Australia’s Drought – It Could Happen Where You Live!

Australia may seem like a long way away for many of us, but what they are experiencing could happen in any country.

For whatever reason weather patterns are changing, Australia is in a drought, it has been going on for six years and if they do not get heavy rains in the next six to eight weeks, they are going to implement rationing. This is not rationing where you cannot water lawn on certain days of the week, this is serious rationing whereby they are going to stop any irrigation of farmland in order to conserve water for urban needs.

The economic consequences, of the water rationing, will be bankrupt farmers and exceptionally high prices for Australians when they try to buy any fruits, vegetables, grain, and meat products.

It was recently announced that the Australian government had signed a technology pact with Israel in the area of water conservation. Israel turned desert into cultivatable land and are experts in water conservation and drip irrigation.

Drip irrigation is what we should all be practicing, there are fresh water shortages everywhere in the world and one of the best conservation methods is drip irrigation not only on farms but at home as well.

To learn more about drip irrigation follow the link below.

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Tree Pruning

Proper tree pruning is critical to the longevity of the tree. As well, proper tree pruning provides you with a tree that is safe, strong, healthy, and attractive. If you understand the how, when and why to prune your trees and then by following a few simple principles you can reach these objectives with ease.

For fruit trees, proper pruning will stimulate the production of fruit, both in quality and quantity.

We have recently added a 6 part series of detailed information on the proper pruning of trees. Follow the link below for access to the articles.

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Bulk Material Calculator: Loam, Gravel, Sand, etc.

As part of a home improvement, remodel, renovation or landscaping project there may come a time when you need to buy materials such as sand, loam, earth or gravel in bulk.

As well, there are times that you need to know how many cubic feet of material you will need to complete a job, as many manufacturers and packagers of material will state that a bag has a certain amount of cubic feet of material in it.

This is especially common in landscaping and gardening. Most garden nurseries and landscaping centers will sell and deliver bulk materials by the cubic yard.

Calculating how many cubic yards of material you may need can be confusing to say the least and an error can be costly. Follow the link to get a free bulk material calculator that you can download onto your computer.

The formulas for calculating the volume of a square or rectangle and a circle are:

Square or Rectangle: Length x Width x Height = Cubic

Circle: 3.14 x Radius x Radius x Height = Cubic

All numbers must be in the same units, inches or feet. When entering values in feet remember that 6" is not 0.6 of a foot, it is 0.5 of a foot. As an example, a measurement of 10 feet 3 inches would be entered as 10.25 feet, as 3" is a 0.25 of a foot. A measurement of 6 feet 9 inches would be entered as 6.75 feet as 9" is 0.75 of a foot.

If you used inches in your calculation: to convert to cubic feet, divide by 1728, to convert to cubic yards, divide by 66,656.

If you used feet in your calculation: to convert to cubic yards, divide by 27.

Planning and knowledge are the keys to any successful home improvement, remodel or landscaping project!

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Home Design Software

If you haven't had a chance to view the new 3D software that is available for home decorating, remodelling and landscaping, you owe it to yourself to spend a few moments experimenting and having fun!

For more information follow the link.

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Water Features, Mosquitoes, and West Nile Virus

Water features can be a beautiful addition to any landscaping. Fountains, birdbaths, waterfalls, and ponds provide an enhancement and peaceful tranquility.

With spring upon us, many homeowners are considering their landscaping and with that may come the addition of a water feature. The dilemma is that water features can be a haven for mosquitoes and mosquitoes can carry West Nile Virus and other diseases.

So what can a homeowner do?

Mosquitoes enjoy the luxury of standing water, which is why tires, wheelbarrows, pots, pans, and pails should never be left outside in a position where they can collect water. For the same reason birdbaths are attractive areas for mosquitoes to lay their larva.

If you want to have a water feature incorporated in your landscaping, the water should be continuously filtered and aerated utilizing outdoor pumps and filtering systems specifically designed for the task.

For additional information on how to protect your family from West Nile Virus when landscaping, follow the link.

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The Proper Method For Planting Trees

Every year more than one million trees are planted on public and private properties throughout North America, these are not the trees are not planted as a part of a reforestation project, they are the trees that we use for personal and community ambience. Of these trees, less than 50 percent will survive more than two years.

Shock From Transplanting:

The greatest transplanting shock comes from the loss of the tree’s root system that occurs when the tree is dug-up at the tree farm. Placing the tree in shock makes it much more vulnerable to disease, insects, drought and other potential life threatening situations. The transplant shock lasts until the root system is fully replaced to the level it was prior to being removed from the tree farm. Most trees that die after being transplanted do so during the period of time prior to restoration of the full root system. Although there is no method of transplanting that will guaranty that a tree will not die, regular care and good gardening practices, for a three-year period following the transplant, will definitely improve the trees likely hood of survival.

For the balance of this article and information on how to protect your tree from shock follow the link.

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