My Lawn Care

By Peter Murlock

Check out these great lawn care tips to achieve a healthier lawn:

1. When mowing, the key to success is little and often - 'little' in this case meaning not too closely. Light cutting encourages the grass to produce extra shoots, and stunts weeds and coarse grasses. Most lawnmowers offer the facility of raising or lowering the height of cut. Mower blades need to be set at different levels according to the weather and amount of growth.

2. To produce the sought-after striped effect, you simply cut the grass in parallel lines, mowing alternate lines in opposite directions. Each time you mow, remember to work at right angles to the direction of the previous cut; north-south one week; east-west the next.

3. Before you start cutting, make sure that the grass is as dry as possible and free from surface litter. Lightly brush off dew or rain, wormcasts and dead leaves. When cutting the grass, you should always push the mower forwards steadily. Do not pull the machine to and fro and try not to lean heavily on the handle.

4. Clippings are best collected and removed - unless you mow very frequently. Allowing them to lie on the surface of the grass encourages worms and diseases and you'll probably find clippings all over your carpets too.

5. As a general rule, in Summer you should cut the grass at least once a week, preferably twice if you can manage it. Do not mow too closely or the colour and texture of the grass will deteriorate.
During droughts and in the Spring and Autumn months, mowing once a week is sufficient.

6. Apart from mowing, your lawn will require feeding, weeding and occasionally watering to maintain healthy growth. To produce a flourishing lawn you need soil which has the right balance of plant foods like nitrogen, potash, phosphorous and lime. Buy an inexpensive soil testing kit if you want to know the exact composition of the soil and which nutrients (if any) are lacking.

7. The average lawn will benefit from an annual Spring application of fully balanced fertiliser. Fertilisers not only encourage the grass to grow faster but also more densely. As a result, weeds and moss are crowded out and the lawn retains its good, even green colour. Apply fertiliser when the grass leaves are dry and the soil is moist for the best results. Water the lawn if no rain falls within 48 hours.

8. For small lawns, weeding by hand is the most effective means of tackling the special rosette or matt kind of lawn weeds, or you can 'spot' treat individual weeds with a recommended weed killer. For a larger lawn, use a 'broad spectrum' type of weed killer which will destroy a wide range of weeds. You could also use a combined weedkiller/fertiliser mixture.

9. We usually receive sufficient rainfall in this country to maintain a green healthy lawn. If the weather is particularly dry and the grass begins to lose its bright green appearance, occasional watering is beneficial. A good soaking once a week is what you should aim for. Dampening the surface causes more harm than good - the earth should be soaked to a depth of at least 4 inches. A revolving sprinkler gives the best coverage.

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Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Push Reel Lawn Mowers

By Steven Blades

One of the unsung points of caring for an organic lawn is in the equipment you use to keep your lawn looking pristine and picture perfect. Yes, your lawn mower plays a vital role in helping you care for an organic lawn, and odds are that the lawn mower you're using is potentially harmful to your lawn. It's no secret that many rotary lawn mowers run on gasoline and oil. Sometimes this oil can leak out of the mower or drip down the sides of the mower when first poured into the machine, and we all are aware of just how dangerous gas emissions are to the environment. That's why you should consider using a push reel lawn mower. Yes, it's not the most appealing idea, but there are definitely advantages to it.

For instance, a push reel lawn mower is actually better for your lawn. Many rotary mowers tear at the grass, while push reel lawn mowers give you a clean cut every time they're used. A fine cut keeps moisture in the grass blade, while keeping dangerous organisms out.

Another advantage of using a push reel lawn mower is that they are safer than your conventional rotary lawn mowers. They stop when you stop, they start only when you start, and they don't throw rocks at you at one hundred miles per hour.

Finally, think of the price. Most rotary lawn mowers run for, at minimum, $200. That does not include the growing price of gasoline, which means you could be paying between $1 and $2 dollars every time you cut your lawn. With a reel lawn mower, you can spend as little as $65, and never spend a dime on gasoline.

There are other reasons to think of going with a push reel mower, but when you take those three reasons listed above into account, the decision should be simple.

To learn how I do organic lawn care, visit http://www.bladeslawncare.com/ where you'll learn everything you need to know about lawn maintenance, sod installation, and much more.

Article Source: Ezinearticles.com

By John Hinkley

A garden can be the rue crowning achievement of any home, an attractive and eye-catching centrepiece which will serve as an oasis to relax in from a hard day's work. On the other hand, if left unattended, a lawn can become a jungle of weeds, overgrown grass and a real eyesore to look at it. The fine line between these two extremes is an easy one to maintain, with some hard work and commitment with your trusty hedge trimmers and lawn mowers, you will be able to tame your lawn and keep it in pristine condition.

Before purchasing electric hedge trimmers, there are some factors you will need to give some thought to. While the primary issue is your budget, and how much you are willing to spend on a lawn mower, you will also need to weigh in the actual, physical size and dimensions of your lawn. At the risk of over-simplifying the requirements needed, the general rue of thumb is that the larger a lawn is, then the more powerful the lawn mower will need to be.

The cost of a electric hedge trimmer does not just simply include the original retail price, but also running expenses such a the need for repairs, warranties and cost of replacement components. Hedge Trimmers will eventually break down and need to be repaired, and given how much power is required to operate them as well as the amount of use (abuse?) they endure, this will happen sooner rather than later. A warranty therefore is a must for a lawnmower, this will mean that you can have your lawnmower replaced or repaired at a minimal fee.

Hedge Trimmers tend to fill within two broad categories: electrical and batter powered. While traditional trimmers utilized gasoline to help fuel the motor, these quickly became unpopular due to the running costs associated with them as well as the major polluting effect they had. Gasoline based lawnmowers were noisy and produced large amounts of carbon dioxide which put them on par with cars in terms of pollution.

Electrical owned trimmers were introduced in the market in a bid to provide a cleaner, and safer alternative to the traditional models. While these models are cleaner, they are awkward to use because they require to be connected to a major power supply and so you will need a very long power cable to mow the lawn effectively. This is not only inconvenient, but there is always the risk that you run over the power cable with the lawn mower itself. Not good.

Battery powered mini hedge trimmers have became increasingly popular as they have managed to eliminate the need for such ungainly and cumbersome power cables, these batteries can be recharged time and time again, and have an average lifespan of 5 years. At the end of their useful life, these batteries are then simply recycled and it can be seen that the benefits to the environment are immense indeed. Battery operated lawnmowers are annoying because they have a limited use before needing to be recharged but this is a small price to pay.

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Article Source: EzineArticles.com