With spring kicking into full gear and winter feeling like a distant memory, it is that time to do some seasonal maintenance in your yard. Spring cleaning and sprucing now can make your job this summer a whole lot easier. While some may hire landscapers to do this for them at the cost of over $20.00 an hour, you are much more budget savvy!
To prep your yard for spring, you don’t need to hire a landscaper or buy any fancy tools, and at the same time you don’t need to spend hours breaking your back in the yard. By using a few simple tricks, you can do the work yourself and save yourself some dough.
If you followed these tips as opposed to hiring your own help, you can save $20.00 an hour. Even a four hour job could run you $80.00 plus the cost of supplies. Instead pocket that cash! Here are some tips to get you started!
1. Clean out flower pots. Do this with a mixture of bleach and warm water (use 1 cup bleach to 1 gallon of warm water) This will kill any fungus that may hinder plants. It will also keep your pots looking like new, preventing the need to buy new ones!
2. Use leaves to your advantage.Rake any leaves and use them for compost and free mulch. Although leaves are a pest, they make great compost material and can be applied to flower beds as a rich mulch, keeping plants warm and preventing anymore weed growth. An extra bonus…raking is great cardio!
3. Prune. Prune back flowering shrubs and trees. A simple pair of trimmers and a grocery bag for scraps is all you will need for this task.Don’t have trimmers? See if you can borrow some from a neighbor.
Also See: Organic Garden on the Cheap: Protect and Feed Your Garden for Pennies!
4. Give yard furniture a good scrub. Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are excellent at cleaning outdoor furniture pieces and decor.
5. Find free manpower. For extra helping hands, you can always partner up with a neighbor and help her with her yard in exchange for help with yours.You will enjoy not only the help but the company too.
6. Reseed dead spots in your lawn. Chances are if you only need seed in a few spots, you can split the cost of a bag with a neighbor. You can also visit www.oneprojectcloser.com to find current deals and coupons various home improvement chain stores are running!
7. Educate yourself! Visit Lowes or Home Depot for the free weekend clinics they offer. These clinics will teach you how to take care of your lawn, choose the best perennials, or even build a planting box, and they will do so for free. Visit your local home improvement store today to see what sort of free clinics they offer.
So enjoy the bright colors of spring, and treat yourself with a lemonade when done! Oh, and don’t be surprised if the rumor begin that you have hired a landscaper. Let the chatter go on for a bit, then let your friends in on your do it yourself secrets! The best part? You just saved at least $50 today by doing this work yourself and following the thrifty and practical tips listed above!
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