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Spring Maintenance For The Home: How To Clean Up After Winter

9. April 2019 Clara Beaufort Lawn Care Tips (0)

Photo via Pixabay by Andreas160578

Spring maintenance around the house is a necessity once winter moves on for good, but many homeowners are at a loss when it comes to figuring out the best way to go about it without spending a ton of money. You may also be wavering back and forth between which projects are DIY and which ones will require a professional’s touch, and it’s important to make that decision from the start in order to prevent safety issues and damage.

Fortunately, there are several easy things you can do to spruce up your home--both inside and outside--when the weather turns nice. From the landscaping to the gutters, there are some simple fixes that won’t break the bank. Take a look around your property to get a feel for what needs to be done; for instance, if winter brought heavy storms, it’s a good idea to check out your roof and siding. Tree and dead limb removal may also be necessary around the yard, and while you can do some of this yourself, bigger jobs will require a professional tree service.

Here are just a few things you can do around your house when spring is in full bloom:

Find The Right Help
One of the first things you’ll want to think about when you’re ready to spruce up your home is whether or not you can do the job yourself. Many spring maintenance projects are DIY weekend tasks, but some will require special tools and knowledge, and calling in a pro means setting a budget. When you have an idea of what needs to be done, look online for the best services near you, and get a price quote so you’ll know what to expect.

Start With The Right Tools
The right tools can make a huge difference when you’re working on a project yourself, and you may need different items to accomplish different tasks. A good screwdriver set, a hammer and a mallet, and a cordless drill will go a long way toward helping you take care of your spring maintenance chores. If you aren’t a tool person and don’t know where to begin, look online for tool reviews and check out the best ones for the tasks on your list.

Prep Your Lawn
Sometimes, spring maintenance isn’t only about fixing things that became overgrown or broken in winter; when it comes to your lawn, there are several things you can do now to prep it for warmer weather so you’ll have beautiful pops of color and lush green grass. Weeding, mowing, removing dead branches and leaves, sprucing up flower beds with fresh mulch, and planting new bulbs and seeds is a great way to get your lawn into shape. To make the job easier, have the entire family get in on the act over a weekend, and give everyone a job to complete.

Check the Roof Winter
can be extremely harsh and unforgiving where your roof is concerned, so when the weather starts to turn warm and sunny, check out the uppermost space of your home for broken, cracked, or missing shingles or tiles, and make sure the gutters are in good working order and don’t have any debris or leaves in them. Roof repairs can be costly, so it’s best to leave the big jobs to a pro; otherwise, you may end up causing more damage and busting your budget.

Spring maintenance around the house can take some time, so make a plan before you get started that will lay out a timeline for all the jobs you need to get done. Create a budget so you aren’t overwhelmed at the last minute, and remember to get help from a professional for any job that requires electricity or plumbing.

10 Questions to Ask Yourself When Picking Garden Flowers

22. October 2018 Kelli Gardener Lawn Care Tips, Your Yard and The Earth (0)

Planting flowers in your garden lets you spend time in your yard, while also making it the perfect place to relax. Flowers bring color and beauty while adding texture and height variation throughout the garden. One key to arranging your flower garden is to pick the flower varieties that best suit your gardening needs.

1) What Areas in Your Yard Get the Best Sunshine?

Understanding the sunshine levels or your various garden plots will help you pick the right plants to thrive in your yard. Evaluate your light spots based on whether it receives full light, partial light, or shade. Full light is commonly described as the light that directly hits a spot. Partial light refers to a spot that is bright but doesn't receive direct light, and a shady spot will receive almost no direct or bright light.

2) Is Your Climate Particularly Dry or Humid?

While there are many flower varieties that can be gardened in almost any climate, it can sometimes be difficult to cultivate tropical or temperate flowers in dry climates without a lot of watering and irrigation. Aim for flowers that are drought tolerant, and you may want to expand your idea of flowering plants to include succulents and cacti. Those in more humid climates can use more tropical flowers in their gardens.

3) How Much Time Do You Have to Care for Your Flowers?

Some flowers are considered more high maintenance than others. Many of the most iconic flowers require the highest maintenance, including lilies, roses, dahlias, and tulips. If you don't have the time to nurture these beauties, you might opt for lower maintenance flower varieties such as cone flowers, daylilies, and cosmos.

4) Do You Have Children or Pets Around the Yard?

As a matter of safety, if you often have children or pets around the yard, it's recommended to look into your favorite plant varieties in case they're potentially toxic to eat. If you're worried about toxic flowers in your yard, you'll want to avoid planting hydrangea, azalea, wisteria, as well as a whole list of others. To keep your yard safe, opt for edible garden flowers such as marigolds, alliums, nasturtiums, pansies, honeysuckles, and daylilies.

5) What Plants Are Native to Your Area?

There are many benefits to planting local varieties, as they can create environments for local ecosystems and wildlife. These are also plants that are already adapted to the environmental conditions of your yard and climate, making them quick growing and hardy. This means that they are lower maintenance than other varieties.

6) Do You Have Size Requirements for Your Flowers’ Growth?

Different flowers grow in different shapes and sizes. Some make ground cover, staying low to the earth, while others grow in vines, bushes, or stalks. The size of the flowers that you need will depend on the space where you want to plant the flowers. Be sure to choose a variety that will grow healthily in your chosen garden plots.

7) Should You Plant Annuals or Perennials?

Most gardeners will recommend that perennial flowers form the basis of your gardening. These are flowers that will grow back in the same place year after year. Perennials are preferred because they do not require you to plant your full flower garden every year. Then you can fill in the blank spaces with the annual flowers that you want and even switch it up each year.

8) Do You Have a Color or Theme Preference?

Colors and flower themes can give you garden a different feel for when it comes time to relax and enjoy the outdoors. Cool colors, such as blues, purples, and greens, will give your garden a calming atmosphere. Warmer colors, such as reds and yellows, will add energy to your yard. Similarly, it can add a lot of fun to your garden to use thematic flower choices.

9) Should You Buy Blooms or Buds?

When you go to purchase your transplant flowers, you will see some flowers have more buds on them than flowers. It's often better to purchase the plants with more buds. This is because plants with buds will continue to bloom longer in the season.

10) Should You Plan a Blooming Plant for Every Season?

Many gardeners want their yard to bloom all year round. It's very rare to have a flower variety that doesn't go dormant at some point. However, in your planning stage, you can pick a variety of perennials that will bloom throughout the year, from early spring to late fall, to give your yard flowering plants all year round.

Ultimately, picking flowers is a combination of knowing your personal preference, local climate, sun conditions, and the amount of time available to you for gardening.

Your end-of-summer checklist to get your home ready for winter

2. October 2018 Clara Beaufort Lawn Care Tips (0)

As a homeowner, you never run out of things to do. Just keeping up with your home maintenance to-do list can seem like a chore itself, and if you fall behind, it could cost you in the long run. To help you stay more on top of those important chores, here’s a handy guide to help you get organized as the seasons change.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Prevent frozen pipes. When water freezes, it expands and puts pressure on pipe walls. In turn, the pressure could cause pipes to burst, resulting in costly damage to your home. The Red Cross offers these suggestions to keep your pipes from freezing:

Outdoors: Disconnect and drain hoses before storing them. Close valves that supply water to spigots, then open the spigots to drain them. Leave the spigots open so they can expand if there is residual water inside.

Indoors: Add insulation to crawl spaces, attics and basements to keep these areas warmer. You can also add insulation to the pipes themselves. Pipes on exterior walls that don’t have as much warm air circulating are perfect candidates for extra insulation. Consider adding pipe insulation to pipes in the garage and inside cabinets in your kitchen and bathrooms.

Clean gutters. Many professionals advise that fall is an ideal time to clean debris from gutters. Obstructed gutters can cause many costly problems:

The dams in gutters cause water and ice to pool, and the gutters can become too heavy and break away from the house.
Water that doesn’t flow out of the gutter through downspouts may overflow from the sides, causing flooding issues.
Water that pools under clogged gutters can seep into your home’s foundation, which can then freeze and crack the foundation.

Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Properly tending to your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors could save your life. Here are some guidelines from the professionals at FixdRepair:

Smoke detectors:

Put new batteries in your smoke detector at least once per year. Then, test the alarm by pressing the button for five seconds or until the alarm beeps three times.
Retest each device monthly.
Replace your smoke detector every 10 years.
Never use water or cleansers on your smoke detectors.
Vacuum the device every six months.

Carbon monoxide detectors:

Put new batteries in your carbon monoxide detectors at least once per year. Have the new batteries ready when you remove the old ones. Then, test the alarm by pressing the button until it beeps.
Retest devices weekly.

Radon testing. It’s ideal to test your home for radon before the winter months when you will be spending more time inside. You can purchase a radon testing kit from most hardware stores. Experts recommend hiring a qualified contractor if your home tests at a radon level of four or above.

Clean dryer vents. Accumulated lint in your dryer vent lowers the efficiency of the machine and is a fire hazard. You can clean it by following these steps:

Disconnect the machine from it’s power source.
Pull the unit away from the wall to reach the hose.
Loosen the hose clamp.
Vacuum the dryer hose; a shop vac is recommended for this type of job rather than a model built for floors not only because it has more suction power, but also because it can vacuum up water if your dryer hasn’t been working properly. You can also use a brush made for dryer hoses if there isn’t a lot of accumulated lint.
Replace the hose and clamp.
Set the machine back into place and reinstate power

Change furnace filters. Changing filters is a simple way to save money on energy bills and extend the life of your furnace. Experts at Global News state that “in order to keep it working to its optimal performance — and help prevent a possible malfunction — you need to either change or clean your furnace filter on a regular basis

Grab your toolbox and go! Keeping up with home maintenance can be a chore, but by following these guidelines, you’ll save money and stay organized. Check your pipes and take steps to ensure they won’t freeze. Clean gutters to avoid costly damage. Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to keep your family safe, and make sure radon isn’t a problem. Clean your dryer vent and change furnace filters to keep machines running efficiently and save money. By following these simple steps, you’ll be ready for winter in no time.

Building a Healthy Lawn and Garden on a Budget: Soil Prep Tips for Fall

28. August 2018 Clara Beaufort Lawn Care Tips, Your Yard and The Earth (0)

	Whether you’re growing grass or growing vegetables, quality soil is essential for good results. However, the very act of growing plants can deplete your soil’s nutrients from one season to the next. That makes end-of-year maintenance essential for getting the ground ready for next year’s demands -- but thankfully, it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. As warm weather is winding down, here’s what you need to do to prepare for a productive spring on a budget.
In The Yard
Fall maintenance is essential for a lush green lawn next year. This is the time to reseed bare patches and pull weeds before they go to seed, but a healthy lawn is about more than appearances. Since lawns get compacted from foot traffic over the active summer months, homeowners should aerate lawns each fall to allow air, water, and nutrients to reach plant roots. A garden fork will do the job just fine, but renting or buying a plug lawn aerator speeds up the process. If you want to invest in an aerator, look for promo codes and coupons or in-store savings at stores like Lowes. While it’s common advice to fertilize lawns every year, adding fertilizer to a lawn that doesn’t need it pollutes the local water supply. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends applying fertilizer in moderation and only when necessary. A soil test kit lets you find out if your yard needs fertilization and which nutrients it’s lacking. You’ll get the most accurate and comprehensive results by sending a sample to the soil testing laboratory recommended by your local cooperative extension. Your local garden center or nursery can also provide at-home kits, and they often offer end-of-summer discounts, so be on the lookout for deals.
In The Garden
Fall garden clean-up saves you labor in the spring. It’s also an opportunity to add to your garden’s soil organic matter and fertility. As you clear out dead plants and debris, remember that bare ground is bad for your garden’s health. Exposed earth is vulnerable to being blown or washed away in windy and wet weather. This strips the topsoil, those upper few inches of dirt that hold the majority of the nutrients plants need to grow. Rather than pulling plants out of the ground, cut them down at the base of the plant and leave roots in the soil. As root systems decompose, they provide nutrition to the beneficial microorganisms that live in the soil. Once old plants are cleared out, consider how you can keep the ground covered over the winter. Planting a cover crop, especially a legume like clover or vetch, adds organic matter and nitrogen to the earth. However, cover crops can add spring labor, as gardeners must till in the plants before new crops go in. For a labor-saving alternative, consider mulching your garden or covering it with a tarp to prevent erosion and maintain moisture. To keep your budget in check, look for coupons on sites like JoinHoney and Coupons.com for your favorite garden center. It’s worth it to spend a little extra for mulch and a tarp, because covered soil also stays warmer than bare earth, which means a head start on spring planting. As you gather dead plants out of your garden, don’t throw them in the trash bin. When green waste ends up in a landfill, it becomes a significant source of harmful greenhouse gases. Composting plant matter instead not only reduces its environmental impact, it also can be an incredible source of fertility for the backyard garden. When dead plants, fallen leaves, shredded branches, and fruit and vegetable scraps decompose, they turn into the rich soil-like material known as compost. By creating compost and adding it to the garden before planting in the spring, gardeners can improve the quality of their soil year after year, not to mention save money on buying soil to keep their gardens lush. Compost is best created in a bin that’s easy to turn and aerate, like these DIY compost tumbler designs from Homesteading.com, which can all be made on the cheap. Healthy soil is the foundation for a beautiful landscape, and although it’s worth the investment, it doesn’t have to cost a lot to maintain. As you’re working outside this fall, think about how you can improve the health of your lawn and garden for a more vibrant growing season. Image Via Upsplash

Spring Maintenance For The Home: How To Clean Up After Winter

10 Questions to Ask Yourself When Picking Garden Flowers

Your end-of-summer checklist to get your home ready for winter

Building a Healthy Lawn and Garden on a Budget: Soil Prep Tips for Fall

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