Your garden’s soil needs to contain the right amount of nitrogen to ensure healthy plant growth and reproduction. Here’s how to spot an imbalance and what you can do about it.

Not enough
If your plants don’t have access to enough of this essential nutrient, they’ll look sickly and their leaves will eventually yellow and fall off. A nitrogen deficiency will also affect the plant’s growth, possibly delaying the production of flowers and fruit.

Too much
While your plants need plenty of nitrogen to thrive, an excess will prevent them from blooming or producing fruit. Nitrogen toxicity is also characterized by extremely dark green leaves, sometimes with brown, crispy edges.

What to do
If you suspect that your garden has a nitrogen imbalance, test the soil to confirm. This will ensure you don’t add too much and create an excess. However, if the test reveals a deficiency, you can use an organic fertilizer such as compost to add nutrients to the soil.

Pick up a soil testing kit and organic fertilizer at your local garden center.

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After a bad night’s sleep or a stressful day, it doesn’t take much for parents to lose their temper. While yelling can feel good at the moment, you’ll likely feel guilty afterward if you raise your voice in front of your kids. Here are a few tips to help you keep your composure.

Reassess your responsibilities
Do you often feel overwhelmed by your hectic schedule? If you’re getting pulled in a million different directions, it’s normal to lose your cool. Parents often feel like they have to put other people’s needs before their own, but this can leave them overworked and make them quick to have an outburst.

Consider whether you can redistribute chores at home or cut back on the tasks that demand your attention. Additionally, be sure to make time to recharge each week with activities you enjoy.

Be consistent with discipline
Laying out clear rules about how your kids are expected to behave can reduce the likelihood of losing your temper. Additionally, consistent punishments will ensure your children know the consequences of breaking the rules. It’s also important that both parents be on the same page about the rules in order for them to be effective.

Learn to reign in your reactions
In the heat of the moment, shouting can feel like an automatic response. However, there are several things you can do to dissipate your anger before it boils over:

• Verbalize your emotions by saying “I’m very upset, and I want to scream”
• Take several deep breaths and count to 10 slowly in your head
• Go to another room or step outside for a few minutes to calm down

Finally, don’t hesitate to use babysitting services, parent helplines, and other resources that can give you the support and advice you need to foster a more positive home life for you and your kids.

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Hot weather can wreak havoc on your garden. Here’s how to protect your plants during a heatwave.

Apply mulch
High temperatures can dehydrate your garden, so apply a liberal layer of mulch to reduce evaporation. Opt for light-colored mulch such as dry grass clippings, as this will reflect sunlight and help keep the ground cool.

Water early
If you water your plants early in the morning, you’ll give them more time to absorb the water before it evaporates. This will help protect shallow roots from dehydration and reduce the risk of heat stress, which is essentially a plant sunburn.

Provide shade
Install shade cloth over your plants to protect them from the sun during periods of extreme heat. You can find this product in various sizes at your local garden center. Just be sure not to enclose the plants, as this will trap heat and reduce air circulation.

Finally, remember to protect yourself as well. Wear sunscreen and a wide-brimmed hat when you garden, and avoid strenuous outdoor work during heat waves.

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Sometimes, perhaps at retirement or maybe after the loss of a spouse, seniors quickly realize it is time to move to a smaller place with fewer responsibilities relating to home and garden maintenance.

It is a huge task: Finding a new place, sorting through belongings, selling the old and buying the new, moving, setting up, and settling in.

Often, though, seniors might like to move but wonder how they can manage the huge project. Adult children might wonder how they can possibly fit a task of this size into their busy lives. They might not even understand why the move is even necessary. They might think mom or dad are fine where they are.

So, if you want to move, tell everyone with no reservation and tell them you need help with the project.

Here is a brief idea of how to plan your move. You’ll need six months, with help from family and friends.

1. Spend some time sorting through keepsakes. Some keepsakes can come with you. Some, like old photos, can be distributed to the family. Securely pack the keepsakes you are taking and move them to your storage unit.

2. Identify a suitable apartment location, even if you are not ready to move in. Be sure to try senior living locations and look at places near family or friends. Once you find the right place, you can get a sense of the size and decide what you can take with you.

3. Identify the furniture you want to take to the new apartment. You may also be able to buy new things if your existing furniture is to be sold or donated. Identify the things that will go with the house at the sale: appliances, for example.

4. Sell things that you won’t need. Friends and family might be able to sell more expensive items piece by piece. However, at some point, you will be left with a variety of things unsold. You have choices with these leftover items. A junk hauler will take almost anything away, even big items, and the cost should be reasonable.

If you have furniture, silverware, dishes in a quantity that you haven’t sold, an auction house will often send a person out to pack up everything, sell it for you, then give you a percentage of the sale.

5. Once the old house is pretty much cleaned out, you’ll want to rent an apartment and arrange to move.

6. As soon as the house is cleaned out, hire a real estate agent and sell.

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Though it’s normal for young people to fib, it can be upsetting to realize your child is making up stories. Here’s a look at how to react if your teen lies to you.

The first thing to consider is why your teen has lied. Is it because they’re afraid to disappoint you? Do they want to avoid being punished? Are they going through something they’re ashamed of?

It’s also important to reflect on the parenting style you want to use before you confront your teen. For example, if you treat them like a child, refuse to let them make their own choices, or punish them too harshly, your young adult is more likely to break the rules and continue to hide things from you.

In order to maintain a healthy relationship with your teen, you need to model an open and honest approach to communication. In particular, be sure to provide explanations for the rules you establish (prioritizing homework, weekday bedtimes, etc.), as this will increase the likelihood that your teen will respect and follow them.

Additionally, give your teen the opportunity to express their opinion about the rules, and be open to negotiating reasonable changes. If your teen feels like you respect their point of view, they’re more likely to tell you the truth.

Did you know?
There are two types of lies: prosocial and antisocial. Prosocial lies are told for someone else’s benefit, either to protect them or make them happy. Antisocial lies, however, are motivated by personal gain.

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Cutting back rose bushes promotes new growth and reduces the risk for fungal diseases. Here’s what you should know.

When to prune
Most types of rose plants should be cut back in the spring after the last hard frost but before the leaf buds bloom. The ideal time to prune roses depends on where you live, but it generally falls between mid-March and the end of May.

How to prune
Be sure to wear thick gardening gloves and a heavy long-sleeve shirt to protect yourself from thorns. Using a clean, sharp bypass pruner or lopper, remove:

• Dead, damaged and diseased branches at the base or a healthy spot on the stem
• Branches that cross or create too much congestion in the middle of the plant
• Suckers growing around the base and any branches that are thinner than a pencil

You can also cut back healthy branches to give the plant a more appealing shape. Just remember to make cuts at a 45-degree angle, so water doesn’t pool on the stem.

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