MARCH 11, 2020 • Volume 15 • Issue 11
RE WEEKLY RESIDENTIAL • ACREAGE • FARM • COMMERCIAL • AREA DEVELOPMENT 515-233-3299 • 317 5th Street, Ames • All REALTOR® ads within are REALTORS® licensed in the State of Iowa
OPEN HOUSE! SATURDAY, 3/14 1-2 PM
NEW LISTING! 1227 South K Avenue, Nevada WOW, immaculate one-owner home! Features include 3 BR, 3.5 BA, over 2,800 finished sq ft, kitchen boasts beautiful oak cabinetry and tons of space, main level laundry, 2 car attached garage & MUCH MORE!
$295,900
4100 Hastings Drive, Ames
Give us a call today to check out everything this home has to offer!
MARC OLSON 291-7900 marc@moreteam.org centraliowahome.com
Each office independently owned and operated. Licensed in the State of Iowa.
Beautiful 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom zero entry ranch. Gourmet kitchen with double ovens and huge quartz kitchen island. Master bedroom has his/her closet, heated floors, walk in shower. Main level laundry, mudroom, fireplace, central vac. Basement is finished with 2 bedrooms, 3/4 bath, full bar, has 2 tap draft system. Wine refrigerator. Zonedheating/ heating/ r. Zoned cooling, covered deck. Close to parks, shopping, medical clinic, gas station. on.
$424,900 LINDA SORNSEN 451-1059
LSORNSEN@FRIEDRICH-REALTY.COM 6th & Duff, Ames
FRIEDRICHREALTY.COM
Licensed in the State of Iowa
Online at www.AmesTrib.com/realestateweekly
Always Available Online
SEPTEMBER 7, 2016 Volume 11 • Issue 36
STORY
COUNTY
STORY
COUNTY
• AREA DEVELOPMENT • FARM • COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL • ACREAGE 317 5th Street, Ames State of Iowa 515-233-3299 • ® licensed in the ® are REALTORS All REALTOR ads within
www.AmesTrib.com
ALWAYS ONLINE
ySun.com
www.StoryCount
RE WEEKLY
SEPTEMBER 28, 2016 Volume 11 • Issue 39
SEPTEMBER 14, 2016 Volume 11 • Issue 37
RE WEEKLY
RE WEEKLY
RESIDENTIAL • ACREAGE • FARM • COMMERCIAL 515-233-3299 • AREA DEVELOPMENT • 317
5th Street, Ames All REALTOR® ads within are REALTORS® licensed in the State of Iowa
www.AmesTrib.co
m
ALWAYS ONLINE
www.StoryCoun
tySun.com
Ames at your finge
r tips!
My
Ames
STORY
COUNTY
• AREA DEVELOPMENT • FARM • COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL • ACREAGE 317 5th Street, Ames State of Iowa 515-233-3299 • ® licensed in the ® are REALTORS All REALTOR ads within
/realestateweekly
ib.com Online at www.AmesTr
EAT • SHOP • PLAY • EVENTS •LIVE DEALS
DOWNLOAD THE APP TODAY!
AmesTrib.com/realestateweekly
Page RE2 • REAL ESTATE WEEKLY • Wednesday, March 11, 2020
HOME HELP TIP OF THE WEEK
GARDENING
HOME RENOVATION
IMPROVE YOUR HOME AND HEALTH AT THE SAME TIME
PREVENTING AND FIXING HOUSEPLANT INFESTATIONS
PREVENTING FROZEN PIPES
With a few easy improvements to your home, you can experience immediate health benefits. Here are some ideas from BobVila.com:
Keeping bugs off your houseplants is as easy as buying plants from a reputable source, inspecting before you buy and checking your plants for infestations regularly, according to gardening expert Rob Proctor for 9News. Proctor has some tips for dealing with a few infestations if they arise.
• Use nontoxic paint. No-VOC and Green Seal-certified paints don’t contain certain heavy metals, carcinogens and ecologically harmful compounds often found in other paints. Simply paint over the old paint if it’s in good condition (don’t sand lead-based paints or you might release lead dust into the air). • Upgrade your HVAC filters. Installing a new furnace filter can capture VOCs and other toxic particles that typical filters miss. Consider a HEPA filter if you suffer from asthma and allergies. • Select healthy flooring. Carpets can hold allergens, and vinyl flooring can contain formaldehyde and other chemicals. Opt instead for linoleum, real wood, tile, stone and cork.
• Mealybugs: These white, soft-bodied bugs look a little like mold or fungus and attach themselves to the undersides of leaves and can hide in plant crevasses. To treat mealybugs, swab them with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol (use a 1:1 ratio with water). • Spider mites: These mites leave behind a telltale webbing they spin. They like the low humidity in most houses and, therefore, houseplants. Deal with small infestations by spraying them with cold water and wiping them off gently with a cloth. Use Neem Oil spray for worse infestations. • Aphids: These sap-sucking insects like tender new growth on foliage and blooming plants. Get rid of them the same way you handle spider mites. Spray them down with cold water, insecticidal soap or Neem Oil.
Spring is approaching, but cold snaps are still occurring around the country. It’s never too late to learn how to prevent frozen pipes. Here are a few steps you can take to keep pipes from freezing, according to HomeDepot.com: • For pipes in the attic or crawl space, use pipe insulation (even in a warmer climate). Homeowners can also wrap pipes in heat tape or heat cables with a thermostat control. • On cold nights, open cabinet doors in the kitchen and bathroom to let the warm air of the house circulate around the pipes. • If you have cracks that might let in cold air, seal or caulk them, especially in places where pipes run from inside to outside the home (e.g., water pipes or dryer vents). More Content Now
REAL ESTATE WEEKLY • Wednesday, March 11, 2020 • Page RE3
Page RE4 • REAL ESTATE WEEKLY • Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Dog vomit slime is good for your plants By Laura Firszt
More Content Now
E
ew! What’s that? As the proud houseplant care giver to 22 beautiful specimens, I’d never seen anything like it before. A science fiction-ish yellow slime adorned the soil of one of my indoor plants. Before scooping it out, dumping my potting mix, and starting afresh, I looked up the phenomenon on Google and found the goo was harmless, even healthy. Which made me realize that it’s high time for me to go back to gardener school, as it were, and review Houseplant Care 101. Please join me. 1. Don’t scoop that slime. Is it mold? Is
it fungus? Did your pooch just throw up in the aspidistra? Dog vomit slime is a pale yellow to orange goo that appears in plant pots or in huge swaths all over your yard. This mold looks as gross as it sounds, but is, in fact, beneficial to your potting soil, breaking down woody matter. Really want to get rid of it? Reduce the amount of watering in your houseplant care routine.
2. A little water goes a long way. More houseplants are harmed by overwatering — which suffocates their roots — than underwatering. Gently poke your finger into the soil; if the top inch or so is dry, it’s time to water. Use a watering can with a long, narrow spout so you don’t splash the leaves. Many houseplants hate that and some (like African violets) can become permanently water stained. 3. Stale water rules. The tap water
found in most municipalities will be fine for your potted plants … but let it stand for 24 hours before watering. During
this waiting period, most of the tap water’s fluoride and chlorine will dissipate, making it safer for the plants. ANOTHER BENEFIT: H2O that’s been allowed to come to room temperature won’t shock their root systems.
4. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. Cutting back certain houseplants
— geraniums, I’m looking at you — helps their health. They’ll be greener, stronger and shapelier after a good hard prune. Best time is fall, once flowering species are finished blooming, and again in spring, a week before pots go outside for the summer. And make pinching off dead leaves and spent blossoms part of your regular houseplant care. 5. Most houseplants are happy tiny house dwellers. Plants tend to need a
smaller space than we think and indeed, enjoy being a bit rootbound. How do you know you finally need to repot? When your indoor plants are more than three times as large as their pot, break the sides of their container or start growing roots out the drainage hole on the base. March and early April are ideal months for repotting. 6. Rethink “not in my backyard.” Inva-
sive species like bamboo or English ivy are undesirables in your outdoor garden, true. However, the same backyard bully qualities that lead them to take over your yard (and possibly your neighbors’ too) make these foolproof as indoor plants, even for the most brown-thumbed gardener. They’re low-maintenance and hard to kill, yet very attractive. Just keep them confined to a pot. 7. Houseplants make great gifts — clothing optional. Want a charming,
inexpensive gift idea? Give your family
Though visually unappealing, dog vomit slime is a mold that is beneficial to plants. [H.Krisp/wikimedia commons]
and friends indoor plants. You could buy them, but it’s more fun (cheaper, as well) to give your own cuttings. Aloe vera and spider plants are 2 species that produce “babies” you can simply snip off, pop in a container of potting soil, attach a note on houseplant care … and dress in adorable teeny outfits if that’s your thing. 8. Take care of your aloe vera and it will take care of you. A personal favor-
ite is aloe vera; it’s easy to grow and propagate … and it loves you back. Aloe vera houseplant care involves simply keeping it in a bright spot out of direct sun, between 55 and 80 degrees, and watering every three weeks (less often in winter). In return your aloe will provide you with a marvelous gel to treat dry skin, burns, insect bites and more. Just break open a leaf. 9. Bring spring into your home early.
Nothing shouts “Spring” like a bunch of blossoms. Get a headstart by forcing hyacinth or narcissus bulbs. No need for
soil. Just place root-side-down on a bed of pebbles in a clear glass container. Add water to cover the bottom quarter of the bulbs and top off every few days. HOUSEPLANT CARE TIP: If your posies flop, give them a shot of vodka. Unlike its effect on humans, the beverage will encourage them to stand up straight. 10. Indoor plants deserve a vacation. Most houseplants are thrilled to
spend the warm months sunning on a patio, porch or balcony. But your local landscaping pro will advise, “Don’t shock their system — acclimate gradually to the new conditions.” Proper houseplant care means setting plants in a shady, sheltered outdoor spot for a few hours daily when nighttime temperatures rise above 50 degrees. Increase sun exposure gradually. Laura Firszt writes for networx.com.
REAL ESTATE WEEKLY • Wednesday, March 11, 2020 • Page RE5
Page RE6 • REAL ESTATE WEEKLY • Wednesday, March 11, 2020
REAL ESTATE WEEKLY • Wednesday, March 11, 2020 • Page RE7
Page RE8 • REAL ESTATE WEEKLY • Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Realtors, do you want to reach a wider group of potential buyers? Advertise in the RE Weekly. In print and online.
Call Ali Eernisse 515-663-6956
RE WEEKLY