Landscaping Maintenance Checklist

Many of the landscaping tasks you completed in the spring set the table for summer. But there are still a few things to tackle between regular mowing and weed trimming. Here’s a checklist to get you through the summer:

Hurricane Preparedness

June through the end of November is hurricane season for the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, so the time is now to plan and prepare for a hurricane. If a portable gas-powered generator is part of your hurricane plan, keep TruFuel 4-Cycle fuel on hand. It’s ethanol-free fuel that stays fresh for two years opened and at least five years unopened—making it the perfect fuel for limited-use emergency generators. Why use ethanol-free gas? Because 4-cycle engines were never meant to process ethanol, and because taking your generator to the repair shop for a new carburetor or gas line is not an option in the wake of a hurricane.

Insects

• Mosquitos. Eventually, the mosquitos will appear, and remain into the fall. To reduce their numbers, inspect your yard for standing water breeding grounds for these disease-bearing insects.
• Don’t let summer rain collect in tires, corrugated downspout drains, corrugated pipes or wheelbarrows.
• Hose-out birdbaths weekly and drain mud puddles or other pools that form in your yard after rainfall due to poor drainage.

Irrigation

• Find that sweet spot that conserves water and gives your lawn enough extra hydration beyond what Mother Nature is providing.

Monitor Your Mowing

When you mow, be on the lookout for signs of lawn mower maintenance needs:

• If your blades have made contact with protruding tree roots and tree stumps or had some close encounters with rocks and stones, then inspect the work of the blades: Is the grass being cut cleanly, like scissors, or ragged, as if they were torn? If the latter, sharpen or replace the blades. Tearing grass makes it more susceptible to disease and hurts aesthetics.
• If the engine doesn’t act right, it could be any number of things, including a clogged carburetor. Lawn mower engines were never meant to process ethanol. Consider using ethanol-free gas with advanced stabilizers engineered for lawn mower engines: TruFuel 4-Cycle.
• Check/replace air filter regularly.
• Check/clean under deck regularly with putty knife.
• Getting harder to push? Remove the wheels and lubricate. Summer humidity and moisture from dewy grass can cause corrosion and rusting.

String Trimming

For many, September-November means cooler weather and homeowners need to make changes in their landscaping due to the lower temperatures.