This video is a punt for an electronic product called Rapitest. Although it’s an advert it is well worth the 1 min, 26 seconds it take to watch it. It is interesting to learn that a small electronic device can tell you this much about the environment in which you have planted or are planning to plant lawns, shrubs, flowers trees and even plants in containers.

As the spokesperson rightly says, “Healthy soil and the correct soil for the plant in question are key to successful gardening and lawn care.” This little device tests a whole range of factors, including the soil quality. First it measures light so you can be sure you are planting the plant in the right spot. Then it tests fertility so you can see whether composting is required. It also tests the pH so you can ascertain if the soil is acid or alkaline. Some plants are sensitive to pH. Finally it tests moisture. Is the soil too wet, too dry, just right? I like this last feature for house plants, or any plants in containers, which are notoriously susceptible to dying of thirst. This Rapitest electronic soil tester is a neat device for keen gardeners who like accuracy and dislike failure.

There seem to be plenty (some would say too many) movies on the internet about raking leaves. One deduces from this that leaf-raking is a huge issue wherever there are deciduous trees that drop their leaves in people’s gardens in the fall. Young George Maziak, who is famous for his videos about How To Tie A Shoelace and How To Open That Really Sticky Jam Jar, has made a video about raking leaves as a sort of gentle revenge on his Dad for buying a house out in the woods. He shows us how to use a rake to move the leaves using the simple oar-stroke method or the little quick stroke method. It is a long, long job, he assures us, and then demonstrates an alternative — the leaf blower, which blows the leaves around if you are not careful, and which can also be used to Hoover up the leaves.

George also demonstrates how you can jump into and onto the pile of leaves for light relief. At the end of the day, though, you need to get the leaves onto a big piece of tarpaulin and take them — where? Well, over the road and into the woods, away from the lawn. I have spent a more profitable 6 minutes, 9 seconds in my time. But thanks, George anyway.

Young SprinklerDaddy over at YouTube sums up the difference between spray and drip irrigation quite nicely:

SPRAY IRRIGATION Here a spray head is attached to a pipe for widespread water about 6′ to 12′ in all directions. “This method is good for watering a large bed of flowers or perennials that are all the same size,” says SprinklerDaddy. And lawns, he might have added. It is not suitable for a bed where there are different sized plants as the larger shrubs tend to block the water and the small shrubs get nothing.

DRIP IRRIGATION SprinklerDaddy really likes drip irrigation. He describes it as “cool.” He says: “This is for localized type of watering where you want to get water to the root of each shrub. There is no blocking out of smaller plants and no wasted water. It is a really good option when mulching. Once you have put down the bark or rocks, lay the pipes on top and cover with mulch. No need to dig a trench for the pipes.” And no need to watch the 1 min, 48 sec video either. All you will see is a talking head repeating what I have written above.

Somewhere down in Texas one winter, a man looked at the camera to tell us about the two types of irrigation you can use for your raised garden bed. According to the man with the winter grass stretching out behind him, compliments of ExpertVillage and YouTube, you can have Precision Button Irrigation (for directing water to a specific area) and Laser Drip Irrigation (for soaking a wide area).

Button irrigation involves small pipes leading off a main hose with a button at the base to control the flow of dripping water. Laser irrigation is a long, thin pipe with laser holes drilled all over it allowing water to leak all over the required area. If you want a short visit down south for some contrasting visuals and some very basic information, spend 1 minute, 53 seconds checking out Mr. “Lone Star” Irrigation.

This video offers advice on a topic that many of you would love to know about. It’s called “Greener Lawn Without the Chemicals”. It is brought to you by the Wall Street Journal Online. The narrator in the video is Wendy Bounds, the “Did It Myself” columnist for the Wall Street Journal. This video is very well done and creative – exactly what you would expect for something put out by the Wall Street Journal. Production quality is high. The subject matter is presented in an easy to follow format that will hold your attention until the end. A little humor is even injected for laughs. The total time of this video is three minutes twenty-eight seconds.

In the beginning of the video, Wendy is raving about her neighbor’s beautiful lawn. She asks her what is used and the neighbor tells her that she has an organic lawn and uses no chemicals.

So, of course, Wendy also desires a beautiful lawn. She decides not to put anything on her lawn so that it too can be beautiful. Instead, she ends up with no grass. Once this happens, she again visits her neighbor for advice.

Wendy learns (and explains) that having an organic lawn means that although no chemicals are involved, products must be used to keep the lawn healthy naturally. Wendy used on her lawn a natural weed control product from Pure Barnyard Inc., which you are supposed to put down in the spring before the Forsythia blooms. She also used a fertilizer called Terrament. She also used weeding tools in the form of a weed hand, weed twister, and dandelion terminator. In the fall, Wendy had her lawn roto-tilled; she also put down compost and reseeded. The end was not surprising – this process produced a beautiful lawn for Wendy.

This video is highly recommended. It is fun and educational. It is definitely worth your time.