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How To: Install a pond skimmer

Install a pond skimmerThe most critical steps to installing a skimmer are the water level and attaching the liner to the face plate with a water tight seal. The pond should be rocked in. The skimmer needs to be level from front to back and side to side. That's critical. Optimum water level is approximately 3/4 inch down from the top of the steel face. Use the level (tool) to determine the water level on the face plate. It's important to have the weir door work effectively. Prepare the area fo...

How To: Turn an Old Washing Machine Drum into an Awesome Outdoor Fire Pit

If you want to put a fire pit in your backyard, but don't want to spend a lot of time or money on it, this $10 DIY Upcycled Fire Pit designed by Sarah and Joe over on House & Fig is the perfect weekend project. It's simple, looks great, and shouldn't take much more than an hour to put together. You can pick up a washing machine drum from a used appliance store, and you'll also need a few pieces of steel for the legs and a can of high-heat paint.

How To: Lay a flagstone patio

There are many different ways in which you can change the look of your outside space. One of the best options is creating a patio area that you and others are sure to use. Cement is a common theme, but if you want something more Earthy, then try creating a flagstone patio. Good luck and enjoy!

How To: Install a new mailbox post and box with Lowe's

In this tutorial, we learn how to install a new mailbox post and box with Lowe's. First, you will need to gather all your tools and a new mailbox. After this, print out directions for the project through the Lowe's website. Now, call 811 to call your utility company to make sure you aren't digging through an electrical line. Mail boxes have a specific height they need to be installed at, so make sure you follow these guidelines. After this, dig out the hold from the ground, then fill in grave...

How To: Excavate a pond and use hand tools

This video shows you how to excavate a pond using hand tools and a jackhammer.First of all, you must organize your digging in shelves. A pond should have some parts deeper than others. You start by leveling the pond at the part where it will be more shallow (thus creating the first shelf). Then go to a deeper part and level that out. In this way you create shelves with different elevations.Your tools for excavating are the spade, the flat shovel, the pick, the wheelbarrow and the jackhammer. ...

How To: Top dress your roses

Top dressing is important for roses. Add one or two inches of good organic matter in and around the plants, taking care not to disturb the roots. Lori likes a material that is well composted, something with a lot of different sized particles, a product with a little nutrient charge included. Something with phosphorous, nitrogen, even some bone meal as well as some iron is good, since these ingredients tend to green the leaves. Top dressing will keep Roses looking good year after year.

How To: Control Running Bamboo

Most bamboo in the United States is running bamboo, because nearly all cold hardy bamboo is the running or invasive type. The tropical bamboos are mostly "clumpers" and stay in a nice, tight clump. Running bamboos spread far and wide and can be very invasive. I grow many kinds of running bamboos and over the past 20 years I've had to learn how to control it's spread.

How To: Build a pulley system for hanging baskets

We look at hanging baskets that are on a rope and pulley. If you have a hard time reaching up this address that problem. These can be lowered for tending then raised out of harms way. This can be accomplished with a variety of mechanisms available from a hardware store. In this area Gene has utilized a simple rope and pulley. This one is geared so that it is easy to turn and doesn't require a lot of force. Simply bring it down to your level, do some gardening , you never need to stretch, then...

How To: Grow Cold, Hardy Running Bamboo

Bamboo is easy to grow, but there are a few things you should know before starting. There are hundreds of species of bamboo and they can be roughly divided into either running or clumping bamboos. Almost all cold hardy bamboos are runners and almost all tropical bamboos are clumpers. Running bamboos send out root like rhizomes underground and can spread many feet each year. Clumping bamboos slowly expand and stay in a tight clump with canes close together. We grow dozens of cold hardy bamboo ...

How To: Make a living willow arbor

Willow can be woven into many shapes or to form a living boundary fence. The reason they are called living is because some of the stems used to create the structure root in the soil and grow to form new shoots. This does mean that annual trimming is needed to maintain the shape, but at the same time it adds interest to the garden. Creating a living structure is very simple to do and all you need is a few pruning tools and a bundle of willow sticks in various thicknesses. With this tutorial yo...

How To: Install an automatic fill valve

Having a beautiful waterfall in your outside area, is a great way to add a relaxing feature to your landscape. But a common problem with them is that during the long hot summer months, water tends to evaporate and this causes the water in waterfalls and ponds to dissapear. So in this tutorial, you'll find out how to install an automatic fill valve in your watering system today. So check it out and good luck!

How To: Build a retaining wall for your home

To create a retaining wall all you need to do is follow these simple steps. To begin you will need to get many interlocking wall blocks and either sand or concrete. The first step is to plot and measure the retaining wall's size and shape. Use your measurements to figure out the amount of retaining wall blocks that you will need. The second step is to mark off the spots in your yard that you would like the retaining wall to be. Then dig your trenches in these spots to level out the land and t...

How To: Build a pond with Lowe's

The Smart Pond system can be used to create a water feature in a backyard. Ponds can be made above the ground or in the ground using a preformed pond. Various types of ponds are shown, which would be appropriate for various locations. The location of a pond is discussed; it shouldn't be under trees to avoid debris and too much shade. Draw out the plan for your pond and dig one or two feet deeper than the depth of the pond. Determine the size of the liner, place it in the hole and anchor it wi...

How To: Create a home water fountain with Lowe's

Host Brenda Lo, from Lowe's Creative Ideas demonstrates, in this informational video, how to create an outdoor water fountain. Brenda details the entire process, listing the tools and supplies you will need to complete this great do-it-yourself project in just one afternoon with easily obtainable materials. This video is great for the DIY beginner or experienced professional looking for a new project idea for your outdoor garden. do-it-yourself, and save time and money with these great tips.

How To: Shape your shrubs with directional pruning

You can choose, when you're pruning, which direction you want the growth to go. By looking at the branches, and looking to see which way the growth is going, if you prune out, the growth will continue in the same direction. With this video tutorial, you'll learn how to force growth in a desired direction. For more, or to get started shaping your own shrubs with directional pruning, watch this landscaping how-to. Shape your shrubs with directional pruning.

How To: Clean a green swimming pool

Spring is here and you are excited to use your in-ground swimming pool again. Problem is, you find your pool filled with green water after opening it. What do you do? Watch this two-part video tutorial to learn how to backwash your pool filter and clear up that swampy green pool in your backyard.

How To: Make a bale of pine straw

This video shows how to make a bale of pine straw using a one-man-baler, aka, a box baler. The two strings are pre-cut to around 90", having a 'eye' tied on one end. The 'eye' is slipped over the rod at top of baler and routed inside the baler and back out through the long slots in the baler door. It helps to stand on the two strings, keeping them taut while loading the initial handful of straw. As you push the straw down into the box, the strings will then be correctly positioned at the bott...

How To: Make a preventive barrier for slugs and snails

Snails and slugs are a big problem for gardeners across the country, whether it be a hosta patch or your lettuce, they love to eat a wide variety of plants. If you have containers, raised beds, even if you have benches slugs will climb up and over and into your plants. To get rid of these pests you could use baits, traps or a preventative barrier. Copper tape is a protective barrier that works. Copper conducts enough electricity so that when that slimy slug touches the copper strip it gets a ...

How To: Use shells as a deterrent for mice and voles

We're not the only ones that like spring flowering bulbs. Mice and voles will dig down into the soil in the fall and eat the bulbs just planted. If planting spring flowering bulbs such as tulips, crocus, hyacinths or any of the minor bulbs these are the ones they love. If planting daffodils don't worry they're poisonous and the mice won't bother them. When planting place the bulbs at the proper depth, then take some crushed oyster shells, even crushed egg shells, this material can be purchase...

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