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2B ®jje Herat!) <©a?ette Tuesday, April 6,2021
Techniques to revitalize a
lawn after a long winter
Pristine, snow-covered
landscapes can be won
ders to behold. While
that blanket of white is
idyllic, a lawn’s delicate
blades may be paying a
hefty price beneath the
cold, heavy piles of snow
Snow plows push
salt and sand up on the
grass while subterra
nean animals like mice
and moles dig burrows
beneath piles of snow as
they try to find food and
stay warm. Such condi
tions are not favorable
for thriving landscapes.
When the spring thaw
arrives, lawns may be in
dire need of some TLC.
The following techniques
can mitigate winter-relat
ed lawn damage.
• Clear out debris.
Remove any scattered
leaves, branches and
other debris that has
been strewn across the
property due to storms
or snow-laden trees. This
will give you a clean can
vas to work on.
• Dry out snow mold.
The Family Handyman
says snow mold is a
cold-season fungus that
causes gray-colored
circles or patches on the
lawn where there has
been snow. To alleviate
snow mold, rake the lawn
to loosen matted grass
and facilitate the drying-
out process.
• De-thatch the lawn.
Heavy snow can com
press the grass and
cause some of it to die
off. De-thatching helps
to remove dead grass
blades and separate any
matting. This enables
water, nutrients and air
to reach the lawn’s roots
more effectively. Thin
ning out old organic mat
ter also helps encourage
new growth.
• Aerate the soil.
Coupled with dethatch
ing, aeration involves
loosening the soil or
poking holes to allow
nutrients to move freely
to the roots.
• Kill weeds before
they spread. Weeds may
be the first to start grow
ing when the weather
begins to warm. Ad
dress them promptly by
manually pulling them or
applying an herbicide.
• Overseed the lawn.
Chances are there are
some bare spots that
have formed over the
winter. Overseeding can
help to fill in the lawn.
Make sure that frosts are
largely a thing of the past
and soil temperature is
around 50 F to 60 F be
fore seeding. Water daily
until grass fills in.
• Apply nutrients.
Fertilizer and compost
can restore nutrients to
the lawn that may have
been used up over win
ter. A soil test at a nearby
horticultural center can
tell you which nutrients
are needed, according to
the Chemistry Cachet, a
guide to using chemistry
secrets for healthy living,
beauty, cleaning, and
gardening.
Lawns can be restored
to their pre-winter glory
after some sweat eq
uity and about five to six
weeks of consistent sun
shine and warm weather.
Safety first with DIY electrical work
Home improvement
projects can help home-
owners transform their
homes. Such projects are
costly, but many home-
owners save money by
doing some, if not all, of
the work themselves.
The Electrical Safety
Foundation International,
a nonprofit organization
dedicated to promoting
electrical safety, recom
mends that homeowners
leave electrical work to
the professionals. Li
censed electricians are
well-trained, whereas
homeowners may not be
skilled enough to avoid
accidents or injuries,
which can prove fatal
when working with elec
tricity.
Homeowners who take
the do-it-yourself route
with electrical work
should consider these
safety tips, courtesy of
the ESF1, before begin
ning a home electrical
project.
• Learn your home
electrical system. Home
electrical systems may
include power lines,
electric meters, service
panels, subpanels, wir
ing, and more. These sys
tems are complex, and
homeowners who intend
to do some DIY electrical
work should familiarize
themselves with their
home electrical systems
prior to beginning any
work. The ESF1 notes that
knowledge of their home
electrical systems can
help homeowners more
safely navigate them and
make maintenance easier.
• Honestly assess
your skills. An honest
assessment of skills is ab
solutely necessary prior
to working on an electri
cal system. According
to the National Safety
Council, injuries relating
to electrical incidents
typically fall into one of
four categories: electri
cal shock, electrocution,
falls, and burns. Each of
these injuries is signifi
cant. For example, elec
tric shock, which occurs
when electrical current
passes over or through a
person’s body, involves
burns, abnormal heart
rhythm and unconscious
ness. Given the potential
for serious injury, the
ESF1 urges homeown
ers to make an honest
assessment of their
skills before they begin
working on their home’s
electrical systems. Little
or no experience working
with electrical systems
should be considered a
significant hurdle to any
DIY project.
• Turn the power off.
It’s essential that the
power to the circuit that
will be worked on be
turned off prior to start
ing any work. This can be
accomplished by switch
ing off the circuit breaker
in the main service panel.
Similarly, when working
on appliances or lamps,
make sure the products
are unplugged prior to
working on them.
• Do not touch
plumbing or gas pipes
when doing electri
cal work. The experts
at the Indiana Electric
Cooperative note that the
risk for electrocution is
significant when water
comes in contact with
electricity. It’s impera
tive that homeowners
do not touch plumbing
and gas pipes when
performing a DIY electri
cal project. Profession
als know how to work
around such pipes while
minimizing their risk for
electric shock or worse,
and homeowners must
familiarize themselves
with the techniques
professionals rely on to
stay safe if they intend
to begin DIY electrical
projects.
Homeowners are best
served by leaving electri
cal work to the profes
sionals. However, those
who insist on doing such
work themselves should
do their homework and
get to know their sys
tems and safety proto
cols prior to beginning a
project.
Steve Coleman & Associates, Inc.
GA PLS No. 2690
Steve Coleman
Professional Land Surveyor
38 East Johnston Street
Post Office Box 892
Forsyth, Georgia 3 i 029
Office: 478-992-9900
Cell: 478-214-1234
steve@steve-coleman.conn
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