#Soil Aeration

[shiftythrifting]

A "garden item", some uranium buttons and uranium glass from some antique stores in Regina.

[weedlovingweed]

i will kill all idiots who think wildflower patches are like. Every Wild Beast Who I Hate Habitat. there are fleas and ticks in your lawn too. there are MORE TICKS in places with less mammals coming through (deer, squirrels, etc that the ticks can feed on instead of u) and insecticides/herbicides kill off beneficial insects so there’s more habitat for ticks to hang around. and if you aren’t attracting birds with seed or WILDFLOWERS THAT NATURALLY MAKE SEED FOR BIRDS then you will have MORE pests.

people are just so stupid instead of planting things to attract bugs and birds they WANT that will do bad insect management they just keep going down the line of killing everything and making uninhabitable space. but ig its “safer for kids” (your kids will just get sick from playing in roundup!!!) or you wont have to see a fucking garter snake. oh the horror. kids should be exposed to plants and animals and clearly ppl who think that a wilder lawn will just be fucking pest central didn’t play enough outside. and tbh im blaming YOU for my neighbor who removed the blackberry bush as soon as he moved in that neighborhood kids had been eating for years…

[the-learning-hub]

Creating a DIY Compost Bin for Organic Waste Management: A Step-by-Step Guide

Creating a DIY Compost Bin for Organic Waste Management: A Step-by-Step Guide

Are you tired of throwing away your food scraps and yard waste, only to have it end up in a landfill? Well, have no fear, because creating a DIY compost bin is here! Not only will it reduce the amount of waste you send to the landfill, but it will also provide you with nutrient-rich soil for your garden. First, let’s talk about what can go in your compost bin. Food scraps such as fruits and…

[brutermonger]

Moles are darn cute and I personally discovered that they can squeal Very Loudly. 😄

I’m in tears… look at her…

[sujooon]

6-inch hydroponic pots are ideal for growing a variety of plants without soil. They provide excellent drainage and aeration for healthy root development.

[whats-in-a-sentence]

THE MAGIC OF COMPOSTING

Like soil – and like us, really – compost needs certain things to thrive. Food, air, water are the basics. The food is plant or animal waste. Air you get by regularly mixing and turning the compost. Your compost should also be damp, so wet it often. And it should warm up, as all those microbes get to work.

Most home compost is hard to manage if you add animal waste (meat scraps), unless you can keep rats and other vermin out. Using a bokashi bin – a Japanese-designed bio-digester – might be better in this case.

In terms of ratios, about twice as much 'brown' garden waste to 'green' is best. So, twice as many brown dried leaves as green lawn clippings, for instance. You don't have to be exact, but this is a good starting point. If you're unsure, having too much carbon (brown waste) is better for the smell, and for the environment, as it emits less nitrous oxide and methane. Think of brown waste as things that will burn cleanly – so, sawdust from old wood, compared to green, the tops of trees that have been mulched. Or hay as brown, and freshly cut lawn clippings as green.

Common composting mistakes

Smelly, slimy compost: Too much nitrogen. You need to add more carbon in the form of dry leaves or dry grass clippings. You could add hay, but you might also be adding weed seeds if your compost doesn't get very hot. Early on, you could use sawdust or shredded paper, which will take longer to break down. A mix of different carbon sources is usually best.

Dry on top, smelly inside: Probably not enough air. Turn the compost regularly (weekly is good) to mix and aerate.

Dry right through: Not enough water, possibly? Wet it each week as you turn it. It could also contain too much carbon, but this is usually not the case for home gardens. Add green grass clippings, or more food waste.

Chunky compost: Possibly lots of things from the garden that are hard to break down. If everything else is going well, you can make the compost and sieve these out, then return the big bits to your compost.

Cold compost: It's just working slowly. This will take a long time, so your compost may need more food, or more water, to jumpstart the microbial life. Hot compost can be ready in a matter of weeks, but cool compost can take months to mature.

When your compost is ready, it should have an attractive earthy smell, and crumble easily through your fingers. Everything small should have broken down into a very dark substance, which is essentially pure humus, ready to use on the garden. If you're not sure your compost is done, and are worried it might have dangerous bacteria (the kind you get in poo, rotting food and the like), you can still use it. Just shovel it around the base of fruit trees rather than your lettuces, so it doesn't get into your dinner.

"Soil: The incredible story of what keeps the earth, and us, healthy" - Matthew Evans

[howdoesone]

How does one maintain a healthy and thriving lawn?

A well-maintained lawn can add value and beauty to your home, but it takes effort and care to keep it healthy and green. Continue reading Untitled

[sisterdragonwithfeathers]

not brainworms as in it’s eating me, brainworms as in it’s aerating and enriching the soil of my mind

[agreenroad]

Worms helping to feed the world - YouTube

Worms helping to feed the world – YouTube

[gallusrostromegalus]

Hi Gallus! Was wondering if u might be able to identify a plant? It's got long rounded upturned leaves and grows a spiky fruit.

Thank you!

That is a MILKWEED!

It's a terrific plant to have around if you're in the continental US. TONS of insects, beneficial fungi and other plants depend on it- notably, it's KEY to preserving Monarch Butterflies. It's also a really important plant for preventing erosion, helping native grasses return to disturbed environments, and soil aeration because of it's extensive root system.

Milkweed is an annual plant- it will die in the fall and release it's seeds. The spiky "fruit" is it's seed pod, which will dry out and pop open, spreading tons of seeds with feathery wind-catching wisps to the surrounding area. You can help it by shaking any trapped seeds loose on a windy day after it's been open for at least a week, or you can take some of the seeds and try propagating your own!

Please note that Milkweed is NOT edible and the above-ground parts of the plant are toxic to humans, dogs, cats and livestock, but most mammals avoid it because of it's extremely nasty taste. Please do not lick or otherwise ingest the milkweed.

Instead, enjoy your new friend by helping spread her seeds, observing and/or documenting the animals that come to her, and enjoying her wonderfully complex spring blossoms.

[senadimell]

Another gardening-adjacent observation: the area around the tree and property line has a ton of English Ivy. Obviously not native, but it does look intentional, and so no one mows over there. (the briars may also contribute to the no-mowing).

Leaves are allowed to rot where they fall. Plants and bugs can root around.

The soil of my yard is clay and dense. Half of the “lawn” is moss (so no roots there to break it up). It’s dense and hard to cut through. But the ivy area? It’s moist and looser. It’s hard to tell where leaf rot ends and soil begins. It feels like dirt, whereas the rest of the lawn needs bunch of planting soil dumped on it if you want to garden. You can dig into it with your hands.

Now, it’s still rather dense; it’s still more clay-like than sandy. But it’s not hard-packed like the lawn area is, not at all.

[pddparthi]

Aerobic Composting: Benefits, Process, and Best Practices

Aerobic composting is a natural process that breaks down organic materials into nutrient-rich soil amendment or mulch through natural decomposition. It is an oxygen-dependent process that uses microorganisms that require air to break down organic matter into compost. The process expedites decomposition, without having to wait a year or more like you would for anaerobic composting. The optimal…

[jimiscribif]

fun mole facts to pique your interest

can smell in stereo (nostrils smell separately)

solitary (except for star nosed moles)

male are called boars and females sows (like pigs) but babies are called pups

a group of them is called a labour

have poison in their saliva that can paralyse worms and insects

will store food in 'larders' so they can snack later

more oxygen in their blood (helps breathing underground)

not rodents

are good for soil health (their tunnelling aerates and fertilised soil), don't be mean to them :(

[lawnscapesystemsinc]

LAWN AERATION IN ANAHEIM

Aeration is a really significant part of lawn care in Anaheim.The process relieves compacted soil by pulling plugs from your lawn to create growth pockets for new seed. These new pockets also help root systems access the air and water that they need.