(NAPSA)—Cooler weather is no reason to let lawn care hibernate for the season. A few easy steps taken now can help prevent damage and delays come spring. To ensure a healthy lawn next spring, the experts at John Deere offer a few recommendations: Store your mowerproperly. Tighten all nuts andbolts. Check belts, filters and safe- ty shields. Changetheoil. Sharpen theblade. Add a fuel stabilizer to help protect against clogs in the carburetor from old fuel. After adding the stabilizer, run the engine for five minutes. e If you prefer to stay inside where it’s warm, call your local Ready To Mow dealer and a John Deere service technician will come to your home and perform the proper maintenance on your outdoor power equipment to ensure it is prepped for spring. Plan your landscaping, vegetable and flower gardens. Evaluate what your yard included last year. Review your gardening diary to see what flowers and veggies performed exceptionally well. Test the soil. Develop a new plan that includes plant varieties, a garden layout, and planting and fertilizing schedules. The cooler months offer opportu- nities to plan new landscaping, test andfertilize soil and care for your lawn mower. Organize andrepair. Review all pesticide labels and fuel cans and set them high on a shelf where children can’t reach them. Make sure fertilizer is in a dry place to prevent any moisture damage. Wash anddry all metal tools, then spray them with a good household oil to prevent rust. Clean mowing equipment and inspect it carefully for cracks or loose hardware. For more information on lawn mower storage and maintenance, visit www.johndeere.com.
