5 Cheap Landscaping Ideas You Can Do On Your Own
Learn About Soil pH to Maximize Growth
Learning about soil pH costs absolutely nothing and once you gained the knowledge you can use it for a wide range of cheap landscaping ideas. All plants have an optimal level of acidity in the soil that they thrive best in and the pH level of the soil determines its acid level.
Step one would be to head out and purchase a soil test kit and then use it to analyze the soil that you’re going to be working with or were your plants are already growing. You can check online or with your local nursery to find out what level of pH the various plants in your landscape would best thrive to.
The next obvious step after learning the right information is to adjust the pH level accordingly so that all the various species of plants, trees and shrubs have the level of acid in the soil that they would best grow in. Common lawn lime is used to lower the acid level in soil by sprinkling it on the surface and watering. To raise the level of acid, simply use a common chemical-based water soluble fertilizer.
Landscape Rocks and Boulders for Free
Rocks and boulders work great to bring an element of permanent natural beauty to any landscaping scheme. Also when it comes to cheap landscaping ideas, using rocks and boulders holds some of the best potential if what you’re looking for is to get the best designs at the cheapest price.
Check the prices on large landscape boulders at your local masonry supplies outlet and you might be surprised by how expensive larger landscape boulders can be. The best alternative is to take a drive out of town and into the country in search of free rocks and boulders.
Excavating and transporting large boulders does come with its fair share of hard work. To make this task less laborious, get some old carpeting and lay it down in the trunk of your car or the bed of your truck so it doesn’t get damaged and to keep the rocks from getting chipped.
Buy and Use a Watering Timer to Cut Costs
If you live in an area where metered water is not available then you could consider yourself lucky. This is because you can use a watering time without incurring heavy costs. Watering timers can be a great alternative to sprinklers.
A standard watering timer is the perfect solution, and battery-powered models can be connected to your faucet in just seconds. These watering timers operate with a simple keyboard that allows you to type in the turn on and turn off time. Also, the batteries last for well over a year. Keep in mind when watering plants, it is best to do it during nighttime.
Advertise for Free Trees and Plants
Free plants, trees and shrubs can be very expensive when bought but you could try to look for people who are giving these kinds away. The only problem is that most people who want to get rid of their plants and shrubs would not advertise it. It is up to you to get the word out and that you’re on the hunt for free landscaping plants.
You could try advertising in the local newspaper and you might get some good responses. If someone does answer to your advertisement, it is important that you know how to safely dig up and transplant these trees and shrubs. Some tools that you may need are clippers for pruning, long pointed saw for trimming roots and burlap for wrapping up the root balls.
Install Your Own Irrigation System First
The number five on your list of cheap landscaping ideas is to make sure that you install an irrigation system before you start planting. It’s easy to put this task off for later but that only makes the work harder and the job more expensive, so make sure that you do this first. You can save a load of money by digging trenches and installing the system yourself.
Drip irrigation systems are great particularly if you don’t have a large area to cover. In fact if it’s only a small garden that you’re going to be installing your system in you can probably get by with laying it out above ground which will make the work less tasking.
Another smart move would be to spend some money to pick up some soil conditioner like Peat moss or redwood shavings. Use it to work into the soil before you plant anything. When a home is built, the good topsoil is often scraped away when the lot is leveled. Remember, once you get your perennial plants in you won’t be able to condition the soil they’re growing in.
