Can Fertilizer Cause Rust Stains on Concrete?

Can fertilizer leave rust stains on concrete sidewalks and driveways?

Yes. Often times before the fertilizer can be swept off the concrete, either rain or water from a sprinkler system hits the fertilizer and turns the iron in the fertilizer to iron oxide, commonly known as rust.

This is one of the most stubborn rust problems that you can find. Many people will try muriatic acid or other harmful chemicals that are not only dangerous to your health, but also dangerous to the environment and can even damage cement.

Fortunately there is an alternative, Concrete Rust Remover. The product is safe to use, biodegradable and the most effective product we know of in removing rust from concrete. Please let us know if you're in need of our pressure cleaning service to use this product on your sidewalk or driveway.

The Importance of Landscaping in Home Buying

The right landscaping is a critical factor when it comes to home sales, for both the buyer and the seller. For the seller of the home, enhancing the landscaping can lead to a faster sale, and even to a higher selling price. For the buyer, the right landscaping can serve as an assurance that the home is worth the price being asked, and it can help to ensure that the home will retain its value as long as the landscape is maintained in its current condition.

On the other hand, many price conscious buyers and those seeking investment properties will specifically look for those homes whose landscaping is not up to neighborhood standards. The nature of the landscaping can reveal a great deal about the home and its current occupants, and those investors who are able to apply a critical eye to the landscape may be able to land some real bargains.
When it comes to looking critically at the landscape, however, it is important to keep in mind that every buyer and seller will have a different vision of what constitutes the perfect landscape. For some the perfect landscape may be a hillside covered with wildflowers and native species of plants. For others a meticulously groomed and manicured formal garden represents the epitome of class and style. Still others may prefer to incorporate water elements, such as ponds, waterfalls and fountains, into their dream landscape.

It is important, therefore, to distinguish between a neglected landscape and one that simply does not represent your tastes. While a landscape overgrown with weeds can indicate a sloppy homeowner, and perhaps other problems lurking inside the home, On the other hand, a well kept landscape that is, to your eye, in bad taste, may simply mean that the home and its interior is not in your style. This kind of problem is easy to fix, so be sure to consider the nature of the problem as you shop for the perfect home.

Of course you may be lucky enough to find the perfect home with the perfect landscape already in place. While this is not an everyday occurrence, it certainly does happen, and in fact it is the landscaping that leads many home buyers to the home of their dreams.

If, on the other hand, the home is perfect but the landscaping is not, it is important to visualize your dream landscape as you would like it to be. The first step is to sketch out the elements of the landscape as they are now, and then to mark down the changes you would like to make. If you need to remove trees, bushes or other permanent elements of the landscape, be sure to note that as you go. Having a visual representation of the perfect landscape will make it much easier as the landscape redesign goes forward.

As you visualize your perfect landscape, be sure to remember the importance of a good view. It is not enough for the landscape to be attractive to passing motorists and pedestrians; it is essential that the landscape provide you and your family with a pleasant view of the outside world. Considering how the landscape looks, from both inside and outside the home, will help you visualize, and create, the landscape of your dreams.

Annuals can Create a Huge Impact on your Home

Planting Annual flower beds, or "Seasonal Color," can create a huge impact on the visual aspect of your home. Commercial properties have done this for years to create a sense of being at home for their customers and to attract customers to their properties. Try color bowls or large container plantings near the entry of your home; or just fill the corner of a highly visible bed with annuals. Your friends and family will be very impressed with your landscape and home.


Can you see how the red Begonias stand out under the palm trees? That is just one example of how much of an impact seasonal color can make on your landscape; which is the first impression of your home. 

And as the old adage says, "The first impression is the most important!"

Landscaping: Pro vs. Joe

Going to the grocery store without a list – especially if you're hungry – is inadvisable, according to both financial and nutritional experts. You can end up with a mishmash of ingredients that look good but don't go together, returning home over budget and without a proper meal. 

The same can be true when you're hungry for a great landscape. The journey from blank slate of a yard to lush personal oasis can be fraught with as much danger as a trip down the potato chip and pop aisle. 

JOE - DIY (Do It Yourself) MEANS PATIENCE

Some homeowners opt to do it themselves. These dedicated DIYers must be prepared to have plenty of patience and be willing to learn along the way, while suffering the occasional failure, if they start without a plan. 

One of these daring folks is Julie Comfort, an avid DIY gardener and gardening guru to her friends. This green thumber started out with no skills, little plant knowledge, and definitely no plan 29 years ago, when her young family purchased their first home. 

"We bought a house with a yard that was yuck," she said with a laugh. 

Wishing to make this a place where she could entertain and where her young children could play, Comfort set out to learn all she could, devouring gardening magazines and consuming books recommended in their reading lists. 

With her children grown, she moved out of that home 25 years later. Its front yard was a grass-free homage to colour and the backyard a lush landscape surrounded by large trees, featuring a small pond. 

"If you don't know a lot about plants, then read, read, read. You also must have patience because it's all trial and error," said Comfort. She estimates that she lost one in four plants over the years. "Walk your garden regularly to see what's struggling and what's thriving. That tells you a lot about your choices." 


PRO - SAVING TIME AND MONEY

Howard and Marie* did just the opposite. After living in their home for five years, it was time to redo the deck and spruce up the backyard. 

"For any type of renovation, we would hire a professional. We just don't have those kinds of skills," said Howard. 

From the three quotes they received, the couple chose Grant Harrison and his company Escapes Outdoor Living Designs. A professionally rendered plan is one of the benefits of dealing with a professional. The homeowners worked with Harrison and his landscape designer Michelle Schinkel to come up with a design that worked. "We had an idea of what we wanted and he came back with a plan. We massaged it and came up with one we loved," Howard says. 

According to Howard, Harrison and his crew were able to make recommendations and offer ideas that the couple wouldn't have thought of on their own. For instance, there was an existing cedar shed that the couple was concerned about matching. Harrison's research revealed that using a special type of stained pressure-treated wood would answer all of their concerns: colour matching and colour retention (natural cedar goes grey with age), as well as durability. 

Privacy and soundproofing were also an issue, as the couple was looking for a more secluded environment after a neighbour installed a pool. 

"Grant came up with the idea of planting cedars," said Howard. Placed along part of the side and rear fences, these trees will grow into a hedge that ensures privacy and offers some sound buffering. Schinkel designed planting beds that would work under the shade of the existing trees and the cedars, and others that could deal with the almost full-sun areas surrounding the deck. Harrison and Schinkel included extra seating in the plans for the deck by adding bench seats along the rails. 


"We would have never thought of that, but it makes it much more usable," Howard enthuses. 

This is in stark contrast to the experience that some homeowners have had when they've discovered that the landscape they wanted doesn't really work. Mike Pascoe, with Kernow Gardens, has been called in to rescue yards gone wrong – those that started without a plan and ended in the wrong place. "They've futzed around with it for a long time and I've had to go in and cut it down anyway. Sometimes there are 30-year-old trees that are just wrong for the landscape." 

Pascoe estimated that homeowners should spend 10% of the house's value on landscaping their outdoor spaces for maximum resale value. This cost will be recouped when selling your home. 

"A lot of people balk at hiring a professional, but I can almost guarantee that you'll save money because you'll avoid a lot of foolish mistakes," said Pascoe.

Before

In the Process

Finished

Drawing

Landscaping in the Shade in North Florida

Different parts of a garden may possess entirely different conditions, shade landscaping takes advantage of those areas which have light restricted in some way. The sunlight in a garden may be restricted by artificial barriers such as the wall of a house or garden wall, or natural obstacles such as trees and foliage; light barriers may have been put up with the express purpose of creating shade or else a shaded are may be the outcome of an entirely different need. In all cases there are plants which thrive or suffer from these conditions and the wise gardener will research the plant choices available before planning, designing and purchasing.

There is not just one kind of shade, nor one kind of shaded area. There is the area which is shaded during the morning, but catches the sun in the afternoon; and there is the area which sees the morning sun but not the afternoon. Then there is the shade created by overhead foliage which might keep an area without direct sun or perhaps under a perpetual mottled light; the favoured situation for fuchsias, for example. The shade areas are often categorized as: deep shade, part shade and filtered sunlight areas. 

In all 3 cases there are plants available to choose from, selections to be made. In gardens where no shade or little shade is available the planting of trees, shrubs and the erecting of well placed barriers can create these spots to allow a variety of plant to thrive in your garden. 

Shade areas are relatively easy to maintain parts of your garden too. Typically, plants that enjoy shade do not require a lot of water and do not grow very fast either. They tend to be un-invasive as well.

The most important thing is understanding the requirements of each plant to have it thrive. Those plants which enjoy strong sunlight are least likely to endure shade; similarly, those plants which enjoy deep shade will not endure much direct sunlight. Shade landscaping adds a greater variety to your landscape and will break up the monotony of sun-loving Florida plants.

5 WAYS TO HELP YOUR LAWN IN A DROUGHT

Grass requires plenty of water to keep it green and growing. Long periods without rain, like we've been in recently in North Florida, can mean that you end up with a dying yard. Here are ten ways to make sure your lawn is ready for the drought.

1. Irrigate deeply and less often – Set your irrigation to use plenty of water at once. Watering longer will allow you to space out your waterings. This will encourage your grass roots to  reach down for the water instead of just accessing what is available near the surface.
2. Avoid fertilizers – Don’t apply fertilizers to your lawn before or during a season of drought. This is actually harmful to your lawn rather than helpful because it increases the need for water.
3. Raise the mower height – By raising the cutting height on your mower, you will be encouraging root growth in your grasses. This will help the grass stay greener longer during a drought season. This is ESPECIALLY true for St. Augustine grass.
4. Increase potassium – Prior to a drought season, change your fertilizer to one that contains a higher level of potassium. Potassium may encourage root growth in your grasses. The key term here is prior, and that is months prior; not just before the drought.
5. Change grass types – Zoysia turf grasses will maintain their green qualities longer during a drought than other grasses. If drought is a frequent problem, you may want to consider increasing these types of grasses in your lawn. St. Augustine grass is not very drought tolerant at all, although it is easily the most popular grass in our area.

As you can see, there are a lot of things you can do to help keep your lawn greener, longer, during a drought period. Just remember, that if you can water, watering longer and less often will be better for your grass than small amounts every day. Please let us know if you have any other questions or would like any help with your irrigation system.