Best Lawn Maintenance and Gardening Tips Ever

For healthy grass, adjust your soil pH

Soil pH (acidity level) is very important, and just because your dirt looks rich and black doesn't mean it's the right pH for grass. Take samples around the yard and send them to your local extension service for testing. You can fix soil pH problems by adding lime to raise the pH or iron to lower it. Most grasses prefer a pH of 6.0 to 7.2.

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Best Home Improvement Tools Under $100

Go-through-anything hammer drills
“If you're going to buy a corded drill, get a hammer drill,” said Joe Jensen, set builder for The Family Handyman and home improvement contractor. “It does everything a traditional drill does, but the hammering action lets you drill through tough materials faster—without burning up the bit.” When you don't want the hammer feature, simply turn it off and use the drill like a standard one. The model shown, the Hitachi No. FDV16VB2, costs about $80 at Lowe's or through our affiliation with amazon.com

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Top 10 Woodworking Tips

Reusable sanding blocks
Here's how to make your own reusable sanding blocks. Cut six blocks from scrap 3/4-in.plywood for each sandpaper grit you commonly use. Make them 2-1/2 in. x 4-3/4 in. Spray adhesive on both a square of cork tile and each block. Stick a block to the cork and cut the cork flush with a utility knife. Then spray adhesive on a sheet of sandpaper and stick it on each block cork side down as shown. Cut the sandpaper flush with the cork, and label each block.

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