Tara Dooley

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Garden Guides uses a knowledgeable team of editors, writers, and experts to create all our content. We dive deep into the ever-evolving conversations surrounding gardening and landscaping, striving to deliver the most current and helpful tips, strengthened by expert insight and tutorials from our talented team.

As we cover many fields of expertise, we make it a priority to ensure every beat remains fresh and comprehensive. Additional information on our editorial process available here.

Stories By Tara Dooley

  • Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022

    How To Get Rid Of Pond Weeds And Grass

    How to Get Rid of Pond Weeds and Grass. Grass and some weeds in a pond can look pretty up to a point, but if they overgrow, they can cover the pond and affect its function. Removing weeds and grass around a pond is not something to take lightly. You cannot use just any herbicide to remove vegetation around water. Things like wildlife and recreation must be taken into consideration so you don't cause any harm. There are a few chemicals on the market that are allowed for use in water.

    By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022 Read More
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    Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022

    How To Make Your Own Grass Plugs

    How to Make Your Own Grass Plugs. Grass plugs are used as a way to fill in bare areas of the yard, or help grow an new type of grass that will eventually take over the lawn. Home owners can grow grass plugs in their own yards, which gives the grass the opportunity to adjust to the climate, giving the new growth a better chance to thrive.

    By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022 Read More
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    Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022

    How To Kill Grass Without Killing The Shrubs

    How to Kill Grass Without Killing the Shrubs. If you have a garden, you know that grass and weeds pop up in the most annoying places. Grass has its place in the yard, but around plants and shrubs, it is unsightly and takes much-needed nutrients from the other plants. You will want to remove it as soon as it appears so that the work doesn't pile up and become overwhelming. There are a few ways that you can get rid of the grass without killing the surrounding shrubs.

    By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Produce
    Produce By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022

    How To Uncurl The Leaves On Peonies

    How to Uncurl the Leaves on Peonies. Leaves curl on peonies under certain conditions. When they curl it is a signal that something is wrong with the plant. If this happens, take steps to correct the situation before it harms the peonies any further. If left unattended, the plant could eventually die.

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    Trees
    Trees By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022

    How To Kill Worms In Pecan Trees

    How to Kill Worms in Pecan Trees. Referred to by many as bag worms, tent worms or web worms, these pests can set up camp in your pecan tree in no time at all. The web is the protective area for the young that have not hatched yet. Once out of the web, these little guys will eat away at the foliage of your tree and take on the pecans themselves. They generally won't harm the tree to the point of endangering its life; however, they do kill leaves and wreck havoc on your harvest. For this reason, it is best to remove them as soon as you see them setting up.

    By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022 Read More
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    Produce
    Produce By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022

    How To Get Rid Of Flies On Tomato Plants

    How to Get Rid of Flies on Tomato Plants. If you do a lot of gardening, you will come across several insects that are a problem for your crops. Tomatoes especially have a few different bugs that are bothersome. One in particular is the whitefly. It damages the vegetation of the plants with its suckers and can spread diseases from one plant to the next. If you have flies on your tomatoes, you need to remove them quickly in order to maintain healthy produce.

    By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022 Read More
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    Trees
    Trees By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022

    How To Use An Extension Ladder To Trim Tree Branches

    How to Use an Extension Ladder to Trim Tree Branches. Extension ladders extend upward to reach higher places. Extensions are retracted when not in use so the ladder can be stored more easily. When pruning trees, sometimes even a telescoping tree trimmer isn't long enough to reach all the branches. In these cases, an extension ladder is a good way to get you high into the branches to trim the limbs and keep tree healthy.

    By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022

    How To Run A Garden Hose Through Lattice & Under A Deck

    How to Run a Garden Hose Through Lattice & Under a Deck. When creating your own sprinkler system or irrigation for your home, you will sometimes run across obstacles. Decking covered at the bottom by lattice work is one of these obstacles. You could remove a section of lattice, run your hoses under the deck and then put the lattice back. However, you run a risk of breaking the lattice and having to replace it. If you would rather avoid the possible added expense and work, you can thread the hose through the lattice without having to crawl under the deck.

    By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Trees
    Trees By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022

    How To Get Rid Of Termites In Live Oak

    How to Get Rid of Termites in Live Oak. While mold, disease and drought all cause problems for live oaks, termites attack the tree in numbers. They eat out hollow places, bore holes and create major damage to the inside of the tree. Termite damage to a live oak results in death if you are not diligent in removing them. A few methods exist for killing the insects, but you must treat the oak as soon as possible to keep it alive.

    By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022 Read More
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    Produce
    Produce By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022

    What Nutrients Do Sunflower Plants Need?

    What Nutrients Do Sunflower Plants Need?. Sunflowers are strong and hardy flowers that can survive in almost any type of soil. They will grow even in poor soil conditions, however, they will not grow as large. To produce the healthiest sunflowers, they need to receive the proper nutrients.

    By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Trees
    Trees By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022

    How To Transplant Leyland Cypress Trees

    How to Transplant Leyland Cypress Trees. Leyland cypress are evergreen trees with a Christmas tree-like appearance. Growing more than three feet a year in good soil, these trees can reach upwards of 40 feet. If you prefer them to stay low to the ground, trim them often and make them into hedges. Transplanting is best done in fall, and before they become too big to move. Once in the new location, treat the transplanted Leyland cypress as a newly planted young tree until its establishes new roots.

    By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Produce
    Produce By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022

    How To Prevent Soil Settlement

    How to Prevent Soil Settlement. Soil settlement is an issue in gardening as it is in areas such as construction, farming and landscaping. Soil shifts and settles creating hard soil that does not drain well and is difficult to dig in. The settlement of the dirt sometimes makes low places that trap rain water in pools, or if under a structure, causes cracks in the foundation. Settling also causes dirt to move to other locations through erosion, which results in the exposed roots of plants and loss of top soil.

    By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Trees
    Trees By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022

    How To Prune Beech Trees

    How to Prune Beech Trees. Beeches are smooth-barked trees mainly grown in the eastern United States. They have shallow roots and can grow up to 100 feet tall is good conditions. Beech trees do not grow perfectly and sometimes require pruning to stay healthy or keep growing upward. The trimming requires some hard work, tools and a little knowledge about what to cut.

    By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Flowers
    Flowers By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022

    How To Keep Coons Out Of Sweet Corn

    How to Keep Coons Out of Sweet Corn. Raccoons love sweet corn and will tear off your garden to get to it. If there are problems with coons in your area, you should think of methods to defend your crops early in the season, before the raccoons even discover what is growing in your garden. Installing fences and adding plants that may keep the animals away from your fresh corn are some of the first measures to consider.

    By Tara Dooley November 4th, 2022 Read More
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    Produce
    Produce By Tara Dooley September 6th, 2022

    Homemade Phosphorus Fertilizer

    Homemade Phosphorus Fertilizer. Bone meal is the most readily available way to get phosphorus in your garden. It can be found in fertilizers or used with other products to mix up your own, so that you can control the levels of each nutrient that goes into your yard. If you want to make your own phosphorus fertilizer, the easiest way is to make your own bone meal. You can use scraps saved from your kitchen table so that you have one less thing going to waste.

    By Tara Dooley September 6th, 2022 Read More
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    Produce
    Produce By Tara Dooley September 6th, 2022

    How To Train English Ivy To Grow Up The Wall

    How to Train English Ivy to Grow Up The Wall. English ivy is a common ground cover for places where other things don't seem to grow. It can even grow up the sides of walls to soften architectural lines and create an old world charm to a house. If you want ivy to grow up instead of out, it doesn't take a lot of effort to get it started to cover area you wish.

    By Tara Dooley September 6th, 2022 Read More
  • Trees
    Trees By Tara Dooley September 6th, 2022

    How To Save A Ficus Tree

    How to Save a Ficus Tree. Ficus trees are beautiful, delicate trees that can last for years and grow to a good size. However, they tend to be picky, dropping their leaves when conditions are not to their liking or if they are moved, even when growing in a container. You will either spend hardly any time at all taking care of the tree short of watering it, or you will be constantly trying to figure out what is troubling it. When it develops health problems, there are several things that you can do to give it a chance to survive.

    By Tara Dooley September 6th, 2022 Read More
  • Trees
    Trees By Tara Dooley September 6th, 2022

    How To Take Care Of A Sorrento Lemon Tree

    How to Take Care of a Sorrento Lemon Tree. The Sorrento lemon tree is a well known variety that comes out of Italy with lemons that are typically a good size and have a nice juicy center and strong fragrance. Even though the tree produces lemons all year, the best fruits for flavor are grown in the spring months. To get the most from your homegrown Sorrento lemon tree, follow these steps.

    By Tara Dooley September 6th, 2022 Read More
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    Trees
    Trees By Tara Dooley September 6th, 2022

    Bugs Are Eating Little Holes In All The Leaves On My Weeping Cherry Tree

    Bugs Are Eating Little Holes in All the Leaves on My Weeping Cherry Tree. Weeping cherry trees are beautiful trees that provide lush green vegetation in the summer, pretty flowers in the spring and colorful leaves in the fall. Having one of these trees in your landscaping gives the space a focal point, but you must be vigilant about protecting them from diseases and hungry insects.

    By Tara Dooley September 6th, 2022 Read More
  • Trees
    Trees By Tara Dooley March 23rd, 2022

    How To Stop An Evergreen From Growing

    How to Stop an Evergreen From Growing. Evergreen trees tend to get fairly high in most cases, overpowering some smaller lawn areas. If you would like to have a certain evergreen tree but do not want it to go past a certain height, you can stop it, but it will require some maintenance to keep it under control. This is especially true on the sides, which will spread.

    By Tara Dooley March 23rd, 2022 Read More
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    Trees
    Trees By Tara Dooley March 23rd, 2022

    How To Kill Tree Mold

    How to Kill Tree Mold. Trees are not the towering, indestructible objects that they appear to be. They can be damaged by all sorts of things such as weather, drought, animals, insects and mold. Mold growth on trees shows up on the leaves as spots or a powdery film. It doesn't always mean the tree will die, but it can happen. Removing the mold is the best way to prevent further damage.

    By Tara Dooley March 23rd, 2022 Read More