October 25, 2016

By Gilbert VandenHeuvel

Getting Ready for Wi*#@&ter

The last few days have been cold and windy.  It’s exactly the kind of day that drags us out of warm fall weather fantasy and into the reality that winter is coming.

I guess our bodies have to get used to the cold weather.  It’s like getting used to a sliver under your finger nail, I dread it.

I’ve always wonder why a 5 degree (Celsius) day in October feels so cold compared to how warm a 5 degree day in March feels. So, as I often do when I have a question, I googled it.  Here’s a little experiment you can do that helps explain how we adapt to colder temperatures:

Try putting one hand in a bowl of  hot water and the other in cold water for a few minutes, then put both in the same lukewarm water. Your hands will feel like they are experiencing different temperatures because they are comparing them to other stimulus. The same thing happens on a bigger scale; if you feel cold but others don’t, chances are they’ve experienced a lot of temperatures much colder and don’t feel as cold at that moment by comparison.  (Taken from ELI5 Explain like I’m five)

This means you just keep wearing your light coat and tell yourself a little suffering now will make the cold days of winter easy.  Let me know how it works out for you.

There’s lots of different things to get ready for winter.  garden / lawn, your car, your house.  Below is info for your car and Garden/Lawn.  I’ll talk about house care next week.

Car  

Getting your car ready for winter should be a priority.  Safety for you and your family and everyone else on the roads should be a priority.

Did you know:

• Dead batteries are CAA’s most frequent distress call

• Your battery has 35% less cranking power at 0 degrees C

• Whitish deposit/corrosion on your battery terminals will cause poor connection.  It can be cleaned off with a water & baking soda solution (or Pepsi/Coke) and a wire brush.  Watch video HERE

• Always remove the ground cable first so you don’t short out the battery.

• Dwyer Mfg sells quality batteries for everything ranging from the lawn mower to tractor at great prices.  Give us a call or email, and we’ll get you set up.

Basic car battery care  video CLICK HERE.  skip to the 55 second mark to get some good battery care tips.

OR

Read this good article with step by step car battery care by Family Handy Man.com.  CLICK HERE

For general car care here is a good video that covers it all.  CLICK HERE

Here are a few tips:

• Winter wiper blades are sturdier to handle the work load and have synthetic rubber blades so they stay flexible in the cold.  Dwyer Mfg has what your car needs.

• To keep your cooling system working it’s best don’t mix antifreeze green and yellow colours.

• Spray lock de-icer into your car lock now, before they freeze

• Apply a thin layer of Vaseline on your door gaskets so they don’t freeze to the car frame

• Add Fuel Line Anti-Freeze to all your cars and tractors now, before you have trouble.

• Keep your fuel tank as full as possible during cold weather to reduce the chance of condensation forming in your fuel tank

Lawn and Garden

Spring is traditionally the time we get excited about our lawns and gardens, but the fall is an important time too. 

Tips:

• Controlling broad leaves weeds with a herbicide is much more effective in the fall then spraying in the spring.  Why? In the fall plants are transferring nutrients into the roots to survive the winter.  A herbicide will be carried along and kill the root compared to the spring when nutrients are going from root to plant not letting herbicide get to the roots.

• Fall is a good time to reseed thin areas but make sure you cover the seed with mulch, clippings or straw so the birds don’t eat it all.

Here is a helpful video on some fall lawn tips.  CLICK HERE

Your garden needs a good fall cleanup too.  For the basics CLICK HERE.

One interesting tip I found was to use the ashes that have been building up in your fire pit to fertilize your soil for  next years plants. (www.doityourself.com)

Use Ash on These Plants

• Lawns

• Tomatoes

• Grass

• Vegetable gardens

Do Not Use Ash on These Acid Loving Plants

• Potatoes. Ash promotes potato scab in potatoes

• Blueberries

• Cranberries

• Rhododendrons

• Azaleas

• Magnolias

• Pine trees

• Oak trees

For a “how to”  using wood ash as a fertilizer  CLICK HERE

One last suggestion:  As you tuck all the rakes, shovel and other tools away, vegetable oil works as good as any specialized product to coat the handles and metal parts.