Long-Term Planning for Successful

Based in southeast Iowa, Jake Kruse is a longtime dog breeder and landscaping business owner who heads K & E Landscapes, Inc., where he provides client-focused residential and commercial services. Jake Kruse works closely with homeowners to understand their concepts and ideas and make informed recommendations on planting and hardscapes.

A key consideration when planning any design is to think carefully about how it will evolve in future years. When it comes to trees and large shrubs, growing is a year-round process and some species are known for sending down extensive root systems. Unfortunately, these may be on a gradual collision course with underground utilities, including septic tanks and plumbing systems. To avoid this, consider trees that form shallow root systems, such as cherry and dogwood.

Another common issue is planting before hardscaping features have been fully conceptualized and integrated. This can result in major uprooting and replanting, as vegetation needs to be reconfigured to conform with permanent features such as stepping stones, retaining walls, and patios. Always ensure that the hardscape is installed before shrubs, trees, and flowers are set in the earth so that you can precisely calibrate what vegetation can be comfortably accommodated.

Natural Ways of Preventing Deer

Jake Kruse is a longtime Southeast Iowa dog breeder who operates K&E Landscapes, Inc., and provides a full range of commercial and residential solutions. One area of extensive knowledge for Jake Kruse is strategies for deer-proofing the lawn and garden.

It is a fact of life that deer are attracted to plants and flowers, particularly in the spring, as blossoms appear and vegetables take off. Preferred plants include dogwood, roses, and English ivy. One nontoxic way to prevent deer from entering one’s property is through the use of sprayed repellents with pungent aromas, such as eggs, garlic, and even soap and water. An effective taste-based repellent is chili pepper, which can be sprayed on blossoms and leaves.

Another option is to select herbs and flowers that generate strong scents deer find unappetizing. Among these are lavender, marigolds, and sage, which can be strategically placed near foliage that deer would otherwise go for, including yew, azaleas, and pansies. There are also a number of plants that present a bitter flavor, including ferns, yarrow, and poppies.

Another option is to cultivate thick hedges of plants such as red cedar, mountain laurel, and boxwood. Acting as a physical barrier, they also prevent deer from peering into the garden and gaining a view of plants they might be attracted to.

The Different Bunts in Baseball

For nearly two decades, experienced dog breeder Jake Kruse has served K&E Landscapes as a professional landscaper. Beyond his activities as a dog breeder and landscaper, Jake Kruse enjoys being outdoors. His interests include boating, fishing, and coaching youth baseball.

Youth baseball coaches are tasked with teaching young players the finer points of the game. The bunt, for example, is an offensive tactic known to even the most casual baseball fans. It is the role of a coach, however, to educate young players about the various types of bunts and when they should be utilized.

A basic bunt involves a batter laying their bat over the strike zone, parallel to the ground, and blocking the ball into play, rather than taking a swing. It is often used as a surprise tactic, though fast runners may implement the bunt more often. That said, there are several types of sacrifice bunts, which are bunts designed to get the batter thrown out at first base as a means of advancing other runners.

Most, but not all, sacrifice bunts involve a base runner advancing from second to third at the expense of the batter. With this in mind, a sacrifice bunt is usually reserved for scenarios in which the offense has no outs and is not at risk for a double play. If a runner is attempting to advance from third to home, coaches may call for a squeeze bunt, which involves the base runner taking off for home a moment before the pitch is delivered.

Finally, youth baseball coaches should introduce players to the drag bunt. This is a carefully directed bunt intended to land the batter safely on first base. Right-handed batters attempt to guide the ball along the third base line, while left-handers target the first base line, requiring infielders to throw over or around the base runner headed to first. Left-handed batters have the advantage of starting closer to first base, while right-handed batters force a longer throw from the left side of the infield.

Fishing Pumpkinseed Sunfish

Based in Iowa, Jake Kruse is a dog breeder and the owner and president of K&E Landscapes. When he is not busy with work, Jake Kruse likes spending time outdoors boating and fishing. One species that can be fished in Iowa is the pumpkinseed sunfish.

Considered one of the most beautiful of the sunfish varieties, the pumpkinseed is a smaller fish only growing up to eight inches. They are freshwater fish that can be found in rivers, lakes, and ponds but are rarely found in man-made lakes. Because they can often school with other sunfish, such as green sunfish or bluegill, they tend to hybridize. This makes them more difficult to identify. In addition to a ten to eleven spine dorsal fin, pumpkinseed are yellow, olive, and green with distinctive wavy bands of alternating color across their body.

Spring and early summer are considered most ideal for fishing this species. When catching them, they prefer small sections of worm near underwater growths of vegetation. They also appreciate grubs, crickets, and artificial lures. This variety of fish is also known for being good to eat.