Month: May 2018

I’m lucky – I outgrew my allergies.  But I know a lot of people are starting their annual season of suffering as the pollen counts rise.  All the sniffling and sneezing, coughing and itching isn’t fun so while you’re waiting for your allergy medications to kick in, let’s think about other ways to help alleviate the misery.  Here are some tips I’ve heard are helpful:

• Stay indoors when you know the pollen counts are going to be high.  Local news broadcasts are pretty good about warning you on high pollen count days.  While pollen counts can vary widely based on plant activity, weather and time of day, on average the pollen count is lowest right before dawn, peaks around mid-day and then falls through the afternoon/evening.
• Keep up on the housecleaning.  Vacuum more than once a week and don’t be stingy with the Swiffers.  Anywhere dust can build up, pollen is hiding too.  And don’t forget to change the filter on your furnace/AC regularly too!
• Try a saline nasal spray or neti pot.  Twice a day nasal rinses help clear the pollen from your membranes.  And a salt water gargle can help with a scratchy throat too!
• Take a shower at night to get all the pollen off of you and out of your hair so you don’t deposit it all in your bedding.  Change your clothes after you’ve been outside – and leave your shoes at the door.   And don’t neglect your pets either – your dog may be a regular pollen ball if you aren’t making sure it is groomed regularly too.

Do you have a favorite trick to minimize the agony of allergies?  Let us know in the comments!

 

Top of my to-do list today?  My lawn looks sad.  Now that we have finally left winter behind, it’s time to get to work outside.  The winter – or the neighbor’s dog – wasn’t kind to a couple spots in my front yard and now I have bare patches.

I’ll be making a trip to the hardware store for some grass patch – and maybe I’ll throw in a bag of plain grass seed to overseed the rest of the yard as well.

Have you ever used grass patch?  There are several brands, but basically, it’s a blend of grass seed, fertilizer and mulch.  You loosen the soil in the bare spots down about an inch or so and then spread the patch over it.  When you water it, the patch turns into a sort of paste that keeps the seed in place and holds moisture in around it.  Water at least once daily for a week to 10 days and you should have grass filling in those bare spots.  It’s easy!

Overseeding is putting seed over a lawn that is thin or uneven.  To prep for my overseeding, I’ll rake the yard gently to loosen up any thatch so the seeds can get down to the soil.  If your seeds stay in the existing grass or in the thatch, they aren’t going to grow so this is an important step.  I have a handheld seed/fertilizer spreader so I’ll put the seed down with that and then follow up with a little more light raking to make sure the seed gets down to dirt.  Then it’s just a matter of watering regularly until my lawn fills in and isn’t so sad!

Want a guide for spring lawn care?  I like this one from Today’s Homewoner.