Tips For Care And Landscaping Your Real Turf

By Ahmed Hajouj.


Everyone likes verdant lawns. The green looking lawns are a result of painstaking efforts and some real turf care. It is not very difficult to maintain the green turf as in golf courses or the horse races. Read all about it here

Easy and simple Real Turf Care Guidelines

A green looking turf that you see in the catalogues of golf clubs is not very difficult to maintain. You too can do this landscaping . All it takes is work and some common sense tips. You will be surprised if I were to tell you that you could have a good lawn if you follow the rule of 25 mm and the rule of third. Let me explain,

Watering of Lawn: You should water the lawn just enough so that the evaporation loss is replenished and the grass gets its due share. The rule of 25 gives the value of water loss through evaporation.

When watering the lawn. Take a dish and keep it in the area where watering is being done and allow about 25 mm height of water to get stored in the dish. After watering is complete, place the dish in the same where it was filled up and allow the water to evaporate. Note the time required for water to evaporate. You should water the lawn after this time interval.

The watering should be heavy and infrequent rather than frequent and shallow. When you water the lawn shallow, the root system starts looking for water and the root system does not penetrate deep in the ground. At the same time there should be no water logging in any area. The water logging would destroy the grass in that area.

Over-watering will not kill the grass but water logging will definitely do it. In fact over-watering is good. Infrequent over-watering coupled with generous use of nitrogen rich fertilizers will help in developing spongy grass on which you will feel elated when walking.

Watering of lawns should be done in the morning so that the water has time to penetrate to the ground. Water evaporation is highest during noontime. Watering at this time, would only allow higher evaporation. You do not want water to evaporate, you want it to reach the ground and penetrate the surface, so water in the morning or evening when evaporation rate is minimal.

Mowing The Lawns Second Real Turf Care

Mowing the lawns carefully and timely is the second care that you will give to the lawns. The rule for the real turf care is rule of third. When mowing the lawns, do not cut the grass more than the third of the existing blade length. A marine crew cut is not the best way to develop green grass. In fact, you are killing the grass if you give it a marine crew cut.

The root system does not develop properly when you give it a close shave and the growth of grass is reduced. Hence, the grass should never be cut close to ground. Depending on the type of grass the blade length could be between 20 to 40 mm. For example, the buffalo grass should be allowed to grow 30 to 40 mm in summer and winter before cutting. Follow the rule of third and the minimum blade length will be maintained.

When you cut the grass, you may leave the cut grass instead of removing it so that the grass gets its food from the cut grass. Care should be taken to see that thatching of soil should not occur; otherwise, grass growth could be restricted.

With two simple rules, you can get good-looking lawns.

Create The Perfect Garden Pond

By Ahmed Hajouj.


One of the biggest privileges in my life is the ability to own my own home and property. My family and I have been blessed to be able to purchase land and create the home of our dreams on it. When I am not busy writing, there are few things you can find me doing as often as tending to my ever- messy home and overwhelming lawn and garden. I have a love and hate relationship with these chores. One the one hand, I love caring for the things I own because I feel a sense of pride about them. Yet, on the other hand, it is frustrating how much time and energy it takes to keep your home and lawn looking presentable. Recently I added to my chores by putting a garden pond in my backyard.

Frankly, I had always thought that garden ponds or really decorative pieces like them were a bit too much in most yards. They looked a bit too perfect and made the property feel less homey and inviting. I had a change of heart about garden ponds when I toured the home of a friend and discovered the most quaint and brilliant garden pond situated in a corner of her backyard. The garden pond brought an extra touch to her landscaping that became irreplacable as soon as she began.

What I now love about garden ponds is that they bring a sense of nature and of wildness into the backyard of a home that is built almost anywhere. I have seen garden ponds in the backyards of homes in urban subdivisions and in the backyards of the most quaint country cabins. And I love them. I simply love what a garden pond does for the look and feel of a piece of property.

If you are thinking of adding a garden pond to your landscape, think carefully about it and do not proceed without caution. One of the worst things can be to rush into a project like a garden pond and then regret a half-done job. Take your time and get the opinions and advice of friends and fellow landscapers before you break ground on your garden pond project. Think carefully about the perfect location of your garden-pond-to-be. Does the area you’ve chosen get enough sunshine? Do you want it to be centrally located as the center piece of your landscape or off to the side and hidden more? Think about the ideal yard you want to create and then proceed carefully into making a great garden pond.

Grab a few books or get online and find hints on making a garden pond a reality on your property. It won’t be easy, but if done well, the results will be worth it.

How To Grow Ornamental Grasses

By AHmed Hajouj.


Ornamental grasses have become extremely popular in the past ten years or so, and if you buy them at a garden center they are kind of pricey. Learning how to grow them yourself is actually quite easy. They can be grown from seed, but I won’t pretend to be an expert at that for several reasons. One, I don’t know anything about growing them from seed, and two, I have no desire to propagate them from seed because seedlings require too much care.



The easiest and most effective way to propagate them is through simple division. Of course you will need at least one parent plant of each variety that you would like to grow. If you shop around you might be able to find some 4″ inch pots at a fair price.



One of each variety is good for a start. I find that the best time of the year to divide them is in the spring, just before the new growth emerges. If you buy the stock plants in the early spring, you might be able to divide them right away. If you buy them at any other time of the year, just plant them in your garden or other suitable location, knowing that you are going to dig them up in a few months, or a year or so.

When spring arrives you can divide them at any time as long as they are not well into putting on new growth. The earlier the better. To divide them simply dig up the root mass and start dividing it into pieces. The divisions do not have to be to be very large. It’s difficult to describe, but as long as you have some roots, the new plant is likely to grow. 

If you have small young plants you can probably just tear the root mass apart with your hands, but if the root mass is very big then you are going to need some tools. You might need some heavy duty tools!



Last spring I divided several grass plants that had been in my landscape for a few years. When I dug out the root mass it was much larger and more dense than I expected. Using a very good digging spade and some real elbow power I was able to chop the root mass into quarters, and I replanted the quarters back into my landscape. That still left many clumps that I wanted to divide into very small plants that I could pot up in 2 quart containers. The root mass was too dense to tear apart with my hands, so I literally got a hammer and a 4″ wide mason’s chisel and chiseled off pieces. It worked and I now have a couple of hundred beautiful little grass plants in 2 quart containers.



Since then I have talked with a friend of mine who works for a large wholesale grower, and he told me that you never want to let an ornamental grass plant get that big if you intend to divide it. He said they plant small divisions in the field in the spring, and dig them up the following spring and divide them again. He assured me that if you get them just 12 months later, they can be easily torn apart by hand.



That sounds like a lot more fun than what I went through!

Fall Planting

By Ahmed Hajouj.


Most people don’t think of Fall as a time for planting new landscaping and garden plants. To most, it’s time to put garden ventures to sleep until Spring. While it may not seem so, Fall planting of trees, shrubs, Perennials, bulbs, and cool weather grasses like Fescue is a very good idea.

Roots of newly planted plants and trees can continue to grow and become established in temperatures as low as 40 degrees. And since the roots don’t have to supply the rest of the plant with energy to grow, more energy is focused on root production. Come Springtime, because of an established root system, plants shoot out of the ground with plenty of energy for top growth.

Soil Temperature

Planting in the fall, soil temperatures are still warm from a long Summer. The warmer soil temperature encourages root growth.

In the Spring, the soil is still cool from the Winter and roots are very slow to become established. Even if you grow plants from seed indoors and transplant outside when the temperature warms, new sprouts still don’t have the advantage of Fall planted plants.

When Exactly Is Fall?

The Fall season officially begins with the equinox in late September. However, Fall weather varies considerably from one part of the country to the next. Basically, the best period for fall planting is around six weeks before the first hard frost in your area. You can get an idea of the average first frost date near your area from here: http://www.almanac.com/garden/frostus.php . Just keep in mind that the roots need to have time to become established before Winter sets in.

Autumn Bloomers

Fall isn’t just a time to put the garden to sleep and start getting ready for Spring. The growing season isn’t quite over yet. You can add color and new life to the garden by replacing dying Summer Annuals and Perennials with Autumn blooming plants like Pansies, Chrysanthemums, and Ornamental Cabbage and Kale, Marigolds, and others.

It’s also the time to plant spring flowering bulbs and divide Perennials.

Try Your Hand At Organic Gardening

By Ahmed Hajouj.


In today’s world, we are constantly confronted with the many reasons why we need to eat healthier and exercise more in order to live longer and better lives. That being said, I see not enough information getting out about how we can actually put those principles into affect. I read that I need to exercise more, but would someone please give me a solid plan that actually works to improve my level of fitness? I am tired of not reading any good advice for making health progress, so I’ve decided to write some advice of my own. I have been a dietician for many years, but I am just now breaking into writing. My first health tip for anyone trying to see changes in their health is to try organic gardening.

Unfortunately, you can be eating a lot of fruits and vegetables but still be doing harm to your health. Why? Well, the ways that many of our healthiest foods are grown and then prepared to be sold are very unhealthy for us. There are so many pesticides and chemicals used on fresh foods today that you can sometimes be better off not eating the foods at all. A far better alternative, however, is to try your hand at organic gardening. Basically, organic gardening is a method of growing fruits and vegetables so that they grow free from all harmful pesticides and chemicals.

Organic gardening does not have to be as overwhelming or hard as it may sound. A first important step to take is to visit a local library or book store and learn all you can about organic gardening. Check out or purchase books and read up on all the great reasons why you should make an organic garden this season for your and your family.

You can also talk to owners of organic gardens in your area. Chances are that there are more organic gardens growing in your town than you probably imagine. So do some research and even make plans to visit an organic garden or two. Talk to people who are really doing it about the challenges and about the benefits of organic gardening.

Organic gardening may just become one of your favorite hobbies. It became one of mine and now me and my family are reaping all of the benefits of having healthy and fresh organic fruits and vegetables. Do it for the sake of your health and for a little fun.

The Different Roses You Can Grow In Your Rose Garden

By Ahmed Hajouj.


There are actually many kinds of roses, with each one different from the other. If you are planning to grow your own roses and plant your very own rose garden, what type of rose do you think you should have?

The Floribunda Rose

Gardeners love the floribunda rose simply because it is easy to grow, easy to take care of, and constantly in bloom. The floribunda rose is the result of crossing the modern hybrid tea rose with the polyantha rose. Its flowers are medium-sized, rarely larger than three inches across, and it produces clustering flowers on a single stem. Though the floribunda rose is always in bloom, it is not really known for its perfume. There are nonetheless some kinds of floribunda roses that are indeed perfumed, though these are not common. Floribunda roses grow best in beds although they can also thrive as edgings. If you do not have a lot of space for planting, you can grow floribunda roses in pots without any problems.

The Grandiflora Rose

As its name suggests, the grandiflora rose is a type of rose that blooms in clusters of big flowers. It is a tall and sturdy rose, often growing up to five feet in height. Despite the height, the grandiflora rose does not really require support from a stake; it can support itself. The grandiflora rose has long stems, which make it excellent as cut flowers for inclusion in bouquets and flower arrangements. Another characteristic of the grandiflora rose that makes it so attractive to gardeners is that it blooms constantly when it is in season.

The Hybrid Rose

The hybrid rose is considered to be the most beautiful among roses, and is thought to produce the perfect bloom, blossoming as a double flower with a high cone at its center. It is also the most popular among roses, and they are the typical rose that florists carry in their shops. Hybrid roses are large, and they come in a wide range of colors, including purple and blue. They are also sparse in producing flowers, and each flower grows on a single stem. Hybrid roses require a lot more care than the other types of roses, and it is always necessary to prune them often.

The Miniature Rose

Though miniature roses generally grow up to no more than six inches in height, there are some types of roses that grow up to three feet and yet are considered to be miniature roses. Miniature roses come in large varieties, from shrubs to creepers, and from single-stem blooms to clusters. Some miniature roses are perfumed while some are not. Most miniature roses bloom continuously whenever they are in season, and many gardeners have come to consider them as the only type of roses that can be grown as house plants.

The Polyantha Rose

Mostly grown for breeding purposes, the polyantha rose is older than most of today’s modern roses. It is also not as popular. But for all its low popularity among rose gardeners, the polyantha rose is actually a very hardy flower that is very easy to grow. It usually outlives its more exotic sisters. The polyantha rose blooms late in spring, and it appears as clusters of small, very vividly colored flowers with small leaves. It usually grows up to two feet in height. The polyantha rose grows as a bush and it is best planted in groups.

Caring for Your Rose Garden

Regardless of what kind of rose that you have got planted in your garden or whether you have different types of roses gracing your flower beds, it is important that you spend ample time and effort in caring for your rose garden.

Roses need a lot of water, and they will not be satisfied with brief watering sessions in the morning. They need to get their roots truly soaked, and this can only be done by slow watering over a period of hours. Naturally, you would be too busy to deal with that kind of watering, so it would be a great deal if you install a sort of irrigation system that will help you water your roses whenever you need to.

Constant pruning is another detail that you need to attend to in caring for your rose garden. Dead canes and unhealthy growths need to be cut as soon as they appear so as not to steal nutrients from the healthier canes. Dead blooms need to be removed to encourage the roses to produce more flowers. Regular pruning also airs out the rose plants, letting the air circulate more freely and discourage the growth of disease-causing germs and mold.

Roses also hate the winter season. So that your rose garden would see the coming spring time, they must be protected against the cold of winter.

Caring for your rose garden can be a laborious task, especially if you are growing different kinds of roses. But the rose rewards any effort put into its upkeep by becoming as beautiful a flower as it can be. The rose is the queen of flowers, after all.

The Secret To Healthier Plants Let S Ask My Grandfather

By Ahmed Hajouj.


My Grandfather was an old school farmer from way back who depended on his crops for his living. He, like farmers then and now, knew that the secret to optimum yield and plant health begins in the soil. If the soil was just right and other conditions were favorable, his yields were higher and he could make a descent living that would get his family through the rest of the year.

My grandfather also knew that the condition and health of the soil directly influenced the plants ability to resist disease and insects. Having to use any type of insecticide on his farm was virtually unheard of. And yet, he had no insect problem.

So the question of what is the secret to healthier and more beautiful plants should really begin with the question of what is the secret to healthy soil.

Many factors will influence the quality and condition of your soil. And at the top of the list is the ph (acidity or alkalinity) of soil. Most folks have heard about soil ph but very few know how important it is and the difference it makes in color, yield, flavor, heath, etc.

If the ph of soil is incorrect, nutrient uptake is limited or restricted altogether. It doesn’t matter how much fertilizer you add, the plants won’t be able to use it efficiently. Iron, for instance, becomes locked into soil that is too alkaline. It won’t matter how much iron you add, the plant won’t be able to pick it up and use it.

If growing is not optimal, plants start to yellow or look sickly, and there is no obvious signs of insects, the first place to start is by testing the soil. In granddads day, folks would actually taste the soil to test the ph. If it was sweet, it was acid. If it was sour, it was alkaline. Fortunately for us, we don’t have to go out to our gardens and eat dirt. Modern test kits are available at garden centers, they’re inexpensive and easy to use.

Most plants prefer a slightly acid to neutral soil. Neutral is a 7 on the scale while slightly acid is a 6 on the scale. And I did say most plants. Some plants do prefer more acid soil and some do like alkaline. It’s a good idea to know a little bit about what you’re growing.

Now, my grandfather had a magic ingredient that he continually added to the soil. This magic ingredient would actually create healthy soil, buffer perfect ph, and facilitate proper nutrient uptake. It also made plants not so tasty to insects. 

A magic ingredient? Not hardly. A lost art and science. Definitely. His magic ingredient was that he dutifully returned everything back into the soil. Everything from plant wastes to manure to kitchen scraps. His magic ingredient was nothing more than pure natural organics. If a soil was found to be out of balance, it was a matter of a simple adjustment. A little bit of sulfur to buffer alkalinity or a little bit of lime to buffer acid and also tilling in more bulk organics.

Farmers and gardeners back then couldn’t rely on a lot of chemical fertilizers because they were either unavailable or they simply couldn’t afford them. Oh I’m sure they would have liked to have had them since it would have made life much easier. However, what we didn’t use then that we do use now is why they had healthier plants, higher yields, better tasting food, more nutritional food, and even more colorful flowers. Again, the difference is organics. 

Organically prepared soil eventually becomes stable and naturally balance in ph. All necessary plant nutrients become available and plants are able to use what they need and only when they need it. An excesses of individual nutrients in organic soil will actually be buffered and not do the plants any harm.

Plants grown in organic soils are naturally more resistant to insects and disease. They’re simply healthier and insects and disease generally attacks plants that are already unhealthy to begin with. 

Chemical fertilizers are like a quick shot in the arm and plants will greedily take in more than they need. This weakens a plants ability to resist disease and insects. Then, of course, you’re going to need insecticides. However, healthy organic soil is also full of millions of beneficial bacteria and micro-organisms. Chemical fertilizers and insecticides will kill these very necessary elements and weaken plants immune systems even further. And so in using chemicals, we create a never ending no win cycle.



Creating organic soil will take a little effort and won’t happen overnight. It will take a few seasons. However, the rewards will far outweigh the effort. And eventually you’ll find that you spend less time taking care of your garden and more time enjoying it.

To begin with, start saving those leaves and grass clippings. This is a wonderful no cost resource. If you don’t have any of your own, I’m sure your neighbors will give you some of theirs. You can compost them or shred them as top dressing that will eventually break down into the soil.

I’ll also suggest two books to you. Rodales Complete Book Of Composting and Rodales Encyclopedia Of Organic Gardening. These two books alone will give you all the knowledge you need for composting and organic gardening.

Other secret ingredients are all around you, are usually free, and are often found right in your own trash can. Kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, and even some papers can be composted.

Have a friend with a stable? Some folks will let you clean out their stable just for doing it. This is a very inexpensive way to add a lot of bulk organics very quickly. Keep in mind though that manure is better composted as it is extremely alkaline due to a high content of urea.

On top of all of this there is an endless list of organic materials, mineral dusts, and rock fertilizers available through organic gardening stores and sites. 

So there you have it. I did learn something from my grandfather. And so did you.