Purple Gem – Rhododendron

By Todd Fratzel on Landscaping

Today we started planting some plants in our flower gardens. Since we built this house we’ve had a hard time coming up with a landscaping “plan” that we both like. The biggest problem we have is the huge size of our yard and house. Trying to get enough landscaping done so that the place actually…

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Leviton 6260M Electronic Timer Switch

By Todd Fratzel on Electrical, Energy Conservation, Product Reviews

Leviton 6260M Electronic Timer Switch Yesterday I received the three Leviton 6260M electronic timer switches that I ordered for the bath fans. These switches allow you to choose pre-set times of 10 min., 20 min., 30 min., and 60 mins. You can buy these dimmers from Amazon, Leviton Decora 60-30-20-10 Preset Minute Electronic Timer. I…

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John Deere Tow-Behind Broadcast Spreader

By Todd Fratzel on Landscaping, Product Reviews

Last week I purchased the John Deere 3.5 cu ft tow-behind broadcast spreader. I finally assembled it and put it to use. First off let me say that John Deere has got to be one of the last companies selling products in this country with extremely well written directions and parts. All of the small…

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John Deere Home Maintenance Kit Arrived

By Todd Fratzel on Landscaping, Product Reviews

My John Deere Maintenance kit arrived yesterday. The kit is great, it contains two quarts of oil, an oil filter, a fuel filter, two spark plugs, the foam and paper air filters. All of the parts are John Deere parts which is recommended by the users maintenance manual. What I like most about buying everything…

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John Deere X300 Lawn Mower Maintenance

By Todd Fratzel on Landscaping, Maintanence

Last year I bought a John Deere X300 lawn mower with the mulching deck. Seeing that spring is just around the corner (late start here in snow country) I want to get the mower ready for the upcoming summer season. The following maintenance items are suggested annually: 1. Lubricate front axle pivot, axle spindles, mower…

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John Deere Broadcast Spreader

By Todd Fratzel on Landscaping

Now that I realize that my acre plus of lawn needs so much lime and fertilizer I’ve been looking for larger capacity spreaders that I can tow behind my John Deere mower. My darling wife first said “NO WAY” to my idea of spending $219 on a tow behind spreader. Now that she’s thought about…

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Correcting Lawn pH with Lime

By Todd Fratzel on Landscaping

In my previous post, Lawn Soil Test Report, I stated that my lawn needs a significant amount of lime to correct the acidic soil that our lawn is growing in. In fact, our lawn tested at an average pH of 5.35! That’s more than 10 times more acidic than the ideal range of 6.0 to…

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Selecting A Lawn Fertilizer

By Todd Fratzel on Landscaping

In my previous post,Lawn Soil Test Report, I talked about the results of a soil analysis that I had done on our lawns soil. The resulting report recommends that I apply a fertilizer with a ratio of 3:1:3 where 1 lb of Nitrogen is applied to every 1,000 sq. ft. This is where the confusion…

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