If so, free help and inspiration is only a phone call or e-mail away.

The Yard Smarts Hotline, sponsored by Briggs & Stratton Corporation, runs from April 15 - May 15 to deliver professional yard care and equipment advice direct to homeowners. Call the toll-free Hotline at 1-866-YARD-TIPS (1-866-927-3847) or submit an e-mail question by visiting www.yardsmarts.com. On Fridays, homeowners can chat in person with experts from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. CT.

Now in its third year, the Hotline has helped thousands of homeowners deal with everything from battling lawn pests and weeds to choosing the right landscape plants; troubleshooting equipment problems to discovering organic yard care practices.

"Having a nice-looking yard is important to most homeowners," says Trey Rogers, Briggs & Stratton's Yard Doctor. The Michigan State University turfgrass scientist has helped grow grass for Olympic playing fields as well as his neighbors.

Rogers leads the panel of experts who will field Hotline questions, promising an answer within 48 hours or less. If you stump the experts, you'll earn a free T-shirt. And if your question is selected to appear on the Yard Smarts Web site as a question of the week, you'll have 48 hours to call or e-mail to win your choice of a new lawn mower, pressure washer or string trimmer.

Start The Season Off Right

To start the growing season off right, the Yard Doctor offers a few tips:

• If you don't have much time to spend on your lawn--Cut your grass less often. Letting grass grow a little longer is healthier than mowing it too short, which can damage your lawn permanently. Cut only one-third the grass height in any single mowing. If you don't have lots of time for fertilizing, do it once, when it will do the most good--at the beginning of your growing season. Use a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer that will keep working for weeks.

• Keep your mower in good working order. Have the blade sharpened once a year. A dull mower blade tears the grass, stressing the lawn. Also, tune up your mower yearly so it starts quickly, runs cleaner and uses less gas.

For more tips and ideas on how to care for your lawn or yard anytime of the year, visit www.yardsmarts.com.

Does your yard or lawn need help? Yard care experts will give you free advice when you call the Yard Smarts Hotline or send a question by e-mail.