As the holiday season begins, make sure your appliances are prepared for the demands you will place on them.
- Pull your refrigerator from the wall and clean the condenser coils in back with a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment. Also, vacuum dust from the front lower grille and clean the drip pan and the drain leading to it (if your unit has one).
- Clean the oven and stove drip pans on your electric range. Clean the surface burner on your gas stove to ensure proper flame level.
- De-stench your in-sink garbage disposal by packing it with ice cubes and 1/4 cup of baking soda; then turn it on. After the ice-grinding noise stops, pour a kettle full of boiling water into the sink.
- Check the dishwasher strainer and washer arm; clean if necessary.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Fall Home Winterizing
Check the gutters and downspouts: Are they unclogged and free of litter? Are the joints tight? Are extenders and splash blocks under the downspouts? Any leaves in the roof valleys? Check for tree branches overhanging roofs. See if the septic tank needs pumping out. Be sure the pool is properly shut down and winterized. Check/provide snow fences if needed to direct the snow away from the house. Assess your back yard for winter: Is the BBQ put away and covered? Are lawn and garden tools stored in the shed or garage? Has the lawn furniture been winterized? Make sure there’s room in the garage for your car(s). Have hose bib covers handy for a freeze. Check the nooks and crannies for snakes, spiders and scorpions that will be looking for winter warmth. Check windows: Are they tightly caulked? Have window screens been removed and cleaned? Is your weather stripping tight? In the North: Have something handy to de-ice walkways and steps. In the South: Be sure rat/mouse bait is in places safe for pets and children.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Fall Lawn Tips
There are a number of things that you can do to prepare your lawn for the winter and to ensure that it comes back strong in the fall. The cool night temperatures we are currently experiencing are probably already strengthening your lawn after the hot and dry summer. You may be noticing improved grass color and density. Now is the perfect time to enhance the grass's recovery with a few simple steps.
After the summer, it is likely that your lawn needs some supplemental fertilization. Nitrogen will be needed in the largest quantity and you should apply 1 pound of slow-release nitrogen fertilizer per thousand square feet of lawn. This will help the lawn to recover from summer stresses and will further improve grass color and density.
As the cooler weather intensifies, you will also be able to stop irrigating your lawn. It's easy to forget that changes in the program of your irrigation controller are necessary at this time of the year. The grass does not need as much irrigation as it did during the heat of the summer and it's the perfect opportunity for conservation. A great deal of water can be wasted in the fall because irrigation controllers are not adjusted for the cooler temperatures.
As it gets even cooler and winter is just around the corner, you will notice that your lawn is growing much more slowly. At some point, you will perform your last mowing of the growing season. This is a critical time in the life and health of your lawn. Hopefully you have been mowing at a height of 2 1/2 -3 1/2 inches to promote root growth and stress tolerance. This is a good practice, but not a good one to follow with your final mowing of the season. This last mowing should be much shorter, from 1 to 1 1/2 inches. Mowing at this shorter height will not leave long grass blades over the winter that can lay over and increase humidity beneath snow cover. If the grass blades are very long, and there is lengthy snow cover, a disease called snow mold may occur.
After your final mowing is also the best time to apply your last fertilization of the growing season. Once again, nitrogen is of primary concern. Following your last mowing, you'll want to apply 1 pound of quick-release nitrogen fertilizer per thousand square feet of lawn. It's important that the nitrogen source be quick-release so that the grass can take it up before going dormant due to cold. This is probably the most critical fertilization of the entire growing season and should not be missed! Research has shown that this late fall fertilization provides the most benefit and drought tolerance to the lawn the FOLLOWING summer.
These simple steps will ensure that your lawn makes it not only through the winter, but into next summer healthy and stronger.
After the summer, it is likely that your lawn needs some supplemental fertilization. Nitrogen will be needed in the largest quantity and you should apply 1 pound of slow-release nitrogen fertilizer per thousand square feet of lawn. This will help the lawn to recover from summer stresses and will further improve grass color and density.
As the cooler weather intensifies, you will also be able to stop irrigating your lawn. It's easy to forget that changes in the program of your irrigation controller are necessary at this time of the year. The grass does not need as much irrigation as it did during the heat of the summer and it's the perfect opportunity for conservation. A great deal of water can be wasted in the fall because irrigation controllers are not adjusted for the cooler temperatures.
As it gets even cooler and winter is just around the corner, you will notice that your lawn is growing much more slowly. At some point, you will perform your last mowing of the growing season. This is a critical time in the life and health of your lawn. Hopefully you have been mowing at a height of 2 1/2 -3 1/2 inches to promote root growth and stress tolerance. This is a good practice, but not a good one to follow with your final mowing of the season. This last mowing should be much shorter, from 1 to 1 1/2 inches. Mowing at this shorter height will not leave long grass blades over the winter that can lay over and increase humidity beneath snow cover. If the grass blades are very long, and there is lengthy snow cover, a disease called snow mold may occur.
After your final mowing is also the best time to apply your last fertilization of the growing season. Once again, nitrogen is of primary concern. Following your last mowing, you'll want to apply 1 pound of quick-release nitrogen fertilizer per thousand square feet of lawn. It's important that the nitrogen source be quick-release so that the grass can take it up before going dormant due to cold. This is probably the most critical fertilization of the entire growing season and should not be missed! Research has shown that this late fall fertilization provides the most benefit and drought tolerance to the lawn the FOLLOWING summer.
These simple steps will ensure that your lawn makes it not only through the winter, but into next summer healthy and stronger.
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