toll-free (915) 491-7353The Green Thumb
- Decorating Your Garden
- Tips For A Beautiful Lawn
- Give Planting Character With Creative Containers
- Decorating The Great Outdoors
- Daylilies Are New Blooming Stars
- How To Grow Daylilies
- Easy Plants
- Decorate Plants In A Personal Way
- Spring Planting Tips
- Planting Container Tips
- Keeping Plants Alive
- Pleasing Plants
- Get The Lawn Mower Ready For Summer
by Arleen Kaptur
Tips for decorating the garden
It's summer and gardens are blooming everywhere. Now is a great time to look at your outdoor living area and make any changes you might desire. A few fun ways to decide on decor for your outdoor living space is to look "inside."
If your home is your favorite color, and it makes you feel comfortable each time you venture indoors, then use the same color scheme with a bit of a variance to allow for the precious and beautiful colors of the season. If the color blue is your favorite, use blue in paint or material and carry that theme to the outdoors.
Also, what is your personal style? Do you love Early American or modern? Do you swoon over antique finds or would you rather see the glow of wood or the shine of metal and glass? Maybe brass or pewter is to your liking. Whatever your personal favorites might be, use them in your garden area.
We are careful about wonderful scents in our home. Well, Mother Nature is a willing helper in this category. Plant lavender plants around rose bushes for a bouquet of fragrance or plant them under a bedroom window. The delicate scents will relax you and what a wonderful way to start the day.
You don't have to invest a lot of money in your outdoor decor. Going to garage, tag, or resale shops is not only fun, but also a great way to buy at much lower prices. Farm auctions are another market for some true treasures. Look for garden benches, old-fashioned tools with weathered wood handles, watering cans, wooden buckets, old seed packets to frame, garden fresh fabric and linens, and old gardening books and magazines. You'll find real wisdom from seasoned gardeners as well as great pictures and ideas for surrounding yourself with "home" just by opening the door to your garden. ENJOY!
by Michael J. McGroarty
A beautiful lawn does not come without some effort. Depending upon what type of soil you have, the amount of effort will vary. For instance, when raising trees and shrubs sandy or a gravel base soil is great. Landscape plants like well drained soiled. A lawn on the other hand is different. Lawn grasses grow constantly throughout the growing season, and need an ample supply of both nutrients and water. Regular watering and fertilization is required to keep a lawn beautiful.
If you’re lucky enough to have a lawn that was originally planted in good rich topsoil, you won’t have to work near as hard as somebody like me, who has a lawn that is planted in sandy gravel. The soil at our house does not have little nutritional value, nor does it have the ability to retain any amount of moisture. By mid May my lawn starts drying out. It is very difficult for us to keep our lawn looking nice.
Lawns are one area where a little clay in the soil is a good thing. Or course-standing water is not good, but having soil that has the ability to retain some moisture is helpful. If you happen to be installing a new lawn, this is something to consider. Add lots of organic matters before you install your new lawn if you have sand or gravel.
Because most lawn grasses grow so vigorously, they need additional amounts of nutrients added in order to stay looking nice. Just use one of the four step programs offered by the fertilizer companies. Most of these programs also include weed control along with the fertilizer. Here in the north we basically have two concerns with weeds in our lawns.
Crabgrass can be a problem, and I do consider it a weed. In order to control crabgrass you must use a pre-emergent herbicide that will prevent the crabgrass seeds from germinating. In order for this herbicide to be effective you must apply it early in the spring while the soil temperature is still below 45° F.
Broadleaf weeds such as Dandelions are another problem, although fairly easy to control with a broadleaf weed control. Most broadleaf herbicides are mixed in with the fertilizers, and must be applied when the grass and weeds are damp. The wet foliage will cause the herbicide to stick to the weed, giving the herbicide time to be absorbed by the weed. Once absorbed the herbicide translocates through the weed plant and kills it completely.
These types of herbicides are considered “selective” since they seem to know the difference between a grass plant and a weed. That’s why they only kill the broadleaf weeds and not the grass itself.
However, many people have different kinds of thick bladed grass in their lawn such as quack grass, this stuff is on the ugly side, and can really detract from a lawn. The problem is, it is still in the grass family, and “selective” herbicides leave it alone because it is a card carry member of the grass family. So what’s a person to do?
In order to get rid of these thick bladed grasses you must use a “non-selective” herbicide, and “non-selective” herbicides don’t care who they kill. Well, at least that’s true in the plant kingdom. When you use a “non-selective” herbicide you must understand that everything that you spray is going to die, but it really is the only effective way to rid your lawn of thick bladed grasses. This type of treatment is effective if you have isolated areas that contain wide bladed grasses. You’ll have to spray all the grass in the area, and then reseed with good quality grass seed. My herbicide of choice for this type of spraying is RoundUp®. It is believed that RoundUp® does not have any residual effect, which means that it does not linger in the soil. That means that the new grass seed or the young grass plants will not be affected by the herbicide.
Being a non-selective herbicide you must be careful when spraying; making sure that the spray does not drift onto other plants or lawn areas that you do not want to kill. To keep the spray from drifting adjusts the nozzle so that the spray pattern is narrow with larger spray droplets. You do not want a fine atomized spray if there is danger of spray drift. It also helps to keep the pressure in the sprayer as low as possible. Pump the sprayer a minimum number of times, to keep the pressure low. You just want enough pressure to deliver the spray. Buy a sprayer just for herbicides and mark it as such. You never want to spray plants with a sprayer that has been used for herbicides.
Once you have sprayed the area you want to kill, wait three days before doing anything else. After a period of three days the grasses that you sprayed may not look any different, but if they have been properly sprayed, they will die. It takes three days for the herbicide to translocate throughout the entire plant, and then the plants will die. So even though the weeds and grass plants look fine, you can start digging and chopping and not worry about them growing back.
If you happen to be installing a new lawn, make sure you spray all the weeds and thick bladed grasses before you start. Once you have the lawn installed, you sure don’t want to go through all the trouble of killing areas of your lawn and reseeding. If you make sure that all of these undesirables have been killed before you start, you’ll be way ahead of the game.
When selecting grass seed, you should always use a blend that is recommended for your area. Here in the north a popular blend contains fine bladed perennial rye grass, fescue, and blue grass. Keep in mind that it takes blue grass seeds 28 days to germinate, while most perennial rye grasses germinate in 5 or 6 days, so you never want to plant a lawn that is 100% Kentucky blue grass. Before the blue grass seeds have a chance to germinate, every kind of weed imaginable will already be actively growing in your lawn. With a blend, the faster germinating grasses come up quick, and act as a nurse crop for the slower germinating seeds. Having a blend also gives you some protection in case some new pest comes along that attack certain types of grasses.
People often ask if they have to have their lawn hydro-seeded in order for it to be nice. The answer is no. Hydro-seed is not some kind of magic formula. It is nothing more than a fancy way to apply grass seed. A hydro-seeder is just a machine that mixes water, grass seed, fertilizer and mulch into slurry that is sprayed onto your lawn. The ingredients are exactly the same that you would use if you seed by hand, with the exception of the mulch. And contrary to popular belief, hydro mulch is no better than good old-fashioned straw. In my opinion straw is much better mulch. The primary advantage to hydro-seed is that the grass seed is thoroughly soaked before it is applied, which assures germination. That’s a huge advantage if you’re seeding along a freeway where it is not practical to wet the seed after it has been applied. At your house, it really doesn’t mean much. Hand seed works just fine.
With either method, you still have to water just as much once the seeding is done. Many people are lead to believe that hydro-seed doesn’t have to be watered as much as hand seed. This is a huge misconception. If you fail to water hydro-seed once it is applied, it will still germinate and little tiny grass plants will appear. But just a few hours without water on a hot day and those little tiny grass plants will wither and die. This is a big problem because once the seed has germinated it is spent. All the water in the world will not make that spent seed produce another grass plant. Hydro seed has its benefits, but for the residential lawn it’s not all that important.
Why do I claim that straw is better mulch than hydro-mulch? Think about how the hydro-mulch is applied. It is mixed with the seed, fertilizer and water as a slurry, and sprayed on the lawn. The mulch has not been applied over top of the seed, which is how mulch is supposed to be applied it is all mixed together. Some of the seeds are under the mulch, and some of the seeds are on top of the mulch. Mulch can’t do much good when the seeds are resting up on top of it. They might as well be sun bathing!
Now think about the process of hand seeding. The seed is spread on the soil, and then you should take a push broom and drag it backwards over top of the seeded area. This applies a very thin layer of soil over most of the seeds. Then you spread the straw over top of the soil. The pieces of straw are scattered in all directions, with many of them crisscrossing each other. Remember the movie, “Honey I shrunk the Kids”? This is what it’s like to be a grass seed under a mulch of straw. As the sun works its way across the sky the grass seeds actually receive filtered sunlight. There should be enough sun to warm the seeds so they grow, but also enough shade to protect the tender young grass plants. As the grass plants grow, they also raise the mulch with them to a degree, providing additional shade for the seeds that haven’t germinated yet. The shade that straw mulch provides also helps to retain the moisture around the seeds.
Another trait of hydro-seed is that as the slurry dries, it becomes a blanket over the lawn. In the event of a heavy rainfall, running water tends to get under this blanket and carry it away, leaving big areas with no seed at all. With hand seeding, each seed is independent, and they fall between the nicks and crannies of the soil. In the event of heavy rain, the running water must be severe enough to wash the soil away before the seeds can be moved. I’ve installed hundreds of lawns using both techniques, for the difference in cost I’ll take the hand-seeded lawn any day.
If you have questions for Mike McGroarty visit his website, http://www.freeplants.com and post them on the message board where you can learn lots of gardening tips and communicate with other gardeners. While at his website you can learn how to start your own profitable backyard nursery. If you would like a copy of Mike’s booklet, “The Secret of Growing Landscape Plants from Scratch”, send $4.00 to: Garden Secrets, P.O. Box 338, Perry, Ohio 44081
Give Planting Character With Creative Containers
by Kathryn Sosbe
You buy 12 packs of petunias, six pots of those interesting African daisies and a half-dozen each of marigolds, poppies, morning glories and sweet violets.
You plant your nursery finds, making sure to balance color, bloom and longevity. And while you are satisfied with your labors, your flower beds look oddly similar to the neighbors’.
Go for something different. Plants can grow in just about any unusual containers. Like cowboy boots.
Today’s container pots go far beyond the painted tires many are familiar with. Plant containers can be found in homes or garages, garage sales and resale shops.
Count Ken Hall, manager of a garden center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, among the alternative-planter fans. “I just like planting in different things. It gives you a good variety. You’re only limited by your imagination and what you can find.”
Container gardens — in all their forms — have always been all the rage and perfect for anyone with limited yard space.
Cowboy hats, boots, old hiking boots, helmets, wheelbarrows, claw-foot bathtubs and buckets can all be turned into one-of-a-kind containers. Leave them as you find them or paint them to dress them up a bit.
by Arleen M. Kaptur
The house is warm, and filled with the touches of the Holiday Season. It's time to go outdoors and check things out a bit. There are some wreaths on the door, the children are building a snowperson and the family pet is romping there right alongside t he family. There is the wildlife just watching, waiting and wondering what new features will be added to the "neighborhood."
If you have an old wooden planter or barrel in your shed or garage, bring it out. Bend some heavy wire into a handle and nail or staple it to the barrel. Wrap or staple garlands of evergreens around the barrel and handle, and then tuck some holly, clusters of pinecones, and assorted seasonal sprigs between the garlands. Cover the dirt inside of the barrel with a very generous amount of snow. Fill your basket with apples, Indian corn, or dried oranges, dried cranberries, etc. - A gift basket on your front lawn for nature's children to enjoy.
- Animals and birds give us so much during the entire year, a treat for the Holidays just seems appropriate. Another treat for your "outdoor" friends, besides the popcorn and cranberry garlands - (birds and squirrels just love this) Spread stale bagel halves with peanut butter or honey and then dip in birdseed. Use twine strung through the hole in the bagel and use as tree ornaments on your outdoor limbs. Brightly colored bows will attract a myriad of birds to your "treat" tree and your entire family will enjoy watching the "new arrivals" come and join the festivities.
- Window boxes that were delightful in the summer can be put to good use during the winter time as well. Use sand, pea gravel or dirt to hold greenery and berries in place. Start with the taller and fuller items in the middle and work toward the ends with the smaller and less full sprigs. Evergreen, boxwood and pines are fantastic in outdoor arrangements. Don't be afraid to blend colors and textures - it’s the Holiday season and just being outdoors and working on your home is pure enjoyment.
- Add a splash of color to outdoor buildings can also be a fun way of decorating the outdoors. A Clementine wreath is just spectacular with its bright arrangements of seasonal fruit. The wreath is heavy and does need to be securely hung on doors and buildings. Using a plastic foam ring, approximately 12" in diameter, use fine wire and punch through the Clementine’s (about 27 of them) to go around. The wire should go completely through the fruit and be long enough to bend down again, as a hairpin to attach to the wreath. Add assorted greens using the same technique as well as bright dried berries and other touches. They are different, very bright, and colorful and a dramatic touch to your outdoor area.
Decorating your home for the Holidays does include the outdoors as well as the indoors. Its fun and a great way to spend a week-end; enjoying the weather, being outside, and having fun - the bonus - a beautiful home inside and out. ENJOY!
Daylilies Are New Blooming Stars
by Marty Hair
This is the time of Stella, the Energizer Bunny of daylilies.
The hot-gold flowers of Stella de Oro are revving up the landscape, from the grounds of shopping malls and fast-food restaurants to residential gardens and street medians.
Stella has become a fixture plant, with its hey-look-at-me color and tidy mounds of grassy foliage. Even more important, it keeps blooming in waves into fall.
The long season of vibrant flowers, along with the easy care required for daylilies, is making Stella de Oro a big hit with landscape professionals and homeowners. Stella de Oro stands about 18 inches tall, shorter than many other daylilies. Its leaves are narrow and stay green all season, so it works as an edging plant.
As their botanical name Hemerocallis implies, individual daylily flowers are “beautiful for a day.” They last about that long, although each scape, or leafless stalk, bears several flowers, so the average traditional daylily plant stays in bloom for 21 days.
Stella de Oro (meaning “star of gold”) won the American Memerocallis Society’s Stout Silver Medal in 1985, the daily equivalent of getting an Academy Award.
Daylilies are easy to grow in a sunny location with well-drained soil. Although they tolerate neglect, daylilies perform better in rich, loamy soil and with adequate water and fertilizer.
Re-bloomers need regular moisture, fertilizer and periodic division for optimal performance, Darrel Apps, a New Jersey nursery owner and daylily hybridizer says.
Here are some indoor plants that are low maintenance, suggested by plant experts:
- Spider plant
- Rubber plant
- Any philodendron plant
- Pothos plant
- Mother in law’s tongue (Sansevieria)
- Hoya plant
- Cordatum plant
- Janet Craig (corn plant family)
- Succulents
- Cacti
The key to decorating a garden with features is not to accessorize. Try to keep to one theme and incorporate a few pieces throughout the garden. The trends in garden features include angels, mockingbirds and gazing balls. Wind Chimes, birdhouses and stepping-stones are always classic accents.
by Michael J. Groarty
Gardening tips from a gardening expert to help you have success in the garden!
Spring means that the garden centers are packed with people, and car trunks are packed with plants. Everybody has dirt on their knees, dirt under their nails, and is excited about gardening. To make certain that this excitement yields positive results let's discuss the basics of spring planting.
Installing new plants and having them grow successfully is not difficult, nor is it as complicated as some would have you think. Is it as easy as just digging a hole and setting the plant in? Yes, it certainly can be. I won't get into bed preparation, as I have covered that in previous articles that are still available.
Let's start with B and B plants. B and B is short for balled in burlap. Closely examine the ball on the plant that you have purchased. Did the diggers wrap twine around the ball to hold the plant secure? If they did, you should at least cut the twine and lay it in the bottom of the hole, or remove it completely. Pay close attention around the stem of the plant where it emerges from the root ball, as diggers often wrap the twine around the stem several times as they tie the ball. This is extremely important because if the string is nylon, it will not rot and will girdle and kill the plant two or three years from now.
When B and B plants are stored in the nursery for extended periods of time it becomes necessary to re-burlap them if the bottom starts to rot before the plants are sold. If the plant that you buy has been re- burlaped it is possible that there could be nylon stings between the two layers of burlap, check the stem carefully. As long as the nylon string is removed from around the stem of the plant, it is actually harmless around the rest of the ball, and you do not have to remove it.
Is the root ball wrapped in genuine burlap or imitation burlap made of a non-biodegradable plastic material. Genuine burlap will rot quickly underground and does not have to be disturbed before planting. If you're not sure or suspect a poly type burlap you don't have to remove it completely, but should loosen it around the stem of the plant and cut some vertical slices around the circumference of the ball.
Now here's the critical part. What kind of soil are you planting in? If your soil is heavy clay, I highly suggest that your raise the planting bed at least 8” with good rich topsoil. If you can't do that for some reason, install the plant so that at least 2” or more of the root ball is above the existing grade and mound the soil over the root ball. Keep in mind that plants installed this way could dry out over the summer, but planting them flush with the ground in heavy clay can mean that the roots will be too wet at other times of the year.
The “experts” suggest that when planting in clay soil you dig the hole wider and deeper than the root ball and fill around and under the plant with loose organic material. That sounds like a really great idea doesn't it? Some of these experts also recommend that you dig the holes extra deep and put a few inches of gravel in the bottom for drainage. Where do you suppose they think this water is going to “drain” too?
Keep in mind that most B and B plants are grown in well-drained soil. That means that the soil in the root ball is porous and water can easily pass through. Now imagine if you will, a root ball about 15” in diameter, setting in a hole 30” diameter. All around and under that root ball is loose organic matter. Inside of that root ball is porous soil. Now along comes Mother Nature with a torrential downpour. There is water everywhere, and it is not going to soak into that hard packed clay soil, so it is just flowing across the top of the ground searching for the lowest point. When it reaches our newly planted tree surrounded by loose organic matter, it is going to seep in until the planting hole is completely full of water.
By using this planting technique we have actually created a French drain around our poor little plant that cannot tolerate it's roots being without oxygen for long periods of time. Because the bottom of this hole is clay, even though we've added gravel for drainage, there is nowhere for the water to go, and this plant is going to suffer and likely die. If you cannot raise the planting bed with topsoil, and are planting in clay soil, I recommend that you install the root ball at least 2” above grade and backfill around the ball with the soil that you removed when you dug the hole. Backfilling with the clay soil that you removed is actually like building a dam to keep excess water from permeating the root ball of your newly planted tree. The plant is not going to thrive in this poor soil, but at least it will have a chance to survive.
No matter what kind of soil you have, be careful not to install your plants too deep. They should never be planted any deeper than they were grown in the nursery. Planting too deep is a common problem, and thousands of plants are killed each year by gardeners who just don't understand how critical planting depth is.
Staking newly planted trees is always a good idea. If your new tree constantly rocks back and forth when the wind blows it will have a very difficult time establishing new roots into the existing soil. Stabilize the tree with a stake. You can use a wooden stake, a fence post, or for small trees I often use 1/2” electro-magnetic tubing, (conduit), available at any hardware store. You can secure the tree to the stake with a single wrap of duct tape. In about six months or a year the sun will dry the glue on the duct tape and it will fall off. Check the tape to make sure that it has fallen off. You don't want to girdle the tree with the tape.
Container grown plants are much easier. Follow the rules for depth of planting as described earlier. Before gently removing the plants from the container check the drain holes in the bottom of the container for roots that might be growing out the holes. If so cut them off so they will not make it difficult to get the plant out of the container. The easiest way to remove the plant from the container is to place your hand over the top of the container and turn it completely upside down and give it a gentle shake. The plant should slide right into your hand.
Examine the root mass as you hold it in your hand. Sometimes when plants have been growing in a container for a long time the roots start to grow in a circular pattern around the root mass. This is not good, and you should disturb these roots before planting so you can break this circular pattern. You can take a knife and actually make about three vertical slices from the top of the root mass to the bottom. This will stimulate new roots that will grow outward into the soil of your garden. Or you can just take your fingers and loosen the roots that are circling the root mass and force them outward before you plant them.
What about fertilizer, bone meal, peat moss, and all those other additives they are going to try and sell you at the garden center? Raise your planting beds with good rich topsoil and forget about the additives. Be very careful with fertilizers, they can do more harm than good. I landscaped my house 12 years ago and I haven't got around to fertilizing the plants yet, and have no intention of doing so. They look great.
As far as bone meal and all those other soil additives are concerned, don't get too caught up in all that stuff. The only thing that I know for sure is that they will make your wallet thinner, but I don't think you'll see a difference in your plants. Did I mention planting in good rich topsoil?
Michael J. McGroarty is the author and owner of the popular gardening website http://www.freeplants.com Stop by and sign up for his free gardening newsletter.
Be sure there are holes so water can drain from the plant.
For glass containers, set a potted plant inside the container.
Cover the bottom of the container—or at least the holes—with rocks or broken pieces of a terra cotta pot. Use good soil and fertilizer for the plants you choose. Choose plants or flowers that complement container. Large containers should include a covering of mulch to prevent moisture loss. Containers last longer if elevated slightly off the ground.
Keeping plants alive require love, patience and a few failed attempts.
By Maria Cortés Gonzalez
Bad relationships with plants are much like short-lived romances. You start off excited, focused on this luscious new being. But soon life resumes. You ignore your new friend. Once the gloom sets in (the leaves fall) you frantically try to recapture the vigor and drown it in affection (or water). But, alas, it’s too late.
“For the most part, the problem is forgetting to water them or watering them too much,” said Curtis Smith, extension horticulture specialist with the New Mexico State University in Albuquerque.
The key to keeping an indoor plant happy revolves around basic needs — regular attention with consistent watering and some light — plant experts said.
Smith, an optimist, likes to think anyone can learn to care for indoor plants. It just takes time (and sometimes a lot of dead plants).
“Basically, you’re moving (the plant) from an environment with probably a humid greenhouse where it was watered fairly often and we change it drastically” when we bring it home, Smith explained. “So until the plant adapts to a new environment you have to baby it a little bit.”
Most indoor plants need to be watered only once a week. The best way to figure out if the plant needs more water is to check the soil. If it is damp, it doesn’t need water yet.
Begonias, impatiens, African violets and philodendron types are between the most forgiving of neglect. Cacti and succulents are recommended for those who want the least in watering tasks.
Barbara Barton, owner of Green fingers, a business that specializes in caring for indoor plants for businesses, said homeowners sometimes erroneously think plants need more water in summer.
“Most people have swamp coolers in the summer, so there’s humidity in the air,” she said. “It’s in the winter when it’s drier and the plants take more water.”
Indoor plants also need good drainage, Barton said. Bad drainage can lead to root rot.
Plant experts also say indoor plants don’t have to be in direct sunlight. “The window will magnify the heat and it can burn them,” Barton said. Most plants will do fine in a room with ordinary light or by a window with a sheer curtain.
Be consistent. Try to water once a week.
Fertilize: About once a month.
Watch for change. A plant that starts to wilt or turns a graying sheen needs water. Plants also wilt with too much water.
Check soil. Look at the roots. If they are not growing healthy, they are not getting enough light.
Fixing water shortage; watering a plant when the soil has pulled from the sides of the pot will not help because the water will go through. Instead set the pot in a bowl of water and let it drain.
Spray for bugs. Put a little dash of Ivory liquid soap with water in a spray bottle and mist to clean leaves.
Arranging: Plants can make a sitting area private.
Art. A well-cared-for plant in a beautiful container can be a living artwork.
Get The Lawn Mower Ready For Summer
By Mike Benzie
Even if you forgot to prepare your four-cycle push mower for the offs-season last fall, you can take steps this spring to extend its life. James Garthe, a machinery specialist at Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, says a good gasoline mower should last eight to 10 years if properly maintained.
Following is an experts' guide to preparing your mower and your lawn for a long life.
Empty the gas tank before storing the mower each winter. You can use an old turkey baster if you're not into siphoning. Call your local government to find out the location for disposing hazardous waste. The best option is to use the gas completely the previous fall. Mow part of your neighbor's lawn if you feel wasteful letting your mow idle helplessly.
Change the oil---Oil changes are recommended about once a season for regular mowers of average-size lawns. The fill plug is near the deck. Turn the mower on its side, carburetor-side up. This prevents oil from running into the carburetor and soaking the air filter. Save used oil which can be recycled. Pay attention to the owner's manual, which will point out preferred viscosity and quality of oil guidelines for your mower. The wrong oil can shorten an engine's life. Fill oil until it reaches the threads of the hole.
Spark plugs---At $3 a pop, you might as well replace these annually. An owner's manual will help you find the proper one for your model. Pull off the spark plug wire and then the plug itself. Use a deep socket wrench or spark plug wrench to install new plug.
Filters---Check the filter a handful of times during the season. Paper and foam filters can be replaced inexpensively. Foam filters can be removed, washed and dried at home. Drop and squeeze oil out of foam filter.
Sharpen the blade---Be careful. Remove the spark plug to avoid any possibility of an unexpected start. Loosen the blade. Repair shops will sharpen and balance a blade -- off the mower -- for $6 to $8. With a vise and file, you can do this yourself, but some things are best left to experts.
Watch for flying objects---Coat hangers are among the most dangerous items left in the yard. It's best to walk the grounds before mowing. Don't remove the mower's safety features; they are there for a reason.
To ride or not to ride---Basic wisdom: Use your own judgment. Most experts advise that ride-on mowers are most efficient for three-quarter-acre lawns and larger.
Lawn care---Mow high. Do you think mowing short will reduce the number of mows? Tom LaMuraglia, a landscaper, says no way. "That's a misconception," he says. "It won't save you time, and it will stress your grass." You're not only a lawn mower; you're a plant owner. A good way to think of yard maintenance, says LaMuraglia, is that you are growing millions of plants. Those plants need strong roots, and the root size is directly proportionate to above-ground growth. LaMuraglia says 3 1/2 to 4 inches is a healthy length. Nonetheless, plan on at least weekly mows through May.
Do I have to bag?---Teenage lawn mowers everywhere will be happy to know that bagging grass clippings is not the healthiest way to cut. Use a mulching mower to allow the lawn to recover up to one-third of its required nutrients per year.