Blog posts tagged with 'irrigation'

We have all seen those cute, sometimes funny Terra Cotta Pot people on Facebook, Pinterest, or even in a Garden or two.  How in the world are they put together.  This Blog is designed to show you how, step by step to do just that, so you can have one of these unique creations in your garden to astound your neighbors with your ability to create unique garden art.

Step 1: Cut two long ropes for arms, and two longer ropes for legs.

Step 2: Arms – String 4” squat terra cotta pots through holes, knotting between pots for spacing.

Step 3:  Legs – string 4” terra cotta pots through holes, knotting between pots for spacing.

Step 4: Thread both arm ropes through the bottom of a 6” pot for the head.

Step 5: Thread both leg ropes through bottom of a 8” pot for the body.

Step 6: Continue leg ropes though second 8” body pot.

Step 7: Attach two body pots with outdoor-grade glue and let dry. Tie off the leg ropes extending Through the top hole.

Step 8: Glue the head and arms to the body

Step 9: Glue moss between the pots as needed

Step 10: Ad scarf, hat, glasses and or a plant head.

Watering you plants is very important. Without water they will die. If you give them too much water they may die as well. If you water them at the wrong time of day you could hurt them as well.

So, when is the best time to water your plants?

Mornings tend to be the best time to water your plants. The mornings are best for a few reasons. For starters it is cool in the morning so the amount of water lost due to evaporation is lower than if you were to water during the mid-day hours. Some people like to water their plants at night. The problem with watering at night is that the plants remain damp all night and can become damaged due to fungal and bacterial diseases. 

As for how much water your plants should get depends on the age. If they are new plants they will need extra water until the roots take hold. If you have a established plant then the roots may be deep enough to reach the damp soil.  as for how to water your plants it is best to use a drip system instead or a regular sprinkler that waste a lot of water and drenches the leaves which do not need the water. 

If you are looking for a great low-flow irrigation system that will take care of all your watering concerns Mister Landscaper has it all. They have great DIY low-flow irrigation kits as well as timers that will control the time and length of time your plants get water. Mister landscaper has great prices and is made in the USA. you can visit them at www.misterlandscaper.com. They also provide free shipping on orders of $25.00 or more.

A few years ago, a good friend of mine took the time to plant a wonderful
 small garden in his back yard. He lay down a row of squash and zucchini and
 was looking forward to what it would yield. The plants grew nice and lush.
  He watered and fertilized as required. Then they began to bud, marking the
beginning of the lovely vegetables. Everything was going according to plan.
  My friend was disappointed a few weeks later when the plants never produced
 any vegetables. He scratched his head thinking about what he might have 
forgotten to do. As he went down his checklist, it never once occurred to
him that the solution to his dilemma was as simple as four letters. B E E S!

Later, another friend of his at work told him that more than likely what had
 happened was a lack of our buzzing friends who are responsible for
 pollinating our plants. Quite simply, when the vegetable plants budded,
there were no bees around to spread the pollen. Could it be that simple? The
 answer is yes.


Anyone who has lived in Florida for a considerable amount of time has driven 
by an orange grove. The white stacks of wooden crates in the middle of the 
grove? Those are bee hives. They ensure the trees will produce oranges next 
fall. Amazing, isn't it?


Next time you are in your garden, and you notice a few of our hard working 
friends buzzing around, just let them be. They're doing you a huge
favor--what they were meant to do.
 

Whether we are gardeners, landscapers or just enjoy working in our yard from time to time, we are all busy.  Every now and then it is nice just to take a little breather and relax, keep in mind all of the hard work that has been done, and admire nature for what it is.  This weeks blog encourages everyone to do just that. Stop and smell, or in this case, look at the flowers.  Below you will find some of this springs best flower shots taken by our own pro photographer.  Some have been posted on our Facebook page, some on Twitter, and some will be seen for the first time.

Thank you to all our wonderful Micro and Drip Irrigation customers, and have a great week enjoying all that nature has to offer.

Mr. Landscaper Team

Dryer conditions can happen anytime and anywhere. Sometimes it's hard to know what to do to make your home and landscape more water efficient, while still making a visual impression on the design. 

A new trend has been popping up in many arid and drought-affected climates that combines landscape design with efficiency and conservation.  Many of the cascading water fountains in these regions have been turned into planters.  Where water used to pour over the rims of these fountains, plants have taken its place - creating a unique design element that raises the eye above the ground and gives structure, dimension and focus to the overall landscape.

Mister Landscaper happened upon this great example of how these fountains can be transformed at the EPCOT Flower & Garden Show, so we wanted to share it with our customers.

Below is a step-by-step, how to turn your fountain into a planter.

Step 1:

Drill holes in the basins of your fountain.

Step 2:

Cover the holes you drilled with mulch, pot shards, or landscape fabric.

Step 3:

Fill the basins with lightweight potting soil.

Step 4:

Plant drought-tolerant plants of different colors and textures. (In our example, succulents were used.)

Step 5:

Water your new planter regularly, but only when the soil is dry.  Using a Drip Irrigation system like our Patio Watering Kit with dripper stakes will make sure that your new planter gets just the right amount of water to keep your plants healthy and still conserve water.

Step 6:

Enjoy the new addition to your garden. It is bound to turn some heads, or maybe start a conversation or two with the neighbors.

Summer is just around the corner.

For some of us that means some “Dog Days” ahead. For others, maybe not so bad. But one thing that is certain is that most of our country has been faced with drought issues for a few years now. From the Southwest to the Southeast, the presence of rain has been scarce.

• Use native plants to your area.
• Choose low-water grass types.
• Plant trees and shrubs to slow erosion and cool down the area.

• Hand watering is not very efficient.
• Drip & Micro Spray Irrigation is best for all plants, flowers, shrubs, and trees.
• Watering early in the morning is best.
• Water the lawn, not the pavement, by adjusting the sprinklers.
• Chemical fertilizers speed up the growth of lawns, not using them means less to water.
• Raise the cut length of your mower. Taller grass shades the roots and promotes healthier turf & requires less watering.
• Do not puddle the water by over-watering. Water less time and more often to give it time to soak in if you have harder soil types.

Many plant enthusiasts who use drip irrigation and micro irrigation in their landscapes and gardens know that one of the best ways to water plants with just the right amount of water is to use an electronic timer.  Mister Landscaper has had various types of electronic timers over the years - each one adding more features as technology improved.

We are happy to announce that we have just added a new automatic water timer (Product Number: MLWT-TIMER). This timer comes fully loaded with tons of great features, which makes it much better than our previous model.

Just for comparison's sake, we listed some of the differences between our new timer and our old one so you can see for yourself if an upgrade would be worth it.

Our new timer can be set to the nearest minute, versus the old one, which was to the nearest hour.

Our new timer has a run time of 1 to 240 minutes, while the old timer could only run from 1 to 99 minutes.

Our new timer has 11 different watering cycles to choose from. The old timer had only 8 cycle choices.

Our awesome new timer has a manual run time of 5 minutes up to 240 minutes. Compare this to the old timer which only had a 30-minute option.

The new Mister Landscaper timer takes 2 AA batteries instead of the hard-to-find 9-volt blocks.

With the new timer, it is much easier to change the battery, with no screws to undo - unlike the older one in which two screws had to be removed.

One of the neatest features in the new timer is a rain delay setting. This allows you to delay 1, 2, or 3 days before a run cycle. The old timer did not have this feature at all, so it is a great add-on for sure.

All of the new features make this new electronic timer a definite plus in our drip irrigation and micro irrigation product line.  It allows customers to set their watering times for their landscapes and gardens, then go about their lives, knowing that their gardens will get just the right amount of water they needs.  The avid gardener could even go on a vacation and not have to get a garden sitter. Nice. 

Depending on where you live, you might have already started your vegetable garden or are in the planning stage.

Irrigation is a very important part of any garden, especially vegetables. Too much or too little water can affect not only the quality of your produce but also whether you get any produce.

Mister Landscaper’s Vegetable Garden Drip Kit is perfect for your home vegetable garden. It’s easy, time-efficient, and includes everything you need to water up to 100 linear feet of vegetables. Take a look.

Mister Landscaper’s Vegetable Garden Drip Kit… The right amount of water for all your vegetables.

Join the discussion... Are you growing vegetables? If so, which ones? How is it going?

As I walked into my local garden center with my two-year-old in the basket, we were presented with a beautiful sight.  The place was alive with color, as the fresh spring flowers were on display from front to back of the greenhouse. Not only that, but the place was buzzing with excitement, and it wasn’t the bees. The employees were cleaning and prepping and helping customers pick out the plants that they wanted and find things that were hidden behind huge racks of potted perennials.

I suppose spring is like a garden lover’s Christmas time.  The color, the scent of fresh mulch and deep dark soil could definitely be acquainted to the scent of cinnamon or fresh holly. My daughter loved it so much that she even took some pictures of the flowers with my iPod. 

We are a little spoiled here in Florida, where spring comes early.  I know that half the country is still on the chilly side, but there are many happenings to welcome in spring, including garden shows dotting the country. So, if you are looking to fit a little spring into the tail end of your winter, look one up.  I know I am looking forward to a few.

If you happen to be looking for a way to water all those plants you are going to buy at the garden shows, we recommend Drip Irrigation & Micro Irrigation, of course. It is the best way to save water in your new garden - and give you more time to enjoy it.

Most people who work in the landscape or gardening industry know about Drip Irrigation and Micro Irrigation.  It's been used in some agricultural areas for over 40 years and is increasingly being used by larger and larger farms and groves for everything from grapes to oranges.  This has proven to be a vast improvement on the goals of saving water and wise use of water by the industries that depend on it to survive.

In recent years, large landscape companies have also adopted Micro and Drip Irrigation as a way to water a variety of landscapes, keeping the plants well-nourished and saving 50% or more on water usage.  Everywhere you look you can see it, little black stakes in the ground with Micro Sprays hidden behind bushes, Drip Irrigation tubing stretching through landscaped flower beds. With ever-increasing awareness of conservation of water, and the importance of being wise with resources, this trend will continue to improve as time goes on.

All of these things are incredible on their own, but they are just the beginning.  Where Drip Irrigation is heading now is into the garden and landscape of the average homeowner.  Most homeowners shy away from trying to mess with installing irrigation, for fear that it is too complicated or that they will not do it right and create a disaster that will kill all of their plants. But with droughts at a record high, and the desire of many to establish home gardens, that mentality is quickly changing. 

The benefits of using Drip Irrigation and Micro Irrigation are tremendous.  It's not just about not wasting water.  The plants get what they need rather than too much water, which can lead to fungus growth and premature rot in the root systems.  Also, many areas in the country that are under drought conditions will allow home owners to use low-flow irrigation products in their landscapes and gardens, rather than sprinklers.

Right now, homeowners across the country are realizing the need to use water wisely and are looking to install their own Micro and Drip Irrigation systems .  We applaud that - and encourage others to do the same.  A difference can be made, one garden and landscape at a time!