How To Make Lawn Mowing Safe For You And Your Family

Maintaining a healthy and well-trimmed lawn has become quite essential to many homeowners. Though the process of keeping it green and lush could be tedious, a lot of people still take the time and effort to achieve it.

While there are many options available out there to maintain a well-groomed lawn, many homeowners still opt to mow their own yard.

Mowers are considered one of the most useful and helpful equipment when it comes to keeping a lawn healthy. However, they can also be very dangerous.

In fact, mower injuries account for a large percentage of accidental partial or complete amputations in different parts of the world.

Lawn Mower Safety Statistics

Each year, more than 300,000 people suffer from deep cuts, loss of a finger, fractured bones, burns, and other injuries due to misuse or carelessness when using a mower.
The sad part is, more than 10,000 of those accidents involve young children and teens, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Lawn Mower Safety Checklist

Of course, these lawn mower injuries can be prevented. Here are some basic tips to make mowing your yard safe for you and your family.

Check your lawn mower’s condition

• Just like any other equipment, it’s best to make sure that your lawn mower is in good working condition before using it.
• If you’re using it for the first time after being stored for a while, have it serviced to ensure that it’s working properly.
• Debris stuck in your mower must be removed using a stick or broom handle. Do not use your hands or feet.

Proper operation

• Before using a mower, it’s best to read the instruction manual first. Make sure you have a better understanding of how to operate your mower properly to avoid accidents.
• Know how to stop the machine immediately. This will come in a handy in case of an emergency or any unexpected occurrence.
• Do not remove any safety features that come with the your mower, such as shields and guards.
• Make sure to add the fuel before starting the engine and not while running.
• Keep a safe distance from the engine cowling. It can become very hot and could quickly burn your skin.
• As much as possible, do not leave a mower unattended while it’s running. If you must step away from it, make sure to turn off the engine first.

Wear proper clothing

• Avoid wearing baggy clothes when mowing. Loose clothing could quickly get caught up in it and cause accidents.
• Never wear open-toed footwear or anything that exposes your foot. Choose sturdy pair shoes when mowing lawns to protect your foot from the blade or debris that it might throw. It’s also a good idea to wear shoes with good traction to avoid slipping.
• It’s better to wear long pants than shorts while mowing. By doing so, your legs will be protected from any debris.
• Always wear eye protection, such as goggles, while mowing your yard.
• As much as possible, wear sunscreen when mowing to protect your skin from the sun.

Check the terrain before mowing

• Make it a habit to check your yard’s terrain before mowing. Remove any items, such as sticks, stones, toys, wire, and other debris that can cause injuries from flying objects.
• Check for holes in your yard to prevent stepping in them and twisting your ankle while mowing.
• Use extra caution when mowing hills and slopes.
• Do not mow when it’s already dark outside.

Keeping your family safe

• As much as possible, keep your children out of the yard while you are mowing. Typically, young kids do not fully understand the dangers of lawn mowers.
• Do not allow children to play near a mower, whether it is being used or not.
• Never let children ride on a mower to avoid severe feet injuries.
• Double-check your surrounding when mowing to avoid hitting children who might be playing behind you or in a nearby area.
• Make sure to have someone who knows exactly where you’re mowing. This will make it easier for them to locate you in case of an accident.

These are just a few of things you can do to achieve that healthy lawn without compromising safety. Remember, it’s best to be cautious when mowing rather than suffer the consequences.

How To Make Lawn Mowing Safe For You And Your Family was originally posted on schwartzlawncare.com

Effect of Landscaping on Property Value

If you’re interested in increasing your property value quickly, then you must pay attention to your homes landscaping.
It’s possible to increase the property value anywhere between 5 and 10 percent provided you have awesome landscaping in place. The best thing about landscaping is that it can be done quite easily, and at the same time add a lot value to your property. However, lack of landscaping know how could be stopping you from taking the first steps. In this article I’m going to share a few important tips that will point you in the right direction.
 

 
Your Home Styles and Landscaping Should Complement One Another
 
To ensure the best of return on your landscape investment, you must make certain that it fits with the overall style and theme of your home. You must use your imagination and look for uniformity. For example, you cannot have a Victorian style home with a Japanese garden. The Japanese garden certainly will look completely out of place. In fact, making the wrong landscape decisions like I just described, might prove counterproductive and actually bring down the value of your home. That’s why it’s extremely important to spend some time and mesh your new landscaping with the overall style and theme of your home. When it comes to modern style homes, you must always ensure that the landscaping is also modern. This means there should be more emphasis on greenery and beds which are natural looking. This type of landscaping will certainly fit into the overall contours of your property.
 
It is important that you have a good strategy in place
 
Instead of cluttering the backyard with
high maintenance plants, you should also look at smaller low maintenance plants. Keeping that in mind, you should not depend on plain grass alone and not have any other landscaping. According to studies conducted by Virginia Tech Department of Horticulture, it was discovered that the value of homes can go up by 42 percent, provided good foundation plants are chosen and placed in the right areas of your property. The plantings should be as diverse as possible but be careful not overdo it. It’s not a bad idea to a have a good combination of perennials and shrubs, but you must limit the types of such shrubs and plants. While diversity is important, there must be an element of uniformity so that the landscape does not appear uneven, or perhaps even unappealing to the eye.
 
Keep Seasonal Balance in Mind
 
It’s important to grow seasonal plants and flowers as potential home buyers are usually attracted to such landscape. While it may not be a good idea to showcase spring blooms in the autumn, it would be a good idea to have flowers and plants which stay in bloom for the entire year. You could choose blooming bulbs in the spring. You could choose annual beds during summer, and go for leaves with bright colors during fall. Evergreens are a great option for the winter season. Even though buyers will most likely only see your home during one particular season, they would be happy to see that you have plants and vegetations which could bloom and grow during the entire year.
 
Importance of Planting Trees
 
Planting a few trees can certainly make a big difference when it comes to the value of your home. There are studies to prove that having a simple tree-lined street in your garden and backyard could increase the value of your home by more than 10 to 15 percent. The reason for higher value is not that difficult to understand. Trees help remove carbon dioxide, as well as help reduce pollution levels in the air. This makes prospective buyers believe that they are investing in an eco-friendly property. The shade from large trees also helps to keep the homes and neighborhoods cooler and pleasant. This can lead to reduced air conditioning costs and lower overall electric cost. Trees are also great stress busters, and just sitting under the shade of one and looking at the greenery, can really help you relax.
 
Keep Your Lawn Well Edged
 
There is no question that a well edged, uniform, vibrant and healthy lawn, could be a great treat to the eyes. That’s why you must invest time and effort to ensure that your lawn is well edged. It offers an appearance that is easy-to-maintain. Edging also sends a message to potential buyers that you care about your property and keep it in good shape. It will create a “feel good factor” for prospects.
 
At the end of the day there is no doubt that intelligent, well thought out landscaping can increase the value of your home. Just make sure you have an excellent plan and strategy in mind before you start. Keep it as simple and straight as possible, and don’t overcomplicate things.

Effect of Landscaping on Property Value was originally posted on schwartzlawncare.com

Affordable and accessible garden ideas you can do in one day

The 200-unit apartment development and a 1,100-space parking garage are two of the items in the Cortex Innovation district project that have currently been put on hold. It was the decision of the team behind this development to not reveal at present, the reason why it is being paused. However, some items are to be pursued for the Cortex innovation project. These are the Starwood Aloft boutique hotel, the new technology and lab building that measures about 180,000-square-foot as well as the roughly 13,500-square-foot innovation hall.
 

 
According to an article by stlrealestate.news, despite the limited information about this issue, Dennis Lower, Cortex CEO stated that “the numbers for the garage and residential component just didn’t add up for their spending budget.  They are expecting the district to revive plans, in some iteration, later this year.”
 
“The two developers on the projects continued to drill down on the design and cost and came to the conclusion that it was no longer financial feasible,” Lower said.  “So what we did was we un-bundled the entire project.  So now we’re looking at all options right now (for the parking and residential component) — everything from sites and funding mechanisms.  We’re sort of starting anew with it.”
 
Read the entire story here — stlrealestate.news.
 
When it comes to development projects, whether it is a residential or a commercial property, careful planning is extremely important before starting any project. Planning includes all aspects of the project, most especially the budget. However, along with the planning, during the course of the project, it is important to make sure you are also sticking to the budget as planned.
 
In the case of the Cortex innovation, though they may not reveal too many details about why the project was deemed as no longer financial feasible, this may be a case of not sticking to the budget or there may be issues with their contractors that ruined their budget.
 
Cases like this are normal. In fact, some homeowners who are planning to improve their homes and lawns are hesitant to start for fear that such development and improvement could cost them a fortune, aside from the fact it probably could take a long time before a newly improved and developed home and garden can be achieved.
 
However, this should not always be the case, if you only know how to upgrade your home cheap and fast.
 
Sometimes, all you need is a lazy weekend afternoon and you can already make huge modifications in your home. With this, Homify loves DIY projects and they willingly help homeowners improve their homes, lawns and gardens using only their spare afternoon time. Of course, you can leave large garden projects such as fence installation and water feature installation to the professionals. But, you can also incorporate some ideas for your garden and home improvement that even you and your family can do.
 
A recent article by homify.com.my compiled several garden ideas for your home that are both accessible and affordable. The article states that “The Chinese have recognized the value of rock gardens for centuries. They’re aesthetically pleasing, unique and promote relaxation and meditation.” 
 
However, large rock gardens can be too much for your home, especially if it only has little space. With this, you can simply go for a table-top rock garden.
 
The article also states that you should “Always maintain your bushes to give your garden and elegant and sophisticated look. There’s nothing worse than untrimmed, unruly bushes. Or you can simply take an afternoon to clean the cobwebs, polish the patio, clean the windows and trim the yard. Sometimes a good cleaning is all you need.”
 

 
Additionally, if you are more of a patio person, the article also states that “With a few planks of wood and a hammer and nails, you can add a beautiful side patio to your home to add an extra space for eating and sunbathing! Just make sure to properly add underneath support and a proper sealing solution for the rainy seasons. 
 
Want to enjoy your patio but the position of your home puts you in heavy, hot direct sun all day? This can be a nuisance, but one easily solved with the addition of an overhang or canopy.”
 
Furthermore, according to the article, if you want a low-maintenance garden, “Why not rip out your grass and old dirt and replace it with stones? This is an especially great option for those that don’t have time to tend to lawn care, or live in an area where grass tends to not grow so well.”
 

 
Another economical way to maintain a garden is to grow herbs. The article states that “When it’s the right season to grow herbs, we support growing a plethora of species and types—you never know when a special occasion will come along and growing is always cheaper than buying, especially exotic herbs.”
 
Also, “One of the cheapest and easiest on this list—choose the right accessorizing pillows and outdoor textiles to ensure a great and chic-looking space.”
 
It is important to realize that not all home improvements and developments should be a burden to you physically and to your wallet. As long as you incorporate the right home, garden and lawn care ideas, you can complete a financially feasible home improvement project in no time.

 

 

 

 

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Affordable and accessible garden ideas you can do in one day was originally posted on schwartzlawncare.com

Best Spring Lawn Care Tips For Your St. Louis Property

Spring is that time of the year when your yard is supposed to start looking green and lively, perfect for barbecues and outdoor parties. However, this won’t happen automatically. St. Louis lawns have special needs when spring comes, and you need to address these needs to achieve the picture-perfect yard and garden you have in mind. Lawn care and maintenance information from Schwartz Brothers Landscape Solutions Website will come in handy at this time.

Here are some spring lawn care tips. These are particularly tips about lawn preparation, spring maintenance, and lawn care schedule. They will help you accomplish all your goals for your yard this year:
 

 

St. Louis Spring Lawn Care Tips: Preparation:

Lawn preparation is crucial for a healthy yard this summer. When spring approaches, the temperature increases, so you need to protect your yard from the drought and heat. Here are some simple lawn preparation tips for St. Louis homeowners this spring:

1. Clean Up

Remove debris like leaves and twigs that have accumulated over the winter. Debris can block fertilizers from being thoroughly absorbed into the grass.

2.Apply the Killer Trio

At the onset of spring, apply a combination of pre-emergent, weed killer, and fertilizer. The pre-emergent will prevent crabgrass growth, the weed killer will kill any existing weeds, and the fertilizer will feed your grass.

3. Mow Often

Mowing your yard once a week means you’re cutting away all the tall grass, and this will stunt their roots, preventing them from reproducing properly. For the first six weeks of spring, mow your yard every five days to get a fuller more beautiful lawn. Important: Use sharpened mower blades for a cleaner cut.
 

 

Spring Lawn Care Schedule for St. Louis Homeowners:

There are ideal times for fertilizer reapplication and weeding during mid to late spring. This is the ideal spring maintenance and lawn care schedule for St. Louis homeowners:

Mid Spring:

This is the ideal time to aerate the ground if your lawn has warm season grass. Aerating allows grass roots to expand and helps water and fertilizer reach the roots more quickly. While your grass is growing, keep in mind the ideal mowing height for your grass type. Keep your grass as long as possible since longer grasses have deeper and healthier root systems.

Late Spring:

Remove unwanted weeds through pesticides (if you’re comfortable with using them) or use more natural weed removal methods. Add more fertilizers if needed. It’s better if you have your soil professionally tested to see which minerals and nutrients your soil lacks.
 

St. Louis Maintenance Spring Lawn Care Tips

* Avoid mowing when the yard is covered in weeds since this may spread pathogens.
* Water three times a week. Water early in the morning just as the sun is starting to rise. Watering in the afternoon results to more water getting lost due to evaporation. However, watering in the evening will leave your grass too wet and leave it prone to fungus growth.

These lawn preparation, spring maintenance, and lawn care schedule tips will help you achieve your dream St. Louis yard this spring. Read a lot of resources and ask for expert advice when you have questions that these spring lawn care tips can’t answer. When you have problems with your lawn, address them right away to avoid escalation. Keep in mind these St. Louis care and maintenance tips for a vibrant lawn this summer.

Best Spring Lawn Care Tips For Your St. Louis Property was originally posted on schwartzlawncare.com

Beautiful Garden Walkway Tips and Ideas

Maryland Heights is looking for guidance on what to do with the 1,800 acres of the flood plain which the St. Louis Ram’s owner initially eyed for development. A Stakeholder Advisory Committee was gathered by the municipality in order to work with city officials regarding plans for the said site. Some of the committee members are representatives of regulatory and planning agencies that have authority on that area located between Creve Coeur Lake Park and the Missouri River.
 

 
In an article by stltoday.com, “This farm field is part of what Maryland Heights officials call the “Maryland Park Lake District.” Developers hoping for TIF incentives from the city will now have to convince a county commission that their project will benefit the entire county, not just Maryland Heights.”
 
The article also states that initially, “Kroenke, who moved the Rams to Los Angeles a year ago, and Bornstein outlined to the city last summer a project they called Little Lake Town Center. The proposal included residential and commercial development, biking and hiking trails, plus a 1,365-acre recreational area overseen by a nonprofit entity.”
 
According to the article, other proposals submitted for the site by other developers include stores, multi-purpose arena, hotels, business parks and apartments. Eventually, it was the city that decided to start over in planning what to do with the area, now with the help of its advisory committee.
 
Furthermore, the article states that “Developers — including Bornstein and Kroenke — who pitched plans previously may submit new proposals once the committee work is done and the city has more specific project goals, Oldroyd said. He added that city officials will evaluate proposals, not the names of the developers, including the Rams owner and his lawyer.”
 
Read more — stltoday.com.
 
Whatever form of development the city could come up with for the Maryland Heights, 1800 acres is a truly huge space for development. This is why it is important for the St. Louis area to plan for the area wisely. For homeowners, such a vast piece of land would be a blessing and an opportunity to be creative in terms of enhancing their property. You can think of several ways to landscape your lawn and make sure the area is not wasted. You can create a garden with a truly stunning walkway.
 

 
It is true that when it comes to yard landscaping, we often overlook walkways because we are so busy thinking about plants, pools, and patios. Connecting the different spaces in our yard is mostly neglected. Walkways can both be a guide to your yard and a source of good mood or atmosphere.
 
An article by quiet-corner.com states the importance of walkways and garden paths. “By ignoring paths, a garden can become disjointed because of the lack of thought put into the transitions and connections.”
 
The article also states that if you want to enhance the look and feel of your garden by creating a walkway, “You’ll want to start by determining if you are trying to create a formal or informal feeling.” 
 
According to the article, formal garden paths are distinguished by right angles and straight lines, while informal garden paths are typically curved and meandering paths.
 
In addition, the article states that aside from deciding between formal and informal paths, “you’ll need to make a number of important decisions regarding shape, dimensions, and materials, which can range from simple gravel to decorative stamped concrete. Other factors to consider include your budget, the desired traffic flow, the amount of foot traffic your walkway will receive, and safety.”
 
As a tip when selecting materials for front yard walkway, the article mentions that factors such as safety, curb appeal and your home’s exterior architecture must be considered. It also states that you need to determine the “best placement for backyard walkways to create destination zones and a natural traffic flow from one area to another. “
 
Furthermore, the article suggested to “Design tricks for varying the width of a path at certain points in the garden to indicate that the visitor has arrived at a destination, such as a shady bench under a tree.”
 
For concrete walkways, the article states that you can choose from several decorative options such as “adding color by staining or integral pigments, imparting pattern and texture through stamping or saw cutting, exposing the aggregate, and adding decorative borders.”
 

 
Other tips include “Using outdoor path lighting for both safety and way finding, including advice on path lighting mistakes to avoid and using pathway edging to create a manicured look, to keep gravel or other loose paving materials in place, and to keep plants and mulch off walkways.”
 
These walkway tips can really help you plan the most beautiful garden and lawn landscape for your property. You don’t even need to have 1800 acres of land to achieve this. You just need to apply tricks and designs perfect for the space you have.
 
 

 

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Beautiful Garden Walkway Tips and Ideas was originally posted on schwartzlawncare.com

Lawn Care Service Providers

Maintain a Green Lawn with the Help of Lawn Care Service Providers

 

Lawns Give Harmony to Your Home

A well-maintained lawn is radiant to the eyes. It helps you feel calm and relaxed from the other stress. It draws you just to sit there for a while and forget all your worries. A great lawn should fill you with leisure and make you want to sip your cup of coffee and enjoy a good book in the shade. Lawn care professionals can easily help you accomplish this.

Everyone Prefers to Have a Good Looking, Well-Maintained Lawn

However, that is not always the case. Grasses and plants grow. If they are not trimmed regularly, they may be out of shape and can be an eyesore. Aside from that, weeds pop up too and very quickly at that. Seeing your lawn with long grass, plants, and weeds, will make you want to go back inside the house to avoid the problem. That is why you must perform upkeep on it regularly.

What If You Are Too Busy to Maintain Your Lawn?

That’s when lawn care services come in. They help you with maintaining your lawn and making it look healthy.

There are lawn service providers near you in St. Louis that can help. You want to have a clean, green and healthy lawn, so if you live there or live close by, contact our best lawn care services in St, Louis.

What Can Lawn Care Services Provide You?

These are the services that lawn carers can give you:

Lawn Assessment

They first evaluate the condition of your lawn and see what they can do to cure, care, and maintain your lawn.

Mowing and Edging

Mowing and edging are the most basic services available. Sometimes, you can become too busy in your other priorities and you don’t have time to trim your grass. Our lawn mowing company can help you with this.

Fertilization

These services help keep your soil nourished for grass and plants to flourish. Lawn care service providers offer Phosphorus, nitrogen and other fertilizers that are necessary for your lawn to be healthy.

Weed Removal

It can be quite unpleasing to the eyes if there are weeds among the well-maintained grass on your lawn. When they are not pulled out right away, they will grow more and more and absolutely cover your grass. Lawn services help remove and kill weeds to maintain your green lawn.

Bug and Pest Control

To ensure that your grasses and plants remain healthy, they also assess if there are bugs and pests. These insects eat the leaves of your plants and grasses. Having a few of them may not cause trouble, but remember that they multiply and grow and they can be uncontrollable. These services help you kill those bugs away and keep a bug-free garden.

Soil Aeration

Soil aeration lets your soil breathe. The better it breathes, consequently the healthier it becomes. This means that more of your grass and plants will grow. Lawn care service providers also offer treatments to keep your soil as healthy as possible.

Lawn Restoration

Some lawns which have long been neglected and can be brought back to life like it was once before. If your lawn is already in poor condition, our lawn providers can fix it.

Conclusion:

Don’t let your lawn, which gives you amusement, become dull. Have your favorite place for coffee and reading always clean and green. Get some help from our lawn care service providers.

The post Lawn Care Service Providers was originally posted on schwartzlawncare.com

Creating and Maintaining a Beautiful Water Design

A Florida-based real estate investment trust managed to sell the 195-room Hilton St. Louis Downtown. This is part of a larger deal that was closed officially on December 2. Reports have not mentioned the exact amount that Hilton St. Louis was sold for. City records of St. Louis reports that Hilton St. Louis, which was located at 400 Olive Street gained a $6.89 million appraised value.

According to an article by stlrealestate.news, “St. Louisans woke up to a unforeseen headline this past week when the downtown St. Louis Hilton hotel was sold as part of a larger $119 million deal that also included three other hotel properties.”

To be more specific, the article states that, “The Florida real estate agency, Orlando-based Xenia Hotels & Resorts Inc., which refused to disclose the buyer at the time of the sale this past Friday, sold the hotel to MCR St. Louis LLC, reported city real state records as of this Monday.”

The article also states that “Along with the Hilton Downtown, other hotels were apart of the multi-struck deal. They include the 162-room Homewood Suites by Hilton Houston Near the Galleria, the 148-room Hampton Inn & Suites Denver Downtown, and the 178-room Hilton Garden Inn Chicago North Shore and Evanston.”

Moreover, “MCR plans on making additional acquisitions in upcoming years, and reported that they are incredibly excited and motivated to make the best out of their newfound property,” the article stated.

Like the Hilton Downtown, it is easy for your property to get a higher appraised value as well. If you are trying to sell your property, it is important to know and understand the need for home maintenance and improvement inside and outside your home.

One of the best techniques is to add a water feature to your landscape. Water features like koi ponds, water gardens and fountains have been topping trends for home landscaping in the past years and until now. However, it is important to know that even if these water features can make your landscape more relaxing, they also need to be maintained if you want them to be functional and attractive all the time.

An article by the villagenews.com states that, “Homeowners should create a water feature design that is fitting with the scale and style of their homes while also keeping their lifestyles in mind. Ponds are popular water features and, like pools, come in both inground and above-ground styles. Above-ground ponds are easier and faster to build than inground ponds and may be safer options for parents of young children.”

The article also mentions that “Water features require the constant flow of water to prevent stagnation and proliferation of mosquito and other insect larvae. That requires a pump to push the water around.”

However, the article states that “Even pumps protected by an intake filter or screen can become clogged with debris. It’s necessary to routinely inspect the screen and the pump filter and remove any obstructions. Otherwise, the pump motor can overheat and malfunction.”

In addition, “The wrong balance of conditions in the water can cause problems,” the article stated.

So, according to the article, “Avoid locating the water feature where lawn and garden runoff will find its way into the water. Filtration and routine testing of water levels also can help. Water features that are not meant to become wildlife habitats may benefit from a mild sanitizer to keep algae at bay. A thorough cleaning of liners at the end of the season to eliminate materials that build up on the bottom can help, too.”

In preparation for the winter, the article states that “homeowners must decide if they want to keep the water feature running or shut it down. Many experts say smaller ponds should be drained, cleaned and left empty until spring. This is also a time to cut back the dead plant material and remove any tropicals from the water. Remove pumps and drain water feature lines so they make it through the winter without freezing.”

Furthermore, according to the article, “Homeowners should work with a skilled water garden expert in planning the feature’s design and location with safety and upkeep in mind.”

With a little bit of time and effort in applying several landscaping ideas and maintenance for your home, you can also get your property sold for bigger profits in no time.

 

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