Daylight savings time begins every year on the second Sunday of March. This is also a good time to review your spring safety checklist.
Smoke Alarms – Smoke alarms should be in every bedroom and in the common areas on each floor of a home. Mount them at least 10 feet from the stove to reduce false alarms, less than 12 inches from the ceiling and away from windows, doors and ducts.
Three out of every five home fire deaths result from fires in homes with no smoke alarms, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Test your smoke alarms every month and replace the battery at least once a year.
Carbon Monoxide Detectors – Carbon monoxide is an invisible, odorless gas that can kill. CO alarms should be installed in a central location outside each bedroom and on every level of the home. Like you smoke alarms, change the batteries and test them.
Get Rid of Unwanted Medicines – Take your unwanted or expired medicines to a prescription drop box or take-back event near you, or drop by your local Post Rock District Extension office and pick up an easy to use drug deactivation disposal bag.
Spring Cleaning – With the warmer weather comes a desire to shine and polish your home. Keep your family safe around poisons in the home. Keep all chemicals, household cleaners, and medicines in locked cabinets or out of the reach of children. Keep the National Poison Control Center number (800-222-1222) in your cell phone contacts.
By: Brenda Langdon
Do you have small purple flowers popping up in your lawn? This is likely henbit, the broadleaf weed that actually germinates in fall and flowers in spring. Follow the link below to learn about the pros and cons of henbit:
You will not want to miss K-State Garden Hour on April 6th at noon. We will be discussing pollinator plants for continuous food sources. You will learn how to provide season long pollen and nectar sources in the garden for our pollinators to forage on.
Have you struggled with weeds in your lawn, flower beds, and garden? Crabgrass is a very common Kansas weed that seems to thrive in our hot summer weather. Get ahead of weeds this year by applying a preemergent herbicide. The best time to apply is around the middle of April or when the Redbud trees in your area start to bloom.
Even though it may be cold and dreary outside, seed catalogs are starting to arrive! You can request catalogs for free from most seed suppliers. They are often shiny, colorful, and offer the latest high quality seeds. If you find the catalogs a bit overwhelming, you are not alone. Look for varieties that offer disease resistance and will do well in our summer heat.