Household Tips

According to The Scotts Company, imrpoving your landscaping could provide better ROI on your home’s resale value than costlier bathroom or kitchen renovations! The study, conducted by Michigan State University, shows that landscaping can add 5 to 11 percent to your home’s base value. Money Magazine suggests that landscaping investments will return between 100 and 200 percent of their costs; whereas, remodeling a kitchen will net you only 75% and remodeling a bathroom will bring a mere 20% return. Scotts offers this sage advice:

Contrary to popular belief, homeowners don’t need to wait until the spring to take on a landscaping project; fall is actually the best time of the year to get started. According to John Marshall, manager of The Scotts Company’s Training Institute, fall’s unique weather conditions are ideal to tend to the centerpiece of your landscape — your lawn — with feeding and
seeding projects.

“The combination of cooler air temperatures, warm soil temperatures, increased precipitation and decreased daylight hours allow for accelerated root growth,” Marshall explains. “Root growth helps lawns protect themselves against winter weather and lays the foundation for a stronger, healthier lawn all year. Feeding your lawn in the fall not only thickens and greens your lawn immediately, but also helps roots to grow stronger so they can absorb more water and nutrients in preparation for winter.”

According to Marshall, many people think that they don’t need to feed their lawn in the fall because it goes dormant in the winter. In fact, feeding your lawn in the fall will do more good for your lawn’s long-term health than feeding at any other time of the year.

If your lawn has been damaged by summer heat or drought, or even by a particularly rough touch-football game last weekend, you might also want to consider a fall seeding project. The air and soil conditions during the autumn are ideal for any and all seeding projects. Whether you need to fill in some bare spots or you need a complete grass overhaul, high quality grass seed like Scotts Pure Premium brand grass seed will give the new grass its very best chance of establishing healthy roots.

The Scotts Company suggests these additional fall tips for ensuring spring curb appeal:

* Plant trees and shrubs — Root development is also critical for the success of your trees and shrubs. Giving your trees and shrubs a head start, before their first summer, makes a big difference. For both, dig a hole as deep as the root ball, but dig the hole about 1 - 2 feet wider than the ball. Place the plant in the hole and backfill with the soil you dug out. The loosened soil around the root ball will allow the plant’s roots to grow. After the plant is secured, water deeply.

* Plant your bulbs — Are you into tulips or are daffodils more your style? Your annuals should be planted when evening soil temps are between 40 and 50 degrees F. Big bulbs should be planted about 8 inches deep and smaller ones about 5 inches deep. Be sure to keep your bulbs in an area where the soil drains well. And check the instructions on your bulb package’s label for further instructions.

landscaping, home value, home improvement