Share your best lawn design idea...

Nov

16

2009

The lawn mowing season is over here in Chicago but I’m still thinking about my lawn.  Leaves have been cleaned up, last mow is done, yard looks great...just waiting for the snow.  Looking at my yard has me thinking about yard design.  All summer long, I cut my lawn horizontally left to right and then horizontally, right to left.  It leaves a great grid look on my lawn and I love looking at the lines.  So it has me wondering, what unique ideas are out there for the way you cut your lawn.  During the MLB All Star game in St. Louis (by the way, the best team in baseball), their groundskeeper figured out a way to cut the Arch into the outfield.  Can you share your best lawn designs?

Martin Lee

VP, CMO Lawn & Garden

Sears Holdings

Need a babysitter?

Nov

16

2009

I decided to do my own fall clean up this year.  Well actually, my wife decided I should do my own fall clean up this year.  She said it was a good way to save money as she showed me the new purse she bought to match her new dress.  You don't notice any sarcasm here, do you?  I bought a rake, a leaf blower, a hedge trimmer and leaf bags.  By the way, I am very proud of my leaf blower!  What I didn't realize was that this money saving project would give me a side benefit - built in babysitter.  While my wife read magazines inside, I started working on my yard one Saturday morning.  P.S. I'm just kidding about my wife, I love her and she is great.  I started with a rake because it was early and I didn't want to disturb my neighbors.  Shortly after I started my kids came out.  They love helping on projects.  After an hour, I brought out my blower and zoomed through my yard, creating a huge leaf pile.  My kids eyes lit up.  They played in that leaf pile for the rest of the afternoon.  So not only did I clean up my yard, but I got some exercise and entertained my kids for the entire day...and part of Sunday.  And I saved enough money to add a matching pair of shoes to my wife's dress and purse.  I call that a good weekend.  How did you spend yours? Any money saving tips you would like to share?

Martin Lee

VP, CMO Lawn & Garden

Sears Holdings

It’s Sleepy Season – Put Your Plants to Bed

Nov

03

2009

Put your garden and yard to bed for a long winter’s nap as now is the time to winterize your garden.  Cut back your fading stalks, leaves, weeds and clean up the garden before the winter freeze.

 

Not sure where to start?  Here are some tips.

 

Leaf detail - clearing and more clearing from driveways, grass, gutters and shrubs.  Deal with it before they damage your yard.  Don’t stop until all the leaves are gone!

 

Composting - recycle your chopped leaves and give them a second life.  Mix them with topsoil, allow the leaf pile to sit, turn it after each hard freeze and come spring your rich compost will be ready!

 

Pamper your turf - keep grass free of leaves and weeds and spot treat any cool season broadleaf weeds.  Come spring your lawn will be the envy of the neighborhood!

 

Cut the grass - keep on mowing until the grass stops growing.  Then winterize your mower for the season – drain the gas, change the oil, inspect the spark plugs and put a drop of oil to the hole and lubricate the engine to avoid rust.  Consider sharpening the blade and then come spring; just add gas and you are ready to cut!

 

Garden tool love – clean off the dirt or rust, lubricate gently and store them properly for use next spring!

 

Feed the birds - place a bird feeder where you can see it, keep it filled and become the bird café that attracts all varieties this winter!

 

Plant perennials now – get them in before the first frost and they'll be ready to bloom next spring.  Bring some plants indoors and create a container garden of herbs for a bit of spring in the winter!

 

Clean up your patch - leave your vegetable roots in the ground and it will prevent erosion.  They will add nutrients to the soil as they decompose and make your spring planting easy!

 

And finally reflect on what worked and didn’t  - evaluate, plan and prepare to ready for next spring.

 

Miki Herman

VP, Channel Management

Lawn & Garden

Sears Holdings

Don’t Wait – Be a Lawn & Garden Hero

Nov

03

2009

Put your snow blower or tractor on lay-a-way today and be hero of preparedness!  If you want to stretch your dollars on those big ticket lawn and garden purchases, why not consider lay-a-way.  It’s a way to let you buy that piece of equipment you’ve been wanting and give yourself some breathing room with your cash.  It’s simple and easy to do – you put the item on hold, make a down payment and then pay it off by Dec 23rd.  Sears offers it in store or even online – check out the program details at here.  

 

Miki Herman

VP, Channel Management

Lawn & Garden

Sears Holdings

Tired of raking leaves all day? Try a leaf blower!

Oct

30

2009

The leaves are falling and I really need help!  Raking leaves and piling them into trash bags is not the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I would rather be in the great indoors watching College football!!  The best thing I've discovered is my neighbor's leaf blower.  He's done in minutes and has the ability to watch the entire game...not just the last quarter as the Florida Gators are beating Georgia.  A great resource for leaf blowers is Sears!  Sears carries 11 styles in the store and many more online.  You can find electric blowers, gas blowers and backpack blowers (just like the pros use).  Sears explains how to select a blower in four easy steps; 

 

Q: What is the size of the area you're going to use the blower for?

A: Electric blowers are ideal for jobs within 100' of an electrical outlet and gas powered blowers offer the benefit of mobility.

Q: What do you plan on using the blower for?

A: A small area is great for electric blowers (a driveway or walk).  For larger jobs you should consider a gas blower.  Gas blowers offer more power and range...they can also mulch and bag.

Q: Do you have a lot of trees?

A: If you have several large trees, a higher output blower is needed (gas or electric depending on the distance from the house).  If only a few small trees you can get by with a smaller blower. 

 

Q: What additional accessories do you need?

A: A gutter kit is always highly recommended!  No more ladders for cleaning out the gutter!  Also, if you have a heavy job to do...look for hearing protection. 

 

Dean Schwartz

VP/GM Lawn & Garden

Sears Holdings

Bad gas in April??

Oct

30

2009

It's not everyday that someone wakes up thinking about bad gas in April…but I do!  You might ask "why?" and it's a great question!  My name is Dean Schwartz and I'm responsible for the merchant organization at Sears and Kmart and bad gas haunts me every day.  It's not what you're thinking...it's actually bad gas due to power equipment users who don't know the affect not winterizing gas products has in the early spring.  If you don't winterize properly the result is the inability to start your mower/tractor/line trimmer or blower in March or April when you're ready to start your yard work.  There are great tips on winterizing products, but I find these the most useful; 

 

1) As you are getting towards the end of the season always use some type of fuel stabilizer.  Sears sells fuels stabilizer for both 2 cycle and 4 cycle engines on Sears.com or in one of our many outlets.  If you forget to completely winterize your products the fuel stabilizer will keep your gas "alive" through the winter months. 

 

2) Run the gas out of your products completely!  It might take a some time and your neighbors may ask why you are running your mower on your driveway but it's the best defense to bad gas!  If you explain that you're defending against bad gas...they may appreciate it!

 

3) Drop your mower off at your local Sears Service Center or local Sears store and ask for the product to be winterized.  The great folks at Sears Service will make sure the product is ready and could even replace a blade or put in a new spark plug...if needed! 

 

4) Use the Manage My Home website to help you with all kinds of tips on how to winterize products and other things in your home (link: http://www.managemyhome.com)...just type in 'winterize' in the search window! 

 

5) Take advantage of what others say about winterizing products by posting a quick forum question on MySears Community or MyKmart Community.  Remember, it's easier to winterize now and not have bad gas in April!!!

 

Dean Schwartz

VP/GM Lawn & Garden

Sears Holdings

 

 

The Thirty Year Craftsman Mower

Oct

26

2009

I received a letter this week from Dr. Kauko K.  Makinen, a University Professor Emeritus from Finland.

 

Dr. Makinen proudly informed us that the Craftsman mower he purchased in 1979, from our Bryan, Texas store, has been in continuous operation for 30 years.  Like millions of Americans who have named Craftsman one of America’s most trusted brands, Dr. Makinen has trusted his mower to keep on performing in some the harsh weather conditions in Finland.  His annual maintenance consists of running the engine until the gas tank drains in the fall, spraying a little RC2 into the combustion chamber, and refilling the gas tank in the spring.  He reports that the mower usually starts on the first pull!

 

Oh, at some point, he replaced the blade with one he purchased at the time of the original sale!

 

I am including a picture of Dr. Makinen’s mower, and I invite you to share your stories about your trusted Craftsman Lawn & Garden equipment.  E-mail me at jfroman@searshc.com.

 

For more tips on lawn mower maintenance, be sure to visit ManageMyHome website.  

 

 

 

John Froman

President, Lawn & Garden
Sears Holdings

Get some excerise and get out there and pick up those leaves...

Oct

14

2009

All fall clean up tools are on sale this week at Sears! You don't have to spend hours raking your yard.

Here is a great example. The craftsman 200mph 430 CFM gas blower/vac # 79474 will get you started right out of the box. It’s light and easy to maneuver, the variable speed throttle is sensitive enough to use in areas where only minimal velocity is required and the vacuum attachment is easy to convert to and it works well on pine needles. It’s only $99 this week at Sears. Don’t miss it. 

Kim Schafer

VP, Inventory Management

Sears Holdings

Tips for keeping your Snow Thrower in Top Shape

Oct

14

2009

Snow season is just around the corner….Are you ready?  Now is the time to get your snow blower out and check these items over…

 

1) Scraper Bar: The scraper bar is what rubs against the ground and scrapes the snow off the cement/asphalt. It may need to be replaced if it is worn. 

 

2) Screws and bolts, make sure they are tight and none are missing.

 

3) Belts - take off the belt cover and check the belt for wear and cracks.

 

4) Engine Maintenance - 2 cycle engines are simple as there is not a lot to do for maintenance but you should replace the spark plug. For four cycle engines, you will want to change your oil at least every year. Most 4 cycle engines use 5W30 motor oil. Check the lube in the gear box as well, some brands have a grease "zerk" in the gear box and on the auger shaft. Grease these liberally. Make sure to check your manual to see what applies to your particular model.

 

5) Get last years gas out of your snow blower. If you don't have a siphon, use a turkey baster and get that old gas out.

 

6) Now let's start it up! Even with new gas, let it run for a while to burn out any remaining old gas in the fuel line and carburetor.

 

Have a great winter!

Kim Schafer

VP, Inventory Management

Sears Holdings

Snow Thrower Options

Oct

12

2009

Looking for a snow thrower but not sure what features to consider? Here are just a few things to think about:

Is it single stage or dual stage? For light use you can get away with single stage but if you get significant snow in you area make sure to consider one of many dual stage throwers availabe at your local Sears or at www.sears.com.

Does it have an electric start? There are many models that offer this convenient feature to effortlessly start your engine on a cold moring.

Do you need headlights? If you will be using the snow thrower at nighttime or early morning you will love this feature.

Do you prefer to have one hand free to control the chute? Most two-stage throwers let you control the drive-wheel and auger levers with one hand so that you have the other hand free for controlling the chute.

To compare these and many other available features, use this handy guide.

Eric Turner

VP, Business Finance

Tools, Lawn & Garden