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How to Repair Salt-Damaged Concrete. Winter ice is dangerous, and salt is typically used to melt it away from driveways, walkways and steps. However, concrete can deteriorate if the salt is left in place for a long time. If you have exterior areas of concrete that have dimples or shallow cracks in them, the best solution is to apply concrete patch. The concrete repair will be structurally sound but may show a slight color difference.
Read MoreHow to Grow Iris Bulbs Inside. Iris flowers grow from bulbs rather than seeds. They produce clumps of green, leaf-like foliage with a tall center stalk that supports the colorful flower blooms. Iris bulbs are hardy enough to plant outdoors, but you can also plant them in pots that are kept indoors. When iris bulbs are grown indoors, they experience a longer blooming season because you can regulate the temperature. In addition, indoor irises will not be eaten by pests such as deer, squirrels and gophers.
Read MoreHow to Prune Young Citrus Trees. Citrus trees, such as oranges, tangerines, lemons and limes are commonly found in warm-weather home landscapes as well as in commercial citrus orchards. Pruning is one of the important tasks to perform on young citrus trees to train them into the desired growth pattern. After the young trees are pruned for the first two to three years, they typically will maintain the desired growth pattern. Pruning young citrus trees is best done in the late winter just prior to the new spring growth.
Read MoreHow to Plant Grass With an Erosion Mat. Planting grass seed does not always result in a thick carpet of green grass. In fact, many of the seeds don't even germinate because they are washed away by rain water. To prevent this loss of seed, you can cover the new planting area with an erosion mat, sometimes also called an erosion blanket. These mats hold the seeds in place until they germinate but are porous enough to allow the seeds to grow through them.
Read MoreHow to Cut Back Rock Roses. Rock roses also go by names Pavonia lasiopetala and Texas swampmallow, among others. They are evergreen shrubs that are not a member of the rose family, but have 4-inch wide blooms that closely resemble those of a wild rose. The rock rose is a hardy bush that can quickly outgrow the planting site. Cutting back the plant annually will control the growth and rejuvenate it for the next growing season. Wait until the very early spring just before the rock rose begins to develop new foliage for the year.
Read MoreRapitest Moisture Meter Instructions. The Rapitest Moisture Meter is a handy gardening tool manufactured and sold by Luster Leaf Products. It consists of a long, metal soil probe connected via a flexible wire to a readout box. The meter is used to measure how much water is in the soil and can be used in the ground, although it is more commonly used in potted plants. Using the moisture meter helps you give your plants the optimum amount of water.
Read MoreHow to Trim a Bay Leaf Tree. Bay leaves are used as an herb in cooking and come from the Bay Laurel tree. The Bay Laurel can be regularly pruned to keep it a small to medium-sized shrub, or allowed to grow into a taller tree. Pruning the Bay Laurel tree is done mostly to control the size and the shape of the tree rather than for plant health. The tree should be pruned twice per year at the beginning and end of the growing season.
Read MoreHow to Winterize a Holly Berry Bush. Holly bushes are evergreens with dark-green, glossy leaves and vibrant red berries that contrast sharply with winter's drab colors. Although hollies are often at their best in the winter, they still require protection, which varies by region. Hollies particularly need protection when they are young and have not yet established an extensive root system. Winterizing a holly bush should begin in early to mid fall, before most inclement weather occurs.
Read MoreHow to Identify Stages of Bean Seed Germination
Read MoreHow to Line a Planter. Planters come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and materials and are useful for both indoor and outdoor container gardening. One problem that occurs with many planters is the internal soil leaks out of the bottom drainage holes. This creates a mess and reduces the amount of nutrients available to the plant. To reduce the soil loss, you can insert a liner into the planter prior to inserting plants. The liner still allows proper drainage but holds in the soil.
Read MoreLiquid Ironite Directions for Shrubs. Ironite liquid fertilizer is designed for lawns, shrubs, trees, and flowers, and a single bottle will cover up to 5000 square feet of garden space. The fertilizer contains a nutritional analysis of 6-2-1 and is 1 percent iron. Ironite is specifically designed not to burn the foliage of delicate shrubs and can be applied both to the soil and to the leaves.
Read MoreThe Easiest Ways to Remove Sod From Your Lawn by Hand
Read MoreHow to Care for a Crimson Queen Japanese Maple. Crimson Queen is a threadleaf variety of Japanese maple, Acer palmatum dissectum, that grows naturally as a shrub but more often is shaped into a tree by removing the lower limbs. The upper limbs are drooping and the tree's feathery, bright red leaves turn deep burgundy or purple in the fall. The Crimson Queen Japanese maple reaches a height of between 6 and 10 feet and does well in United States Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 8.
Read MoreHow to Revive an Over-Watered Cyclamen. Cyclamens are a variety of flowering plants that produce brightly colored blooms on central stalks that are taller than the lower foliage. The plants are native to Greece but are often grown as houseplants in the United States. Although cyclamens like moist soil, they will quickly deteriorate if the soil remains constantly soggy. If you notice the soil is damp and the cyclamen begins to wilt, take immediate action to keep it alive.
Read MoreHow to Kill Whitetop Weeds. Whitetop weed also goes by the names Cardaria spp. and hoary cress and is a member of the mustard family. The plant is an invasive weed that grows in tall vertical stalks and develops clusters of small, white flowers at the top in the spring. Whitetop is a perennial weed that will regrow each year unless measures are taken to kill it. Killing whitetop is best accomplished using repeated applications of herbicides.
Read MoreSpectracide Brush Killer Directions. Spectracide Brush Killer is a concentrated, liquid herbicide that is designed to kill woody shrubs and small trees. According to the manufacturer, the chemicals will kill over 120 different types of weeds and shrubs in as little as 24 hours. In addition, the solution is waterproof, which means that the effectiveness is not diminished if it rains. The main herbicides in the Spectracide Brush Killer formula include 2,4-D, 2-ethylhexyl ester and Dichlorprop-p, 2-ethylhexyl ester.
Read MoreHow to Build a Milky Spore Tube Dispenser. Spread milky spore across the surface of your lawn to counteract Japanese beetle infestations. Milky spore is a fungus that kills the Japanese beetles and their larva by acting as a natural pesticide. Because you need to spread milky spore evenly across your lawn, you must use a dispenser. Although you can purchase dispenser tubes at any home improvement or garden center, making a dispenser is much easier and cheaper.
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