Building Gardening at Roof Top

In the last quarter of the 20th century, house expansion geared more towards the vertical. The trend could have been brought about by the migration of young professionals into the city. Suburban living has its perks but for an idealistic and adventure –seeking young adult, the city’s lure is just too much to resist. Flats and apartments have very limited space. However small and constrained the space is, there is still a need for the flat-owner to build a quiet little nook for relaxation. The concrete jungle might not have much to offer in terms of a plot of land for a simple garden but urbanites are literally looking up to build their gardens, on the rooftop.

A rooftop garden can help you de-stress from the daily pressure and grind of living. Aside from the garden feeding your senses, you will also have the opportunity to have your very own “green” area to plant whatever you want. You can plant flowers and greeneries to help build a habitat for the birds and other insects. You can opt to grow a vegetable patch and somehow support urban food production albeit on a much smaller scale. The plants and flowers that you grow can reduce carbon dioxide emissions thereby contributing to improving the quality of air. The rooftop garden can help insulate the building thereby contributing to saving energy. The lush greenery of a rooftop garden can also absorb rain water and therefore help storm water runoff. If you were the owner of the building, a wonderful and peaceful rooftop garden can increase the value of your property.

Currently, there is a law passed in Switzerland that a new structure should be so designed that the green area occupied by the structure’s footprint could and should be “moved” up in the roof. If all new constructions will do this, then maybe global warming could be arrested.
You can “green” the rooftop anyway you please. However, you should ask the landlord as to any regulations relating this. It is also a good idea to ask the local building official if there are special permits and regulations pertaining to building a rooftop garden. If you plan on laying out a bed of green grass and dwarf trees, you should ask a qualified engineer if the rooftop can hold such load. This is so because wet soil and grass could weigh 80 pounds per square foot.

For a hassle-free rooftop garden, think pots and lightweight materials. Use plastics, fibreglass, pinewood, balsa wood for the rooftop garden. You can just plant flowers in pots and big circular plastic containers. Arrange them artfully into groups making sure that each group has a category. If you need a raised platform of some sort, try building one using pine wood. Avoid the use of bricks and clay tiles as they are quite heavy. A rooftop garden will not be complete without a set of outdoor furniture. Choose one that is weatherproof and make sure there is a spot in the rooftop where you can store the furniture in case the weather gets really nasty. A garden building on the rooftop will be an ideal space to store other garden materials too.

Source : Isnare

A Green Lawn

All these instructions on how to get a green lawn and other gardening advice depends on where in the world you live, what climate you have, temperature, sun, rain, snow and so forth. The recommendations is for the nothern part of the world such as Canada, Usa, Europe etc etc where there are "real" winter, spring, summer and autumn. Talk to your garden store about what product to use in your part of the world.

Spring
If you have moss in your lawn, never use a machine to get rid of the moss because you actually risk more moss in your lawn the following year. Instead you can use a pesticide. There are environmentally friendly products to buy. And it is of cource possible to use some other water-soluble iron sulphate. When the moss is dead it moulders away by itself and is gone in a couple of weeks.

Fertilizer - If you have moss it's because your lawn haven't receive adequate nutrition and therefore regular fertilizing is important. When the temperature is about 50 F (10 C) spread out a lawn fertilizer. There are fertilizer for all growing seasons and you can read how often and how much you should use on your lawn. It is often better to use a little more expensive product. You often don't have to fertilize that often with a good product.

Weeds - If you have weeds - There are products that takes care of deep-rooted weeds and at the same time fertilize the lawn. Also here you should be able to find environmentally friendly products in your country. Use the pesticide on your lawn when the temperature is steady over 60 F (15-16 C). The weeds will disappear after about a month and your lawn will get more green and free from the weeds. The treatment often should take place when the weeds are in good growth and the grass is dry and the soil moist. Talk to your garden store about products and how to use them correct.

Weeds Before And After
Once the weeds have died, after 4-5 weeks, you should mix grass seed and "lawn dress" (soil). Rake out the "soil-seed-mix" over your whole lawn. It will give your lawn even more nutrition and the grass will be even more green, thicker and stronger. You will see results after about 2 weeks. Don't worry about the soil. Both the old and new grass will take over. Also here ask your garden store about these soil products. You can also use a vertical cutter before you spread out the grass seed and soil. Your lawn will love the extra air. If it is necessary make sure you water your lawn. A real "root soaking" (about 30 mm).

Summer
Once again spread out a lawn fertilizer. Water the lawn when necessary (about 30 mm). The lawn should be cut at least once a week during the growing season. Do not cut more than a third of the height at a time. The grass can be yellow or brown if you cut it to short right away.

Always use a grass collector when you cut your lawn. Don't leave the clippings on to provide more nutrients to the soil. If you leave all that clippings on your lawn the whole season it will only give you more problems like weeds the following year. Experts often say that the grass should be maintained when you cut your lawn because it fertilizes the lawn. Don't listen to them. Much of the weeds disappear with regular mowing and where you collect the grass and weeds. Spreadings of weeds in your lawn is almost not possible if you use a collector and in this program we already use a lawn fertilizer product so we don't need more.

Edge Your Lawn
In May - June, it's also time to edge your lawn with a lawn edger or a shovel. It will improve the beauty of your lawn and garden. It's well worth the time and effort. Edge your lawn as often as you want but about two times in the summer or under the growing season often is enough.

Autumn
Use a moss product again/water-soluble iron sulphate on your lawn. This is if you have any new moss. You will also get some protection against fungal diseases. Give you lawn a "fall fertilizer". (See products in your garden store). This will make your lawn stronger and will manage the winter much better.You should add lime about every two year to replace important calcium and magnesium washed away by heavy autimn and winter rain. Many types of lime can be used to correct this situation. You can use lime in spring or autumn. It is important that you properly rake your lawn in the fall. Try to have the lawn as clean as possible when the winter /snow comes.

If you follow this program, you will be amazed what your lawn will look like in august/september and the next year.

Year Two - Maintain Your Lawn
Follow the same program again. But of course you can skip the moss and weed products if there are no moss or weeds in your lawn. Also you don't have to mix grass seed and soil and rake it out on your lawn every year but it shure is recommended if you have the determination (and strength) to maintain your lawn green and beautiful.

Source : Isnare, Dom Halet  Read more GardenTech Articles Please Click Here

Time to Plant Strawberries

The pleasure one can feel when planting strawberries is great! But there are a few things you should be acquainted with before you rush out and begin doing things on your own. As a gardener, you have to learn what would be the best time to plant strawberries in order to have successful results from your endeavors. 

In case you want to make a step forward to container gardening, planting strawberries will certainly offer a joyful experience. Keep in mind that spring is regarded as the best time to plant strawberries.

Supposing you want to harvest fruits in the summer season then, and based on what experts say, the best time to plant strawberries would be in the early days of September. By doing this, you will certainly have pleasant results but supposing that does not seem like manageable with you, then you can opt for April. Personally, I planted my first strawberry plant in April and got my first harvest in June. However, the first runners only appeared in August; which means that I couldn't harvest any more strawberries this very first year.


What matters is that your strawberry beds should be kept in specific shelters and that it is preferable to protect them as much as you can from the extreme winters. Keeping your strawberries protection in mind, two things deserve a particular regard. Every strawberry plant has roots, a crown and leaves. Between the roots and the leaves, you will notice a tiny stem which is named crown. So, it is recommended to cover the roots and half portion of the crown with the soil.


Tip: in order to to protect your strawberry plants from pests and other specific problems related to natural gardening, cover the soil with straw.

It is fundamental to make a good estimate on the best time to plant strawberries because even if you desire to sell them, you will have to make certain about the season when people will buy. In fact, in order to appreciate fresh strawberries, it matters a lot how they are grown and when you planted them. From now, you should have got some idea that springtime is considered as a perfect time of year to plant strawberries. Do not just go with a different season as there is a definite time for all the plants to blossom. Remember to plant your strawberries in a sunny area.

Now, let us determine the best period to ripe them. Strawberries should be picked as soon as they fully develop. To maintain their freshness, try to keep them in a cool place. This is the best way to keep your strawberries fresh for a longer time.

Though depending on the sort, strawberries need different times of year for planting, but the ideal period is long before summertime sets in. Thus, have your garden ready beforehand and when the best time comes, plant your strawberries. No doubt that, if you stick to the correct method to take care of them, results will be 100% positive. Have a great time gardening this year and experience something different you have never done previous years!

Enjoy the Video

Source : Isnare, Dom Halet  Read more GardenTech Articles Please Click Here