October 10, 2024

EcoSmart. Organic Insecticide

Here at Southernsmarts.com we are always on the look out for new products that are good for our environment and safe for our furry friends. Upon a trip to my local Lowes store, we found yet another product we would like to introduce you to.

EcoSmart Organic Insecticide. Now there is an organic insecticide that is safe around children and pets and will not harm the environment. EcoSmart Organic Mosquito fogger is made form a patented blend of organic plant oils. It kills fast and repels mosquitos and other pesky flying insects for hours, without any synthetic toxins or harmful residue. Its safe. Its effective. Its smart. Naturally

The fresh natural pleasant scent signals it’s working.

Upon using this product ourselves here at Southernsmarts.com we found it to be all it stated to be. Plus the scent was very pleasing and lingered for up to 8 hours.

Thanks for visiting and y’all come back now. You hear.

Steven J. Chaberek

 

It’s Pansy Time.

Yes… It is that time of year once again as we await the cold Winter that is approaching. Time to plant our pansies.

I have had many comments over the years as to how my pansy beds always look so full and seem to thrive when others do not. I am happy to share what I have been doing for all these years.

First of all; Pansies love the cold temperatures, and we are lucky enough here in the South to have many months to enjoy them. First I get a couple of bags of good quality garden soil and arrange mounds. They can be really any shape you could possibly want and place the plants about 3 inches apart. As you will see in my photo’s I chose long beds. The possibilities are endless where color is concerned and I always try to stick with a theme. Of course that can be whatever your heart desires and you can shake it up and make it different year after year. This year I am going to do a multicolored theme, as I wanted it bright and whimsical. Try to coordinate with your homes exterior color, whether it be the front door, shutters, or basically the color of your home. For instance, a yellow cottage will look smashing with a purple and white theme. Purple and yellow are gorgeous together and for an additional punch, plant them in a window box! The possibilities are endless. Don’t be afraid to use your imagination!

After planting I usually use Miracle grow plant food and feed each individual plant. I repeat this feeding every three months as weather permits. The end result will be a colored carpet of beautiful blooms! And now the best secret of all. As winter dies and spring arrives, simply “dead head” your plants, give then another good meal of miracle grow and watch them come alive again. I have had my beds stay beautiful thru mid April. Just in time for summer planting. But that’s another story coming your way. “Chabby”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Create Evening Curb Appeal With Landscape Lighting

This is a great and easy do-it-yourself  idea… You can buy a lighting kit at any of the home improvement stores for under $100. Now you say, why bother… I say, think about it, we all have great pride in the curb appeal we have created for our homes, so why not show them off during what I call “Primetime” . Primetime viewing is after most people are home from work, and start their personal lives….going out to dining, a movie, grocery store, even carting the kids off to their various functions. My point is, this is really the only time we have to showcase our homes. This exterior lighting will put your home on the map, drawing all eyes to a warm and inviting glow. I guarantee your home will get more than a second glance! I almost forgot to mention the upgraded security these lights offer, that’s a big plus in itself! Watch the video and if you don’t think this is money well spent, I’ll come do it for you myself! Remember to watch the video all the way to the end, as the last frame will show the before and after! Wow…. and for under a hundred bucks!

Get those tomatoes out of the window sill!!!

Wow! How many of us growing up and even for me, until today, thought sitting a tomato in the kitchen windowsill helped it to finish ripening? wrong!!! Tomatoes don’t need sun to finish ripening, they actually need the total opposite. Instead keep them in a dark pantry closet, or on the counter top or shelf, but cover them with several sheets of newspaper or a paper bag. Check them regularly as they will ripen fast, and by no means put them in the refrigerator even after they are ripe. Who wants a cold tomato, anyway? I learned this today and I would almost bet, the generation before me , aka,  my mother would have argued differently. Thought I should pass this on … so get those tomatoes out of the window sills!

Creating curb appeal with plants and a trellis…

Sometimes we have an area of our house that just bugs us, (example an over pronounced garage doors) Many houses were built with this type of architecture… the garage doors stick out farther that the front door…and usually the doors are standard white and big! We can soften these areas with a trellis and an evergreen vine.This is not a large project, but will have a huge positive impact on your house’s curb appeal.  I have always been a fan of a garage, just not one that is the main feature of the front of my house. Frank Lloyd Wright, the famous architect once said, “a physician can bury his mistakes, but the architect can only advise his client to plant vines.”

 

Moving a large bush or shrub…

We all want to keep every plant we have added to our yard over the years, but sometimes they outgrow their space. Here is a helpful hint for moving a large bush or shrub to another area of your yard. Cut around the root ball to a depth of 12 inches or more with a shovel, you will feel the feeder roots being severed.Let the plant stay in this state for a week or more. If it appears wilted, of course water it. This will reduce the shock of the move…. hence making the plant more likely to survive. All of our plants have value… so save them whenever possible, besides creating a new garden area is always a good thing.