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Your Plants and Your Wallet will Love Rainwater
by: ARA
(ARA) - Avid gardeners spend a good part of the winter planning what they will plant in the spring. Even casual gardeners invest plenty of time and money in their plants. Regular watering is one key to a successful garden. So what’s a gardener to do when faced with lack of rainfall combined with water restrictions in the middle of a hot summer?

More and more gardeners are turning to rain barrels to keep their gardens happy and healthy. Saving rainwater to use during dry periods is an ancient practice that is once again becoming popular. This low-tech but ingenious solution is simple and inexpensive, and provides chemical-free water that plants thrive on.

The plastic rain barrels come in a range of sizes, with 50 to 60 gallons being most common. Simply place the barrel under a downspout in an unobtrusive part of your yard and wait for rain. Instead of letting rainwater flow down your driveway and into a storm drain, it will collect in the barrel for later use.

You can harvest a surprisingly large amount of rainwater from your gutters. Just a small amount of rain -- less than half an inch -- can easily fill a 50 gallon rain barrel, so you can quickly start to collect enough to keep your flower beds, garden or houseplants well watered. “It won’t be enough o water your lawn, but it will be plenty for vegetable gardens, flowers and shrubbery,” says Lars Hundley, owner of Dallas-based CleanAirGardening.com, an online company that specializes in environmentally friendly lawn and garden supplies. To collect more water, you can connect several barrels with a pip or hose, or you can put barrels under more than one gutter downspout.

Once your rain barrel is full, you can hook a hose up to the rain barrel to water your garden (rain barrels are perfect to use with soaker hoses), or you can simply dip a watering can into the barrel. Rainwater is naturally soft and free of minerals, chlorine, fluoride and other chemicals.

“Trees and plants rely on fungus, bacteria and nematodes to help them absorb the minerals and nutrients they need,” explains Hundley. “Plants have an efficient immune system that allows them to fend off diseases and other invaders as long as they have a healthy soil environment and aren’t stressed by other factors,” he adds. Chemical fertilizers, fungicides, pesticides and drought disrupt the balance and harmony of the soil, weakening trees and plants and allowing disease to take over. “The chemicals and hard water from many municipal water systems also add to the imbalance of the soil. Watering with softer, natural rainwater is a nice treat for your plants,” says Hundley.

In addition to being good for your plants, rain barrels can also save you money. Some experts estimate that lawn and garden watering make up almost 40 percent of total household water use during the summer; by utilizing collected rainwater, you can substantially reduce this amount. As an added benefit, collecting rainwater also helps control moisture levels around the foundation of your house.

Here are some tips to consider when shopping for a rain barrel:

* Make sure your barrel is child-proof. A safety grid at the top prevents children and animals from entering.

* All systems should use covered barrels that keep the water from accumulating leaves and other debris. They should also have some kind of filter to keep out silt and leaves; these can range from a funnel with mesh in the bottom that is covered by gravel to a rainwater washing apparatus that you can purchase.

* Keep mosquitoes from breeding in your barrel by keeping it tightly covered and using debris screens to filter water before it enters the barrel. Cleaning your gutters and downspouts frequently and using collected rainwater within a few days will also help control mosquito problems. You can place a nontoxic mosquito “dunk,” in the barrel for additional protection.

Some cities have started programs to give residents easy access to affordable rain barrel systems. You may be able to find a limited selection of rain barrels at your local garden supply store; for more options, visit www.cleanairgardening.com or call (888) 439-9101 for a catalog.

Courtesy of ARA Content



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 Things You Should Know About Gardening
 by: Gerardas Norkus

Gardens come in different varieties like the plants you find in them. There are several gardening tips that can be used for all type of gardens.

1.Mulching protects your garden topsoil from being blown away. It also provides nutrients as it decomposes and improves the appearance of your gardens. Mulching has other benefits and is one of the most recommended gardening tips by gardeners and farmers alike.

2.Healthy plants are more disease resistant. Plant are like people, a person with a strong immune system can combat diseases. A healthy plant does the same.

3. Pests can be eradicated by cleaning the plant with a watery solution of soap. Just make sure to rinse after. This gardening tip is best heeded for fruit bearing trees or edible plants.

4. Using compost fertilizers are a great way to have healthy plants. It is also a great way to save money on expensive fertilizers. Non -organic fertilizers also tend to leave chemical residues that can accumulate in garden soils and harm not only the plants but the gardeners as well. They cause toxins to go to the water supplies. Another gardening tip recommended not just by farmers and gardeners but also by environmentalists.

5. There are several plants that are only suitable for a specified climate, a certain kind of soil or can only grow with certain plants. You have to know what plant grow in the conditions you have in your area this is for you to avoid unnecessary purchases. This is a money saving gardening tip.

6.Landscaping is a good investment which can double the value of your home. This is one gardening tip that can earn you money.

7. Growing grass on bare ground is an easy way to make your home look better and appreciate in value. This is one gardening tip that promotes earning money while growing grass legally.

8. Aside from looking great in your home, trees also provide some sort of protection from direct sunlight exposure and strong winds.

9. Vines on the walls, fences and overhead structures also would offer some protection and would also look great.

10.Flowers are beautiful, but they are also expensive. Get one that is resistant to many elements. Flowers from your local community already have developed resistance to conditions present in your area.

11.For most gardens plants, their roots go only as deep as 6 inches. Putting fertilizer deeper than that would be a waste of money. Put them shallower as they seep down when the plants are being watered.

12.Earthworms are important to plants. They till and aerate the soil for the roots to breathe. Non-organic fertilizers can kill them. This gardening tip dates back to the old days of gardening.

13. Having several kinds of insects that are beneficial to your garden would be good. These insects can be encouraged to stay by having diverse plants in your garden.

14. Spot spraying weeds with household vinegar, instead of using commercial weed-killers, can eradicate them. This is another environment friendly gardening tip.

15. Avoid putting too much mulch on tree trunks, this would encourage unwanted pests to reside on them.

16. Use plant varieties that are common to your area or have been taken from an area with similar conditions.

17. Be sure to know the plants that are poisonous. If you are intent on growing them, make sure to have the necessary cure available in your household. Take note of this gardening tip, it can save your life.

18. The best time to water plants is during mornings.

19. Before planting a new plant in your garden, you must consider its height and size when it matures. This garden tip can help you save money in the future.

20. Newly transplanted plants may require special attention during its first week. This is to reduce the stress and shock it got during transplantation.

And last but not the least of the gardening tips...

21.Plants are living entities. If you want them to grow in your garden you have to treat them as such. They need to be taken care of. They are like your pets, you look out for them. In return you get that feeling of contentment watching them thrive.

A good way to take care of them is to consider that plants might have some feelings too.


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