The best plant fertilizers to keep your plants healthy

When you're outside enjoying your garden or hiking through the woods, mosquitoes are an itchy annoyance. They can spread disease and cause discomfort, so it's no wonder people turn to insect repellents. There are many commercial repellants available, but these often contain chemicals that have negative impacts on the environment.

Eco-conscious consumers are constantly on the lookout for natural plant-based alternatives. If you can grow your own mosquito repellent, that's great for the environment and your budget! How effective is this strategy, though? Is it a placebo, or is there real evidence to back it up? If you're interested in finding out if basil repels mosquitoes and you want to make your own basil mosquito repellent, then this guide will answer all your questions.
Does basil keep bugs away?

If you love the look of a lush green lawn but don’t have one, the easiest and most affordable way to get one is with grass seed. There are tons of options, from classics like tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass to more interesting ornamental grasses. Which type of grass seed should you choose, though? To help you find the best grass seed for you, we’ll break the answer down to three categories: Warm-season grasses, cool-season grasses, and nontraditional grasses. No matter what type on environment you live in, we'll set you up for a successful lawn with this guide!
Give grass the right growing conditions

Light
All lawn grass needs sunlight to grow into a thick, healthy, deeply rooted lawn. Most grasses need a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight. Even the types sold as “shade tolerant” require at least four hours. Consider other alternatives, like shade-loving ground covers or low-growing perennials, for densely shaded areas.
Moisture
Grass also needs adequate moisture. During the growing season, it needs about an inch of water per week combined total of rainfall and irrigation. Some grasses are considered drought-tolerant, which simply means they will turn brown and go dormant when there’s not enough moisture. In arid locations, dry climate alternatives to traditional grass lawns are a more sustainable landscape choice.
Soil
Soil conditions are equally important to growing healthy lawn grass. These grasses grow best in an aggregate mixture of sand, silt, and clay. This type of soil drains excess water easily, but it retains enough to act as a reservoir between rains. Marginal soils can be improved with organic matter by leaving the grass clippings on the lawn after mowing and occasionally top dressing the lawn with compost. Fertilizer and lime help to supply the required additional nutrients.
Which brands offer the best grass seed?

From show-stopping roses to hardy agave, zone 9b is home to plants of all stripes, thanks to its warm, sunny conditions. It’s also an ideal environment for a wide range of fruits and veggies, whether you’re partial to hot peppers or sweet cherries. With its hot summers and mild winters, gardeners in zone 9b have a wide range of options to pick from when planning a garden. If that sounds overwhelming, this zone 9b planting guide is here to help. We'll walk you through everything you need to know when planting your next garden in USDA Hardiness Zone 9b.
What is a climate zone?

With climate zones on the Plant Hardiness Zone Map, the United States Department of Agriculture divides the country into 13 regions based on average annual minimum temperature ranges. The temperature ranges go from coldest to hottest as we move from zone 1 to 13. Zone 9b, as you may have already guessed, falls on the warmer parts of the map.