We get asked this question alot. What are all these little bumps in my lawn? If you have bumps in your lawn its generallya good thing, as it indicates earthworm activity in your soil.

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Its a good thing what they do in that they are helping aerate your soil. This helpsimprove soil structure by relieving soil compaction, improving air circulation,moisture penetration and it also increases microbial activity, which in turn helps decompose thatch. Without boring you will all the othercompounding benefits, just know that worms are a good thing and any pesticides applied to your lawn will not effect them.

So what to do about all thosebumps you say? Well,the best way to approach it is to try not to put in too much effort. Youll always have earthworms and thats a good thing.So, by fertilizing your lawn and maintaining a good thick turf stand you help to mask the bumps in your lawn. If your turf stand isnt as dense as you would like it or you can see thecastings without having to pull away the grass then you shouldseriously consider an over seeding service to sew in more grass seed to help thicken your lawn. Having a good thick turf stand is beneficial in many ways. The more intense approach would be to stop into your local hardware or big box store and pickup a lawn dethatcher. De thatching your lawn in the spring time is always recommended before the green shoots start to rise. But, you can also do this at any time of the season. A lawn dethatcher has metal tines that flick and scrape at the grass helping to remove dead decomposing grass. It also can help break down those dirt castings and relieve some of the bumpiness. It may take several passes to get enough of them to meet your satisfaction.

NEVER ROLL YOUR LAWN!!! Rolling your lawn may seem to be a good idea in this case but it is definitely not. Rolling your lawn compacts the soil making it extremely difficult for turf grass roots to grow and pull in the nutrients and moisture they need. The only time wed recommend rolling a lawn is just after you seeded a new area. That would help drive the seeds into the soil. But you wouldnt be looking to compact the soil here so you would be using a light weight roller. Something that wouldnt do much for squishing the earthworm castings.

Taking the time to diagnose what is really going on with your lawn is the first step in protecting your investment for the longhaul.

If youthink you have some turf density issues andare currently on our regular lawn care program, GIVE US A CALL! Well give you some recommendations as to what your lawn or soil needs to get the lawn youve been looking for.

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What are all those bumps on my lawn? - Green Thumb Lawn ...

Go to a completed landscape project that a landscape architect has designed. Before you visit the site, obtain a plan of the design from the landscape architect if one is available. After completing requirement 1, discuss the following with your merit badge counselor: a. Tell whether the design had separate spaces, a clear path system, and sun and shade variety. b. Discuss how the designated seating, eating, or parking area suited the overall design. c. Explain how the design reflected consideration for the comfort, shelter, and security of the users. d. Discuss how the choice of trees, shrubs, and ground covers used in the project contributed to its appeal and function. Identify five shrubs, five trees, and one ground cover, being sure that you select examples of different shapes, sizes, and textures. With the help of your counselor or a local nursery, choose plants that will grow in your area. Bring pictures of the different planting materials or, if possible, examples of their branches, leaves, or flowers to a troop meeting. Be prepared to tell how you might use each in the design of a landscape. Look at and study a place of worship or school grounds to find the place where most people arrive by bus or car. Show you can do the following: a. Using a measuring tape, measure and draw the entry and its nearby area using a scale of 1/8 inch equal to 1 foot on an 11-by-17 inch piece of paper. Be sure to include the driveway and the wall and door where people enter the school or place of worship. b. Indicate any sidewalks, structures, trees, and plants within the study area. Make a copy of this plan to save the original, then do 4b and 4c using the copies. c. On one copy, use directional arrows to indicate where the water drains across the site, where ditches occur, and where water stands for a longer period of time. Decide how you can make the place safer and more comfortable for those using it. Redesign the area on another copy of the plan. You may want to include new walks, covered waiting areas, benches, space-defining plantings of trees and shrubs, and drainage structures. Find out about three career opportunities in landscape architecture. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you. The text of these requirements is locked and can only be edited by an administrator. Please note any errors found in the above requirements on this article's Talk Page.

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After Mike Moran's landscapers mow and trim, they finish with the meticulous and uncommon touch of vacuuming a yard to leave it "perfect for a picture."

The arrival of daylight saving time Sunday steps up lawn-watering limits in nearly all of Central Florida from once to twice a week, marking the return of the growing season for lawns and prime time for pollution.

Grass cuttings, fallen oak leaves and other yard waste are packets of natural fertilizer that turn rivers and lakes into algae soup.

"There's no controversy over that," said Cris Costello, Sierra Club organizer in Florida. "Nobody disputes that it's a big problem but that it's easy to fix."

Fixing the problem means preventing clippings from migrating down gutters into local waters. That's easy relative to solving other pollution, including leaky septic tanks. But it's still a challenge, with contrasting opinions over solutions.

As owner of Royal Palm Landscape in Orlando, Moran seems more willing to experiment than the typical landscaper. For example, he is attempting to fuel a work truck with grass clippings and tree scraps.

Moran has used vacuums for years at modest homes, Winter Park mansions and luxury-auto dealers. He empties their bags at a landfill-compost site during regular trips to also dispose of tree and shrub trimmings.

He said the machines speed work, leave a home ready for a magazine feature, and "it's the right thing to do" environmentally.

If vacuuming seems like a win for the property owner and for the environment, not all in the landscape profession are impressed.

"It's flat-out nasty the dust, dirt," said Tom Burish, director of Florida Landscape Management Association, referring to emptying vacuum bags.

Excerpt from:
Vacuum, bag or blow before yard pollutes water

Photo by: Sandra Mason

Garden walks offer an abundance of landscaping ideas.

Every time I look out the window, I dream of green and then gorge myself on tantalizing images of flowers and fruits in magazines and catalogs. Glorious gardens immersed in the picture-perfect light of dawn shine in garden magazines.

Of course, out of frame is the butterfly bush that was crushed by the basketball as the kids were playing one-on-one.

Cropped and coiffured images are pleasant dreams but hardly the reality of gardening. Maybe it's time for an adjusted aesthetic in our quest for garden perfection.

Our life coaches may come to us in the shape of a dog. One of my gardening acquaintances was blessed with a big Lab named Opie.

On hot summer days, Opie loved to dig in her garden and plop his big beefy body in the cool, moist soil.

She tried putting a big rock in Opie's digging spot. Undaunted, Opie just found another spot to dig. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep Opie from digging a summer loafing spot.

She finally decided to recognize Opie's landscaping aesthetic. She painted a beautifully adorned sign that heralded Opie's contribution. Rather than explain to every garden visitor why she had a big hole in her garden, the "Opie's Garden" sign was now a source of lighthearted banter about the joys of gardening. Instead of constantly fighting for perfection, she and Opie created a blissful alternative with her adjusted aesthetic.

First of all, learn to love your yard, even those quirky shady areas, wet spots and areas where the tree roots stick out. Certainly some changes can be made short of a bulldozer, but resolve now to quit fighting what is there. Work with what you have. Remember, in this ball game, Mother Nature bats last.

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Sandra Mason: Learn to love your landscape

Eric Pickles has agreed to visit Shropshire over controversial plans to build homes and holiday chalets next to a beauty spot in Church Stretton.

The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has said he will contact campaigners this week about arranging a site visit to Church Stretton and Caer Caradoc hill fort, next to which 85 houses and 16 holiday cabins are planned to the outrage of nearby residents.

The news was announced at a public meeting called by the Campaign to Protect Rural England at which more than 150 people gathered to talk about fighting the proposal by developer Morris Property. Church Stretton resident Martha Tryers, a 66-year-old retired paralegal researcher, said she had been in touch with Mr Pickles over intervening in plans to build Coventry Airport on greenbelt land, which she had successfully convinced him to do.

Now she had raised the matter of the houses at New House Farm, by Caer Caradoc, with him and only the night before the meeting he had told her: If only to get rid of you, Martha, I will come, she said.

The meeting heard Shropshire Council was convinced to remove the proposal last year, but a new planning application had been made which moved the site a little down the hill. The applications accompanying landscape strategy claims to assimilate the development into the surrounding area and the AONB it does nothing of the sort, said George Chancellor, chair of the Shropshire Hill Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) partnership.

He said the planners did not seem to understand that it was not simply about the look of the site, but about the wider impact such a large amount of houses could not fail to have on the surrounding countryside.

David Wilkes, of Strettons Civic Society, himself a former planning inspector, said the application would not go before Shropshire Councils south planning committee now until May at the earliest.

It was expected to be decided on March 10, but has been put on hold as the Highways Agency has requested more detail on access to the New House Farm site.

He said if approved the estate could set an unfortunate precedent opening the way to hundreds of houses on the greenbelt land around Caer Caradoc to the east of the A49.

John Woolmer, of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, who called the public meeting, said campaigners would be protesting at Shirehall and called for people to get involved.

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Eric Pickles to visit Shropshire over hill fort homes bid

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