Landscaping
12 Worst Trees to Plant in Your Lawn
- Fruitless mulberry trees: roots break lawnmowers and these trees really pump out the allergenic pollen. Shade
is also too deep for lawns.
- Sweetgum trees: big roots that poke out of the lawn.
- Pine trees: root problems and pollen too.
- Sycamore trees: usually grow way too large for most yards and they produce fuzz that makes people itch.
- Cedar trees: a female cedar is a nice, pollen-free tree, but grows way too large for most houses and yards.
- Magnolia trees: these have shallow roots and if you ever have to rototill your yard, if you have a magnolia tree in
the lawn, you'll be sorry. Shade is too dense too for most lawns.
- Lombardy poplars: these common trees grow fast and die young, leaving you with a huge mess. They also
are male and produce lots of pollen.
- Olive trees: unless it is a Swan Hill or some other non-flowering olive, this one will cause all kinds of allergies.
The olives are a big mess too.
- Walnut trees: nothing grows well under them and they produce lots of pollen and also smelly walnut fruit husks that
draw flies.
- Brazilian Pepper trees: roots are a problem for mowing, the shade is too deep for lawns, and they cause skin rashes
and other allergies.
- Seedless or fruitless Chinese Pistache trees: big producers of the most allergenic pollen. Slow to leaf out in
spring.
- Catalpa trees: slow to leaf out in spring and fast to lose their leaves in the fall. No real fall color at
all and they are known to shed considerable amounts of allergenic pollen each spring.
About the author:
Thomas Ogren is the author of Allergy-Free Gardening, Ten Speed Press. Tom does consulting work on for the USDA, county
asthma coalitions, and the American Lung Associations. He has appeared on CBS, HGTV and The Discovery Channel. His book,
Safe Sex in the Garden, was published 2003. In 2004 Time Warner Books published his latest: What the Experts May NOT Tell
You About: Growing the Perfect Lawn. His website: www.allergyfree-gardening.com
Mosquito Farms - Is That What Water
Gardens Are?
What is nicer that a lovely backyard garden pond. The lush growth rising above the water, graceful fish darting about
and the soothing sound of the water. These are just a few of the reasons people are drawn to water gardens.
But when you think about adding a water feature to your garden, you are torn, because you know that a charming pond can also
be a mosquito hatchery. And, everyone is concerned; rightly, about mosquitoes and the diseases they spread.
It is true, mosquitoes do need water to breed, but at the same time, there are so many effective ways to prevent
mosquitoes from breeding in ponds, you should not let that stop you. Water gardeners are in a unique position; they can
have wet spaces that can actually help stop mosquitoes from breeding.
Just a few simple precautions are all you need to feel safe and enjoy such a wonderful addition to the landscape.
If you have a water garden, or want one, try these suggestions.
- Have moving water in your water garden. Mosquitoes will not lay eggs in running water. The newly hatched mosquito must
rest on the water's surface for a few minutes to let its wings dry. If the water is moving, the female mosquito will not
lay eggs there.
- Get some mosquito fish for your pond. Mosquito fish, or gambusia affinis, are very aggressive predators
of mosquito larvae. They are also aggressive to other fish and will also eat dragonfly larvae, or nymphs. If mosquito fish
are too predatory for your particular tastes, several other types of fish readily consume mosquito larvae, such as
guppies, killifish, and small goldfish. Koi are too large and will not target the larvae.
- Add Bti to your pond. Bti is a naturally occurring type of bacillus that is eaten by the mosquito larvae, and rapidly
kills them. It is not harmful to fish, pets, wildlife or humans. It is sold under such names as Mosquito Dunks, or
Mosquito Bits.
- Add dragonfly larvae, or nymphs, to your pond. They are voracious predators of mosquito larvae, and while the
mosquito larvae stay in that stage for only a few days, the dragonfly nymphs stay in the larval stage for up to two years,
and can prey on many generations of mosquito larvae. And, when they become adults, the dragonfly feeds on adult mosquitoes
too.
- Invite toads into your yard. One toad can consume up to 100 mosquitoes and slugs per night. They lay their eggs in
water, so the pond will attract them. If happy with its environment, a toad can grace your garden for up to 20 years. And
the tadpoles will eat mosquito larvae also.
- As an overall precaution, get a propane powered mosquito trap, such as the Mosquito Magnet, to reduce the
mosquito population in your garden area. These are the most effective mosquito killers around, and they will capture
(and kill) the mosquitoes that your natural controls miss.
With the growing concern about mosquito diseases, like West Nile virus, malaria, and dengue fever, it is natural to
feel reluctance to add any water source around your home. With the right precautions, you can beautify your garden and
still feel secure that you are not inviting mosquitoes into your immediate environment.
If water gardening appeals to you, just educate yourself, take the needed precautions, and get ready to enjoy the beauty
and serenity a water feature adds to your home.
About the author:
Scottie Johnson is a life long mosquito warrior, freelance author and organic gardener.
For all the information you need about killing and repelling mosquitoes, visit her site
at http/www.mosquito-kill-net.com
