There are two types of stakes: metal or wood.  Both will get the job done, you just have to make sure that you install them correctly.  The first thing you need to do is make sure the stakes are planted deep into the ground.  Because you have to sink the stakes so deep, it is important that you install them when the tree is young.  If you wait until the tree’s roots have developed, installing stakes could damage the roots.  Another thing to keep in mind when installing stakes is that they should not be placed too close to the trunk.  Unlike the stake supports you would install for flowers, tree supports are supposed to be installed at a fairly large distance from the trunk.

The number of stakes you use is up to you.  You can use one stake if you are protecting a tree from the wind.  You should put the stake on the side of the direction of the wind.  Two stakes will be better if the wind comes from several directions, or if the tree is very young.  However, three stakes would always be best.

If you need stakes to support a young tree, try the Jobes Tree Start Kit.  This set comes with 3 large stakes, 36 feet of rope to tie up your tree, and 3 tree tubes (which protect the tree from any damage that could potentially occur from the rope).  The Jobes Tree Start Kit ensures that your tree will grow nice and straight.  The best part of this set is that the stakes can be reused.  Another great set of stakes is the DeWitt Tree Stake Kit 15 in. (Case of 14), pictured above.  Each case comes with 3 stakes, plus 3 support straps that will not injure the tree trunk.

How long do you need to keep stakes up?  If the stakes are used for young trees, you will only need to keep them up for  a year.  After that, the tree should be strong enough to support itself.  If you are using stakes because of wind, you need to use them until the trunk is strong enough to withstand the wind.

1) Make sure there are no utility lines where you plan on digging. This is an important step that you can not skip.  Make sure you call everyone who could potentially have utility lines in your yard: the gas company, phone company, cable company, and the water company.

2) Get rid of any and all weeds. You want to start with weed free soil before you put down your new grass.  It is important to treat the soil for weeds before the grass gets put down, because then you will not have to deal with weeds in your lawn.  First of all, you should NEVER cultivate or till your lawn to get rid weeds.  All this does is mix up weeds and weed seeds that may have been dormant, meaning now you will have MORE weeds than you started!

To get rid of weeds in your lawn, you need to use a high quality weed killer.  A popular brand is the Round Up Pump N Go Weed Killer 1.33 gallons (Case of 4), shown to the right.  You will not run out of weed killer when taking on the task of de-weeding your lawn!  Round Up Pump N Go Weed Killer 1.33 gallons (Case of 4) comes with a pump that releases a continuous spray for 5 minutes straight.  You give it a few pumps, and it is good to go for another 5 minutes.   After 10 minutes of the weed killer being on your yard, it becomes water proof.  It should only take about 6 hours to see results!

After you get rid of weeds try to cover your lawn with either strong black plastic or thick organic mulch, so you can keep out sun and water so any remaining dormant weeds do not start to grow before you lay down your grass.

3) Improve the quality of the present soil. The best way to improve the quality of your soil is to lay down organic matter.  Compost would be great, as would manure.  After laying down organic material you should add topsoil.  Then your lawn will be ready for the grass!

4) Make sure your soil has good drainage. Checking your soil drainage is incredibly easy.  All you need to do is place your hand on your lawn and feel if it is soggy.  If it is consistently soggy, you will need a professional to come in and lay down underground pipes.

One way to attract butterflies is through planting certain types of plants and flowers.  Certain plants are well known for attracting butterflies, such as Buddlea (which is a butterfly bush) and Ascelpias (which is a butterfly weed).  Butterflies also like lavender, lilac, marigold, rosemary, and day-lilies.  Keep in mind that different species of butterflies are attracted to different types of flowers, because different flowers have different types of nectar.  To maximize your chance of attracting butterflies, you should plant a wide variety of flowers.  If you are going to be planting a variety of flowers, try to plant large groups of similar plants together.  It will be easier for butterflies to spot their favorite flowers this way.

The use of pesticides in your garden may seem like a good idea to get rid of the pests that eat your vegetables and herbs,  but pesticides can also kill butterflies.  If you have to use pesticides in certain areas of your yard, please use them sparingly.  Keep them away from the areas that butterflies like to visit.

Some of my favorite butterfly attractors are the butterfly feeders you can purchase and put in your backyard.  I like the Woodlink Classic Butterfly Feeder, pictured to the right.  One reason this feeder attracts butterflies is because it is yellow, and butterflies are attracted to the color yellow.  The Woodlink Classic Butterfly Feeder has specific locations that you can place nectar and bananas, which butterflies love.  It is made of plastic material and has a metal hook so you can hang it from a variety of places.  The Bright Yellow Hanging Birdbath will also attract butterflies to your yard because of its bright yellow color.  Not only will it attract butterflies, but it will also attract birds!

Butterflies also like to have a place in your backyard where they can hide from bad weather or predators.  The Audubon Butterfly Shelter is a home that butterflies love.  This shelter is made of wood, and can hold a large number of butterflies at once.  Get ready to have tons of butterflies in your backyard!

There are a variety of ways to get rid of slugs and snails.  First, you should water your plants earlier in the day so they are not damp at night, when slugs and snails are most active.  Also, do not plant your plants too close to each other. This way, it will be easier for them to dry out by the time night time comes around.  Another easy way to prevent snails and slugs is to put out aluminum trays of cheap beer.    If slugs and snails have not disappeared after you have tried these tips above, you will have to move onto more serious methods of snail and slug control.

A great method to keep away slugs and snails is to use Slug Magic Pellets, shown to the right.  Not only is this product safe to use around animals, but it is also safe to use around beneficial earthworms!  It lasts after a rainfall, so you need not reapply too often.  You can also use Worry Free Slug Slug and Snail Bait 30 oz..  It is also safe to use around pets and wildlife.  Snails and slugs will come out of their hiding places to eat this bait!  When they eat the formula, they will immediately stop eating your plants.  They may remain in your garden, but they will die within 3 to 5 days of ingestion.

Never pour salt on slugs or snails.  It can be incredibly damaging to your plants.  Also, whenever you are buying a product that is meant to kill slugs or snails, make sure it is not damaging to pets.  You never know what your pets will eat when they are outside, and many products could be fatal to pets.

Pond pumps need to be on and working continuously.  You need to take into account the size of the pond to make sure your pump can handle the job it’s responsible for.  If your pump is not powerful enough for the job at hand, it will become maxed out and eventually break.  Talk about a waste of money!  To be sure you get the proper powered pump, you need to know how many gallons per hour (or minute) the pump can handle.  For every cubic foot your pond holds, it has 7.5 gallons of water.

Of the two types of pumps available (submersible and external), the size of your pond will determine which one is more appropriate for your needs.  Submersible pumps are extremely quiet because they stay under the water, specifically at the bottom of the pond.  These are ideal for smaller to medium sized ponds.  External ponds are noisier and sit at the edge of the pond.  If you have an extremely large pond, multiple pond, or you need your pump to power a fountain or waterfall, you will need to use an external pump.

You also have to pay attention to how energy efficient your pump is.  The more energy efficient it is, the more expensive it will be.  However, in the long run, you will save money on your energy bills.  A great energy efficient pond pump is the Tetra Debris Handling Pond Pump.  This pump comes in two sizes, one can handle a pond of up to 3000 gallons, and the other can handle up to 4000 gallons.  This pump is able to circulate water in ponds with 1/4 inches of debris.  It also comes covered with a big basket so that debris does not clog the pump.  Pond pumps that do not have a debris catching basket will require you to clean it very often, which can be a lot of work. This pump is so convenient because you can leave it in your pond or water garden and let it do its job!

Now that you know how important it is to grow your herbs in their own pot, there is one more important thing to keep in mind: you need to water herbs constantly.  Potted plants are notorious for drying quickly, and dryness can be detrimental to the growth of the herb.  Clay pots tend to dry out the quickest of any type of pot.

The placement of the pot is important, because you need to keep on eye on them to check on their growth.  A good place to keep the pot(s) is right outside the backdoor or right outside the kitchen window. The Panterra Flower Pot Planters, mentioned above, are versatile as they can be used as hanging pots, or simply based directly on the ground.  This way, you can put them in the place you pass by most often.  Another reason the Panterra Flower Pots are perfect for growing herbs is because they have a drainage hole in the bottom.  Although herbs require frequent watering, they do not like to be sitting in damp soil all day.

Pots come in a variety of colors, so you can be sure to find something that will match your personal tastes.  They come in different sizes, so you can have mixed displays of herbs!  For example, you can plant a variety of herbs in one large pot, and surround it will smaller pots filled with either more herbs or flowers for added color.  Or, you can place your pot of herbs right in your garden.  The only important thing is to make sure that you do not let herbs share soil with other plants!

There are a few tips you should keep in mind when planning your produce garden:

1.  Plant near your house. This way, you can keep an eye on your produce, and you will be able to pick it when you notice that its at its peak ripeness.  It will also be convenient to collect the produce when it is near your house.

2.  Plant in an area that gets morning sunlight. Your vegetables and herbs need at least six hours of direct sunlight a day.  Early morning sunlight dried the dew that collects overnight, which will decrease the chance of disease growing on your plants.  Additionally, afternoon sunlight can be harsh and may over-dry your plants.

3.  Prevent grass from mixing with your garden. You will need to separate your garden area from the rest of your lawn.  A good idea is to use bricks or decorative stones.

4.  Protect your garden from hungry animals. If you live in an area with deer, rabbits, or woodchucks, you will definitely want to protect your garden.  You may consider installing an animal barrier fence, like Ross Protective Garden Netting.  This malleable fence can be cut to your desired size.  It is temporary, and can be taken down at the end of the season and setup again next spring.  Setting up a net fence is a great alternative to using harmful chemicals.  If you have animals that like to dig under the fence, you will need to press wood or poultry wire through the ground to prevent digging animals from snatching your produce.

5.  Keep the soil fertile. If the garden space you chose does not have the most fertile soil, it is very important that you replace it with fertile soil.  Organic Tomato and Vegetable Food, shown above, is specially created for your vegetable garden.  Fertile soil thwarts the growth of weeds.

If you have never grown your own produce, you must start now!  You have not really tasted vegetables unless you have eaten them straight from your own garden. Your family will thank you for feeding them the freshest produce possible.

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Keeping the water temperature stable:

 Some recommend that the pond depth be at least 4 feet although we do not know of a standard depth requirement (certainly some are successful with depth less than 4 feet). This is because Koi are sensitive to quick changes in temperature which can cause death. The deeper the pond the more stable the temperature. In shallow ponds you may want to consider moving your expensive Koi indoors

Water goes through an interesting phenomenon as it cools below 40 degrees. Water as in most materials gets more denser as it cools. However as water cools below 39 F it actually becomes less dense causing the colder water to rise to the surface and form a layer of ice. This results in an insulation layer of ice on the top of the pond and the warmer water settling to the bottom of the pond. The fish will take advantage of this by gathering at the bottom of the pond. Very still water at the bottom of deep ponds will maintain a relatively stable temperature for the Koi.

Therefore we do not want agitate or move the water with a pump or waterfall. Moving the water around will cool the water in this level and can act like a heat sink by moving warmer water to the top of the pond and allowing the heat to escape into the air/ice. The same logic applies to the use of a waterfall (not to mention a waterfall can freeze over and re-direct water flow out of the pond). Colder water can hold larger amounts of oxygen along with the reduction in the fish metabolism makes aeration unnecessary at this time.

Feeding Koi in the Colder Months

As water temperature gradually through the fall/winter Koi will adapt to what for them is a natural phenomenon. During this period their activity and metabolism slows down. while this process happens pond fish will build-up natural fat stores to supply them energy in the winter months.

Koi fish metabolism slows when the water temperature reaches 55 degrees and their feeding needs significantly drop. At 50 degrees and below, stop feeding your Koi until Spring. The method to adjust and prepare the feeding habits there is a 70-60-50 rule in mind. Below 70 degrees use: low protein and wheat germ, below 60 degrees: wheat germ only, 50 degrees: no food needed. After the temperatures reach below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, any food in their stomachs will sour and cause the fish to become ill. However, they may nibble on the algae growing along the pond bottom.

The following are the basic issues that need to be addressed:

•  As with all fish a hole needs to be maintained in the ice to allow unwanted/dangerous gasses to escape.
• Koi are sensitive to fast changes in temperature. The key to is keep the water temperature stable as opposed maintaining warmer temperatures.
• Feed Koi easily digestible food down from about
• Stop feeding the fish in the 45 to 50 degree range

Keeping a hole in the pond ice:

You can use a pond heater to keep a hole in the ice at the water surface. Koi will tolerate being left outside if the pond is deep enough and you keep a hole in the surface of the ice to allow gases to vent. We recommend using  a floating de-icer that will keep an opening in the ice and not disturb the layer of warmer water that is required on the bottom of the pond.

We have seen suggestions that to make any deicer more efficient, you can use something to insulate it. If the deicer can be set in the corner of the pond, you can consider using a shelter over the unit (plastic dome or plywood shelter), so that it that traps lost heat. This may help the heater to work more efficiently and be especially applicable in colder climates/temperatures. If the pond does completely freeze over never open a hole by pounding or hitting the ice. This will cause shock waves that injure the fish. Instead, pour hot water (de-chlorinated ) over a section until the ice is melted.

More to come tomorrow!