You Can Have a Mosquito Free Yard

Written by Sarah Yee


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Make it a point to fill holes or depressions inrepparttar ground around your home, as well as hollow stumps or holes withinrepparttar 105422 trunks of trees. These, too, can gather water and lure mosquitoes to nest inrepparttar 105423 area. Be sure not to use foliage, grass or some other type of natural product that might serve to retain water and become akin to a comfy mattress onrepparttar 105424 mosquitoes’ bed.

Screens, doors, windows and other entryways that may contain holes or other violations of their integrity should be repaired in order to keep mosquitoes from enteringrepparttar 105425 home. Of course, it goes without saying that doors and windows that don’t include screens should never be left ajar. This would berepparttar 105426 equivalent of ringingrepparttar 105427 dinner bell for these pesky insects.

If you should happen to have an ornamental water garden on your property, be sure to keeprepparttar 105428 water stocked with mosquito-eating fish, such as goldfish, minnows or guppies. When mosquitoes hover overrepparttar 105429 water – which they’re inclined to do –repparttar 105430 fish will eat them and help to reduce their population around your home.

Other precautions, such as covering trash cans, barrels and stored boats will also help your efforts at pest control, but don’t rely on bug zappers. These do very little to discourage mosquitoes from taking residence around your home. Your focus should, instead, be on ridding yourself ofrepparttar 105431 excess water that may have accumulated in key points around your property.

Sarah Yee is a writer for http://www.mosquitocontrolguide.com, which mosquito information and mosquito control tips both at home and on the road.


Hostas – Plantain Lily

Written by Linda Paquette


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However, as could be expected with a genus so rich in cultivars, hostas come in all kinds of sizes. The miniature “Baby Bunting” reaches only a few inches in diameter at maturity while some cultivars may span eight feet across.

Although widely available at nurseries and garden centers, most often hostas are propagated by lifting and dividing mature plants in late summer.

Hostas grow best in a location that receives morning sun and afternoon shade. Soil should be slightly acidic but rich in nutrients and organic matter. Plant hostas at least a foot deep. Becauserepparttar shallow root clump spread horizontally and equalrepparttar 105420 diameter ofrepparttar 105421 foliage, planting holes should be about 1 ½repparttar 105422 size you expect fromrepparttar 105423 mature clump.

Hostas like water. Keep new plantings well watered forrepparttar 105424 first two weeks. After that, your hostas will benefit from a deep (1-inch minimum) weekly watering, which aids in healthy root development. Symptoms of inadequate moisture are leaf tip burning and drooping.

Linda is the lead author of Gardening Guides Hundreds of articles on Flower Gardening, Vegetable and Fruit Gardening, Garden Design Ideas and tips


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