Unless you hire a lawn service staff to handle your weekly lawn care chores, every homeowner will be relying on some important tools to care for their lawn. Some of these tools are used frequently, so you should have them, while others can be rented from time to time if you want.
Once upon a time, most power tools used for lawn care used two-stroke gasoline engines, a technique that required users to mix oil with gasoline to power the engine. While two-stroke engines are still in use, homeowners are increasingly gravitating towards hand or power tools powered by wires or batteries. Battery technology is becoming more and more efficient, and many homeowners no longer need any type of gas-powered lawn tool. Many manufacturers offer systems that allow batteries to be swapped between tools. For example, the same battery can power leaf blowers, trimmers, line trimmers, and garden care tools such as hedge trimmers and small pruning saws.
Lawn Mower
Almost every homeowner who takes care of their lawn wants to own a lawn mower. Lawn mowers are usually divided into one of two types: reel mowers, which operate with a set of side-mounted blades that cut the bottom knife when the wheels turn; Or rotary lawn mowers, which cut with high-speed rotating blades hidden beneath the metal deck.
Before the advent of powered lawn mowers, roll mowers were once the standard, but they have regained popularity as people seek non-polluting alternatives. Although there are some gasoline-powered reel mowers for commercial applications, homeowners’ reel mowers are often powered only by the force with which the user pushes them. The roll mower is completely free of contamination and provides users with more opportunities to exercise.
Rotary lawn mowers include most thrust lawn mowers used in homes across the country. They come in many different forms, from small walk-behind mowers to large ride-on mowers that resemble small tractors. The features of these walk-behind mowers vary widely, and some of them include self-propelled wheels with a backup function.
Increasingly, these push mowers are operated by plug-in cords and lawn mowers that are operated with rechargeable batteries. The various electric models have a number of advantages, the main one of which is the absence of polluting fumes from burning oil and gasoline. Electric lawn mowers, such as battery-powered lawn mowers, are often much quieter than gas-powered lawn mowers, which makes summer afternoons a more enjoyable experience in the neighborhood.
Some lawn mowers have an automatic bagging feature that collects grass clippings, while others have a mulching feature that allows the lawn mower to chop up grass clippings and return them to the lawn. Others can be adapted to either function. This mulching feature is a good idea because chopping grass clippings and returning them to the lawn helps feed the lawn and eliminates the need for overuse of fertilizer.
String Trimmers
A string Trimmers is a gasoline-powered or electric tool that is operated by a nylon rope that rotates at high speed to cut grass in areas that lawn mowers can’t reach. It is the most common lawn tool after lawn mowers. Now, most homeowners find corded electric or battery-powered rope trimmers preferable to gas-powered trimmers, which are noisy, polluting tools. This small, operable tool provides an easy way to neatly trim grass on fences, walls, and garden beds. Every time you mow your lawn, you usually do a mowing job.
The trimming job can also be done using hand tools that look like large scissors. It’s a perfectly viable option for people who don’t like power tools, but it does take more time.
Edgers
Available in both manual models and pneumatic and electric designs, the trimmer uses a metal blade and cutting edge to trim lawn edges along sidewalks, paths, and garden edges. The manual version has a sharp, semi-circular blade or cut-off wheel that is trimmed by applying downward pressure on the top of the blade, similar to how a standard hand shovel operates. The electric trimmer has a circular cutting blade that rotates to cut through grass that has invaded along the edge of the pavement. Some combination rope trimmers can also act as trimming if you rotate your head, making the rope trimmer trim vertically.
An edging machine is by no means a must-have tool. For most people, trimming is done only occasionally, and many people find that a simple square-bladed garden shovel will do the job once or twice a year.
Blowers/Vacuum Cleaners
Powered by a gas engine, electrical wires, or batteries, a powered blower does essentially the same thing as a rake – blowing leaves or other debris away from garden beds, patios, and decks or lawns. It is also a rather controversial tool, since the blower is loud and is often hated by neighbors who do not want their peace disturbed. More and more communities are restricting the use of blowers, especially for noisy gas-powered types. Some types of blowers only provide a blowing function, while others can be used as a vacuum cleaner in reverse, picking up leaves and storing them in a collection bag for easy disposal.
The reality is that a blower/vacuum cleaner can do things that a manual rake and broom can’t, although if speed is of the essence, then a blower may be worth having. Please be aware of noise issues before purchasing or using them.
Lawn Spreader
A manure spreader is a hand-pushed tool used to spread fertilizer, lawn seeds, and pesticides throughout the lawn. They are of two general types: a broadcast spreader, which has a swivel arm that spreads the material in a circular fashion as you push the tool across the lawn; and the drop spreader, which drops material in a more controlled manner through a row of openings at the bottom of the spreader. These aren’t particularly expensive tools that someone who is serious about lawn care might want to have. But they can also be rented for a few dollars a day; You will need it up to a few times a year.
There are also hand-held crank-operated spreaders that can be used in a pinch. Simply walk across the lawn and turn the hand crank and you can sprinkle seeds or other lawn care materials on the lawn.
Sprayer
Sprayers for spraying weeds or pesticides come in a variety of styles, from small half-gallon hand sprayers to backpack-style sprayers with a capacity of 2 gallons or more and battery-powered sprayheads. For most people, a simple 1-gallon sprayer with pump handle pressurization is more than enough to treat lawn weeds topically. Opt for a sprayer with a stick spray head that allows you to target individual weeds without having to spray excessive amounts of chemicals.
Many homeowners now choose not to use chemicals to care for their lawns. Most herbicides and insecticides come in convenient pump-spray containers, so a pressure sprayer isn’t a must-have.
De-thatcher
De-thatcher is essentially a hard-powered harrow method designed to loosen and remove thick lawn cuts and debris that accumulate on the ground beneath individual grass plants. Weeding, which was once considered a basic task, is now considered an activity that should be done selectively as it can harm grass plants and is often unnecessary. Small amounts of thatch rarely cause problems; It is only when the thatch becomes too thick that it prevents water and nutrients from reaching the soil.
If you have a riding lawn mower, there are some inexpensive attachments available to remove dead grass from your lawn. You can also install special blades on your rotary lawn mower, but these blades may damage the lawn. Usually, weeding is done by lawn service personnel when needed, although you can rent an electric weed wedge at a tool rental center. However, it is a large and heavy tool, and most people choose to have a lawn service person do the job.
Lawn Aerators
Another type of powered turf tool that is commonly rented rather than owned is a powered hole punch, sometimes called a core hole punch. Unlike weeding, aeration is an activity that should be done every few years or even annually, usually in the fall. The aerator works by removing blockages (cores) from the turf and soil through a large, heavy-duty drum, making it easier for water, air, and nutrients to reach the roots of grassy plants. Aeration can be very helpful in relieving soil compaction, which is often a problem on heavily used lawns.
Ventilation equipment is available at a reasonably priced lawn care service, and ventilation equipment is also available at tool rental centers.
Useful Hand Tools
- Rake. Homeowners should have at least two rakes – a fan-shaped leaf rake to collect fallen leaves and lawn debris, and a garden rake with a sharp tip to rake the soil harder. When reseeding or topdressing lawns, garden rakes help to roughen the soil; Regularly and vigorously raking the soil can help prevent thatch buildup.
- A shovel. Most homeowners want to have a shovel or two, and for general lawn care, a square-bladed shovel is a more useful tool. A shovel can be used to trim the edges of sidewalks and garden beds, or to remove part of the turf when creating a planting area.
- Pluviometer. Generally, lawns need about 1 inch of rain or irrigation per week, and an accurate rain gauge allows you to keep track of how much water your lawn is receiving. Make sure to place the meter in an open area, not under a tree or other shelter, to get an accurate reading.
- Hand weeding tools. Removing lawn weeds by hand is much better for the environment than spraying chemicals to kill them. There are a variety of manual weeding tools to choose from, including long-handled forks and “weeders” that allow you to pry up or dig out weeds from a standing position. There are other benefits to hand weeding: Over time, hand weeding keeps the lawn well ventilated. Whenever possible, be sure to uproot the weeds.
- Hoses and sprinklers. If the rainfall is not enough to sustain the irrigation of the lawn, you will need a hose long enough to reach all parts of the lawn, as well as one or more sprinklers. The best sprinkler head is an adjustable device that can adapt to different modes of water spraying.
