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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
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• AREA DEVELOPMENT • FARM • COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL • ACREAGE 317 5th Street, Ames State of Iowa 515-233-3299 • ® licensed in the
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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
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TIPS OF THE WEEK HOME SELLING
HOME RENOVATION
GARDENING
QUICK STAGING TRICKS
METAL FOR CURB APPEAL
HOW TO PICK, FREEZE HERBS
Staging is key when trying to sell a home, but sometimes you just don’t have the time. Here are a few tricks from Realtor.com:
Projects that boost a home’s curb appeal tend to provide the highest returns, according to Remodeling Magazine’s 2019 Cost vs. Value Report. Standing-seam metal roofing made a first-time appearance on the list this year. Compared with asphalt shingles, metal roofing costs significantly more but brings much greater durability. The average payback nationwide for adding a metal roof was 60.9% of costs.
One advantage of growing your own herbs is being able to harvest them for use. In general herbs that are grown for their leaves should be harvested before they flower, which is generally late in summer. That’s also the peak time for the oils that are responsible for herbs’ intense flavor and aroma. Pick herbs early in the morning as the dew is drying. Rinse under cold water, chop, place in water-filled ice cube trays and freeze for later use. Simply pop out as much as you need and defrost.
• Put the toilet seat down and hide the plunger and toilet brush. • Clear off kitchen countertops. • Adjust home temperature to a comfortable 70 degrees. • Remove personal items like family photos. • Rearrange living room furniture to focus on something other than the TV.
— More Content Now
REAL ESTATE WEEKLY • Wednesday, August 21, 2019 • Page RE5
weeds between pavers Eliminate, prevent weeds while protecting the rest of your landscape
By Laura Firszt More Content Now
W
hat’s growing between your pavers: weeds, moss, even tiny trees? If you answer "all of the above," you’re in the same boat as I was until recently. Seemed like my patio was more vegetation than bricks and I wanted to fix it — fast. Impatient though I was, I took time to research weed removal methods and choose the best.
Methods I rejected 1. Salt. Applying salt to weeds between pavers sounds green and simple. However, heavy rainfalls have a way of spreading this substance from paved areas to the surrounding soil. And Gardening 101 says salt kills all vegetation, not just the kind you don’t want. 2. Baking soda. For many bloggers, baking soda is a magic cure-all. Why do they suggest using this product to kill weeds? Because of its sodium (salt) content, of course. Point 1 explains why salt is a bad thing for your landscape. 3. Bleach. See above, but even more so. Bleach is harmful not only to nearby soil and plants but to the pavers themselves. Why risk discoloring your patio,
path or driveway with bleach when the whole point is to make it look better? 4. Vinegar. While a vinegar spray will indeed burn weed leaves, it will burn the leaves of every plant it comes in contact with, including your beautiful begonias. What it won’t do: kill weed roots, meaning soon you’ll have the problem all over again. Be aware, too, that vinegar’s acidity will lower the pH level of garden soil. 5. Hand pulling. Here’s a method that is safe for both pavers and the environment. Unfortunately, my back and knees voted “no” to this one. 6. Herbicide. Commercial herbicides tend to be very effective at killing weeds, but with two caveats. First, they don’t kill weed seeds, so before you know it, you may have a new crop of unwanted vegetation. Second, their runoff is hazardous to the plants you do want.
harmlessly. Results were very satisfactory. The weeds immediately lost their oomph. An hour after treatment, they were seriously droopy. And by the next day, they’d become so dry and shriveled I could just sweep them away with a broom.
What I actually used
If you hire a contractor to build a new patio, make sure there’s adequate drainage and pavers are fitted tightly together. For both new and existing paver installations, fill the joints with polymeric sand. This blend of sand and special additives resists weeds, insects and erosion.
My method of choice was boiling water. Advantages: Boiling water is cheap and readily accessible. What’s more, it has no long-lasting negative effects on the environment. The liquid hits those weeds with sizzling force, but by the time it drains off and reaches the lawn and garden, it’s cooled down
FINAL SCORE:
Laura 1, Weeds 0.
Treat extra-large areas Treating an extra-large pavered area with a kettle of freshly boiled water might not be practical. Instead, try pressure washing. Hot water works best. To avoid harming your pavers, follow manufacturer’s directions and start with a low pressure.
Prevention
Laura Firszt writes for networx.com.
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