Many people who move from urban areas into semi suburban, or semi rural areas, buy properties which include elements with which they are unfamiliar. The cost for lake management can be a little surprising, but the cost of not managing a lake can be much higher!

Large pasture like lands which once served as grazing areas for cattle, have now become back yards. Stock tanks, or ponds once used for watering cattle and other livestock have now become recreational fishing lakes or ponds. In many cases, the new owners realize that they do not posses the information, or the equipment needed to maintain such amenities.

Mowing large areas repeatedly can become very expensive very quickly, but there are mowing alternatives which can help.

Lake management cost considerations

Ponds and lakes can present a somewhat different set of problems. Lake maintenance, like pasture maintenance can get a little expensive. Potential property owners should take this into consideration before buying. In most cases, maintaining an acre of water, will cost as much to maintain as an acre of lawn, and such costs should be considered in the overall package.

What are these issues?

It would be a mistake to think that a lake or pond will take care of itself. It is a living organism teaming with living things, which will tend to get out of balance from time to time. Some things will grow there which might be alright if it were a body of water setting in the middle of nowhere, but not in your back yard. Getting, and then maintaining balance is your goal.

Aquatic weed control and lake management

Aquatic weed control will be the primary concern. Without it, the lake will become overgrown with vegetation, and all sorts of undesirable wildlife, including insects and rodents. Controlling aquatic weeds with herbicides, mechanical controls, or biological controls can be difficult and costly. Preventing their return through controlling water quality and water depth is the best alternative.

Water quality

One of the most important elements related to aquatic weed control, and lake management in general, is water quality. This both effects, and is effected by lake weeds. Maintaining proper pH and proper fertility helps to bring the cycle into balance. This involves testing the water, in most cases, correcting the pH will include the use of lime, fertilizing the pond or lake, or, if excess fertility is the problem, creating a vegetative buffer, or barrier to run off containing high levels of nutrients. The cost for this can be substantial.

Water depth

Water depth is another consideration related directly to controlling aquatic weeds. Weeds tend to occur in shallow water, and raising the water level, or dredging can be expensive.

Aquatic recreation

If the pond or lake is to be used for fishing, the cost for preparation and stocking should be taken into account. The same is true with other recreational activities, docks, boat houses, and other additions may be needed.

Lake maintenance costs

At this time, and in this location, the cost of caring for an acre of lawn per year is estimated by various state agencies as about $2,600.00 per year on average. Our experience has been that this is similar to the cost of maintaining an acre of water, although there are occasional spikes in activity which will raise the cost a bit. This should help those who might be in the process of considering a property with a lake or pond, or those already in possession of such properties to count the cost of lake maintenance in the overall property maintenance cost.

Caddo Lake

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Stripped screw hole repairs:

Stripped wood screw holes are responsible for many problems around the home, particularly those related to loose door hinges. These can be misleading and annoying. Most folks tighten the screw, and think that the problem is gone, only to have the problem return after a while. There is an answer to this problem, and it doesn’t require ripping out the door frame and starting over. One of the best methods to repair a stripped out wood screw hole is to:

Repairing stripped wood screw holes

• Drill the hole to a slightly larger size.
• Insert a dowel the size of the drilled hole with a drop or two of glue.
• Saw off any excess dowel remaining. Give the glue time to dry.
• Drill a pilot hole into the dowel slightly smaller than the screw.
• Replace the screw.
• Please note that the pilot hole is a necessary step, otherwise, the dowel, and surrounding wood may split.

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Home And Garden Press has been around for a while now, and we have made a few changes, including switching domain names, and an update in content management systems, and we thought this would be a good opportunity to let you know a little about what we are about, and how it can help you.

Typical homes and gardens

There really is no "typical" home or garden. Homes and properties come in all shapes and sizes, and one size does not fit all. Neither does one style of home and garden management meat all needs. Suburban dwellers have one set of needs, while the rural lifestyle may demand a different set of skills. To be sure, there are many things in common. Basic structure maintenance is about the same for both, basic lawn and landscape maintenance principles are about the same, but the size of the lawn, and the contents of the landscape can vary greatly!

Home and garden varieties

In some parts of the country, there is a trend toward larger suburban properties in what were once rural areas, and these new settings produce new challenges, and new opportunities. Many former urban and suburban families are finding themselves with acreage beyond the norms of their former situations, with property features which stretch the boundaries of normal suburban maintenance practices. Managing such properties require a different set of skills, and a more varied physical and mental tool set. It may also require the use of alternative methods of land management to avoid over taxing the physical and economic resources available.

Home and garden websites

Most Home and Garden sites offer a lot of home improvement information, mostly of the home decorating type. A few venture into light gardening and landscaping to make everything look nice around your home. Some even offer a little advice on minor repairs for the homeowner, but very few dive into the deeper waters of serious issues in and around the home and the extended property. That is why we offer this site.

This home and garden website

Home And Garden Press covers more than just the standard property maintenance issues. It offers alternatives to the traditional forms of land and property management to meet the growing and changing demands of our day, and takes a look into the future, where less water use, less pesticide use, and better biodiversity practices will become the standard.

We offer serious information and advice for those who are serious about managing their property, with such categories as Land management, Lake management, Structure management, Lawn management, Landscape management, and Pest management and control.

Your comments and suggestions are welcome!

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