March is the month where you lay the groundwork for the many days of yard work that lay ahead. But it’s gotta be done if you expect any guilt-free backyard family time.

• Keep working on the home repair list you made in January – if you’re not done maybe you should hire someone to finish it (such as Fazzolari Custom Homes and Renovations).
• Test your smoke alarms – If you do not have one consider a CO2 monitor. Also remember if you have kids (and even if you don’t), make an escape plan in case of an emergency. Know how to exit the home safely and quickly, where to meet, and be sure to practice! Our local fire department has plenty of information to assist you with this.
• Spruce up beds and edging – and pull any weeds you see starting immediately. I walk through the yard each weekend and just pull them as I see ’em. If you don’t they’ll be sprouting offspring soon and then you’ll get behind!
• Fertilize the yard – Here in the Pacific Northwest March means a return to growing grass. Fertilizing now can help your yard recover from the terrors of winter and green it up before your neighbors know what hit ’em! If you want to keep it simple, which I prefer, consider using a fertilizer that is labeled 16-16-16, or as we call it “triple sixteen”. You can use it for the lawn and the plants…and DON’T FORGET THE PLANTS!
• Fill up and start the mower if you haven’t already – Before you stowed the mower in the garage for the winter you drained the gas tank, cleaned it, and sharpened the blade, right? Now all you have to do is fill it up, give it a few extra seconds to start and off you go! If it does not start, check the plug – it might need to be gapped or replaced.
• Check your house foundation – Make sure that you do not have soil or other materials up against the siding on the house, unless you LIKE water damage. We suggest keeping the soil at least 6 inches below the siding with the soil sloping away from the home. This is especially critical in new homes as the soil around the foundation of the home will often settle after a season and slope toward the foundation.
• Test your water pressure – In our area they no longer provide pressure reducing valves (PRV’s) at the water meter, so as new supply and new homes come on line the water pressure on your home may change…and often it increases. The ideal range is between 60 and 75 PSI, and we always install a PRV on anything over 85PSI. Not doing so could result in plumbing failures that are not good for the home…but have provided me plenty of work this winter.
• Clean your air conditioner or heat pump – To make sure it is working at peak performance be sure to clean the A/C unit of all leaves and debris that may have accumulated over the winter.
• Inspect trees for broken branches – If the limb is high up, hire a licensed arborist. If you can reach it from the ground, take it down using the three-cut technique, which prevents bark from tearing and creating an open wound on the trunk:

1. 1. Make the first cut 1 to 2 feet from the branch collar, sawing a quarter way through the bottom of the branch.
   2. Make the second cut 3 inches farther out from the first, sawing all the way through the branch.
   3. Make the final cut just beyond the branch collar, sawing from the top down.

January Monthly Household Checklist
February Monthly Household Checklist