Extension

With last week’s article focusing on spring fertilization of lawns, this week’s article will continue the discussion with mowing lawns.

The first mowing, usually in late March, makes the lawn look spring-like and very attractive.  Subsequent regular mowing hardens the grass for drought and heat stresses later on. When the first clump of grass grows above the mowing height, mow, even if a lot of the yard does not need to be mowed yet.

At the first sign of green grass in the spring, it is tempting to dust off the fertilizer spreader to apply nitrogen to the lawn.  If you applied nitrogen late last fall or winter there is no need to apply nitrogen this spring because the lawn already should be starting to green up.

Applying nitrogen now also will make grass less heat and drought tolerant and cause more problems with weeds and diseases.  Weeds compete with grass for moisture and nutrients.

Carroll County Emergency Management has the ability to notify residents and visitors of Carroll County in the event of a tornado sighting or tornado warning by means of the Community Outdoor Warning System, called COWS. The COWS are meant for just that, community outdoor warning. At this time Carroll County Emergency Management has a total of 19 COWS. The COWS are not intended for notification inside homes, stores or any other type of building/structure.

Eating healthier doesn’t mean that you have to give up those family favorite recipes. In many cases family favorites can be adapted to be lower in fat, sugar or sodium.

To do this, identify the ingredient that makes your recipe high in fat, cholesterol, sodium or sugar and try replacing it with a low-fat, low sugar or low salt alternative. For best results, make small changes and limit the number of changes that you make at one time.

Try these tips to cut back on fat: