Oh no! It will soon be time for summer fun in the yard. Excited to begin but your lawn isn't? Whether you have missing patches of grass to fill or need to seed an entire lawn, this easy step-by-step guide will help you learn how to plant grass seed.
Before planting grass seed, keep in mind the best temperatures and seasons for planting. A temperature of above 70F is optimal. Anything below (especially freezing temperatures), will create a longer wait time for the seedlings to start sprouting. Late spring and early summer are the best planting seasons for starting new grass seed. Loosen Soil The first step in planting grass seed is to loosen the soil. For smaller areas, a regular garden hoe will do the trick. For larger areas, you may want to use a till. Your goal is to bring up the second layer of soil to the surface. Prepare Soil Prepping the soil comes in a few steps. First rake the soil to clear it of any leaves or other unwanted items. Next, mix some topsoil in with the original soil from the ground. Spread that mixed soil over the area where the grass seed will be planted. Fertilize Soil The next step is to fertilize the soil. This can be done with the use of a handheld spreader for small areas. For larger areas, use a traditional spreader. Spreaders can be purchased at a fairly decent price at home improvement stores and warehouses, such as Home Depot. Spread Seeds Now that the soil is ready, it is time to spread the seeds throughout the planting area. For smaller areas, this can be done by hand. Just as with the fertilizer, a spreader can be used if necessary. Water Seeds Now that the seeds have been spread, it is time to water them. Be sure that the seeds get plenty of water. Soil should be moist and the water should run deep into the soil. Watering daily will help the seeds germinate properly. It may take up to three weeks for the planted seeds to grow into grass. Once it has grown to almost 3 inches, it is safe to mow, but never mow off more than 1/3 of the original height.
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By Stacey Carroll, Write W.A.V.E. Media Contributor
When switching from renters to homeowners insurance or choosing a new homeowners policy, it’s important to understand the details of the policy as well as the cost. In general, homeowners insurance protects you against financial loss in the event of fire, theft, vandalism and covered natural disasters (rain, hail, lightening and wind). It doesn’t normally protect against floods. To be fully protected in the event of a flood, a separate flood insurance policy is generally required.
Homeowners Insurance Pitfalls and Mistakes While homeowners insurance is designed to protect you against financial loss in the event that your home is damages by a covered event, it is important to read the details of the policy, including any specific exclusions, coverage amounts and the deductibles. Exclusions Along with floods, there are specific things that most home insurance policies do not cover, including mold and mildew damage, roofing replacements caused by the roof being past its useful life, sewerline backups, sinkholes on your property or under your home that damage its structure, insect damage, especially termites and carpenter ants and acts of war, including bombings, explosions and fire. If you expect to incur any of these damages, it may be best to purchase a home warranty along with your homeowners policy or explore other financial options that would provide you with extended coverage for the repair or replacement of your home in the event that your homeowners policy specifically excludes the cause of damage. Coverage Amounts The amount of coverage you choose for your homeowners policy should be an amount that would cover rebuilding your home or purchasing a similar home. Choosing lesser coverage amounts can save you money on your monthly home insurance premiums, but if your home were destroyed, you may not be able to afford the repairs or the purchase of a new home. If you purchase an amount that is higher than your home’s value, you may not see that entire amount. This is because insurance companies typically only replace the current value of your home just prior to the unforeseen disaster that damaged your home. Deductibles Homeowners insurance policies come with deductibles, and it is extremely important that you choose a deductible that you can always afford. This is because insurance companies will pay you for the repairs or the replacement of your home minus your deductible. For example, your home was burglarized and the criminals took $5,000 worth of valuables. If your deductible is $10,000, you would be responsible for replacing those items with your own financial resources. If your deductible were $1,000, your insurance company would pay you $4,000 for your loss, and you would pay $1,000 towards the replacement of your items. When you choose a homeowners insurance policy, make sure you do more than scan the monthly premium amount. Before you make a purchase, you should ensure that the items you want covered are covered under the policy and that the policy covers the types of damage you may incur during the time you live in the home. If you can’t find an insurance policy to cover certain causes of damage or critical system failures, you will want to purchase additional insurance coverage, like flood and earthquake damage and consider purchasing a home warranty if you are buying a new home.
by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff
"I can't find my shoe!" "I want my red skirt!" Organizing a kid's bedroom with him in mind helps prevent these and similar scenarios. Offer space-saving solutions that are also convenient to your child for the best results. Being a mom to many has taught me many things about storage and organization. Here are some of my top must-have items for organizing a kids bedroom.
Canvas bins offer many solutions. These come in many sizes and can be used all over the room. Slide a flat canvas bin under the bed for storing shoes and extra blankets. Choose canvas bins of all sizes to organize toys and other items on a shelf. Have a certain bin designated to library books or toys that travel in the car or to Grandma's house. The possibilities are endless when it comes to canvas bins and kids. Hanging rod organizers help kids keep track of items. Need an easy way to be sure your kids always know where there shoes and matching outfits are? Try closet organizers that hang from the clothing rod. Some have compartments and some keep clothing condensed. You can find shoe racks, sweater racks, and even special hangers that help kids keep their items neat and easily accessible. Hanging storage solutions create more floor space. Need a way to get all those stuffed animals or other collections off the floor? Try hanging the stuffed animals in a fun design or finding a ceiling storage rack for them. These are generally very cost-effective and can be found in varied shapes, sizes, and materials. It also keeps the items in the child's room, while keeping them out of the way at the same time. Wall storage helps organize smaller items. Too many items strewn across the dressers and shelves? Try wall organizers. These could be made of wood, canvas, or metal, depending on your child's décor and their intended purpose. You can even make your own if you're feeling inventive. Use up all that wall space, instead of letting it go to waste. You'd be surprised at how much more space your child will have. Drawer dividers help kids keep clothing neat. Tired of going to grab something from your child's drawer and seeing everything disorganized. Try drawer dividers. By sticking these in between certain items, it helps your child see that everything has its place. This must-have bedroom organizational item is especially handy for younger kids. By Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff "Swish!" Was that Kobe? Not this time. That's the sound of your son or daughter making a shot from the bed. You've got the over-the-door setup covered. But she wants more items to show off her favorite sport. You can create a fun basketball themed bedroom for your child without going too commercial or spending too much cash. Go homemade with this simple DIY basketball bedroom décor for kids.
Easy No-Sew Basketball Throw Pillows To make some simple basketball throw pillows, you'll need orange fleece, black piping, fabric glue, and filler material. How much material you need will depend on how big or small you want the pillows and how many you will be making. Basically, look at the fabric and imagine cutting out two circles per pillow that are slightly wider than your desired size. Take those two circles and glue them together just around the edges outside in. Leave a small opening to put the filler into. Once the glue is dry, turn the material inside out. Fill it with the material to the desire fullness. Now fold the open edges down and glue them together to line up with the already-glued edges. Once that's dry, take your piping and cut in appropriate lengths to glue basketball stripes on the outside of the pillow. Let those dry and you're done. Hanging Basketball Lanterns For these, simply purchase the desired number of round paper lanterns in orange. You'll also need some heat-safe black paint. Hobby paint used for model cars works great for this type of project because it can be purchased in very small amounts or large containers. This way you only need to buy what you need. Take a paintbrush and paint the stripes onto the lanterns to make them look like a basketball. Basketball Scoreboard To create a basketball scoreboard, you'll need a chalkboard in the desired size, some chalk, white acrylic paint, and a paintbrush. Paint the scoreboard template onto the chalkboard and let it dry. Now whenever the kids shoot hoops on the over-the-door net or with paper balls into the trash can, they can use the chalk to keep score. Basketball Wall Décor For wall décor, collect any odds and ends related to basketball and frame them. This could be tickets, hats, jerseys, deflated basketballs, and more. Frame each item separately and hang them all around the room. Make it like your child's personal hall of fame if he or she plays the sport. If not, just make it about the game, in general. Basketball Bed Post Décor Want to create a basketball bed for your child that doesn't cost you a fortune? You can use your child's bed posts and four basketballs to create this look. In addition to four basketballs, you'll need an air pump and some household glue, such as Goop or E-6000. Deflate each ball about ¼ of the way. Place them over the bed posts. If they don't fit quite right, inflate or deflate until the size is right. Now take some of the household glue and secure the basketballs to the post. Be sure to leave the side with the air hole accessible in case air needs to be replaced at a later date. Allow the balls to dry on the posts 24 hours before disturbing them. |
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