Ready your home for monsoon season with June’s ‘Rosie-do’ list

Well folks, it’s June! The heat is starting to climb and the beginning of monsoon season is just around the corner.

For our on-going “Rosie-Do” list of home maintenance series, we want to cover a few items for these next hot months:

Prepare your yard for the long, hot summer

June is when the mercury in your thermometer really starts to climb. It’s a tough month for any new, young plants in your yard.

Keep them well-watered and watch them carefully to ensure their survival. Mulch around all plants, especially roses, fruit trees and flower and vegetable gardens.

Protect your citrus

Make sure all the trunks of citrus and young trees are protected from exposure to the sun by covering them with a mixture of white latex paint diluted 50-50 with water. Or you can use Go Natural, a powdered colorant developed from the natural pigment of citrus trees.

Let the grass grow a bit

Go ahead and allow your grass to grow to 2.5 to 3 inches in length, rather than cutting down. The additional length helps shade and cool the ground and you’ll decrease your water use.

How’s your irrigation?

Check your drip system every other day to see if any irrigation parts are popping out now that heat is making hoses softer and weaker.

Your trees may be hurting

Water your trees deeply once a week as the weather heats up, particularly if no storms are in the forecast.

June 15 is the start of monsoon season

But there’s still time to have a trusted roofing company check your roof before the haboobs and storms arrive. If you’ve had a leak or two in the recent past, don’t ignore it. If you still have a flat, old-fashioned tar paper roof, replace it with foam.

Check your windows as well and clean out the weep holes in the tracks so that water can drain outdoors instead of inside.

Check for any holes or cracks inside or outside the house, especially around windows and doors

You can fix these gaps yourself with the help of a low-cost caulk gun. Start by cleaning and drying the area you want to caulk, then scrape away loose stucco, old caulk, paint and dirt.

Caulk between the window frame and the stucco or siding on the exterior and at the joint between the frame and the drywall indoors.

Father’s Day is coming soon

It’s June 19, so don’t wait until the day before to think about gifts. Here are my favorite recipes for a “Father’s Day Feast.”

Check your A/C filters, again

We can’t say this enough. When our A/C units are running more, you need to make sure you are checking and changing your A/C filters regularly for optimal efficiency.  Here’s a related video on this topic.

For more DIY tips and information for all the projects around your house, home, castle or cabin, visit Arizona’s largest collection of homeowner DIY advice and information at www.Rosieonthehouse.com.

And if you are in need of a quality contractor you know you can trust, visit our list of Arizona’s very best contractors or service providers for your home improvement projects at RosieontheHouse.com –- Arizona’s most trusted referral network.

Tune in to KTAR every Saturday morning from 7-11 a.m. for the Rosie on the House broadcast!