It may seem like mowing your backyard and landscaped area is just a process of turning on a machine and cutting the grass but there is a right way to mow.

photo credit: TRAINUT
Proper Mowing Techniques

For example, with the exception of the first mowing of the season, never cut more than one-third of the grass leaf blade during a single mowing. Leaving grass longer aids in reducing water needs and helps grass absorb sunshine for photosynthesis. Grass mowed at two to three inches maintains a deeper root system than grass mowed at one inch.

And during dry spells your grass will not brown as fast if its left a little longer.

Before mowing, its best to check the lawn for debris, branches or trash that could become harmful projectiles. Branches can also wear or break mower belts so take the time to pick up the yard.

The best time to mow is during the day when the grass is dry, never when the light is dim or the lawn is wet. But I also try not to mow during the hottest time of the day. The mower will get hot, particularly if you are mowing more than an acre.

It’s best to leave grass clippings on the lawn to return nutrients to the soil. In many areas this practice is frowned upon but you could make compost out of the grass clipping and other mulching materials, which would be beneficial to the gardens and landscaped areas.

Children should also never be allowed to ride on a mower. There have been many unfortunate accidents where children have fallen off a mower and been severely injured.  We has such an accident in our family, so please, watch your children and practice safe mowing habits.

To avoid soil compaction and wear, vary the direction the lawn is mowed. For example, mow vertically one week, horizontal the next and diagonally the week after. This is especially beneficial to small areas.

With my yard with the slopes it has I am forced to mow in one pattern. My mower would tip over if I mowed the hills horizontally. This year I am going to use ground cover and plants in these areas to make them prettier and healthier.

Mowing Equipment

Keep extra gasoline on hand and make sure it is fresh and stored in a clean container. And always check the oil before mowing. I mow a large yard, five acres, so I also check the tires to see that they have the proper air pressure.

It’s important to keep mower blades sharp. You get a more even cut with sharp blades and the grass is stronger with a clean cut. Have the mower blades professionally sharpened once a year to avoid tearing or wounding the grass stems, making them vulnerable to pests and damage.

To prevent residual grass clippings from interfering with the mower blades’ motion, remove the spark plug lead from the engine and hose away any grass sticking to the deck. This will help keep dirt and debris off the engine to insure it doesn’t overheat.

And at the beginning of the season, have a tune-up and safety inspection performed on the mower. Change the oil after every 50 hours of use and the air filter every 25 hours. Always use fresh fuel in a clean, approved container. This step is very important after sitting all winter when gas can go stale. If your mower sputters in the spring the first time it is started it may be due to stale gas.

I try to get the mower as empty of gas as possible and add fresh gasoline in the spring.

Following these simple mowing tips and mower maintenance practices will help produce a hardy, healthy lawn that easily withstands even the most vigorous family pastimes. Your mower will also benefit from maintenance and safety checks.

If you have any questions about mower maintenance, check your owner’s manual for specific information on your equipment. My manual is kept close by the mower.

By keeping your mower maintained and practicing good mowing habits your lawn abd backyard areas will be beautiful and healthier.

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When working with small spaces in your backyard, patio or balcony design every item counts and should serve two purposes. Another concern to keep in mind with garden design is time savers. After all, you have created an oasis to relax in, why add work?

photo credit: slideshow bob

Keep it simple.

Simple easy to work with designs and ideas will cut your time in half. You might want to mix artificial plants in the back and fresh live plants in front. Window boxes on a top window that is hard to water will do better with artificial plants, and no one will know the difference. I know I have been doing this for years.

Place any gardens near water or add a rain barrel. Lugging buckets of water or winding and unwinding water hoses takes time and energy.

Storage space

Having adequate storage space for tools, kitchen utensils and children’s toys will stop the running back and forth to get these items. A bench that serves as a storage space will add space and shelves on patio wall also add extra storage room. Pegs on the wall will get larger toys off the patio floor. If placed properly they can also decorate the wall space

Use all available space

When you space is limited it doesn’t take much to get a cluttered look that will make your space look smaller. Use trellises to give you extra space going up. Why place plants in containers on the floor when you can continue a lush green wall being the plants. And if these plants are vegetable you will have a mini garden within arms reach from the kitchen.

Hanging baskets will free up floor space and if you have an open rafter that can be used for storage.

Make you gardens work overtime.

• Combine vegetables with flowers. It’s a great look and will save space.
• Use more mulch in your gardens and backyard. You will save time mowing and watering the lawn.
• Drought resistant plants take less time and water. They also seem to have less insect problems.
• Consider using square foot gardening methods. You use less space and water. And with less space you will have less weeding.
• Hardscaping takes less time to maintain and will add interest to the backyard.

Each year I find I want more time to enjoy my backyard and take the time in the spring to look around a see how I can simplify my garden and backyard tasks.

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At this time of year the birds may be having a difficult time finding food. My backyard is snow covered and I would just like to see some activity in the yard to brighten the day.

photo credit: crabchick

This is a perfect time to make a suet bird feeder. It will attract birds to the yard; add entertainment while watching their antics and will also provide a break in the day.

This was one my favorite things to make when I was a child. And it was always late January or February when we made the suet bird feeders.

How to make a suet bird feeder

First down beef fat (suet) to get liquid. Be very careful at his stage of the project.

Next allow the fat to cool down to a pasty state. You do not want to work with this when it’s too warm. It will cook the seeds. Mix in nuts, seeds or sunflowers. The bags of bird food works well for this project.

Form the mixture into a ball about four to five inches in diameter. Place the ball inside a mesh bag.

To make sure the seed ball has solidified I will place ball into the freezer.

When you feel the seed ball is firm its time to feed your birds. Hang your feeder from a nail on a post, a tree branch close to the trunk or in shrubbery. This placement will allow woodpeckers and other insect- and seed-eating birds to feed.

Make sure that the feeder is high enough that cats cannot torment the birds.

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Landscape tools are very important when it comes to landscaping projects. Landscaping projects can help improve the look of your yard considerably, but there is a good deal of work required.

photo credit: quinn.anya

Many tools available can help make these jobs easier, or in some cases, even possible. There are a few basic groups of tools that can help you perform a multitude of task. They are listed below.

• Group 1 is the shovel.
• Group 2 is the rake.
• Group 3 is the lopper, shear or pruner.
• Group 4 is the garden cart or wheel barrel.

The first tool group is the shovel, which is a flattened piece of metal attached to a handle. The main use for a shovel is to move material from place to place. There are many different variations of the shovel. The main types are the rounded or pointed tip shovel. This type digs into material well, and is perfect for digging holes in the ground. The second type is the flat shovel. This one has a wider surface area, and is perfect for scooping from rock or gravel piles. The last shovel is the narrow shovel. These are perfect for digging in tight quarters or for making small holes in the ground.

The second tool group is the rake. There are two main varieties. The bow rake is a thick and sturdy rake, and is used to move heavier items around, such as rocks. The second type is the leaf rake. This has long prongs that flex, pulling leaves along without damaging things under, such as grass.

The third tool group is the pruner, shear or lopper. These cut, trim and clip things to size. Small pruners cut through small, but tough, material. Long grass shears are used to trim materials such as tall grasses or shrubs. Loppers are powerful tools used to cut through thick and tough material such as tree limbs.

photo credit: fotogail

The wheel barrel or garden cart is the fourth group of tools. Both of these items are used to transfer large amounts of heavy and/or bulky material around. Garden carts roll on two wheels, which reduce its maneuverability, but increase its stability. Wheel barrels are the opposite, balancing on one wheel and having better maneuverability and less stability.

If you plan to undertake any landscaping project, whether big or small, you will need some tools. The basic tool groups listed and explained above will give you the ability to perform many tasks outside, and successfully complete your project.

If you are working on any landscape project, make sure you have the right landscape tools and all the landscape supplies to do the job right. Jeremy Szechenyi’s blog, hubpages.com will give you all the information you need.

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A good backyard landscaping idea is one that everyone can make use of. There are many different backyard landscaping ideas and most of them are pretty good but to find the one that is right for you and that is just what your yard needs may take some reading. This article will help you to find the perfect backyard landscaping idea for your home.
photo credit: magnusfranklin

A good backyard landscaping idea is to use evergreens. The use of these fabulous trees will do o much for any yard. They will add a stately nature to the feel of your home while keeping it welcoming and warm. Many people like to use deciduous trees in the yard and this is always a good idea but it is the evergreens that will give the yard the structure and the stability that it needs for a good backyard landscaping idea and design.

You need to look for a backyard landscaping idea like the one above that will benefit you all year round. Deciduous trees will not be gorgeous in all seasons, most perhaps, but not all. Evergreens on the other hand are always fantastic and they look as beautiful in the winter as they do in the summer and this is why they make for such a great backyard landscaping idea. The key to any great landscaping design is to find a backyard landscaping idea like this that will keep your yard interesting no matter what time of the year it is.

Another good backyard landscaping idea is to use hardscape. This is the use of things like rocks, fences and walls. These can make your yard look very interesting during all of the seasons. You can have climbing plants on it in the summer and spring and pretty trees around it that will look great in the winter. When looking for a good backyard landscaping idea you need to look for other options besides just plants. There is much more to landscaping than just plants and trees.
photo credit: greenbroke

Walls and fences can frame your property beautifully and using them is such a great backyard landscaping idea because they will just accent all of your other wonderful backyard landscaping ideas. They will frame your yard as a picture frame frames a gorgeous painting. Look at this kind of backyard landscaping idea as well in your search for the one.

Your backyard landscaping is going to have to be about many different things but the most important one of these if your well being. Most people get into backyard landscaping because they want to change the look and feel of their home, they want to make it a wonderful place where their family can feel safe and comfortable at all times. Backyard landscaping is a great way to add some more peace to your life whether you are alone or you have a large family and tons of kids. You will be able to create a sanctuary with your backyard landscaping that you have never had before in your life.

Backyard landscaping does not have to be drastic or hard. You can do your own backyard landscaping or you can hire a contractor to do it all for you. The choice is yours but doing it yourself can be a lot of work, especially if you do not have any experience in this type of thing. There are all kinds of things that you will need to learn about before you start doing your own backyard landscaping. You will have to take a crash course in landscaping and this course will be jammed packed with all kinds of info that you never even knew was out there. You may be able to save some money on the work if you do your won backyard landscaping but if you screw things up too badly you may end up paying even more to get everything fixed.

If you want to get some backyard landscaping done you should only do it yourself if it is going to be a simple and straightforward job. If you need irrigation things dealt with and planes and elevations leave it to the professionals that do it for a living. These things may be over your head entirely. You need to watch out how you go about your backyard landscaping or you could end up with quite a mess on your hands.

There are a couple of great places for you to learn some more about backyard landscaping such as the local public library and the internet. You can get many backyard landscaping books out of the library and these will help you to make the best decisions as to your landscaping needs. You can also get many do it yourself tips online.

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