants regardless of why they died – natural causes, insect damage, or disease. These plants should be eliminated because they can collect pests to spread around your garden to damage other plants.   Use them in your compost pile if they’re still safe to use it.

Taking care of your garden using these simple and easy maintenance tips will help in keeping your plants, flowers, and trees healthy all summer. Remember to prune, water, remove dead plants, ensure the soil is healthy and hire weed removal experts for the perfect summer garden maintenance.

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A List of Last-Minute Things You Should Check before You Move House

When we are moving house, it’s relatively easy for us to remember a good number of things, such as packing our belongings for our move and making sure all the items are properly packed and secured, and making sure that we inform our utility providers, both present and future as well. But there are indeed some other aspects which we may end up forgetting or neglecting simply because we are too focused on the major things we have to do. So what are these last-minute things you should check before you move house? Here’s a list. Things from repair shops, dry cleaning shops, tailors, and more: Yes, you probably have a lot of clothes to pack. But before you close and seal your boxes, make sure you have collected all your clothing from the dry cleaning shop and tailor, and you have taken all your items from repair shops as well. If you neglect to take things from the dry cleaners or the tailor or the repair shop, you may be faced with regret, especially if you are moving hundreds of kilometres away. Your personal paperwork, records, and documents: It may be surprising, but many individuals actually neglect to take care of their personal paperwork, records, and documents before it's too late. In essence, you should be taking care of your paperwork, records, and documents about two months prior to your move, as some files and documents may take time to process and retrieve, such as health records for your family from your local GP and records from the veterinarian if you have pets. If you have a local pharmacist, you may also want to take your list or a copy of your prescriptions from them. Some medical centres and pharmacies can transfer your records to your new general practitioner; it's still best to make sure of this before you move. Valuables and spare keys: You shouldn’t forget your valuables and spare keys, either, especially if you have a spare key with, for example, a neighbour, or hidden somewhere in your garden or property. Make sure you give your extra keys to the new occupants of your home; this is good protocol, even if the new occupants choose to change the locks in the end. Before you move to your new home, make a thorough sweep of your old home to see if there are any valuables you may have forgotten about, such as wads of cash hidden in a tin box, or jewellery which you have stashed away in a cupboard or shelf. You never know if you have forgotten a particularly valuable item, especially if you have lived in your old home for a long time, this is a common occurrence according to Advanced Removals & Storage, who offer a man with van in Cheltenham moving service. Gym memberships and library books: Aside from the things mentioned above, don't forget your gym memberships and library books too. Return whatever library books you may still have in your possession, and remember to inform the library about your move as well (this way, they can cancel your library card). If you have a membership for the local gym, make sure to cancel your membership – better yet, if they have a branch in your new location, you can simply ask them to transfer your gym membership to the other branch. Good luck, and happy moving! Read Also: 8 Home Gym Systems You’ll Want To Try Out Moving House? Here’s The Ultimate Checklist How To Sell Your House Fast?! Five Must-Know Tips To Move Your Property!

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how to harvest lettuce

How to Harvest Lettuce: A Step-by-Step Guide for Fresh and Crispy Salads

Since lettuce plants grow best in cool growing seasons, most lettuce varieties are classified as spring or fall greens. However, if the longer days are keeping your lettuce plant producing leaves well into the summer and it hasn't bolted yet, here are some excellent tips to follow to maximize your harvest. Taking individual leaves off the plant is one way to increase its yield. Alternatively, you could sow in succession every two weeks in the early spring or fall to continue the harvest. To offer lettuces shade and protection from the hot summer sun and high temperatures, a third method is to interplant with a taller crop. Lastly, cultivators should seek out cultivars known for their slow bolting, like the looseleaf varieties "Slobolt" and "Sierra." Here is how to harvest lettuce so you can eat some leaves right away and encourage the plant to continue growing more. How To Harvest Lettuce? If you want to harvest lettuce and do not know how to go about it, here are all the details. Follow the steps closely to get the healthiest and crispiest lettuce for your salads and sandwiches. Plant Looseleaf Varieties Your lettuce variety should be ready to harvest in 35 days, according to the seed packet, which means you should have large enough leaves to pick a little more than a month after planting. By regularly picking the outer leaves, you may be able to extend the harvest until late June if you sow seeds in March or April. Begin Harvesting Early in The Season Young lettuce plants will be harmed by light frost, but mature plants can withstand it. If you live in an area where there is no winter frost, you can plant early and begin harvesting the outer leaves when they get to be 4 or 6 inches long. Your harvest can last up to 30 days longer if you plant and harvest early. Pick Lettuce in The Morning It is ideal to harvest lettuce early in the day to avoid the leaves wilting due to the intense heat. The leaves are crispest and flavorful in the morning because they contain the most water. Look For Plants with Large Outer Leaves The center of the crown is where the new growth starts on the lettuce. You must remove the largest, oldest leaves that are about 4-6 inches long. You will find these leaves on the outside of the plant. Cut or Pinch The Outer Leaves At 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the base, pinch off each outer leaf. To break the leaf off the crown, apply just enough pressure with your thumb and forefinger. Another option is to use a sterile, sharp scissor or snipping tool, though there is disagreement about whether doing so accelerates the browning of cut edges. Harvest Until it Flowers When older, mature leaves are consistently removed, the lettuce plant is encouraged to grow new leaves in their place. Harvesting individual leaves is possible until the plant produces a flower stalk, which indicates that it is ready to bolt and set seed. Lettuce turns bitter once it bolts. When to Harvest Lettuce? As soon as the lettuce is large enough to pick, it can be harvested. A seed packet will typically tell you how many days it will take to harvest. For the "cut and come again" method of harvesting loose leaves, standard-size varieties are the most effective. When outer leaves are 4 to 6 inches tall, that's the best time to begin harvesting. There are many varieties of lettuce seeds available, including blends and mesclun mixes. The best varieties to plant for a continuous harvest are called bi-colored, spotted, or loose-leaf lettuces in green and red or burgundy tones. The following are some varieties you might want to try: Black Seeded Simpson Green Salad Bowl Freckles Lolla Rossa Gourmet Mesclun Blend Deer Tongue Garden Leaf Blend Loose leaf lettuce varieties yield the best results from the cut-and-come-again method. Red, green, and oak leaf lettuce are a few examples. Additionally, you can wait to pick until a full head has matured or harvest early leaves from loose-heading varieties like butterhead and romaine. When and How to Gather Lettuce Heads The growth habit of head lettuce is akin to that of cabbage. In order to form a dense, rounded, or clumped shape, younger leaves emerge from the center, and older leaves form layers. There are two types of head lettuce: loosehead (similar to romaine) and crisphead (like iceberg). Let the crisphead varieties mature for a single harvest and keep an eye on them in accordance with the days to harvest specified on the seed packet. When the heads are dense and the appropriate size, they are ready to be picked. If you remove the outer leaves once or twice, loosehead lettuces will still head. However, the size of the fully mature head may decrease as a result. These lettuces can produce a head of looser layering or wrapping leaves (butterhead) or a clump of tall, straight leaves (romaine). Remove crispheads by chopping off the stem just below the center. Loose heads can be trimmed similarly or removed, with roots and subterranean stems cut back to the leaf base, depending on size. What Happens If a Flower Stalk Bolts A lettuce plant will eventually shoot up a flower stalk in the center, a sign that it has reached the end of its life and is ready to bolt, or bloom, and set seed. Though they might still be edible, the lettuce leaves are starting to get tough and bitter. There is no stopping flowering once this process has begun. Throw away the plant and plant again if the weather permits. Types of Lettuce There are four types of lettuce you can choose from when choosing which to grow: leaf, butterhead (loosehead), romaine, and head lettuce. When it comes to cultivation and harvesting, the main distinction is that leaf lettuce crops yield several harvests, whereas head lettuce varieties, such as iceberg, romaine, and butterhead, only yield one harvest. Leaf lettuces are, therefore, a favorite among home gardeners since you can grow them in raised beds, on the ground, or in patio containers. Keep in mind that lettuce is a cool-season crop, so you should schedule your harvest for the spring when the temperature is still cool. Such temperatures are usually around 70 degrees. Find out when the first frost occurs in your area each fall and plant appropriately. Starting fall crops from seed indoors and moving them outside as the weather cools down may be the best option. Seek out head lettuce cultivars such as Crisphead and Iceberg that you can grow from seed. In roughly six weeks, the lettuce will reach maturity and be ready for harvest after the seeds have germinated in 10 to 21 days. One loose butterhead variety that you can grow from seed or seed tape is called Buttercrunch. It takes 65 days to be ready for harvest. Vivian is one of the romaine varieties that yields soft, flavorful leaves. Directly sow seeds in the garden in the spring. Start seeds indoors in the fall and transplant them to your garden. Varieties of loose-leaf lettuce grow quickly and are enjoyable to experiment with in salads, sandwiches, and other culinary creations. Look for mesclun mixes and heirloom cultivars such as "Black Seeded Simpson." Many come in simple-to-grow seed tapes that can be harvested in roughly seven weeks. How to Harvest Leaf Lettuce? When the weather gets chilly, you can harvest salad from a leaf lettuce crop in your home garden whenever you're ready to eat. You can harvest an entire crop of lettuce at once by waiting for it to mature. However, cutting fresh lettuce leaves off as they grow is the easiest way to prepare them for consumption at any time. Depending on the variety, lettuce leaves should be harvested when they reach a length of 3 to 6 inches. Gather leaves continuously until the lettuce plant "bolts." This indicates that the plant has focused its energy on developing seeds and flowers, and as a result, the leaves typically develop tough stems and a bitter taste. How to Harvest a Full Head of Lettuce? A lettuce plant can continue to grow until it produces a full head of leaves. Use the "one and done" approach when harvesting head lettuce. Just make a clean, above-soil knife cut across the entire head of lettuce at the base of the plant. For this, a harvest knife comes in handy. Remember the seed packet and note the maturity or harvesting days. As your plants get bigger, keep an eye out for indicators of maturity, which are typically firm, full heads. Harvest in the spring before it gets too hot, usually when the daytime highs hit 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The bitter taste of the leaves and the mushy head of lettuce can result from warm weather. How to Store Lettuce? When the lettuce is inside, you can use a colander to wash the leaves and thick cotton towels to dry them so you can use them in salads and sandwiches. In case you cultivate a lot of lettuce, investing in a salad spinner would be wise. It helps dry and wash Lettuce quickly. Lettuce leaves without water should be refrigerated. For most greens, store the leaves in a loose plastic bag for approximately a week. When the salad greens are ready to be eaten, give them a good rinse in several runs of cold water and then pat dry. How to Harvest Lettuce Microgreens? Microgreens are incredibly simple to harvest! When the first true leaves appear, after ten to fifteen days of planting the seeds, they will be ready. When the microgreens are two to three inches long, harvest them if you are measuring them by height. Investigating the flavor profiles of the microgreens at various heights is enjoyable. Cut the entire plant ½ inch above the soil line with a pair of scissors or grass shears. If you need more inspiration, check out our many other interesting gardening tips for growing microgreens, like growing lettuce microgreens! How to Harvest Romaine Lettuce? The leaves of romaine lettuce (also known as cos) have the perfect amount of crunch or crispness. The lettuce plant's outer leaves can be harvested as it grows. The leaves can be chopped off one to two inches above the ground. Gathering these tender green leaves now will give the lettuce more time to ripen before full plants can be harvested. Before Romaine lettuce reaches maturity, it can take 55–70 days to grow from seed. To determine when the lettuce is ripe, examine it directly. When the romaine lettuce leaves are 6 to 8 inches tall, the ribs are firm and juicy, and the leaves have formed a tightly compacted head, the lettuce is ready for harvesting. To test if the lettuce head is firm, squeeze it. Overripe head lettuce will be tough, while young head lettuce will be soft. Harvest by making a cut an inch above the ground, saving the crown for a subsequent harvest. You can harvest the lettuce head by digging up the entire plant if it is nearing the end of its garden lifespan. Read More: Everything You Need To Know About Harvesting Basil! Loose Leaf lettuce The harvest window for leaf lettuce varieties is quite broad. After planting, the young, baby lettuce leaves can be harvested 25 days later, and the plant will mature fully in 50–60 days. Make sure your crop is harvested prior to it bolting. Since you can harvest loose-leaf lettuce more than once during the growing season, it's ideal for repeated harvesting. You can chop the entire lettuce plant 1-2" above the soil line once the leaves reach 4".  In 10 to 15 days, fresh leaves that have sprouted from the base will be ready for harvesting again if the crown is left intact.  Try spreading out your seed sowings and doing multiple sowings to ensure a consistent harvest all season long. If you want to preserve the crisp flavor of the young baby greens, you should sow them again. Another method of harvesting involves leaving the inner leaves to grow while pruning the young leaves on the outside of the head for greens. When the plants are 4 inches tall, you can begin harvesting lettuce by cutting them just above the soil line. Crisphead Lettuce When grown locally, crisphead or iceberg lettuce makes for incredibly tasty salad greens.  You might not get a whole head of lettuce, but this can be a cut-and-come-again harvest.  A single harvest is more appropriate for this green lettuce. After planting, there is a 50 to 75-day window for harvest. Iceberg lettuce can be harvested as soon as the head appears before the outer leaves turn brown and as soon as the center feels firm, and the leaves are compacted tightly. Before the crisp lettuce starts to open and the seed stalk starts to form, harvest it. More importantly, if you see the lettuce beginning to bolt—a common issue in hot weather—or the seed stalk, harvest it right away. Harvesting iceberg lettuce is best done by digging up the entire plant and then cutting off the stalk. Because of its thick stem, this lettuce plant can be challenging to harvest while it is still in the ground.  If you decide to harvest the lettuce while it's still in the ground, please take care not to harm it.  You can cut the stem just below the leaves by lifting the lettuce upwards. Wrapping Up Nothing compares to the sheer satisfaction of harvesting and regrowing fresh, new lettuce from the same plant. You are far superior to other lettuce owners if you can figure out how to harvest lettuce correctly so that it keeps growing. Thus, if you want to become a rich lettuce farmer, make sure you constantly and meticulously follow all the above steps! If you have thoughts to share or questions to ask about how to harvest lettuce, then please leave a comment below. We would love to hear from you. Read Also: Some Facts You Need to Know About Rainwater Harvesting Asparagus 101: When, How, And How Often To Harvest? Exploring Ideas For A Biophilic Home Design

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kitchen cabinets

Installation of Kitchen Cabinets: Best Way to Give Your Home

Are you contemplating on redesigning your old kitchen? Your kitchen is the heart of your home. You should be paying it the proper attention it deserves. Redoing your kitchen will make your life really easy and comfortable. While proceeding towards the project, make a proper plan beforehand. You can find numerous blueprints of designs on the internet. If you are a resident of Minneapolis, USA, certain leading furniture manufacturer offer you free computerized technical drawing even. For an efficient as well as elegant kitchenette, installation of a modern range of cabinets would be a great option for you. Your Elegant Kitchen: The ground incentive you have, to install cabinets in your kitchen is their incomparable agility. These cupboards are available in various style and material to realize your need. Before choosing a company for picking your outfits from, make sure it’s trustworthy enough and the products they provide are high in standard. In modern times, the cookhousehas advanced its position from being merely a place of cooking to being the heart of a household, a place where all the family members gather and have important discussions. And your kitchen cabinets aren’t only storage, but to the elegance of your kitchen, they contribute the most. So, make sure to choose them wisely. Transform the look of your kitchenette; paint a new color, install a set of matching curtains and give it the final touch of perfection by placing an exquisite array of cabinets. The Exotic Wooden Outfits: When it comes to furnishing, no other material on earth ever can succeed in competing with wood. Wood is always the smartest and most prestigious outfit to choose for the glory of your house. They are available in both traditional and modern designs. You can make a choice among Café Vienna, Cherry Shaker, Gazed Maple, Northern Maple, Toffee or Walnut. They come in soft close drawers and doors and all with warranty. These products are crafted out of selected hardwood and varnishes that enable them to withstand the assay of time. The door of the cabinets makes a lot of difference in the beauty of the room so you need to be extremely sagacious while choosing a door design for your cupboards. Wooden cabinetry gives you the most elegant natural look. They are strong and have great resistance capacity. They are easy to clean, eco-friendly, and flexible. They provide you the most extraordinary décor ever. Hence, doesn’t it occur to you that purchasing a range of wooden cabinetry for your kitchen would be the worthiest investment you can ever make? White is Always the Perfect Choice: White is one of the most adaptable colors to be chosen for decoration. Itis a color that never gets obsolete. It stands for purity and calmness. Consider collecting a range of white kitchen cabinets for giving your kitchenette a perfect air. You can choose an attractive range of Mystic white cabinets for the purpose. These gorgeous wooden outfits are a flawless blend of purity and composure, promising durability. They have been crafted out of standard features and under the minute inspection of every detail. White helps you keeping your home ultraclean, for even if a single speck of dust is there, you tend to wipe it off immediately. Besides, the modern laminate white veneer itself has the feature of resisting dirt and smears. So, you won’t need to worry about their appearing grubby. White cabinetry illuminates light making your cookery appear brighter and more spacious than it really is. This color matches with almost any color you use for your walls, or any style or material of the cabinet. Everybody needs and likes to change. So does your cookhouse, for change is the only thing constant. Bringing some changes to the ambiance of our homes makes lives more enjoyable, more comfortable. So, undertaking a kitchen renovation project is sure to bring flavors and colors to your family. Read More: Mirror Decorating Ideas To Style Your Bathroom 3 Tips On How To Plan The Best Cheap And Fabulous DIY Bedroom Makeover Interior Designing: A Great Art To Make Your Home Look Beautiful Experts Recommend: Top Interior Design Trends For 2017

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