Expert Advice on Home Improvement

Rain barrels are a great way to save and store water for use on your lawn or garden. While commercial models are available, you can also make your own rain barrel from a plastic garbage can. Watch our video on How to Make a Rain Barrel for Your Yard to find out how. Watch this video.

It’s important to keep you lawn watered during dry weather, but timed sprinkler systems often cut on when watering isn’t needed. The Wireless Moisture Sensor from Vigorouses uses a remote sensor to monitor moisture levels in the soil. It then relays the information to the timer to prevent it from cutting on unnecessarily. Watch this video.

This homemade rain barrel for recycling rainwater for use in your lawn and garden is an easy do-it-yourself project that costs less than $50. Watch this video to find out how. Watch this video.

Matt asks, “When I water, I like to spray the plant leaves in order to clean them off and cool them down. Is this OK?”

A spray of water is a great way to clean and cool your plants, but you should be careful to avoid disease and to protect your plants from heat damage in other ways as well. Read in full.

Summer is here, and along with it often comes a shortage of rainfall in many areas. To save water in your garden, consider investing in a few of these inexpensive gadgets to help you in your efforts. With a little attention to timing, and some careful watering, you can have a healthy garden while conserving water at the same time. Read in full.

Ken asks, “What is the best grass to plant in sandy soil that will withstand drought?”

Sandy soil increases the effects of drought by draining water rapidly, which makes it more difficult for lawn grass to survive without regular irrigation. Here are some suggestions for grasses that are better suited to these conditions. Read in full.

Carol asks, “A hard freeze is in my weather forecast. What are your recommendations about watering trees and shrubs in cold weather?”

In winter, the dry conditions can be more damaging than the cold itself. Learn how to water your plants properly when freezing weather approaches. Read in full.

Kurt asks, “Is there a way I can make my own swimming pool antifreeze for buried lines?”

Pool antifreeze is generally a propylene glycol solution, sometimes mixed with alcohol or other additives and sometimes just diluted with water. Read more to find out where to purchase it. Read in full.

Because of chronic drought conditions, my community has been under mandatory water restrictions for well over a year – something that is new to this part of the country. I find it interesting to contemplate how reality can force us to make changes that otherwise we’d dismiss as “good ideas, for somebody else or some other time.” Read in full.

Drip irrigation is one of the most efficient methods of watering, since it is delivered gradually and targets plants directly. This conserves water by minimizing waste through evaporation and overspray. Watch this video.