Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Finding A Reliable Garden Service Contractor

Keeping a garden looking great can be a real chore. Especially if it has to be done on the weekend - when all you want to do is relax and chill.

So if you are really lucky you'll be able to give the job to a garden maintenance guy who can do the job for you.

But you have to find the right garden service. All too often I hear horror stories of how a beautiful garden has been ruined through poor lawn cutting, shrubs hacked to pieces and even furniture stollen or broken.

One of the best ways of finding an experienced and reliable garden crew is to ask your neighbors who they use. If they are satisfied then odds are that the same service will probably do agood job for you too.

The challenge can be that the service they use may be fully booked and you have to find someone else. Following these few steps will help you.

Look for other garden services working or advertising in your area. Ask them for garden addresses where they currently work. Visit a couple of gardens where the service has been working for a few months. That way you will have a better idea about what they do over time.

Once you have whittled down your list look for a garden maintenance outfit that is site managed by the business owner. In my experience this is where you will get the most satisfaction.

Once you have contracted your garden maintenance company make sure that you explain exactly what you want and expect from them.Making sure that they have the same picture of a beautiful garden as you do will go a long way to keeping the relationship a contented on - for you and for them.

If you are in the Durban Area in South Africa then click here for s good garden maintenence guy

Is Gardening Harmful To The Environment?

I was reading a gardening blog the other day - gardening interests me because I own a garden service company - and I came across the thoughts I posted below.

What do you think..........................?

Many people may not be aware that gardening can actually harm the environment. A large amount of carbon dioxide can be released through tilling the soil. This contributes to global warming. When you cultivating and compacting the soil, destroys good fungi. Fertilizers like nitrogen and manure often leach out of the soil and pollute the water you drink.

Global warming

Did you know that the earth's soil gives out carbon dioxide in the atmosphere 10 times more than all human activity? This comes from the pill bugs, microbes, fungi and worms when they breathe, digest food and then die. Although in the past plants have been capable of absorbing carbon dioxide caused by small-scale tillages, this isn't the case nowadays.
The increase of the globe's average temperature is because of the carbon dioxide the soil emits when tilled. The good news is that tilling can be minimized by mulching or sheet composting.

Good Fungi

In untilled soil, there is beneficial fungi known as the vesicular-arbuscular-mycorrhizae or VAM for short. VAM actually forms a symbiotic relationship with plants. Their filaments increase root hairs and provide nutrients to the plant. They give out zinc, copper, potassium and phosphorus. Plants provide carbohydrates for the fungi in return. It is possible to grow a garden without tilling the sooiil at all by mulching heavily until the soil is soft and friable.

Surplus Nitrogen

Many gardeners waste nitrogen and manures; farmers do otherwise. Farmers only need a quarter to a third of nitrogen to mix with an inch of compost, horse, or cow manure. Kate Burroughs of Sebastopol California, uses the same rule for her home-grown lettuce and sweet corns. When it comes to broccoli and pear trees, farmers only need a small amount. Notice that gardeners apply larger amounts of compost and manure than farmers. Obviously, they are not only wasting their fertilizer but also their money.

The best gardening advice that can be given to those concerned is to do all things with moderation. Keep in mind that too little and too much of something is not healthy. This is the most valuable advice one can have in gardening.