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Backyard cuttings

Save some green on garden aids

Here are free or cheap garden helpers, from Better Homes and Gardens: Use an old plastic dishpan as a portable potting bench. Fill it with potting soil and the other supplies you need and carry it to your work site. Make a seed flat from an empty gallon milk jug. Cut off the bottom to make a shallow tray and poke a few drainage holes in it. Ragged old towel? Cut it in strips to make soft plant ties. Fend off the attack of the killer cutworms with collars you make from empty yogurt cups. Cut off the bottom and sink it into the ground around vulnerable plants.

A way to root out wasteful watering

In these times of drought, get the water where your plants need it: deep at the roots. The deep root irrigator from Yard Butler hooks up to your hose, then plunges into the ground to deliver water right to the root zone, without runoff and evaporation. Suggested retail is $21; it's available at Lowe's, or at www.yardbutlerstore.com.

Tourists that taste good: blueberries

You're seeing blueberries in the markets, but they're not from Florida. Ours are harvested in early spring - February through April. Northern varieties yield 20 pounds per bush, but Florida bushes produce just 4 to 5 pounds per bush. The small yield means Florida blueberries aren't competitive in the commercial market. They're not used for jams, jellies or baked goods.

Help your yard put on a pretty face

More tips on enhancing your home's curb appeal from the Professional Landcare Network: Create clean bed lines and add fresh mulch. Have shrubs professionally pruned: Bigger isn't always better, and if they're just overgrown, they're a liability. Power-wash walkways, driveways and porches.

Get the buzz on insects' passion

Can you tell a katydid from a cricket from a cicada? You can listen to their calls online at buzz.ifas.ufl.edu, a University of Florida site devoted to singing insects, and learn to recognize them. "The males of most species in these groups make loud, persistent calls" to attract females ready to mate, the site's authors say. Listen up!

Plants say 'cheers' to this mixed drink

Repel insects in your garden with this homemade elixir, from americasbest flowers.com. Chop up roots, stems and leaves of onion, garlic, horseradish, red pepper, mustard and mint in a blender. Add water to make one quart of repellent. Spray on infested plants.

Compiled by Homes and Garden editor Judy Stark

[Last modified June 21, 2007, 19:19:01]