Mark Davis 
You clean a rusty fuel tank by detaching it from your lawn equipment, filling it with undiluted white vinegar, and letting it soak for 24 to 48 hours to dissolve the iron oxide. Adding a handful of small steel nuts and shaking the tank vigorously provides mechanical agitation to knock loose heavy, stubborn scale before … Read more
Adjusting a lawn mower carburetor requires locating the mixture and idle screws, turning them clockwise until they gently seat, and then backing them out 1 to 1.5 turns to establish a baseline setting. Once the baseline is set, you start the engine and fine-tune the screws in 1/8-turn increments until the mower runs smoothly without … Read more
A lawn mower engine surging up and down—often called “hunting”—is almost always the result of a restricted fuel supply causing a lean fuel-to-air mixture. The engine starves for gas, prompting the mechanical governor to snap the throttle wide open to prevent stalling. The engine over-revs, the governor pulls back, and the exhausting cycle repeats itself. … Read more
Killing creeping bellflower requires systemic herbicides that travel down to its deep, tuberous root system. The most effective active ingredients are Triclopyr for broadcasting across cool-season lawns without killing the grass, and Glyphosate for targeted spot treatments in mulch beds. Hand-pulling this invasive perennial actually makes the infestation worse by snapping the subterranean rhizomes and … Read more
To kill hairy bittercress, apply a post-emergent broadleaf herbicide containing 2,4-D, dicamba, or triclopyr directly to the green rosettes before they bloom and shoot their seeds. For permanent control, you must apply a pre-emergent herbicide containing prodiamine or isoxaben in early fall to prevent the winter annual seeds from germinating in the bare spots of … Read more
To get rid of ground bees, apply an insecticidal dust containing Deltamethrin or Carbaryl directly into their nest holes at night when the insects are inside and dormant. If the infestation is small and you prefer a chemical-free approach, soaking the soil heavily with a sprinkler for several consecutive days forces them to abandon the … Read more
Fungus gnats and shore flies both swarm around overwatered houseplants, but they require entirely different eradication methods. Fungus gnats damage plant roots and are highly susceptible to Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) treatments, while shore flies feed exclusively on algae and ignore Bti completely. You need to dry out the top two inches of your potting … Read more
To stop bagworms from destroying your arborvitae, you need to spray the foliage with a biological insecticide like Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in late May when the larvae are actively feeding and vulnerable. If you wait until late July when the bags harden and reach 2 inches long, synthetic chemicals fail completely, leaving manual removal as … Read more
Stop Japanese beetle grubs immediately by applying a curative insecticide containing Trichlorfon at 3 lbs per 1,000 sq ft, watered in with at least 0.5 inches of irrigation. Kill the active infestation within 24 to 48 hours to halt root damage and stop raccoons from digging up your yard. Follow up next spring with a … Read more
Yes, mason sand is an excellent material for lawn leveling. It is finely screened, uniform, and free of coarse pebbles, allowing it to drop quickly down into the grass canopy without sitting on the surface to dull your mower blades. Warm-season lawns thrive on a 100% mason sand topdressing application. Cool-season grasses require a 70/30 … Read more
