What Is Lawn Aeration and When Do I Do It?

You already know that your lawn requires mowing, watering, feeding and weeding to keep its lush appearance. To up your lawn care game, add aeration to your fall yardwork checklist. You’ll see what a difference it makes.

What is Lawn Aeration?

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines aeration as a process to supply or impregnate (something, such as the soil or a liquid) with air. Lawn aeration does just that.

When properly done, lawn aeration punches holes in your lawn’s surface. This helps reduce surface compaction and allows air to permeate the ground. These holes also create a path for other life-sustaining growth components like water and fertilizer to easily reach the root zone hidden below your thick lawn.

There are different methods of aerating your lawn. The most effective is to use a machine that has hollow coring tines. This type of aerator will punch holes and remove soil cores from the ground.

A solid tine aerator or one with slicing knife blades, such as the Craftsman Tow Spike Aerator, do not pull soil cores. But many lawn owners like them because they don’t bring soil to the surface, which can cause a mess. These non-coring aerators still help relieve compaction but are not nearly as effective in opening up the soil for nutrients and water to enter.

Why Should You Aerate Your Lawn?

Eventually, the soil under your lawn can become compacted from heavy recreational use, active pets, cars and even lawnmowers. Removing soil cores from the ground when using a core aerator creates little cylinder-shaped holes in the top three to four inches of your lawn, allowing air, water, nutrients and even grass seed to quickly and easily enter the root zone.

Not only can soil compaction keep all these good things from entering the soil, but a heavy thatch layer can develop, too. Thatch consists of slowly decomposing grass stems, roots, clippings and debris that accumulate at the soil surface over time. It can work just like a thatch roof, blocking water from penetrating your lawn.

Aerating regularly will help build healthier soil and limit thatch build-up, keeping your lawn absorbent and receptive to water, fertilizer and air.

How To Aerate Your Lawn

Lawn aerators, power rakes and other power equipment can easily be found at a local tool rental store, many hardware stores and some big box retailers. Renting one will set you back around $60 to $75 for a half-day.

If you have an irrigation system, start by flagging your sprinkler heads. This will prevent unnecessary damage and costly repairs should you hit one as you focus on the task at hand.

Time your aeration when the ground is soft, like after an irrigation cycle or a recent rainfall. This will allow the tines to penetrate the ground easier and deeper. Hollow- and solid-core aerator tines have a difficult time penetrating hard, dry soil, making the process less effective.

Go over your entire lawn at least once. It’s almost impossible to over-aerate. Go over heavily compacted areas multiple times. The more holes the better. Lawn surfaces adjacent to driveways, sidewalks and other heavily trafficked spots should get special treatment by making several passes.

Allow the soil cores lying on the surface to dry. Then break them up with a bow rake, like the Bully Tools 12-Gauge, 16-Inch Bow Rake, a drag mat like the Yard Turf 5×3 Drag Mat or a power rake. Even a quick pass with your lawnmower will do it. This may dull your mower blade, however, requiring it to be resharpened.

The shattered soil from the cores will find its way back into the grass, thatch layer and holes. This is a good thing because soil from the cores acts as a light soil topdressing that helps smooth your lawn’s surface and slow the further development of thatch.

When Should You Aerate Your Lawn?

You can aerate your lawn just about any time, as long as the ground isn’t frozen. The best time to aerate is late summer or early fall when weather conditions are optimum.

Try not to aerate immediately after applying a crabgrass preventer in the spring. Punching holes in your lawn after treating with a pre-emergent herbicide can compromise the chemical barrier it creates that prevents crabgrass and other weeds from emerging.

Aerating during hot, dry weather is also never a good idea. This could quickly dry out the grass, causing undue stress to your lawn.

What Should You Do After You Aerate Your Lawn?

Whenever possible, combine lawn aeration with other lawn care maintenance such as fertilizing, adding soil amendments or overseeding. Water, fertilizer and grass seed all need to get through the lawn surface and into the soil to do their job. Creating a path for them to get there can be accomplished by core aerating. An application of fertilizer immediately after core aeration will also help restore your lawn.

Article source here: What Is Lawn Aeration and When Do I Do It?

Floor Trim Moldings and Styles For Your Home

Three Main Styles of Floor Trim

Baseboard is the trim that defines where the floor ends and the wall begins. It also protects your wall material from the wear and tear of mops and vacuum cleaners.

Baseboard is usually thinner than door trim, which is called casing, and at least one-third wider. This difference in thickness necessitates an offset joint where the baseboard meets the door trim. Sometimes a transitional trim piece called a plinth block (pictured above) is used here.

The options for baseboard are almost endless, but they can all be divided into three categories: mop boards, two-piece and profiled baseboards.

Read on to understand more about the three categories.

Article source here: Floor Trim Moldings and Styles For Your Home

8 Things I Wish I Knew Before Changing My Own Oil

My late father taught me how to change oil in my car as soon as I got my driver’s license. We spent many a hot Texas morning in the driveway making sure my clunkers were in proper shape. He taught me well, but there are definitely things we both learned along the way. Some of these tips may seem obvious, but all will make your DIY oil changes a lot smoother.

It’s All in the Prep Work

Reading the car manual before doing any kind of maintenance is a no-brainer, but it’s also helpful to pop the hood and study the car itself the day before you intend to change the oil. Are there any other parts blocking access to your oil filter? And if so, what tools will you need to safely move them out of the way and reinstall them?

Newer cars have the oil filter up toward the top, but older models aren’t always made with convenience in mind. My first two cars, both Fords from the mid-1990s, had the oil filter buried way down under several hoses. Accessing those oil filters took a lot of trial and error and ended up taking more time than the actual draining and replacing of the oil itself.

Don’t Jack Up the Car on Soft Metal or Plastic

Most cars have notches or a jacking plate where you can safely contact the car with your jack. If your car has a jacking plate underneath the engine, be sure to grab a flashlight and triple-check — no, quadruple-check — that your car jack isn’t contacting anything else under the hood.

The car I’m driving now is my first car to have a jacking plate instead of notches. When attempting to jack it up for the first time, I made contact with my windshield wiper fluid reservoir, which of course cracked and leaked wiper fluid everywhere. D’oh!

Brace the Rear Wheel Opposite the Jack Stands

You can use a brick or piece of wood to brace the rear wheel opposite the jack stands to make sure your car doesn’t roll away. Of course, your parking brake should be engaged, too.

Both Steel and Aluminum Jacks Are Fine

Aluminum has a bad reputation for being less strong and less safe than steel, but aluminum jack stands will hold up just fine. Steel jacks are less expensive than aluminum, if you’re looking for a budget-friendly option. Bottom line: Either material is fine.

Apply Oil to the Filter Seal

You can do this with a dab of oil on your fingertip. This step is actually crucial because it helps the seal stay in place when you start up the engine. I got a very stern lecture from my dad the first time I demonstrated an oil change solo and attempted to skip this step.

Place a Metal Drip Pan Underneath the Oil Collection Container

Protect the garage floor or driveway with a large metal drip pan. It’s lightweight, easy to clean and even makes moving the oil collection container easier because you can (slowly) slide the sheet around without being under the car.

Use an Oil Collection Container That Also Transports

Be sure to use a collection container that’s basically a portable jug. No pouring used oil from a collection pan into a wobbly funnel, which is bound to be a mess.

Don’t Chuck the Used Oil Filter in the Trash

My dad put used oil filters straight into the trash, but now oil filters can be recycled once you get the oil out of them. Drain the oil from the used filter by puncturing the top dome with a screwdriver. Then let the oil drain into your collection container. Earth911 also has a directory for where you can recycle used oil and oil filters called iRecycleOil.com.

Article source here: 8 Things I Wish I Knew Before Changing My Own Oil

9 Best Dog Harnesses

Buying a Dog Harness

Do you need to buy your dog a harness? Yes! Like dog collars, a harness is an essential piece of gear that will help keep your dog safe and comfortable on walks.

For dogs that get excited and pull on their dog leashes, a harness is vital for distributing pressure away from their neck and preventing neck strain and choking. If your dog rarely pulls, a harness can still be useful — see the “Best for the Car” category, for example.

Many harnesses feature reflective strips that improve visibility, along with handles that make it easy to grab hold of your dog should you need to.

Every dog can benefit from the security a pet harness offers. Just make sure that it fits them correctly. Too tight and it can cause chafing; too loose and they may be able to slip out of it.

Know your dog’s weight and use a measuring tape to measure their girth before you head to the pet store or make your purchase online. To measure, simply wrap the measuring tape around your dog’s chest and just behind their shoulders and note the length in inches or centimeters.

Article source here: 9 Best Dog Harnesses

How to Build an Indoor/Outdoor Kids’ Fort With Tent Poles

Build another interactive kids’ toy:

Determine Pole and Tarp Size

The size of your tarp and poles determine the size of your final structure. Consider the smallest room in which you plan to set up the fort when selecting your materials.

Floor Tarp

• Set your desired width and depth, and find a ground tarp or other flooring that hits your dimensions.
  • I used this 35-in. x 83-in. ultralight tent ground tarp to create a narrow structure that will fit on the floor between beds. It also matches the shape of a yoga mat, which makes a handy padding option on wood floors.
  • DIY Option: Sew loops or press grommets onto the corners of a robust picnic blanket.

Cover Tarp

• Covering material depends on what you have on hand and want you want to achieve. Try a simple rain-resistant tarp or a light UV-resistant sheet. Or go natural from here and use some scavenged sticks and branches to make a wind-breaking lean-to.
  • We used an old Boy Scout tarp (10 ft. x 10 ft.), but any large tarp or cloth will do.
  • Bonus if your tarp has eye holes. You can hook those over the tent pole ends, for extra sturdiness.
• Sizing your cover tarp will depend on how long your poles are. If you get a tarp that’s at least as wide as your poles are long, you should be able to cover any configuration.
  • With my design, a 10-ft. tarp was just barely wide enough to cover the arc created by my 11-ft. poles.

Poles

• Lay out a long, bendable object or string on your floor to eyeball an approximate pole length. You could also use free modeling software like SketchUp to get the measurements.
  • I used these 11-ft.-long aluminum rod tent poles.
• Prefer math? Read on for a couple of additional, more exacting methods. If not, skip to Step 2.

Method 1: Circumference Calculation

If you’re going for an approximately constant-radius arc — picture a perfect circle, halved — calculate the circumference of a circle, to represent the circle passing through the corners of your ground tarp. Then divide it by two to get desired pole length.

To calculate, you’ll need to find the diameter of the circle, which is equal to the corner-to-corner distance of the ground tarp you chose. If you’re ordering one and unable to measure it in person, use the Pythagorean theorem to calculate the diameter: Tarp length squared + tarp width squared, then take the square root of the result. Example using a 35-in. x 83-in. ground tarp:

35 squared (1,225) + 83 squared (6,889) = 8,114

Square root (√) of 8,114 = 90 (your diameter)

Desired pole length is then found by multiplying pi (π) x diameter to get circumference, and then dividing it by two. In this case, that’s: pi (π) x 90 / 2 = 141.37 inches, or about 11.75 feet

Going slightly shorter and using a standard 11-ft. pole would result in a structure shape with a slightly lower peak than a perfect half-circle.

Method 2: Arc Calculator

To achieve flatter or taller arc shapes — picture an oval halved — you can use an arc calculator to calculate arc length, a.k.a. your desired pole length. You’ll need to set two inputs to enter into the calculator:

• Arc Width in this case is the distance, corner-to-corner, of the floor tarp size you chose. Follow directions in Method 1 to calculate.
• Arc Height is the height you want the center peak of your structure to be.
  • Tent poles don’t necessarily arc in a perfectly uniform way, but this will give you a decent approximation to work with.

Article source here: How to Build an Indoor/Outdoor Kids’ Fort With Tent Poles

What Plants Should Gardeners Water Before Winter?

Watering before the freeze

“We lost some bushes a few years ago because of a dry, cold winter. I was told we should have watered them. What plants should we water in winter?” asks Rebecca Williamson of Bushnell, Ill.

It’s true that many plants die from dehydration as well as cold winter temperatures. Continue to water trees, shrubs and perennials as needed as the weather cools. Water all of your plants thoroughly before the ground freezes.

Learn more tips to protect shrubs from winter weather.

Protect Plants With Mulch

Another way to give plants a boost and help them survive is with mulch. Cover the soil with organic materials such as twice-shredded bark, evergreen needles or shredded leaves.

Mulch conserves moisture and moderates soil temperatures. All plants benefit from such care, but new plantings, borderline hardy specimens and evergreens should be your first priority because they are most susceptible to winter damage.

Next, here are 30 tasks to tackle now to make sure your home is ready for the winter season.

Article source here: What Plants Should Gardeners Water Before Winter?

Festool’s New Mobile Sawing Table Helps Pros Work Solo

It might be hard to think of a table as “innovative,” but that describes the new Festool STM 1800 Mobile Sawing Table perfectly. The table’s game-changing potential lies mainly in its design, which allows the table to be tipped into a stable position that makes loading and unloading large sheets of wood much easier.

“We designed the STM 1800 for users at the jobsite, production shop or small workshop who want a sawing table that is highly mobile and also user-friendly enough for one-person operation,” says Rick Busch, vice president of marketing for Festool. “Any user will quickly realize the increased efficiency and ease of use the STM 1800 provides.”

Bascially, this sawing table eliminates the need for a “helping hand” on the jobsite, making it simpler for construction pros to work solo. The tipping function also helps mitigate back strain by reducing the heavy lifting pros need to do throughout the day.

The smart design choices don’t stop with tipping. There are a bunch of small, clever features packed into the design. Among them: Adjustable height settings; braking rollers that allow it to be easily moved and re-positioned for jobsite flexibility; and wooden supports and coverings across the metal on the table so that materials are not dinged or damaged.

On top of all that, if you own a Festool circular saw and a guide rail, this table can be turned into what is essentially a mobile panel saw. And when you’re finished, the whole thing can be folded into a compact and maneuverable cart form that can be stored smoothly and painlessly in a truck or trailer. 

The Festool STM 1800 Mobile Sawing Table is available for purchase from authorized Festool dealers.

Article source here: Festool’s New Mobile Sawing Table Helps Pros Work Solo

What Are Thermostat Ghost Readings?

Your home’s thermostat functions by taking a reading of the temperature and using that information to regulate when your furnace or air conditioner turns on. That’s great in theory, but note that it only takes account of the temperature immediately surrounding the thermostat. If that area is warmer or colder than the rest of your home, you’ll struggle with uneven temperatures and unnecessarily high utility bills throughout the year.

These seemingly illogical temperatures are often called “ghost readings” because they seem to reflect an entirely different reality. If you want to keep your home comfortable, it’s time to bust those ghosts and troubleshoot a non-functioning thermostat.

Simple Causes and Fixes

Common causes for ghost readings include a thermostat exposed to prolonged direct sunlight, a draft source such as a door or window, or a source of heat such as a kitchen or fireplace. Another is a thermostat that’s been placed on an exterior wall, allowing the thermostat to be influenced by the temperature outside.

A thermostat located on a wall next to duct work or a hot water line presents another potential problem. In both cases, when that utility is used, it will cause a temperature swing that can be detected by the thermostat.

The simplest fix is to move your thermostat to a better location. Look for an interior wall away from sources of heat and cold, protected from direct sunlight. This will usually require fishing a low voltage line from the furnace to the thermostat, but it’s a relatively easy DIY project. Adjusting your thermostat may save you money.

A More Involved Fix

A slightly more complicated cause of ghost readings is a home whose size or layout makes effective distribution of your treated air difficult. This is often most noticeable in multistory homes where the thermostat is located on the first floor. The temperature difference on other floors can be as much as 10 degrees.

Solutions include a zoned HVAC system or multi-split unit, but there’s also a simpler option. Multi-room temperature sensors are designed to be placed throughout the house, usually connected by a wireless network. With these multiple readings, your thermostat can find a “Goldilocks” balance between the various parts of your home and make the temperature just right.

Some thermostats are even smart enough to use the living areas as their benchmarks during the day and bedrooms at night. After all, what matters most is the comfort level of the areas you use the most. The most comfortable temperature changes with the seasons, such as the best temperature for a house in winter.

High-Tech Ghost Busting

It’s no surprise that there have been significant advances in smart thermostats and wireless connectivity in the past few years. Many smart thermostats can be controlled via smartphone apps, and they can use your phone’s location to track your movements throughout a home. They can even shut down when you’re more than a certain distance from your home, then turn back on when you return.

Another option: Motion sensors that track the movements of you and your family. That allows the HVAC system to heat or cool according to where you’re spending your time.

Whether you decide to relocate the thermostat or invest in new technology, eliminating ghost readings and streamlining the efficiency of your HVAC system can cut your energy costs.

Article source here: What Are Thermostat Ghost Readings?

When to Overseed Your Lawn

Summer can take a lot out of your lawn. Hot, dry conditions and heavy shade cause the most grass damage. Outbreaks of disease and insect activity can make matters worse. And if you have kids or pets, your lawn may be worn to shreds, exposing the soil beneath. Not good!

General yard maintenance helps. But like other home assets, such as your exterior walls and kitchen appliances, the amount of TLC you give your lawn can go a long way. Overseeding after a summer’s worth of stress and abuse will pay dividends, keeping your lawn looking and performing its best once the snow melts next spring.

Your lawn can’t dodge general wear and tear caused by Mother Nature. And the way you and your family use your lawn can add to your maintenance woes. By season’s end, your lawn is tired and showing signs of stress.

What is Overseeding?

Overseeding is another term for reseeding. Lawns need to be restored occasionally and choosing the right grass seed for the job is critical. Overseeding is a great way to repair damage and thicken thin areas before winter sets in.

Many older lawns can also benefit from overseeding. Introducing new genetics to your lawn will result in a better appearance and performance. Old lawns contain obsolete seed varieties. Newer grass seed varieties are darker green and have better disease resistance and overall turf quality. Updating your lawn with improved seed genetics can give your lawn a much-needed facelift.

When is the Best Time to Overseed?

Hands down, early fall is the best time to overseed your lawn. The absolute sweet spot for most northern regions of the U.S. is August 15 to September 15. That’s when daytime temperatures are still warm enough to encourage growth and nights get cooler, giving new seedlings a break from the heat. Lawn grasses like that. Soil temperatures are ideal, too, resulting in quicker seed germination.

But don’t let missing that perfect seeding window stop you. Depending on where you live, overseeding can be done all the way through September and into early October. Weed competition is virtually nonexistent and predictable rains fall softly with few “gully washers” that could wipe out your efforts in 15 minutes. All these factors create the perfect late summer/early fall window for overseeding your lawn.

How to Maintain Your Lawn After Overseeding

Grass seed takes seven to 21 days to germinate. You’ll need to keep your lawn moist during this time to trigger germination. If you have an irrigation system, this is easy to do. Otherwise, you’ll need to set out a sprinkler or water smaller areas by hand.

Once you see seed popping up, don’t stop watering. These little seedlings need to be nurtured during their first eight weeks of existence. Without a mature root system they can dry out quickly and die.

Applying a starter fertilizer at the time of overseeding is not necessary. If you normally fertilizer your lawn, there are enough nutrients in the soil to get the new seed growing. Applying fertilizer to your lawn after overseeding can create unnecessary competition from existing grass, making it difficult for new seedlings to get established.

With the help of a few basic tools, a nearby rental store and a free weekend, you can restore your lawn’s original health and beauty. Fall is a great time for other lawn care projects, too. Aerating and fertilizing are perfect companions to overseeding, as long as they happen a week or two before you overseed.

And fall is a great time to control broadleaf weeds, but be careful when combining killing weeds with overseeding. New grass seedlings can be damaged by herbicides if you spray weeds immediately before or after seeding. Always read and follow the herbicide label. A step-by-step approach to fall lawn care will guide you through the process, allowing your lawn to take just about anything Mother Nature or your kids will throw at it.

Article source here: When to Overseed Your Lawn

7 Ways to Prepare Your Lawn for the Fall

Most homeowners assume that at the end of the summer, their grass care duties are over. Nothing could be more wrong. The truth is, fall is the time when your lawn needs you the most. That’s the best time to get it ready for spring. Follow these five steps and you’ll have the healthiest lawn you’ve ever had next spring when things start greening up again.

Water

If it’s been a dry fall, make sure the soil is moist going into winter. It’s very stressful for the root system to go for months in bone-dry soil. Even when it’s cool, the soil is still losing moisture to the atmosphere, just not as quickly as it does when it’s hot.

Rake

Don’t leave dead leaves on your lawn. They’ll only promote mold and smother the grass when it’s trying to get started next spring. Plus, it’s much easier to rake them up in the fall when they’re dry.

Aerate

If you have heavy soil, fall is the time to aerate. Do it when the soil is moist and before you fertilize. Aerating loosens the soil, which allows roots to spread and oxygen to penetrate.

Fertilize

Even though the lawn is beginning to turn brown, the roots are hard at work storing nutrients for the winter and the following growing year. Fall is the single most important time to fertilize.

Mow

For the last cutting of the season, set your mower to about 1-1/2 in. and cut the grass short. That will help prevent snow mold in your yard.

— Travis Larson, Senior Editor

Winterizing a Sprinkler System

You can pay the irrigation company $125 every year to blow out your sprinkler system, or you can use your air compressor and do it yourself. You just have to be careful not to leave any water in the line or it might freeze over the winter and burst a pipe. Also be aware that even the largest home compressor isn’t powerful enough to blow out the entire system at once, so you’ll probably have to blow it out zone by zone.

If you’re into number-crunching and you have the original irrigation layout showing the gallons per minute (gpm) of each sprinkler head, just divide the total gpm of each zone by 7.5. That’ll give you the cubic feet per minute (cfm) your compressor needs to blow out the zone. Otherwise, just rent a 10-cfm compressor and hose from your local tool rental center.

Set the compressor air-pressure regulator to a maximum of 80 psi for rigid PVC pipe systems, or 50 psi for flexible black polyethylene pipe. Then turn off the water supply and set the system timer to open just one zone. Next, open the manual drain valve at the end of that zone (if equipped).

Close off both valves on the backflow preventer. Then remove the plug on the blow-out port and screw in a quick-connect hose adapter. Snap on the air hose and connect the other end to the compressor (see photo). Then blow out the line. The heads should pop up and spit out water. Disconnect the hose as soon as they run dry.

Don’t overdo the blow-out — without water cooling the plastic gears, they can melt in less than a minute. So move on to the next zone and allow the heads to cool. Then, go back and blow out each zone a second time. Plus: Learn how to install an irrigation system yourself.

Reseed Late in the Growing Season

Reseed in the late summer/early fall. Whether you’re seeding a small patch or a whole yard, you’re going to be much more successful if you wait for the cooler, damper weather of late summer or early fall. It’s almost impossible to get seed to survive during the dog days of summer. It’s simply too hot and dry. You’ll most likely just waste your time and expensive seed.

More tips on achieving the perfect lawn:

How to Eliminate Weeds From Your Grass

How to Grow Greener Grass

Lawn Care: How to Repair a Lawn

Plus: Check out the fall landscaping tools you need in the video below:

Article source here: 7 Ways to Prepare Your Lawn for the Fall

What Is Lawn Aeration and When Do I Do It?

You already know that your lawn requires mowing, watering, feeding and weeding to keep its lush appearance. To up your lawn care game, add aeration to your fall yardwork checklist. You’ll see what a difference it makes.

What is Lawn Aeration?

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines aeration as a process to supply or impregnate (something, such as the soil or a liquid) with air. Lawn aeration does just that.

When properly done, lawn aeration punches holes in your lawn’s surface. This helps reduce surface compaction and allows air to permeate the ground. These holes also create a path for other life-sustaining growth components like water and fertilizer to easily reach the root zone hidden below your thick lawn.

There are different methods of aerating your lawn. The most effective is to use a machine that has hollow coring tines. This type of aerator will punch holes and remove soil cores from the ground.

A solid tine aerator or one with slicing knife blades, such as the Craftsman Tow Spike Aerator, do not pull soil cores. But many lawn owners like them because they don’t bring soil to the surface, which can cause a mess. These non-coring aerators still help relieve compaction but are not nearly as effective in opening up the soil for nutrients and water to enter.

Why Should You Aerate Your Lawn?

Eventually, the soil under your lawn can become compacted from heavy recreational use, active pets, cars and even lawnmowers. Removing soil cores from the ground when using a core aerator creates little cylinder-shaped holes in the top three to four inches of your lawn, allowing air, water, nutrients and even grass seed to quickly and easily enter the root zone.

Not only can soil compaction keep all these good things from entering the soil, but a heavy thatch layer can develop, too. Thatch consists of slowly decomposing grass stems, roots, clippings and debris that accumulate at the soil surface over time. It can work just like a thatch roof, blocking water from penetrating your lawn.

Aerating regularly will help build healthier soil and limit thatch build-up, keeping your lawn absorbent and receptive to water, fertilizer and air.

How To Aerate Your Lawn

Lawn aerators, power rakes and other power equipment can easily be found at a local tool rental store, many hardware stores and some big box retailers. Renting one will set you back around $60 to $75 for a half-day.

If you have an irrigation system, start by flagging your sprinkler heads. This will prevent unnecessary damage and costly repairs should you hit one as you focus on the task at hand.

Time your aeration when the ground is soft, like after an irrigation cycle or a recent rainfall. This will allow the tines to penetrate the ground easier and deeper. Hollow- and solid-core aerator tines have a difficult time penetrating hard, dry soil, making the process less effective.

Go over your entire lawn at least once. It’s almost impossible to over-aerate. Go over heavily compacted areas multiple times. The more holes the better. Lawn surfaces adjacent to driveways, sidewalks and other heavily trafficked spots should get special treatment by making several passes.

Allow the soil cores lying on the surface to dry. Then break them up with a bow rake, like the Bully Tools 12-Gauge, 16-Inch Bow Rake, a drag mat like the Yard Turf 5×3 Drag Mat or a power rake. Even a quick pass with your lawnmower will do it. This may dull your mower blade, however, requiring it to be resharpened.

The shattered soil from the cores will find its way back into the grass, thatch layer and holes. This is a good thing because soil from the cores acts as a light soil topdressing that helps smooth your lawn’s surface and slow the further development of thatch.

When Should You Aerate Your Lawn?

You can aerate your lawn just about any time, as long as the ground isn’t frozen. The best time to aerate is late summer or early fall when weather conditions are optimum.

Try not to aerate immediately after applying a crabgrass preventer in the spring. Punching holes in your lawn after treating with a pre-emergent herbicide can compromise the chemical barrier it creates that prevents crabgrass and other weeds from emerging.

Aerating during hot, dry weather is also never a good idea. This could quickly dry out the grass, causing undue stress to your lawn.

What Should You Do After You Aerate Your Lawn?

Whenever possible, combine lawn aeration with other lawn care maintenance such as fertilizing, adding soil amendments or overseeding. Water, fertilizer and grass seed all need to get through the lawn surface and into the soil to do their job. Creating a path for them to get there can be accomplished by core aerating. An application of fertilizer immediately after core aeration will also help restore your lawn.

Article source here: What Is Lawn Aeration and When Do I Do It?

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5 Creative Uses For Your Old Jack-o-Lantern

Every year, my kids have so much fun selecting our family pumpkin at our local pumpkin patch. Our pumpkin sits in a place of honor in the center of our dining room table until a few days before Halloween, when we decide what type of design to carve into the pumpkin. Our Jack-o-Lantern is then proudly displayed over Halloween, all lit up from the inside.

After all the trouble of picking out the perfect pumpkin, carving it and displaying it, the last thing I want to do is throw it away. Wouldn’t it be nice if a slightly-used Halloween pumpkin meet a better fate than the trash heap?

You may be surprised to find that there are many uses for your old jack-o-lantern. Don’t toss out your old Halloween pumpkin because there are so many beneficial ways to use them.

Throw It Into Your Compost Bin

Pumpkins make great compost. Be sure to remove any candles and seeds beforehand or else you will have pumpkin vines growing all over your compost pile next summer. If you don’t have a compost heap, cut your pumpkin into smaller pieces and bury in your garden where it will enrich the soil. Here’s how to make a DIY compost bin.

Create a Bird Feeder

Cut off the top half and fill the bottom half with birdseed and place out for the birds to enjoy.

Save the Seeds and Plant Them Next Year

Allow the seeds to dry before storing them and plant next summer.

Feed Your Carved Pumpkin To the Chickens

Backyard chickens will be thrilled by this special treat. Be sure to do this while your pumpkin is relatively fresh and has not started to form mold. Chickens love pumpkins seeds, too.

Cut Into Smaller Chunks and Set Out for Deer, Rabbits and Other Wildlife

Place the cut-up pumpkin in an area where you can view the critters that come to feast on your pumpkin.

Plus, get in the spirit of fall with these pumpkin spice goodies.

Article source here: 5 Creative Uses For Your Old Jack-o-Lantern

Deals We Love: Cordless Hand Tools

Cordless tools have changed the way people work, providing convenience and efficiency without sacrificing the power of corded tools. If you’re tired of pulling out extension cords for every project and having a cumbersome cord in the way as you work, it might be time to ditch your old tools for their battery-powered counterparts.

This week on Deals We Love we’re showcasing two sets of cordless hand tools that could seriously upgrade your tool box with discounted prices that won’t break the bank.

DeWalt 20V MAX Cordless Drill Combo Kit

This combination of tools is the ideal starter set for anyone looking to build out their cordless tool collection. Purchasing batteries to run all your tools is one of the only inconveniences of cordless tools. This kit neatly sidesteps that problem by providing two DeWalt batteries and a charger to get you up and running right out the gate.

The full kit includes:

• A 1/2-in. drill/driver;
• A reciprocating saw;
• A 6-1/2-in. circular saw
• An LED work light;
• One 20V MAX* 2.0Ah battery;
• One 20V MAX* 4.0Ah battery;
• Charger.
• Bag.

Why We Love the Deal:

This combo kit has a 4.7 star rating on Amazon, so it’s safe to say consumers have been happy with what they’re getting. Offering such a diverse collection of tools at a 15 percent discount makes this deal the perfect opportunity for any DIYer looking to start up or round out their tool collection.

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Dobetter 3/8-in. Cordless Electric Ratchet Wrench Set

Sure, by going with a cordless (battery-operated) ratchet wrench instead of the traditional version of the tool, you’re technically denying yourself the opportunity to transform your forearms into Popeye-sized behemoths. But is that really such a bad thing? This Dobetter Electric Ratchet Set does the hard work for you so you can focus on more important things, like keeping the plans for whatever project you’re working on straight in your head.

This set includes:

• Two 2Ah batteries;
• Charger;
• Seven sockets (17mm, 15mm, 14mm, 13mm, 12mm, 1mm, 10mm);
• Two screwdrivers;
• One 1/4-in. adapter;
• One extender.

Why We Love the Deal:

This ratchet set is already relatively inexpensive for such a robust and high-quality package of tools. Taking another 18 percent off a price that already feels like a bargain makes this deal feel like even more of a no-brainer. If you’ve got a project coming up that’s going to require a lot of hand-cranking, consider checking out this electric ratchet beforehand. You might just thank us later.

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Article source here: Deals We Love: Cordless Hand Tools

Roof Maintenance Tips to Help Homeowners Prep for Winter

One of the most important steps when winterizing a home is making sure the roof is ready for harsh winter conditions. Performing routine roof maintenance tasks before winter sets in can help your home stay warm and comfortable as well as prevent expensive repairs caused by ice dams and leaking. Read on for nine key maintenance tasks to prepare your roof for winter.

Repair Damaged Shingles

Amanda Wynn, a roofer for Rampart Roofing, warns that missing, damaged and loose shingles can expose a home to roof leaks and water damage if not fixed before winter. If shingles are broken, water will seep underneath and eventually make its way into your home. If any shingles are loose, strong winter winds can blow them away.

If you only have a few damaged shingles and they’re easy to reach, you can probably replace them yourself. If there are multiple areas of your roof that are damaged and you’re uneasy about working on the roof, it’s best to hire a professional roofer to do the work.

Repair Damaged Flashing

Roof flashing is sometimes overlooked, but it’s a vitally important component of a well-maintained roof. “Roof flashing protects your home from water damage by diverting water from certain areas of the roof,” Wynn says.

Pay special attention around the chimney and to roof valleys and overhangs, says Joe Palumbo, president of Ice Dam Guys. “Make sure [they are] in good condition and won’t allow leaks,” he says. “Roof valleys and overhangs are two of the most common places for ice dams to form.”

If you are comfortable working on your roof and you take safety precautions, you can repair or replace flashing yourself. Otherwise, hire a roofing pro.

Replace Old Caulking

Richard D’Angelo, operations manager at JWE Remodeling & Roofing, recommends checking the caulk/sealant around vent pipes, chimneys and counter-flashing, which is sheet metal that is installed at the joint where walls meet roofing. Its function is to prevent water from entering that joint by channeling water away from it.

“In the winter when things get cold they will shrink, and caulking can become separated or cracked if it’s old and dry,” says D’Angelo. “New caulking will be able to expand and contract with the cold and warm weather, keeping critical junctures in your roof watertight and dry.”

New caulk is supple and retains its seal better once fully cured. Just be sure to remove old caulking beforehand. Scrape it with a screwdriver while being careful not to puncture or otherwise penetrate the flashing or roofing membrane below it. Re-caulking is an easy DIY project as long as you’re willing to get on the roof for it.

Get Your Roof Rake Ready

A roof rake is a helpful snow removal tool to prevent snow from piling up on your roof. Joe Palumbo suggests raking your roof after every six inches of snowfall. “If you prevent snow from piling up on the cold overhangs, you create a path for runoff (snow melted by the warm roof) to flow off of the roof harmlessly, rather than freeze and cause ice dams and leaking,” he says.

If you don’t already own one, Palumbo suggests buying a plastic roof rake or one with rollers so that you don’t rub the granules off the shingles. If your current roof rake doesn’t have rollers, or they just aren’t working like they use to, then consider replacing it.

Anyone can easily use a roof rake. Just watch out for icicles and inspect the roof for any loose shingles or flashing so you don’t accidentally hook onto them.

Trim the Trees

Trimming the trees around your roof is a must-do task that can help avoid roof damage when the winter snow, ice and winds arrive.

“While you may love those trees, you need to trim off the overhanging branches as they pose a threat to your roof,” says Constantine Anest, Owner of Ethos Roofing. “A single bad snowstorm could break off the branch over your home, which then may inflict serious damage to your roof.”

It’s probably best to hire someone who’s trained to do this task. And while you might be able to reach some branches, the ones near your roof are probably too high for the average DIYer.

Add a Heat Cable

This is especially helpful for areas where ice dams have been a problem in the past, such as gutters, downspouts or even directly on the roof, Miller says.

Adding heat cables in the gutter and downspouts is simple and can be easily done by most DIYers. Adding a heat cable on the roof can be a DIY project, but only if your home is one story.

Improve Attic Ventilation

The roof sits on top of the attic, and proper attic ventilation is essential to prevent ice dams on the roof. Todd Miller, president of Isaiah Industries, an international manufacturer of specialty residential metal roofing, has a simple way to check.

“Close up all ingress openings in the attic and hold a piece of light tissue paper up toward the exhaust vents,” he says. “If you do not see air movement, then you either have inadequate ventilation or your intake vents are blocked by insulation or perhaps have even been painted shut over the years.”

To improve attic ventilation, you can add more roof vents and remove insulation that might be blocking the vents. This is a DIY-able project that can be done by anyone with basic tools, plus a jigsaw and caulk gun.

Add or Upgrade Insulation

While you’re in the attic checking on ventilation, also look for missing or damaged insulation, which can cause problems leading to ice dams.

“Hot air from inside of the home travels to your attic space because there is not enough insulation to stop the heat transfer,” explains Daniel Young, founder of Kingdom Roofing Systems. “Once the hot air meets the bottom of the roof deck, the snow melts, then the temperature drops at night and the melted snow freezes and turns to ice.”

Adding/replacing insulation takes a higher skill level than most other DIY projects, but it’s definitely doable if you’re motivated.

Clean Gutters and Downspouts

While they’re not technically part of the roof, cleaning your gutters and downspouts is one of the most important maintenance tasks you need to do before winter arrives. Clear them prevents clogs which more often than not lead to destructive ice dams on your roof during the winter.

“If ice accumulates around gutters and eaves, it can form an ice dam that blocks roof drainage and leads to a freeze-thaw cycle that separates shingles from the roof deck and creates an entry point for moisture,” says Alex Pecora, director of roofing product management for CertainTeed.

Cleaning your gutters and downspouts is DIY-able as long as you take safety precautions and have a one-story house. For two-story or taller houses, it’s best to call a pro.

Article source here: Roof Maintenance Tips to Help Homeowners Prep for Winter

8 Things I Wish I Knew Before Changing My Own Oil

My late father taught me how to change oil in my car as soon as I got my driver’s license. We spent many a hot Texas morning in the driveway making sure my clunkers were in proper shape. He taught me well, but there are definitely things we both learned along the way. Some of these tips may seem obvious, but all will make your DIY oil changes a lot smoother.

It’s All in the Prep Work

Reading the car manual before doing any kind of maintenance is a no-brainer, but it’s also helpful to pop the hood and study the car itself the day before you intend to change the oil. Are there any other parts blocking access to your oil filter? And if so, what tools will you need to safely move them out of the way and reinstall them?

Newer cars have the oil filter up toward the top, but older models aren’t always made with convenience in mind. My first two cars, both Fords from the mid-1990s, had the oil filter buried way down under several hoses. Accessing those oil filters took a lot of trial and error and ended up taking more time than the actual draining and replacing of the oil itself.

Don’t Jack Up the Car on Soft Metal or Plastic

Most cars have notches or a jacking plate where you can safely contact the car with your jack. If your car has a jacking plate underneath the engine, be sure to grab a flashlight and triple-check — no, quadruple-check — that your car jack isn’t contacting anything else under the hood.

The car I’m driving now is my first car to have a jacking plate instead of notches. When attempting to jack it up for the first time, I made contact with my windshield wiper fluid reservoir, which of course cracked and leaked wiper fluid everywhere. D’oh!

Brace the Rear Wheel Opposite the Jack Stands

You can use a brick or piece of wood to brace the rear wheel opposite the jack stands to make sure your car doesn’t roll away. Of course, your parking brake should be engaged, too.

Both Steel and Aluminum Jacks Are Fine

Aluminum has a bad reputation for being less strong and less safe than steel, but aluminum jack stands will hold up just fine. Steel jacks are less expensive than aluminum, if you’re looking for a budget-friendly option. Bottom line: Either material is fine.

Apply Oil to the Filter Seal

You can do this with a dab of oil on your fingertip. This step is actually crucial because it helps the seal stay in place when you start up the engine. I got a very stern lecture from my dad the first time I demonstrated an oil change solo and attempted to skip this step.

Place a Metal Drip Pan Underneath the Oil Collection Container

Protect the garage floor or driveway with a large metal drip pan. It’s lightweight, easy to clean and even makes moving the oil collection container easier because you can (slowly) slide the sheet around without being under the car.

Use an Oil Collection Container That Also Transports

Be sure to use a collection container that’s basically a portable jug. No pouring used oil from a collection pan into a wobbly funnel, which is bound to be a mess.

Don’t Chuck the Used Oil Filter in the Trash

My dad put used oil filters straight into the trash, but now oil filters can be recycled once you get the oil out of them. Drain the oil from the used filter by puncturing the top dome with a screwdriver. Then let the oil drain into your collection container. Earth911 also has a directory for where you can recycle used oil and oil filters called iRecycleOil.com.

Article source here: 8 Things I Wish I Knew Before Changing My Own Oil

9 Best Dog Harnesses

Buying a Dog Harness

Do you need to buy your dog a harness? Yes! Like dog collars, a harness is an essential piece of gear that will help keep your dog safe and comfortable on walks.

For dogs that get excited and pull on their dog leashes, a harness is vital for distributing pressure away from their neck and preventing neck strain and choking. If your dog rarely pulls, a harness can still be useful — see the “Best for the Car” category, for example.

Many harnesses feature reflective strips that improve visibility, along with handles that make it easy to grab hold of your dog should you need to.

Every dog can benefit from the security a pet harness offers. Just make sure that it fits them correctly. Too tight and it can cause chafing; too loose and they may be able to slip out of it.

Know your dog’s weight and use a measuring tape to measure their girth before you head to the pet store or make your purchase online. To measure, simply wrap the measuring tape around your dog’s chest and just behind their shoulders and note the length in inches or centimeters.

Article source here: 9 Best Dog Harnesses

How to Build an Indoor/Outdoor Kids’ Fort With Tent Poles

Build another interactive kids’ toy:

Determine Pole and Tarp Size

The size of your tarp and poles determine the size of your final structure. Consider the smallest room in which you plan to set up the fort when selecting your materials.

Floor Tarp

• Set your desired width and depth, and find a ground tarp or other flooring that hits your dimensions.
  • I used this 35-in. x 83-in. ultralight tent ground tarp to create a narrow structure that will fit on the floor between beds. It also matches the shape of a yoga mat, which makes a handy padding option on wood floors.
  • DIY Option: Sew loops or press grommets onto the corners of a robust picnic blanket.

Cover Tarp

• Covering material depends on what you have on hand and want you want to achieve. Try a simple rain-resistant tarp or a light UV-resistant sheet. Or go natural from here and use some scavenged sticks and branches to make a wind-breaking lean-to.
  • We used an old Boy Scout tarp (10 ft. x 10 ft.), but any large tarp or cloth will do.
  • Bonus if your tarp has eye holes. You can hook those over the tent pole ends, for extra sturdiness.
• Sizing your cover tarp will depend on how long your poles are. If you get a tarp that’s at least as wide as your poles are long, you should be able to cover any configuration.
  • With my design, a 10-ft. tarp was just barely wide enough to cover the arc created by my 11-ft. poles.

Poles

• Lay out a long, bendable object or string on your floor to eyeball an approximate pole length. You could also use free modeling software like SketchUp to get the measurements.
  • I used these 11-ft.-long aluminum rod tent poles.
• Prefer math? Read on for a couple of additional, more exacting methods. If not, skip to Step 2.

Method 1: Circumference Calculation

If you’re going for an approximately constant-radius arc — picture a perfect circle, halved — calculate the circumference of a circle, to represent the circle passing through the corners of your ground tarp. Then divide it by two to get desired pole length.

To calculate, you’ll need to find the diameter of the circle, which is equal to the corner-to-corner distance of the ground tarp you chose. If you’re ordering one and unable to measure it in person, use the Pythagorean theorem to calculate the diameter: Tarp length squared + tarp width squared, then take the square root of the result. Example using a 35-in. x 83-in. ground tarp:

35 squared (1,225) + 83 squared (6,889) = 8,114

Square root (√) of 8,114 = 90 (your diameter)

Desired pole length is then found by multiplying pi (π) x diameter to get circumference, and then dividing it by two. In this case, that’s: pi (π) x 90 / 2 = 141.37 inches, or about 11.75 feet

Going slightly shorter and using a standard 11-ft. pole would result in a structure shape with a slightly lower peak than a perfect half-circle.

Method 2: Arc Calculator

To achieve flatter or taller arc shapes — picture an oval halved — you can use an arc calculator to calculate arc length, a.k.a. your desired pole length. You’ll need to set two inputs to enter into the calculator:

• Arc Width in this case is the distance, corner-to-corner, of the floor tarp size you chose. Follow directions in Method 1 to calculate.
• Arc Height is the height you want the center peak of your structure to be.
  • Tent poles don’t necessarily arc in a perfectly uniform way, but this will give you a decent approximation to work with.

Article source here: How to Build an Indoor/Outdoor Kids’ Fort With Tent Poles

What Plants Should Gardeners Water Before Winter?

Watering before the freeze

“We lost some bushes a few years ago because of a dry, cold winter. I was told we should have watered them. What plants should we water in winter?” asks Rebecca Williamson of Bushnell, Ill.

It’s true that many plants die from dehydration as well as cold winter temperatures. Continue to water trees, shrubs and perennials as needed as the weather cools. Water all of your plants thoroughly before the ground freezes.

Learn more tips to protect shrubs from winter weather.

Protect Plants With Mulch

Another way to give plants a boost and help them survive is with mulch. Cover the soil with organic materials such as twice-shredded bark, evergreen needles or shredded leaves.

Mulch conserves moisture and moderates soil temperatures. All plants benefit from such care, but new plantings, borderline hardy specimens and evergreens should be your first priority because they are most susceptible to winter damage.

Next, here are 30 tasks to tackle now to make sure your home is ready for the winter season.

Article source here: What Plants Should Gardeners Water Before Winter?

Lowes to Launch ‘Pick Up Lockers’ in Stores Nationwide

Lowe’s recently announced that they are planning on installing pick-up lockers in Lowe’s stores across the country in order to provide “contactless” services to their customer. This initiative will include the installation of self-service lockers at more than 1,700 Lowe’s locations and is expected to be fully realized by the end of March 2021.

“Our No. 1 priority is making sure we are keeping things safe for our associates and customers while continuing to provide additional options to make it even easier to shop with us,” said Joe McFarland, Lowe’s executive vice president of stores.

Many major businesses and retail centers were slowed and even shut down by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. But home centers like Lowes and Home Depot have actually seen major growth throughout the pandemic, due in part to a sizable uptick in people’s interest in DIY projects during stay-at-home orders.

These high-tech pick-up lockers will allow Lowe’s customers to make a purchase online, drive to their nearest Lowe’s location, and use a scannable barcode on their phone to unlock their locker without any physical contact and pick up their purchased items.

“With more than 60 percent of online orders picked up in our stores, this gives our customers one more option and the added convenience and flexibility to control how and when they get that order,” said McFarland. “This is a significant step in our relentless efforts to create a fast and frictionless shopping experience for today’s time-pressed customers.”

Several Lowe’s locations across the east coast already have pick-up lockers installed. While March 2021 is the absolute latest date that Lowe’s expects to have pick-up lockers at ever single one of their U.S. locations, the retail company plans on having the lockers installed at most major metro markets by Thanksgiving.

Article source here: Lowes to Launch ‘Pick Up Lockers’ in Stores Nationwide