Outdoor Masonry Stone Projects

Outdoor Stone Wall

Among outdoor masonry projects, stone work has its own unique features and creative challenges. Examples of outdoor stone work include but are not limited to outdoor chairs, stone borders, and stone walls. One thing that sets stone work apart from any other landscaping media is its uniqueness.  No two projects will turn out exactly alike, because each stone is different in size, shape, and color.  The excitement of working in stone is that you won't know exactly how the project will turn out until the last stone is fitted into its nitch. Stone work stands out from other types of hardscape because of its durability and solid functionality. An outdoor patio chair will last an average of seven years. An outdoor stone chair can last literally centuries. Stone work is also among the most sustainable forms of home improvement, especially when local rock is used. The project only requires reordering parts of the natural landscape.  

Unlike prefabricated stone masonry, which entail completing a step by step plan, outdoor stonework is a creative endeavor from start to finish. Pre-ordered stone can make lovely stone work; however, selecting stone from a local stone quarry outlet, or harvesting stone from the local environment calls for creativity as it requires attention to the color and shape of each specific stones the builder is purchasing.  Selection will go a long way towards determining the ultimate outcome of the project.  Building with outdoor stone is an equally creative undertaking. Each stone must be carefully inspected for size, shape and color. As each piece is being added, the builder must strive to fit the right stone into the right nitch. Making a stone wall is like creating an abstract painting. One wall builder might be a rank amateur, another a Jackson Pollack. Look closely at the wall pictured on the page. You will see large stones interspersed with small ones, horizontally aligned stones interspersed with vertically or diagonally placed ones.  Sections of the wall, where smaller stoned segments flow past larger stones, will draw your attention. In one segment stones are arranged in an exciting wheel like whorl. In another area, upper stones suggest an arch. No two walls are alike and no two segments of the wall are identical.

Stone work, especially involving larger stones, might be the most physically exacting part of outdoor masonry. However, at the end of the day, the homeowner or mason can rest with a sense of ultimate satisfaction. He has constructed something that will last for centuries. He has irrevocably changed the face of the landscape. A stone wall may cordon off a space for hundreds of years or more. Some historical walls are thousands of years old and draw spectators to this day.  A carpenter works with wood harvested from a tree that might be 25, 50, 100 years old, or more; whereas the stone mason uses rocks that can last for literally millions of years and bring with them an ineffable sense of the Earth's history.

In the final analysis, two unique qualities and challenges of stone masonry stand out above all the others. "Solid functionality." More than any other type of landscaping, stone masonry combines solidity with functionality. "The challenge of fitting the right stone into the right nitch." Building a stone project is an in the now creative challenge whose outcome cannot be known until the last stone is laid into place.  

For professional outdoor stone masonry in the Yorktown Heights, Westchester County area contact the Turf Barbers; 914 302 2469 ; 2929 Quinlan Street Yorktown Heights, NY 10598; 

Fertilizer and Green Grass

Lush green grass is one of the premier goals of lawn care. The greenness of the grass depends on supplies of  the proper amount of water and nutrients in the soil. Grass needs 16 ingredients in the soil for normal growth. The ingredients include macro-nutrients, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulfur; and micro-nutrients, iron, manganese, zinc, boron, copper, molybdenum, and chlorine. 

The first three elements, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are never deficient in plants because they are provided in the form of water and carbon dioxide. 

Nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium are the primary nutrients. They are also the most prevalent ingredients in soil supplements. The inclusion of these chemicals in fertilizers is referred to as NPK and is expressed as, for example, 10-10-10,  which means this fertilizer contains 10% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus, and 10% potassium. 

Secondary nutrients are seldom added to a fertilizer chemical mix and may also be supplied as lime. Secondary nutrients include calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. 

Micro-nutrients are required in trace amounts and are rarely included in fertilizer. Two exceptions are fertilizer used for very sandy soil such as for golf putting greens and iron supplements used to create very green looking grass without the risk of excess foliage.

Each of the nutrients play a specific role in stimulating grass color and growth. Nitrogen stimulates root and shoot growth, green color, and disease and stress resistance. Phosphorus stimulates seed development, root/shoot growth, and maturation. It is therefore an important ingredient in starter fertilizers. Potassium stimulates leaf turgor, cold and stress tolerance, and disease resistance. 

Calcium deficiencies can result in poor root and shoot growth. Magnesium deficiency results in foliar chlorosis (yellowing). And sulfur deficiency results in deficient chlorophyll production. 

Having seen how important the plant nutrients are in promoting green healthy grass, you can understand why it is important to test your soil to determine chemical content and then select a fertilizer that will correct the deficiencies. 

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Resources: For exceptional lawn care and maintenance in the Yorktown Heights and Westchester County, NY area contact the Turf Barbers; 2929 Quinlan Street Yorktown Heights, NY 10598; 914 302 2469 ; http://www.the turfbarbers.com

Fertilizer Burn Treatment and Prevention

Fertilizer Burns

Fertilizer burn, patches or streaks of yellow to brown grass appear 1 day to a couple of weeks (if you use a slow-release fertilizer) after over-fertilization of the lawn. The cause is excess nitrogen salts, which pull water out of the roots via osmosis, resulting in reduced water uptake. In addition to discoloration and root damage, the burned out lawn might exhibit tell-tale white, yellow or brown stripes where the spreader rows overlap (double dose fertilization). The amount of lawn damage will depend on the amount and type of fertilizer applied, the amount of available water, and the amount of salt concentrations in the soil. If treated promptly, yellow grass will probably recover; however, dry brown grass probably won't. Fertilizer burn should be corrected as soon as it appears. Follow these four steps to remedy the symptoms:

1. Remove any visible fertilizer with a broom, wet/dry vac, or any other implement that can scoop up the granules.
2. Use sprinklers to water the discolored areas. On day one apply as much water as will sink into the soil. Avoid toxic runoff, by watering at rate that will permit the moisture to sink into the earth.
3. Apply one inch of water for each of the next seven days.
4. Wait to see if the grass recovers. If not, reseed the discolored areas during the next growing season (spring for warm weather grass and fall for cold weather grass.

Take the following steps to prevent fertilizer burn:

1. Fertilize your grass with organic well composted fertilizer. Apply a 1-2 inch layer of composted fertilizer twice a year.
2. If you're using chemical fertilizer, select the appropriate mix based on your soil analysis and apply only as directed.
3. To be safe, applying only dilute or controlled-release fertilizer products.
4. Avoid lawn stress by fertilizing lightly. Never fertilize lawns that are showing signs of stress, disease, or water deprivation.
5. Do not apply fertilizer to wet lawns or allow the chemical mix to contact wet leaves.
6. After adding granular fertilizer, be sure to apply enough water to rinse fertilizer off grass blades and assure an even application of chemicals down to the roots. 

For excellent fertilizer burn treatment in the Westchester County and Putnum County areas contact the Turf Barbers at (914) 302-246-2929; Quinlan Street Yorktown Heights, NY 10598; http://www.theturfbarbers.com; Email- Info@theturfbarbers.com

Coalition of Green Environmentalists Chastises Major League Baseball for Partnering With Scotts Miracle-Gro

A lush green lawn

In 2010, Major League baseball partnered with the Scotts Miracle-Gro company. The Scotts Company LLC (Scotts became the official lawn care company of Major League baseball, an endorsement they are permitted to use in marketing their 4 step lawn care. The association between Scotts and lush baseball park green grass has been good for company sales and good for Major League Baseball, and they both agreed to renew and extend the agreement in 2014.

Not everyone was happy with the agreement. A coalition of environmental groups criticized major league baseball for supporting Scotts Miracle -Gro. The gist of their complaint was that the techniques used to maintain healthy green lawns in the ballpark are not appropriate, environmentally, for maintaining lawns on smaller residential properties.  The environmentalists complained that the Scotts grass grow program fosters a heavy reliance on hazardous herbicides, insecticides and synthetic fertilizers. Furthermore, they claimed that the type of turf required for a ballpark that often uses artificial soil and underground irrigation is not appropriate for homeowners. According to the coalition, residences need an approach to lawn maintenance "that address soil health, aeration, mowing height, proper organic fertilization, watering techniques, and appropriate grass varieties (for soil, light, and local climate)."

The coalition's letter to Major Baseball listed harmful effects of pesticides and artificial fertilizer. Pesticides, they noted, harm beneficial insects and earthworms that are essential for healthy soil; pollute local water, and are harmful to all life including children who like to play on grass. Synthetic fertilizers harm microorganisms in the soil, "restrict water and air movement," accelerate turf growth, stimulate thatch build-up, and are prone to run-off that may contaminate above and below ground water sources.

While the coalition made a number of interesting points, none of Scotts Miracle-Gro lawn care techniques are cause for legal restrictions of any kind, and major baseball ignored the environmental coalition complaint.  

For experience lawn care, aeration, mowing, and fertilization in the Yorktown Heights, Putnam County, and Westchester County area, contact the Turf Barbers. 2929 Quinlan Street Yorktown Heights, NY 10598;914 302 2469 ; http://www.theturfbarbers.com

 

You Must Know This Before Hiring a Landscaper

You might be surprised to learn that there's no one purpose for landscaping design.  In fact, as I discovered, there is as much variety in landscaping design philosophy as there is variety in people. There are landscapers who focus on the natural environment. They might be interested in exhibiting it's beauty or preserving its sustainability.There are landscapers who are interested in healing what they consider to be the man nature split. Some of these landscapers are concerned about getting man in harmony with nature. Others are interested in having nature serve architecture. There are landscapers who are mostly into the creation of a work of art, that just happens to be using nature as the media. There are landscapers who emphasize the importance of serving the client's needs. Finally, there are landscapers who see a landscape environment as serving religious or meditative principles.

You can read our full article about the purpose of landscape design here.

Copy of the Article 

Defining the purpose of landscape design is a challenging undertaking, as it requires synthesizing the many explanations of the phrase, which seem as vastly different as the number of landscapes So much so that creating a summary of outdoor design philosophies can become a bewildering task. I made the task more manageable by dividing the different types of landscape design in to five broad categories.

At the basic level, landscape design serves nature. These landscape designers use concepts related to sustainability, ecology, and preservation of the natural habitat. This level of landscaping mandates being responsive to natural problems such as water runoff, soil erosion, flooding, but may also include aesthetics and the desire to preserve the natural habitat in a way that will transform it into a thing of beauty

At a higher level, most landscapers strive to bridge the perceived gap between man and nature. Scapists employ contrasting language to describe this function. One artisan describes it as combining culture and nature. Another talks about the reconciliation between man and nature. Another specifies the purpose of landscape design as blending "man-made buildings into the natural setting. Another landscaping company writes about "blending man's technology into the natural setting." An Islamic landscape designer teaches that the building versus outdoor opposition can be resolved by maintaining "fluidity of movement between the two spaces." While some landscape design companies give equal importance to culture and nature, some give more weight to one or the other. In referring to nature, one site designer talks about the need to strengthen the client's "sense of connection to nature". Another outdoor planner termed it slightly differently and wrote about the need to enhance man's connection with the land." On the side of technology, some practitioners see nature as serving man-made structures. In their opinion, the importance of landscape is to ensure "a beautiful setting for a building," "protect the home from the elements," or in the words of another planner "create a beautiful environment around the building."

A number of landscape engineers focus on the artistry of their work. One Harvard trained landscape planner called the natural world her "palate" which she uses to create her artistic work. Reading about what the various practitioners have to say you will find multiple references to "creating beauty." Again with respect to creating a work of art, there is a spectrum of emphasis. Some landscapers talk about bringing out the beauty inherent in the local habitat, whereas others agree about bringing out the natural beauty of the landscape, but won't hesitate to import vegetation, rocks, and other material from outside the habitat, if it will enhance the artistic look they are trying to make." The two views, however, are not mutually exclusive. An Islamic landscape planner describe the principles of art and beauty as one sub-element of her work, which most importantly was designed to express principles in the Koran .

Some designers place the greatest emphasis on the client's perspective. They describe this aspect of their work with phrases such as "expressing "the client's vision," bringing out the beauty of the natural world in ways that are "responsive to the... client," or taking cognizance of the landscaping " needs of the user." At the same time, many designers emphasize the practical benefits their landscape designs bestow upon clients. These boons include "provision of the necessities of modern living;" "comfortable seating, scenic and seasonable variety, practical areas for family leisure, child play, entertainment, play space;" "well shaped land for people to use and enjoy;" "a healthy breath for occupants;" and "an inviting and soothing atmosphere." Landscape artist Michelle Derviss emphasizes the emotional response her work will bring out in visitors to the site." She wants her outdoor scapes to move her visitors, fill the senses, inspire the visitor's vision, and enliven their heart ."

The Islamic designer Emma Clark reaches past the client versus nature debate and talks about an overriding goal in her work to express a religious truth re the environment. He purpose is to use the guidance of her religious teachings in the Koran to bring out the spirit of the locale." However, she emphasizes that her work is not imposing something alien onto the outdoor environment, rather bringing out a spirituality that is inherently present.. Some landscapers might take exception with her philosophy, claiming that her theological approach is an imposition of something stiffing to the innate spirituality of the visitors to the spot Some site engineers create gardens that serve as havens or places of meditation and contemplation. At first glance, it might seem that these modern planners have walked back in time to the philosophy found in "Walden," by Henry David Thoreau. However, these modern Thoreaus are more likely to work around and even incorporate contemporary technology and incursions of civilization into their managed retreats.



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In the Westchester County and Putnam County areas in New York, call the Turf Barbers for accomplished landscape design help. 2929 Quinlan Street Yorktown Heights, NY 10598; 914 302 2469; http://www.theturfbarbers.com

Preventing Electrocution Injuries While Pressure Washing

Deck Power (Pressure) Washing

The main electrical hazard when using a pressure washer is when the arc of the water contacts an electrical source or pooled water contacts the external power connections and there is improper grounding of the electrical wiring or a faulty short circuit within the internal circuitry. Pressure washer circuits are normally grounded; however, in instances where a faulty internal circuit develops or frayed or improperly grounded external circuitry is present, electricity can travel through the short circuit killing the user. To date at least 13 people have died of electrocution from improper pressure washer use, or faulty pressure washer equipment.

 As a result of these fatalities, the National Electrical Code has required, since 1987, that pressure washers be used with ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). More and more modern units come with built in GFCIs; however, if the unit doesn't have one (this can be ascertained by reading the manual), then the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that the unit be used with either a circuit breaker type GFCI or a receptacle type GFCI. Homeowners in houses that have neither can, in many cases, rent a portable GFCI from a local hardware store. Whichever type of GFCI you are using, you should test the ground fault circuit interrupter (circuit breaker or outlet) before using a pressure washer. Improperly grounded extension cords are a common cause of pressure washer related electrocution injuries and therefore extension cords must be used with great caution. You should take all of the following precautions:

• Always keep power connections and electrical extension cords out of water
• The third plug of a power connection is the ground, so all plugs and extensions must be heavy duty three wired types
• Never cut or splice extension cords
• Never remove the grounding pin (the third plug) from extension cords
• Stop using the pressure washer after it has tripped a breaker and have it looked at by a qualified electrician
• Never bypass the grounding pin of an extension cord in order to plug it into a two pronged receptacle
• If you are the operator, you should wear rubber-soled shoes that provide some insulation when using the pressure washer. This may save your life when all else fails.

Because of the possibility of a short circuit you should never let the water's arc touch an electrical outlet. Take the following precautions to prevent this from occurring:

• Know the location of all power lines, fuse boxes, telephone junction boxes, generators, or other live electrical outlets in the area where you are working.
• Never let the spray stray from the surface you are working on.

You must maintain total control of the pressure washer hose at all times to ensure that the water will never contact live electricity. Use the following procedures for controlling the spray.

• Familiarize yourself with your pressure washer's spray arc range as well as its kickback during use. Kickbacks may occur when turning on the spray and when applying the spray to a surface.
• If you are using a new model, make sure you know the potential kickback of that model.
• When spraying assume a solid stance and grip the spray gun with both hands.
• Stand on a level surface when spraying and never on a ladder.
• When you activate your pressure washer, make sure the nozzle is in a closed or off position.
• Never allow children to use the pressure washer, and never leave it unattended.

If you feel at all uncertain about using your pressure washer safely, don't hesitate to contact your local deck washing company or house painting company to aske them to do the job for you. They are experts in pressure washer safety and will be happy to assist you.

The Turf Barbers is an outdoor masonry, landscape, house painting, and experienced pressure washer (power washer) company in the Westchester County, Yorktown Heights area. Call them at 914-302-2469 to arrange service. 2929 Quinlan Street Yorktown Heights, NY 10598, United States

The Basics of Pressure Washing

Pressure washing your external sidings before painting them allows you to remove grease grime, pollutants, and caulking adhering to your exterior walls. If you use the proper cleaning solution you can also remove spores and mold. You can paint your exterior without cleaning the sidings first; the paint will apply well, adhere well, and look good, but the job won't last as long as paint applied after the sidings are cleaned.

 While cleaning the exterior of your house by hand is superior to pressure washing, you need to be realistic. Cleaning your home's exterior by hand is a long painstaking process. On the other hand, pressure washing does an adequate job and will provide a clean base for your paint job. If the PSI is set high enough, power washing can also be used to clean off old layers of paint; however, keep in mind that the pressure needed to remove paint, might damage your home's exterior.

Pressure washing is accomplished in four steps. In step 1, the pressure washer blows away external grime such as dust, spider webs, leaves, and other adherent dirt. In the next stage, a cleaning solution is sprayed onto the siding from the bottom up, using a plastic sprayer. Combinations of cleaner and bleach are effective in killing mold and mildew. The solution should be allowed to sit on the siding for at least 10 minutes, but not long enough to dry. This is followed by wash down with the pressure washer. After rinsing, the siding should be allowed to dry for 48 hours, but no longer than 2 weeks. During this interval the paint can be scraped away, if needed. You are now ready to paint the exterior. If there is a delay of more than 2 weeks after the rinsing, it should be repeated and allowed to dry before applying the paint.

If you don't have the time or equipment to do thepressure washing yourself, contact an exterior painting and or local landscaping company to do the job for you.

The Turf Barbers is a landscaping company located in Yorktown Heights, NY. They offer pressure washing and panting to residences in Westchester and Putnam Counties.For more information call 914 302 2469, or visit the website at http://www.theturfbarbers.com/Deck_Restorations.php