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Craftsman® and Harbour Town Golf Links Team Up to Give Advice on How to Keep Lawns Healthy and Green

Craftsman Products Give Your Backyard a Professional Look and Feel This Spring

The start of spring is here, so dust off your lawn mower and golf clubs, and get ready to enjoy spending time outdoors. You don't have to be the superintendent at a top golf course to achieve a lush, green yard. You simply need to follow a few easy steps and use the right tools to accomplish the task. Craftsman has teamed up with Jonathan Wright, head superintendent at world-renowned Harbour Town Golf Links at The Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head Island, S.C. to provide simple tips on how to keep your lawn looking manicured. With Craftsman's selection of innovative lawn and garden products, taking care of your lawn has never been easier.

"I know that lawn maintenance can be tough, but keeping grass healthy, green and well manicured is very important," said Wright. "With the right Craftsman equipment and a few simple steps, everyone can have the same lush grasses in their own backyard as we do here on our course."

Wright and Craftsman recommend the following lawn care tips to keep your yard looking great this season and beyond. You can log on to the Craftsman YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/craftsman to watch video tips from Wright, as he guides you through how to keep your lawn as green as the 18th fairway. Wright will also showcase the Craftsman tools to help you get the job done.

  --  Prep your lawn - At the beginning of the season, aerate and dethatch
      your lawn to relieve soil compaction and remove excess thatch. This
      will stimulate new growth and increase the availability of necessary
      water, air and nutrients to the grass plant.  Wright recommends using
      a granular 50 percent slow, 50 percent quick-release fertilizer within
      a week after this process to provide your lawn with nutrients. Apply
      it late in the afternoon when your lawn is dry, and then water your
      grass immediately afterwards. Keep your lawn moist after aeration to
      aid recovery.  Since the roots and crowns of your grass are exposed
      after aeration, it requires a bit more water and will dry out quicker.
  --  Keep Grass at Appropriate Height - Maintaining the proper height of
      your grass specific to the grass type is critical. Grass types can
      vary from location to location, depending on geography, but most
      grasses should be maintained at a height of two to three inches and
      should be mowed one to two times per week, as needed.
  --  Periodically Check Irrigation System - If you have an irrigation
      system make sure you have proper rotation of heads and there are no
      broken pipes or valves. If you don't have this system, use a portable
      sprinkler and hose. The amount of water needed varies from lawn to
      lawn and could be affected by a number of variables including grass
      type, temperature, slope of your yard, soil type, etc. Monitor your
      grass daily and water when needed to keep grass hydrated.
  --  Take Care of Lawn Equipment - Keep mower blades sharp, check your oil
      regularly and clean your equipment after each use to keep your tools
      working properly and lawn looking great. A dull mower blade can
      actually tear your grass and give an uneven finish to your lawn. Sears
      Blue Service Crew offers a mower tune-up service to make sure your
      mower is running safely and efficiently before you hit the grass.
  --  Add the Finishing Touches -Once your lawn is cut to perfection and a
      nice healthy green, add the finishing touches by trimming under your
      bushes, clipping your hedges and including an edge or border to your
      lawn and flower beds.  In order to clip hard to reach areas and give
      your yard a balanced, even look, use a string trimmer, edger and
      cordless pruner for easy maintenance. If your lawn is prone to weeds,
      you may consider using a pre-emergent herbicide. Identify the weed
      type first to determine the appropriate herbicide and apply according
      to the manufacturer's recommended rate. Throughout the season,
      continue to check your lawn for weeds. Keep weeds at bay by tackling
      the problem head on. Once weeds pop up, manually remove them right
      away. If the weeds begin to germinate and spread, you may consider a
      post-emergent herbicide to halt growth. Spot treat when necessary.


From keeping your grass at an even level, to accessing hard-to-reach areas and creating an even, groomed look around your property line, Craftsman has a wide selection of lawn and garden products to tackle all jobs needed to maintain a well kept yard.

Craftsman Products to Fit Your Lawn Care Needs

Mowing your lawn has never been easier with the Craftsman Rear Propelled Rear Bag Lawn Mower with Key Start (#37436). The mower starts with the simple turn of a key, no priming necessary, and has an easy-walk handle allowing the operator to easily control the speed of the mower. Additional features include the industry's largest bag within its category when compared to top-selling rear propelled mowers, minimizing the amount of time needed to empty the bag, and a posi-lock bag attachment and rear door interlock that can be operated with one hand. The key star mower retails for $429.99.

To tackle weeds and brush under bushes and keep grass manicured along your sidewalk and under your fence, use the Craftsman 4-Cycle Straight Shaft Trimmer (#79193). This trimmer is ideal for the homeowner with heavy trimming applications and comes standard with Incredi-pull technology for easy pull start. A Plug-In Power Start (#85951) attachment is also included with the trimmer, eliminating the need to pull the rope to start the trimmer. Just plug it into a standard wall socket and insert the one-way drive bit into the engine socket of the trimmer, press the trigger and the engine starts immediately. Each Craftsman trimmer can also start with an added technology, the Power Bit Starter (#85952), sold separately. The Power Bit Starter powers the trimmer by inserting a cordless drill directly into the engine socket. The Craftsman 4-Cycle Straight Shaft Trimmer retails for $269.99.

Trim pesky bushes, plants and shrubs without fatigue by using the Craftsman Cordless Pruner (#74431). The pruner is powered by an internal four-volt lithium-ion battery and provides up to 500 cuts per battery charge. It features hardened steel blades, a 1/2-inch cutting capacity, a comfortable molded grip and easy-to-pull trigger, reducing repetitive motion often associated with this practice. The Craftsman Cordless Pruner retails for $49.99.

Beginning in May, Craftsman will introduce new innovations in lawn and garden that are compatible to the popular C3 line of power tools. New introductions will include a new C3 Hedge Trimmer, C3 Blower/Sweeper and C3 String Trimmer. The C3 Hedge Trimmer will retail for $79.99, the C3 Blower/Sweeper will retail for $69.99 and the C3 String Trimmer will retail for $109. All C3 lawn and garden tools can all be powered by one 19.2-volt DieHard rechargeable battery and are part of Craftsman's total family of more than 30 tools on one battery platform.

To learn more about Sears push mower and riding mower and lawn tractor service options, visit www.searshomeservices.com Bring your push mower to the nearest Sears location or have a knowledgeable Blue Lawn and Garden Crew member visit your home to tune up your riding mower or lawn tractor to ensure it is ready for the season.

All products are available at Craftsman.com or at Sears stores nationwide. For more than 80 years, Craftsman has developed innovative products. Craftsman was ranked as the most trusted tool brand in America in the 2008 Harris Interactive Equitrend Brand Study. For more information, log on to www.craftsman.com.

About Sears Holdings Corporation

Sears Holdings Corporation is the nation's fourth largest broadline retailer with approximately 3,900 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada. Sears Holdings is the leading home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, home electronics and automotive repair and maintenance. Sears Holdings is the 2010 ENERGY STAR® Retail Partner of the Year. Key proprietary brands include Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard, and a broad apparel offering, including such well-known labels as Lands' End, Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer, as well as the Apostrophe and Covington brands. It also has the Country Living collection, which is offered by Sears and Kmart. We are the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 12 million service calls made annually. Sears Holdings Corporation operates through its subsidiaries, including Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corporation. For more information, visit Sears Holdings' website at www.searsholdings.com.

First Call Analyst: Westenberger, Richard
FCMN Contact:

SOURCE: Sears Holdings Corporation; Craftsman

CONTACT: Larry Costello of Sears Holdings, +1-847-286-9036,
larry.costello@searshc.com, or Dan Skinner of Zeno Group, +1-312-396-9706,
Dan.skinner@zenogroup.com, for Craftsman

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