Homeowner’s Academy
This is your guide to interesting facts, tips and general homeowner information. We hope you find the information useful – and feel free to share with friends!

7 Expert Tips to Keep Your Florida Lawn Green This Summer

Spring cleaning often comes with a fresh coat of paint. Painting can be a great way to change the feel of a room or give your home some great curb appeal. Painting also plays a role in home repair by protecting the wood of your home against the elements, essential here in Florida.

If you decide to try your hand at painting this spring, People’s Trust has some tips that can keep the experience enjoyable and safe for everyone in your family.

Try Some Eco-friendly Paint

Spring conjures up the sniffles for many people in the great outdoors, but paint may do the same thing inside of your home. Household paints have previously contained up to 300 toxic chemicals, including the hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that release particles into the air for years after you paint.

Try a low-VOC paint, which tends to be water-based, for any home interior painting. These have taken off in recent years and come in every shade and finish imaginable. Some brands also create no-VOC paints by replacing chemicals with more natural ingredients. These no-VOC paints are often pet-safe, but always check the label and never leave your pet unattended in a room where paint cans are open.

Home Repair Supervision

If you have children, never let them be in a room with open paint cans by themselves. If children are under the age of 10, they should never be in a room with any open painting materials. Even eco-friendly paints are extremely dangerous if ingested. If you believe your child has ingested any paint, immediately call poison control at 1-800-222-1222.

Try Cloth Catchers for Indoor and Outdoor Painting

You can pick up plastic sheets to protect your floors and lawn, but these often move and tear as you walk around painting. Turn to cloth or canvas drop cloths that will stay in place easier and can be weighed down with objects without the risk of tearing.

For painting the outside of your home, try a tarp with tie-holes. These can be staked into the ground to provide a steadier surface for a ladder.

Ventilate: Make Room to Breathe

If you’re painting inside, open the doors and windows. If your room has a fan, turn it on. You want proper ventilation for any space you’re painting to help air out the room and not breathe in paint fumes. If you can’t ventilate where you’re working, get a respirator and only paint in short stints.

Ventilation is essential to most common home repair improvements.

Stick to the Shade

If painting outside, you know that you need to take a break in the shade, but what about your materials? Paint, paint thinner and lacquer all need to stay in the shade as much as possible when painting outdoors.

Not only can heat and sun alter some of these items when they’re sitting in the can, but heat can also be a big problem for these flammable items. The city of Las Vegas actually warns its citizens to be careful when painting their homes or canvases outside because paint thinner has been ignited by the sun and started home fires.

Clean Up after Home Repairs

When you finish painting for the day, clean up the entire space. This will prevent spills and any accidental exposure.

Latex paints can typically be cleaned from surfaces and your skin with soap and water. Oil-based paints will have specific cleaning instructions located on the paint can itself. Take a look at your can before you start painting and write down what it says, because paint often spills on the outside of the can during the painting process.

Gasoline was once used to clean paint off of brushes, but this should never be used. Gasoline is extremely dangerous and should never be used as a cleaner for any object.

It’s always a smart practice to clean up and watch your space clearly when doing any home repair project.

7 Expert Tips to Keep Your Florida Lawn Green (While Saving Green) This Summer

We want to show off our lush lawns and healthy home gardens, but that’s not always easy in the Sunshine State, especially during summer’s extremely hot days.

Thankfully, there are things you can do to win the battle. Here are seven expert tips for getting – and keeping – your yard healthy and happy, even in the heat of Florida summer.

Add Mulch to Planting Beds

Mulch helps keep the soil moist and reduces weeds. To prevent rot, avoid piling mulch against plant stems and tree trunks. Not sure how much mulch you need? Learn more about mulch here .

Water at the Right Time

Avoid watering between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to prevent water loss from evaporation caused by peak sunlight. Instead, quench your flora’s thirst either early in the morning or late evening.

“Tuna” Up Your Sprinklers

Make sure your sprinklers are watering your grass and plants, not sidewalks and driveways, by strategically placing empty tuna cans or measuring cups around your yard – all within range of the sprinklers. Also, clean the tuna cans thoroughly or risk a visit from hungry neighborhood cats.

Once the cans/cups are in position, run the sprinkler for 30 minutes, and then measure the amount of water in each can or cup. Ideally, the water will be evenly distributed among all the cans. Aim for three-quarters of an inch of water, and adjust your watering times if necessary.

Switch to a Drip Irrigation System

Through low-pressure, low-volume water distribution, drip irrigation systems keep roots moist without drowning them, keeping your plants healthy and reducing overall water usage. Drip irrigation hoses can be placed on the ground or be slightly buried to allow water to seep down to a plant’s roots for optimal growth.

Set Timers

Keep your yard looking healthy and green without wasting water by setting your irrigation system’s timer with a watering schedule that suits your area, taking into consideration how much rainfall you usually get and local watering restrictions. For example, the University of Florida suggests a watering schedule for central Florida residents of two days a week (such as Monday and Thursday).

Check with your local Water Management District office or Cooperative Extension Service for more information on how often you should water your lawn.

Get the Most Out of Afternoon Rain Showers

Florida is known for its almost daily summer afternoon showers. Take advantage of this natural source of water by adding extenders to gutter downspouts or using rain barrels. Aim the extenders toward your property’s highest elevation so rain water can flow down through landscaped areas. If you go the rain barrel route, cover the barrels when rain isn’t falling to prevent mosquitos and frogs from breeding in your backyard.

Let Your Grass Grow

Higher grass develops a more extensive root system, making your lawn more drought-resistant. If grass is mowed too short, it expends most of its energy toward growing new leaf blades, making it more prone to drought and weed invasion.