How To Maintain Your Lawn Tools
Lawn tools are essential if you want to give your garden the treatment is so naturally deserves. Once you’ve accumulated what you need, it’s then a case of maintaining them to a satisfactory standard, for years to come.
Lawn Mowers
Like toasters, lawn mowers are a far greater invention than we often have time to consider. The corded lawn mower, usually electric, has superior manoeuvrability so you’re less likely to develop back or shoulder strain as you might do with a cordless lawn mower, which usually runs on petrol. An electric mower only really needs to be cleaned, whereas a petrol lawn mower requires fuel to power it and oil to lubricate it. Admittedly, electric mowers occasionally need lubricating but tend to require a different oil which is far easier to implement.
Robot lawn mowers are another brilliant invention which has the added benefit of fertilizing your lawn as they go about their merry way. The only real maintenance is the replacement of the three blades, which usually occurs just a few times per year, and takes only a handful of minutes to do. The underside of the robot lawn mower will only need a wipe down with a damp cloth, or maybe a stiff brush if there is enough detritus therein. There are no grass cuttings to manage, and no oil filters to change. They also happen to be better for your lawn’s health with your best lawn dethatcher, and safer for your family.
Lawn Edger
The lawn’s perimeter is the icing on the cake; with ragged edges, it just doesn’t look anywhere near as good. Your edging shears should be kept as sharp as possible, so that they tear, rather than cut, the grass and end up leaving brown edges. You need to position the best lawn edger in a vertical position when using it, so you don’t cut into the soil, thus slanting the edges and reducing your lawn’s overall size.
Your edging iron is a bit more robust and can slice into turf, helping shape and sculpt lawn edges and borders, removing excess grass in the process. They should be sprayed with some sort of rust inhibitor a few times per year. Never leave them out, exposed to the rust-inducing elements or thieves.
Strimmer
Your strimmer is a most useful piece of equipment, but needs checking and monitoring, from time to time. Firstly, remove and assess the spark plug; the working end of it should be a nice brown color. This can be cleaned with sandpaper, or you can replace the plug if need be. Then, the fuel filter (located in the fuel tank) should be carefully taken out; if not whitish and cleanish then replace. The air filter has to be cleaned with hot soapy water; replaced if necessary. Finally, the gearbox head should be greased with lithium grease, which will mean that the build-up of heat will be dissipated. There is usually an access port on the gear head which will allow you to apply the grease into the gear.
Grass Seed
So, you have sown the seed at the proper depth of 10mm; not more, not less, and you’ve watered them well. A seed spreader is a useful investment because it helps disperse the spreading consistently. Once in, ensure you rake the area not overzealously, and afterward tread in the soil surrounding the seeds. The seeds need to be fully in so that they can begin to develop roots as soon as possible.
Sprinkler
Sprinklers do a wonderful job, particularly in dusty, arid regions. They can be maintained by checking that the relevant air and water pressure gauge readings are correct. See that the valves are correctly positioned, then do an automatic pump starting test, a diesel engine restarting test, check the water motor alarms, and be sure that the trace heating and localized heating systems are in fine fettle.
It’s also worth keeping an eye on the spray heads, which should be operating at 25 to 30 PSI, and the rotor heads which work at 30 to 50 PSI. It is possible for you to alter the pressure on your sprinkler via its pressure-reducing valves; remember, the sprinkler’s manual is your ultimate authority.
Garden Hose
Your garden hose and hose nozzle is your lawn’s best friend, especially in those sultry, parched summer months. It is important that they are wound and stored on a specially designed hose reel. Use your hand to crank and roll the hose up, until it’s an orderly, circular coil. This will prevent any knots or kinks from emerging over time. Such a reel can be attached to the wall or kept as a standalone feature on your patio. You may wish to minimize your hose’s exposure to strong sun, and not put it in a place where it will be flattened by a bicycle or wayward feet. In winter, all water should be thoroughly drained from every attachment and nozzle. If you don’t do this then water could freeze and warp the hose in due course.
If you don’t have a suitably sized garden shed the perhaps now is the time to get one. It will stand you in good stead over the years, helping you keep all your lawn tools dry and in a certain order. It is also worth investing in a solid, hardened steel padlock, to prevent any prying fingers from taking hold of your precious tools, seeing as you may have accumulated them one by one, over the years.
Sources:
- Maintaining Lawn and Garden Tools – Wisconsin Horticulture
- 4 Items You Need to Maintain Your Gardening Tools – Scott Arboretum