A GARDENING expert has revealed the biggest mistakes you can do when mowing the lawn - and one could even encourage the growth of weeds and moss.
With the UK having experienced a sizzling hot Spanish summer and a few heatwaves with temperatures reaching 40.3C, it might be tempting to mow the dry grass to achieve a more neat-looking garden.
However, a gardening expert has warned fellow enthusiasts to resist the temptation to give your lawn a trim during ''dry spells''.
Speaking to The Express, Kate Turner, a gardening expert from Miracle-Gro, revealed the most common mistakes and the ''worst thing to do'' when it comes to mowing.
“The most important thing is, if you’re mowing, raise your mower blades so they’re up high.
“Also, if we’ve got dry spells like we’ve got at the moment, I’d stop mowing.
“Lift your mower blades up. The worst thing you can do is scalp your lawn because it looks horrible.
“That encourages weeds and moss to grow in your lawn.
“And don’t leave it for months and then give it a really good mow.
“Have a regular mowing routine and that just helps it thicken up.” READ MORE...
With food costs rising, many people are contemplating starting a garden. This makes sense, since human beings have been growing their own food for thousands of years. The stuff just comes out of the ground and literally grows on trees. Gardening offers a lot of benefits: It can be spiritually and emotionally fulfilling, improves the look of your property, and provides delicious sustenance. The potential to save money doesn’t hurt, either.
At first blush, this might seem like an obvious win: Once you get a tomato plant going, for example, you get free tomatoes as opposed to having to buy them all the time like a sucker. But gardens have hidden costs, and not all crops are the same in terms of cost-effectiveness. Can you really save money by growing your own food? The answer is yes, but you have to be thoughtful about it.
Do some garden math
Once again, your high school algebra teacher wins. This is yet another moment in your life where you will use math.
The starting point is your initial investment. The good news here is that gardens are relatively cheap. A few years ago, the National Gardening Association conducted a costs survey and concluded that most home gardens required about $70 in initial investment. That money goes toward seeds, soil and/or fertilizer, cages, covers, water, tools, and fences, if those are necessary.
The better news is that you can expect an annual return of about $600 and moving forward, seeds are incredibly cheap compared to grown fruits and veggies in the grocery. Tomatoes on the vine cost about $2 a pound, but a packet of seeds will be about $4 and each plant that grows is capable of yielding anywhere from eight to 30 pounds of tomatoes (though there’s no guarantee you’ll get that much, of course). READ MORE...
Invasive plants are those that have been introduced by humans and which then go on to damage natural habitats. They grow and spread rapidly, smother native plants and flowers, often overwhelm native animal and insect life and may transform a landscape dramatically.
Invasives can be trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, annuals or aquatics and are often first planted because they are useful or attractive plants for our yards. Some native plants can also spread rapidly, but these are not usually classified as invasive.
Many invasive plants were deliberately introduced to natural habitats, for various reasons, then spread unexpectedly. Some escaped from gardens and yards, some were accidentally introduced.
It is important to remember that many plants are invasive in some parts of the country, but perfectly well-behaved in others. So each state has its own list of invasive species, your local Cooperative Extension Service or local nurseries can provide detailed information.
Controlling invasive plants is often difficult. As with how to get rid of weeds, hand pulling or digging is a widespread approach, and in some areas insects or fungi that feed on a particular invasive have been introduced. Weed killers are also sometimes used but come with their own risks. Deer can make the problem worse by eating native plants but not invasives.
For most of us the crucial thing is to make sure invasive plants aren't included in our yards and, if we see any invasives arrive, to pull them out straight away.
TO SEE WHICH PLANTS YOU SHOULD AVOID PLANTING THIS SPRING, CLICK HERE...
