Gardening tool guide: Dethatcher vs aerator

When homeowners need to improve air circulation in their lawns, they usually come to a decision between two different tools: dethatcher vs aerator. Both tools are essential to maintaining healthy grass lawn aeration, but in different ways.

To help you understand the difference between dethatchers and aerators, here is a basic guide to help:

What is a dethatcher?

Dethatchers are tools used to pull up the accumulation of “thatch,” or dead organic matter underneath the grass. Dethatching allows water, air and nutrients to reach the soil to help the living grass.

There are multiple dethatching tools you can use, including rakes, power rakes and verticutters.

What is an aerator?

An aerator is any tool used to dig holes into the soil to improve lawn aeration. By piercing a few inches deep into the ground, aerators reduce soil compaction, so water, nutrients and air can get to the lawn’s roots.

Many devices can be used to aerate a lawn. There are engine powered aerators, push aerators and aerators you can tow behind you. For smaller spaces, you can also use special aerator shoes similar to soccer cleats.

How to decide

While both dethatching and aerating are keys to maintaining a healthy lawn, different scenarios require different tools. For example, aerating is best for when you have extremely compacted soil. One common sign of soil compaction is poor drainage – if water accumulates on the soil surface instead of absorbing quickly, the lawn might benefit from aerating.

Dethatching, however, is useful when you have at least an inch of dead grass and debris hindering your lawn’s health. If your lawn seems dull or pale, you might have a thatch layer suffocating the grass’ roots.

Timing is also important in deciding whether you need to aerate or dethatch. The best time to use an aerator is in the early spring or fall during mild temperatures. Prime dethatching time is late winter, after plenty of dead grass and organic matter has had time to accumulate.

Lawn aeration and dethatching are both important aspects of lawn care. While you can accomplish both tasks on your own, there are professionals to help, especially where particularly compacted soil is concerned. Consider a lawn aeration service or dethatching service to assist with large properties and especially thick thatch layers.

5 Groundcover Plants That Won’t Take Over Your Life

If you’re searching to replace your lawn or simply fill in an empty space in your garden, there are many groundcover plants you can choose from. Some produce flowers while others have attractive foliage, but regardless of expressions you can benefit from planting something in the space to keep out opportunistic weeds. However, it’s important to consider how much time and effort you’re willing to spend on a groundcover plant, especially if you’re going to have a large area. Here we’ve put together a guide to some of the best low-maintenance groundcover plants for your landscaping project.

Angelina Sedum

Sedum is a genus of succulent plants often called stonecrops. Angelina sedum in particular makes excellent groundcover because the flowers will spread efficiently to cover a large area, but won’t grow out of control. The foliage and flowers are golden yellow and easy to propagate by rooting. The only real maintenance required for this plant is to chop the longest stems to prevent self-rooting if you’re worried about it spreading beyond its designated area.

Nepeta

Nepeta is a plant in the catmint family with purple flowers that can bloom all summer long with practically no human intervention. Some nepeta varieties are natural spreaders and can quickly take over a large area of your landscape. Others are more bushy and take up space with their volume rather than covering the ground. Either way, nepeta is excellent for keeping the weeds out of your garden and is happy with only occasional watering in the growing season.

Creeping Thyme

Creeping thyme stays very low to the ground—only 3 inches tall—and will spread naturally over an area with deep pink flowers and fragrant leaves. While related to the variety of thyme used in cooking, it is not edible. However, the flowers are great for attracting bees, butterflies to your yard. Creeping thyme does best in areas with full sun and well-draining soil.

Periwinkle

Periwinkle is such an efficient and aggressive spreader that many gardeners consider it a nuisance. However, its resilience and charming purple flowers make it an excellent choice of ground cover that does not require a lot of maintenance. The leaves are dark green and glossy and grow on vines that spread at ground level. This plant loves the shade, so if you have space with little sunlight during the day periwinkle may be a perfect fit.

Rockrose

Rockrose is an evergreen shrub with hardy, colorful flowers. This tough plant is common in coastal regions as it can stand up to strong winds and salt spray without care. When grown as groundcover, all you need is a few shrubs to start with and you’ll have an area full of established roots and bright green foliage. It’s best to water them regularly after planting them but once they’ve lasted one season, they can thrive with no ongoing maintenance.

As for any type of plant, it’s crucial to research what will grow best in your particular climate. You also need to consider the specific landscape you’re working with and whether there is a significant amount of shade, full sun or combination. Regardless, you’ll find there are plenty of options for ground cover that will keep out the weeds and look attractive with only the most basic of care.

How to Make Your Front Yard Low-Maintenance

Not everyone has extra time to spend taking care of their front yard. While outdoor spaces are important, it’s easy to let yard upkeep fall by the wayside. Luckily there are lots of things you can do to make your yard attractive and inviting without spending hours working on it every week. Here are some of the best tips for creating and maintaining a low-maintenance front yard:

Always Research Your Plant Choices Beforehand

Grass lawns are notorious for requiring time and effort to maintain, but other plants can be just as bad. It’s easy to plant a lot of beautiful flowers and shrubs only to find that it’s a full-time job to keep them alive and looking good. The best way to avoid this is to research and plan your plant choices before you buy.

Some things to consider when looking for plants include:

  • Climate Zones – Most plants are labeled according to their respective USDA Hardiness Zones. You can use this information to make sure your choices of plants have a chance of surviving in your climate. While it’s possible to grow plants outside of your zone, it’s definitely not an effortless task. Choosing plants for your zone will keep your workload smaller.

  • Compatible Needs – It’s important to stick with plants that need similar amounts of sunlight and water. This will save you time and potential frustration over patches of your yard perishing in the heat while others thrive. For example, if you have lots of shade in your yard, group shade-loving plants together rather than mix in those requiring lots of sun.

  • Upkeep Requirements – Some plants simply require more attention than others. Many flowers need pruning and dead-heading every week during the growing season in order to stay beautiful and fresh. It might not sound like much, but that time can add up especially if you have a lot of plants to take care of.

Plant Perennials Wherever Possible

Perennials are plants that go dormant in the winter and spring back to life every year when the weather gets warmer. All perennials have slightly different growing seasons, so you can plan strategically to stagger them and always have some color in the yard. Perennials will save you a lot of time and money—you only need to buy and plant them once for years worth of foliage or blooms. Hardy perennial flowers like coneflower, geranium and chrysanthemums are excellent choices for low-maintenance color in your front yard.

Don’t Forget Mulch

Mulching your yard will keep your plants healthy and keep your work to a minimum. Mulch has several different benefits, primarily helping the soil maintain the right moisture and temperature levels. It also deters pests from preying on your plants and also keeps weeds from growing. Weed-prevention alone is a huge time-saver, but you’ll find that with proper mulch application you won’t need to water as frequently or worry about many common pests.

These are some basic guidelines to help you create and keep a low-maintenance front yard that still looks healthy and beautiful. As long as you stick to these tips and do your research you’ll be able to save time and money while having the best looking yard in the neighborhood.

DIY Guide: Stepping Stones for Your Garden

Stepping stones are a perfect alternative to traditional garden paths. For small spaces or for a more rustic look, stepping stones can liven up a space while providing helpful functionality. There are many styles of stepping stone, such as those made from flagstone or concrete pavers. However, pebble stepping stones are a fun and creative addition to any yard or garden. The best thing about them is that they’re simple to make yourself. Here we’ll go over how to make your very own stepping stones.

Materials

Smooth stones or pebbles
Mortar

Equipment

Paintbrush
Rubber mallet
12×12 inch concrete mold
Protective gloves

Process

  1. Fill the mold with dry mortar, leaving about 1/3 inch at the top.

  2. Level the mortar either by hand or a small float, smooth out the mortar into an even surface. Use protective equipment to avoid skin burn or irritation from the mortar.

  3. Begin arranging the stones by nestling them into the dry mortar. Place them so they are snug against one another and stand up without tipping over.

  4. Because the mortar is still dry, you don’t have to worry about planning a design ahead of time. You can change stone placement as much as you need to make the perfect pattern.

  5. Once the stones are where you want them, use the rubber mallet to tamp them down. Try to make them level with the top of the mold. You can use a piece of wood, a ruler or any other flat object to test the level.

  6. Use the paintbrush to dust off the surface of the stones to remove any extra dry mortar.

  7. Slowly add water to the mortar using a spray attachment on a hose. Keep the water pressure low so that it does not send stones and mortar flying. Plan to do several light rounds of watering rather than drenching the mold.

  8. To test the moisture, use the mallet to tap on the stones. Watch for bubbles to appear or excess water to drain out when you tap the stones—this is your cue to stop watering.

  9. Take your thoroughly damp stepping stone mold to a covered but well-ventilated spot. The mortar will need to cure and harden for at least 48 hours before your stepping stone will be ready to use.

  10. The stepping stone should be hardened and cured after two days. Carefully remove the mold and wash away any loose mortar with water and a paintbrush.

Now you have a beautiful custom stepping stone for your garden. Repeat the process to make an entire path or keep them as standalone points of interest in your landscaping.

Conserve water with these gardening ideas

If you’re trying to find eco-friendly gardening ideas, the best place to start is with water conservation. Recycling and reducing your water use in the garden is simpler than you might think, too. Here are some ideas for DIY garden projects to help you save water:

Go with ground covers

Grass lawns are a major source of water waste and require a ton of maintenance. Instead of a grass lawn, consider using ground-cover plants for any exposed areas of your garden. Stonecrop is one of the best options for low-water usage ground cover, since it’s a succulent with a natural spreading growth pattern.

Build a dry stream

A dry stream built out of smooth river rocks makes a beautiful statement in any garden. For a fun DIY garden project, dig a shallow channel to naturally divert excess moisture to the plants that need it most. The rocks will form a natural filtration system and create a charming desert oasis aesthetic.

Opt for drought-tolerant plants

You can still have garden beds full of diverse and colorful plants while still saving water. The key is to choose drought-tolerant plants that can go longer periods of time without being watered.

Some beautiful ideas for raised garden beds are shrubs like butterfly bush, red bird of paradise and bougainvillea. Prefer succulents and cacti? Create a garden bed or vertical garden full of colorful succulents in a plethora of colors, shapes and growth patterns.

Try a rock garden

Rock gardens are another beautiful way to decorate an outdoor living space without adding extra need for water. Rock garden designs range from sparse to elaborate, and can be both artistic and natural in appearance. Create an area of the garden with different sizes and types of stone planted with drought-tolerant ground cover crops for an eco-friendly DIY garden project.

Collect with rain barrels

If you live somewhere with frequent rainfall, it might seem like saving water isn’t as important. However, using rain barrels to collect extra rainwater for later use is a more sustainable practice than turning on the hose every time, which costs you money. You can create budget friendly DIY rain barrels out of basic materials, or check out the offerings from your local garden center.

By using any of these garden projects to conserve water, you’ll experience the benefits of a lower water bill and the peace of mind knowing you’ve reduced the amount of wasted water – and time spent on labor – in your garden.