INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Instead of collecting the grass clippings in a regular bag, you can leave it on the lawn for microbes and earthworms to eat. This can help keep your lawn healthy and green. You can also collect the clippings and place them into compost. Rake up a light layer of leaves and go over them with your lawn mower. Leave the discards on your lawn to limit popping up weeds as the leaves break down. Take different perspectives to view your landscape. After you view your landscape from the street you should also view it from inside the home to make sure it looks well groomed from multiple angles. You should also view it from rooms with large windows that look out to it. Allow your plants and flowers to have adequate space to grow and flourish. Don’t try to cram every inch of your landscape because you will find it extremely difficult to prune and weed next spring. Red mulch has been found to have harsh chemicals, including arsenic that is harmful to pets and children. Don’t let harsh chemicals contaminate your soil. Read labels and choose organic or natural fertilizers. Local agricultural agencies are able to test your soil to see what nutrients it needs if you send a sample to them. Collect two cups of soil in a sample bag by digging about six to seven inches deep into the soil. Research your closest agricultural agency and send your sample. There will be a charge to send the sample. Be sure to contact them before hand to ensure you know the proper procedures and wait time. If there is a particular flower that you like you should buy several and plant them in groupings. You may plant them in clumps of five or seven in one area, or create a unified look by planting these odd numbered clumps throughout your landscape. Don’t make your planting beds too narrow.  Make sure not to place them too close to the house by placing them around a third to two thirds the height of the house. Weed fabric can be a waste of time and money because weeds will continue to grow on top of it in the long term. No matter how many layers of weed fabric you lay down you will still have weeds grow in the long term, so don’t waste your resources. Avoid using lawn fertilizers that have 30 percent nitrogen. Use time-releasing water-insoluble nitrogen only twice a year. Your lawn will need less fertilizer if it is older and well-irrigated. For example, only use fertilizer on Memorial Day and after Labor Day. Do your research and make sure not to include any invasive species in your garden. Talk to nurseries and research online to be sure that you don’t include any species that will spread and kill other plants. For example, nurseries still sell purple loosestrife. It is inexpensive and produces a lovely flower but will spread and choke out your other plants. Water your lawn with one inch of water every week. Depending on your soil and the heat, you may need to water your lawn once every five days. Create a stronger plant with infrequent watering that forces the roots to grow deeper to find ground water, or look into installing a more comprehensive irrigation system.  Learn about creating irrigation systems and hydraulic theory. Look into classes on planning and installing irrigation systems. This can help you plan systems that will help maintain a landscape without you having to be there frequently to water it. Remember to check water restrictions during extreme heat. Use a colour wheel to determine opposite colours. Choose what colours work best together and find the flowers that match. For example, purple and yellow work well together.

SUMMARY: Avoid using a lawn mower bag. View your landscape from inside the house. Don’t overstock your space. Choose the right mulch. Find the right nutrients. Buy multiple types of your favourite flower. Space your planting beds correctly. Avoid laying weed fabric. Use the right lawn fertilizer correctly. Avoid invasive species. Water your lawn correctly. Choose garden flowers based on a colour wheel.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Probably the most important action you can take to help alleviate the pain from OSD is to stop playing the sport or doing the activity that is contributing most to the problem. Sports that involve a lot of jumping, such as basketball and volleyball, are particularly bad for OSD.  The amount of rest needed varies widely and depends on the person, but expect anywhere from a few weeks to a few months before a significant reduction in pain and swelling is noticed. Pain with OSD can be sporadic or nearly constant; it usually occurs in just one knee, but sometimes develops in both. The application of ice is an effective treatment for essentially all acute musculoskeletal injuries, including OSD. Cold therapy should be applied to the inflamed bump (tibial tuberosity) just below your kneecap for 20 minutes every two to three hours for a couple of days, then reduce the frequency as the pain and swelling subside.  Always wrap ice or frozen gel packs in a thin towel in order to prevent frostbite on your skin. If you don't have any ice or gel packs, then use a frozen bag of peas from your freezer. While resting and applying ice to your knee, consider also using a special knee brace or kneecap immobilizer while having to walk in order to take the stress off your patellar tendon.  Knee braces can be found at stores that sell rehabilitation and medical supplies — ask a physical therapist, physician, or chiropractor for more info. Alternatively, you can try a patellar tendon strap, which fits around your leg just below your kneecap. It can support your kneecap's tendon during physical activity and distribute some of the force away from the tibial tuberosity.  Complete inactivity is not necessary with OSD, but consider switching to other fun activities that don't involve jumping or running, such as swimming, rowing or golf. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, naproxen or aspirin can be short-term solutions to help you deal with the pain and inflammation of OSD. Alternatively, you can try over-the-counter analgesics (painkillers) such as acetaminophen (Tylenol). These medications can be hard on your stomach, kidneys and liver, so it's best not to use them for more than 2 weeks at a stretch. Check with your doctor before taking any medications.  Keep in mind that NSAIDs do not shorten the course of OSD.  Steroids such as cortisone have powerful anti-inflammatory properties, but injections should not be given to adolescents with OSD due to the risk factors —  mainly, potential tendon weakening, local muscle atrophy and reduced immune system function. Once the acute knee pain has settled down, start doing some quadriceps stretching. One of the causes of OSD is repetitive quadriceps contractions (from too much jumping, for example) and also overly tight quadricep tendons. As such, learning how to stretch this muscle group may help reduce the tension and inflammation in the area where the kneecap's tendon attaches to the upper shinbone (tibia).  To stretch your quadriceps while standing, bend your leg behind you so your knee is bent, your heel about at the level of your butt. Grab your ankle and pull your foot toward your body until you feel a nice stretch in your lower thigh and knee. Hold for about 30 seconds and repeat three to five times daily until you notice reduced symptoms. Stretches for the hamstrings, which are also commonly tight, may also be performed. Bending over at the waist and trying to touch your toes is a good basic hamstring stretch.

SUMMARY:
Rest and avoid pain-inducing activities. Apply ice to your knee. Use a knee brace or patellar immobilizer. Take anti-inflammatories or painkillers. Stretch your quadriceps.