Lawn Mowers
Shopping and Usage Tips
1. Be sure that the mower you choose has variable blade heights, so you can adapt the mower to your lawn's grass type.
2. As with other lawn maintenance tasks, you can reduce your need to mow with creative landscaping and with alternative grass types. If you aren't planning major landscaping changes, the types of grass and ground cover you currently have will have an influence on the type of mower you purchase.
3. Cut down on the size of the lawn (and the time it takes to maintain it!) by adding ground-covering plants, shrubs or flowerbeds. Bill Duesing, Northeast Organic Farming Association Interstate Council president, says that lawns should be small enough to be mowed with a push mower.
4. Replanting your yard with hardy, water-conserving indigenous plants cuts down on lawn size and water use and provides the added benefit of reducing your energy bill. Dense clusters of plants and bushes close to a home's exterior walls have a greater cooling effect.
5. Plant "low-mow" grasses that require mowing only a few times per year. A few of the more widely available species are alkali grass, blue grama, june grass, prairie dropseed, prairie sandreed and sheep fescue.
6. Consider renting a mower or sharing one with neighbors. If you must purchase a mower, rent a few different models before buying to see how well they work on your lawn.
7. Mow high, usually 1.5 to 3 inches depending on the variety of your grass. See www.organiclawncaretips.com for a list of ideal mowing heights by grass varietal.
8. Because most grasses suffer when too much is cut off all at once, mow often enough so that you're never cutting more than a third of the blade's length at one time.
9. During hot and dry seasons, mow a little higher. With more surface area, longer grass can absorb more sunlight, which in turn allows a deeper root system to grow. Plus, weeds will have a harder time germinating with grass blocking the light.
10. Mow at the right time of day, avoiding high heat and morning dew--early evening is best, notes Paul Tukey in his Organic Lawn Care Manual.
11. With a corded electric mower, always mow away from the cord and the outlet.
12. Mow with sharp blades, to keep from shredding the grass.
13. Leave lawn clippings (both grass and leaves) on the ground so their nutrients can be returned to the soil. This will cut down the need for any fertilizer by half.
14. Avoid chopping up weeds in your mower, which can spread the seeds and the problem.
15. Plant clover. Even though it looks like a weed, clover converts nitrogen into a form usable by other plants. The clippings of a 5-percent clover lawn can create enough usable nitrogen to render fertilizing unnecessary.
16. When you're done mowing, clean the mower with a hose. Grass build-up will dull the blades.
17. If your mower is a corded electric, check the cord for any damage that will require taping.
