Lawn Mowers

The guidelines for a small engine starting guide apply to lawn mower engines, to snow blower engines, to many small engines that are used for both landscaping as well as leisure activities. All of these engines are just miniature versions of the more common car engine. Although much less complex and therefore easier to maintain.

The basics are clean gasoline, fresh gasoline, regular oil changes. Also regular inspection of spark plugs, belts and other moving parts such as the wheels and drive shafts for self propelled models.  We compiled a list of items that should be considered as part of a small engine starting guide.

Small engine starting guide – Tips

If you want your small engine to always start easily, try to follow these tips to ensure that your engine is clean and always ready to start at a moments need.

• Always use fresh clean gasoline
• Treat the gasoline with a gasoline preservative
• Change the oil at least once per year or after 50 hours of use
• Clean the spark plug every year or after 50 hours of use
• Check the gap on the spark plug and reset as needed
• Check belts on all self propelled units, tighten as needed
• Keep your engine clean and free of dust and oil buildup
• Check wheels and tighten as needed

These tips are fairly easy for the average handy man to keep up with. However we urge anyone performing any of these maintenance steps on small engines to thoroughly read the manual first. Follow all safety precautions before starting any of the maintenance activities. Many people are hurt every year by failing to disengage the spark plug for example and accidentally starting the engine.

If in doubt, ask for help or take your small engine to an expert. Even though it will cost you some money, it may be better than being hurt seriously by an engine that starts accidentally. If the cost of maintenance and / or repairs is too much then sometimes it is better to just purchase a new lawn mower or other small engine that you need.

Your old lawn mower is not running very well and you suspect it is time to either get a new one or do some repairs yourself. Inexpensive lawn mowers can be purchased for less than $200. So consumers need to be careful regarding how much money they spend repairing these machines vs. just going out and buying a brand new one. If you worried about disposing of the old one, just leave at the end of the driveway. Someone will come along and pick it up, fix it and sell it to another consumer who is looking for an inexpensive lawn mower.

When the lawn mower is free and the labor is free, these lawn mowers are sold for pure profit. The real question is why can you not repair your own lawn mower. Or better yet keep it in tip-top shape so that it continues to run for years?

Lawn mower start guide – Steps

The following are the steps that you need to do in order to keep your lawn mower running in tip-top shape and that is why we call it the lawn mower start guide.

• Change the oil once per year or every 50 hours of operation
• Clean the spark plug every year or change it if it is deteriorating
• Regap the spark plug each time you clean it or install a new one
• Use fresh gasoline at all times
• Use gasoline additives to keep the gas from gumming up the carb
• Clean or replace the air filter each year or after 50 hours of cleaning
• Keep the housing clean and remove debris from crevices to reduce metal fatigue

If you follow these steps routinely, there is a very good chance that your lawn mower will start easily every time. The most common problem for lawn mowers or any small engine not starting easily is poor maintenance. Also old gasoline, gasoline left in the tank for a long period of time and bad spark plugs.

This is a pretty nice looking lawn mower, but do you really need these features, such as a grass catcher, self propelled, height adjusters etc? The lawn mower features for consumer applications have grown in the past few years. As both a writer and user of lawn mowers we were wondering just what we really needed. In case you are wondering the writer has used a lawn mower for over 35 years. He has used many different machines. Based on this experience we have an opinion regarding what is useful and those that are interesting to have. What are the most useful Lawn Mower Features for Consumers

For example I would never again use a grass catcher. It is just more work. You have to dump the bag and then dispose of the grass either in a garbage bag or somehow figure out how to use the cut grass. For my money and time, I would prefer to just use a grass mulcher on my lawn mower. The grass needs to be cut a little more often to ensure the cuttings are nice and short and will disintegrate more quickly.

Lawn Mower Features for Consumers – Height Adjustment

Height adjustment is useful and needed, however, the number of times you adjust the height of your lawn mower is maybe twice a year. Once in the fall to cut your lawn short for winter and in the spring to bring it back to the regular height. Even lawn mowers with individual wheel adjusters are ok, however, you can pay more money if you want, for control that adjusts all four wheels at the same time.

The big feature that we like is self propelled lawn mowers, but there are some specifics that you need to consider. For example, the front wheels should be the powered wheels so that it is easy to change direction and speed simply by pressing down on the lawn mower handles. Also the speed should be adjustable on the fly so that you can adjust the speed to your walking style, grass conditions etc.

If you really want to be able to pick up the grass clippings, purchase a lawn mower with both options so that you can convert from one mode to another. Most will also have a side discharge capability as well for situations where bagging the grass clippings and mulching are not the needed options.

Lawn mowers have made great advances in the last few years with lots of options and changes that appeal to consumers. Some are quite useful, while some are conveniences and nice to have features. Most people have been using a lawn mower for some time. As a result you already have some idea of the popular lawn mower features that you prefer. If this is your first then you may be attracted to some of the features. But think twice about these items since they can add cost to your lawn mower. Having owned and operated  a lawn mower for over 35 years, the writer has a good idea of the features that he prefers.

Popular Lawn Mower Features – Must Have’s

There are two features that are at the top of the list for this writer. The first one is that the lawn mower must be self propelled. After years of pushing a lawn mower up and down small berms, using a self propelled unit is a dream. There are various self propelled units, some with fixed speed and others with variable speed controls. We suggest that the variable speed units are probably the preferred unit. You can adjust the speed of the mower to your own walking style or the conditions that you are dealing with. My own unit is a fixed speed unit. I adjust the speed by adjusting the pressure on the bar that controls the clutch. This is a belt and pulley arrangement so friction on the belt works quite well.

The second option that we find really valuable is the ability to mulch grass cuttings. I no longer have to bag the grass cuttings or rake them and bag them. The grass cuttings go right back into the lawn as nutrients and there is very little work. The only issue that readers should be aware of, is that you really should cut the lawn a little more often to ensure that the mulcher on your lawn mower works well.

Other

Features such as electric starting, brake clutch to stop the blade spinning, steering mechanisms, etc are nice to have, but not really worth the money.

Many consumers use riding lawn mowers for much more than just cutting the lawn. They use them for transportation across their property, they pull small trailers and they add attachments for a variety of jobs around their property. It is important to always have them start easily and that means keeping up on the maintenance of these machines. One of the most important things is clean oil along with fresh gasoline and clean fuel systems. If you do not keep up with these basic maintenance items, chances are you are going to have much more serious and expensive maintenance activities to be concerned about. You may even have to purchase a new riding lawn mower. We put together a few tips to help consumers stay on top of the basic maintenance for riding lawn mowers. You can apply these tips to regular lawn mowers and many other small engines that you may use.

Maintenance Tips for Riding Lawn Mowers

• Change the oil on a regular schedule to ensure that your engine is easy to start
• Change the oil after every 50 hours of operation or at the end of the season. Oil degrades over time and is only optimum for about 6 months.
• Use fuel stabilizer in your gasoline. Especially if it sits in your gas tank or gas container for any length of time
• When not using the riding lawn mower, start it once a month.
• Ensure that the spark plug wire has a good connection to the spark plug
• Always use the proper fuel as specified by the manufacturer
• Starting the riding lawn mower keeps  stabilized fuel in the fuel system.
• Change the spark plug every two years or at the very least clean it every year.
• Check air filter and clean it every season unless you are in very dusty conditions. Then check and clean it every month.

Following these basic steps will go a long way to making it much easier to start your riding lawn mower easily every time.

Ever wonder why some lawn mowers start easily and others do not? Routine maintenance is the key to easy starting of your lawn mower. We will cover a few tips later in this post that just about all consumers can easily follow. The picture on the left shows two spark plugs. A brand new one and the other just recently removed from the engine. The one with that is black will make it more difficult to start the engine, if it does run, will run rough or cause more pollution than a new one or at least one that is properly gapped and cleaned.

The dirty one is coated with tar and black deposits that can weaken the actual spark generated by the spark plug. If it is really bad, it may retard the spark completely making it impossible to start your engine. Your carburetor will be equally dirty from deposits from gasoline coating it and may even block the intake of gasoline to the engine. This can also be a serious  problem when it comes to starting an engine. We put together a quick start guide – lawn mowers to help consumers avoid this kind of problem and repair costs if you need to take it to a small engine mechanic.

Quick Start Guide – Lawn Mowers

• Keep the oil in your engine fresh and change it at least every season
• If you use your lawn mower a great deal, change the oil in your engine after every 50 hours of operation and at the beginning of the season.
• Use fuel stabilizer in your gasoline and use fresh gasoline
• Start your lawn mower once a month.
• Ensure there is a solid electrical connection to the spark plug, remove any corrosion from the connector
• Always use the recommended fuel for your engine
• maintain fresh fuel in the carburetor especially if it is going to sit for a while
• Change or at the very least clean the spark plug every two years.
• The air filter should be cleaned every 60 days and more often if conditions are dusty

In addition to being able to start your engine easily, these actions will also ensure that your engine will last a long time and not begin burning oil. Always check the oil level to ensure that there is sufficient oil in the reservoir. Top up if needed, however avoid over filling since too much oil can increase the pressure inside the engine and cause other problems to develop. Always measure the oil level when the engine is cold and on a level surface to obtain an accurate reading.

We talked a little bit about this golf course in our last post. They practice a form of environment lawn care on their course. We are not going to get into the issues of their being a golf course in the middle of what is obviously a desert. However if you are going to have one built, you may as well as do it in an environmentally friendly way. Environmental Lawn Care uses nonpotable water which means that it is untreated and not suitable for humans to drink.

It is more than suitable for a lawn and this is what they do to partially save money and to also reuse water that cannot be used for human consumption or used on gardens with fruits and vegetables. But what can the regular consumer do with regards to environment lawn care ? There is also an issue with how much water is used on golf courses, especially in the desert, but that is a subject for another post.

Environmental Lawn Care – What Can Consumers Do

You may not agree with all of these suggestions, however select those that make sense for your situation, budget and interest. Here is our list of environmental lawn care activities:

• Use an Electric lawn mower
• Use a manual lawn mower
• Convert to a desert landscape that needs minimal water
• Convert to a forest landscape with lots of mulch etc that needs minimal water
• Let your lawn grow a little longer to promote moisture protection
• Hand pick weeds rather than use pesticides
• Use natural fertilizer
• Prevent runoff to avoid fertilizers ending up in the sewer
• Plant shrubs and trees to provide shade
• Conserve water by using water from downspouts and runoff
• Use a mulching lawn mower
• Mulch all leaves and lawn debris and use as fertilizer and ground cover.

There are probably other steps that can be taken for Environmental Lawn Care and we wold appreciate any suggestions that you may have. Our readers will appreciate your ideas so that we can all help to minimize our impact on the environment. Leave us a constructive comment and we will happily approve it.

This beautiful golf course is struggling because they are probably applying budget lawn care techniques. It is also a very dry climate and it is pretty tough to keep the grass looking healthy and green all of the time. This is their challenge and the challenge of most home owners who want a great looking lawn on a budget. We decided to write this post to describe to consumers just how they can maintain their lawn while on a budget and still have a really great looking lawn. It is not that hard. You might not have the best and most lush looking lawn but it will certainly be healthy and something to be proud of. So exactly what do you need to do?

Budget Lawn Care – Techniques

All it takes is water, fertilizer, weed control, lawn seeding and mowing to have a great looking lawn. Each of these items will cost some money, but the more work you do on your own the less it will cost. A thick healthy looking lawn has a better chance of resisting the weeds. Fertilizer and regular watering will accomplish that. If you have only a few weeds, hand pick those out of the grass, otherwise apply weed control several times a year.

Regular mowing is great too. But do not let it get too long or you will damage the grass when it is cut. At the same time do not cut it too short as well. Cutting it too short allows for faster evaporation of moisture which dries out the grass more quickly. In dry times allow the grass to grow a bit longer, while when it is raining a lot you can cut it a bit shorter. Adjust your lawn mowers cutting height accordingly to manage the amount of water you need which in turn reduces the cost of water consumed.

Spread Lawn Seed

Spreading lawn seed over your lawn during the prime growing season with a little topsoil added and lots of water will cause the seeds to germinate and thicken up your lawn. In turn a thick lawn keeps the weeds from growing as well.

Manage your costs and if you decide to hire a company, evaluate just how much it would cost if you did everything on your own. It might be a chance to save money and keep to your budget.  Once your lawn is in great shape, there will be less work involved to keep it that way. All it takes is regular mowing at the right times, fertilizer consistent with the time of year, and weed treatment on a regular basis. With water and sun, your lawn will look great within weeks and it is easy to keep it that way, provided that you do the regular maintenance.

It is that time of year when homeowners must prepare their lawns for the coming winter. Fall lawn maintenance incudes the basic things that everyone should do to ensure that their lawn survives the winter so it will look great next spring includes removing all debris such as branches and leaves falling to the ground. If you have any pine trees or Cedar Trees you will also want to remove all of the needles that fall to the ground. It is amazing how many Pine Needles fall from the tree every year.

If you have a pool, leaves and needles are going to be blown into your pool, sink to the bottom and become a rotting mess next spring when it comes time to open the pool. the best approach in addition to having an air tight surface cover on your pool is to rake all of the leaves up from your lawn and also to remove any leaves from the pool in the fall when they are still intact and relatively easy to remove.

Fall lawn maintenance – don’t Leave the Grass Too Long

In addition to removing all debris, the lawn should be cut one final time to ensure that it is not too long that it provides a home for small animals such as mice and moles. The small animals will create trails underneath the snow in the grass and leave a maze of trails with dead grass all over your lawn. It can be pretty messy if you have this happen to your lawn. While your lawn will recover, it will take a few weeks before the trails disappear and the lawn is back to normal.

Approximately one month before the end of the season consumers should also apply fall fertilizer. This fertilizer is especially designed to promote root growth and a healthy lawn for the next season. If you have a grub problem, begin treating the lawn in August with grub control treatment. You will need to apply several applications to properly deal with the grubs. You will know if you have a grub problem. Your grass looks thin and animals are digging up your lawn to get at the grubs. They apparently are considered a delicacy by skunks and raccoons! We have seen entire lawns ruined by these grubs and the animals digging up the lawn to get at them.

Protect From Heavy Snow Loads

Consumers will also want to protect small shrubs from heavy snow load. Heavy snow can break the branches of a small shrub ruining it for the next season. Consumers can build small wooden tents over the shrub to protect it from the snow. Taller shrubs should be wrapped in burlap after the first snow or freezing cycle to avoid broken branches etc.

These are maintenance activities that will improve the overall look of your property. These activities preserve your investment in shrubs and your lawn for the coming year. These steps are relatively easy to accomplish. They do not take a lot of time or expense and is well worth the investment.

You will smile as you read it ….. Because as stupid as it may sound, this is exactly what we as consumers do! This is a Humorous Story About Lawns!

A Humorous Story About Lawns

GOD to ST. FRANCIS:
Frank, … You know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, milkweeds and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But, all I see are these green rectangles.

St. FRANCIS:
It’s the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers ‘weeds’ and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

GOD:

Grass? But, it’s so boring. It’s not colorful. It doesn’t attract butterflies, birds, and bees; only grubs and sod worms. It’s sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?

ST. FRANCIS:
Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.

GOD:
The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.
ST. FRANCIS:
Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it-sometimes twice a week.

GOD:

They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?

ST. FRANCIS:
Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.

GOD:
They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?

ST. FRANCIS:
No, Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.

GOD:
Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And, when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?

ST. FRANCIS:
Yes, Sir.

Humorous Story About Lawns – GOD:

These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.

ST. FRANCIS:
You aren’t going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it, so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

GOD:
What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It’s a natural cycle of life.

ST. FRANCIS:
You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.

GOD:

No!? What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose?

ST. FRANCIS:
After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves.

GOD:
And where do they get this mulch?

ST. FRANCIS:
They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch.

GOD:
Enough! I don’t want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you’re in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?

ST. CATHERINE:
‘Dumb and Dumber’, Lord. It’s a story about….

GOD:
Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.

Fall lawn care is very important when it comes to maintaining a healthy looking lawn. Failure to prepare your lawn for the winter can mean dead patches of grass in the spring. A thin lawn and it also can provide shelter for lots of animals through the winter if the leaves and other debris are not removed. They make little trails under the snow. Also under the debris and leaves, which will kill the grass and leave a patchwork looking lawn in the spring.  Raking debris and leaves in the fall before the snow arrives can prevent this and keep your lawn looking great. Consumers can do most of the work themselves. However they can also arrange for contractors and lawn care companies to do the work that is needed on their behalf. Whatever you decide, the following should be considered as part of your regular fall lawn care routine.

Fall Lawn Care Routines

One of the main steps is to make sure that all leaves and any other debris is removed from the lawn. Leaves on the lawn provide shelter for small animals to burrow under and they also suffocate the grass. Rake up all of the leaves, dead branches and any other material that is on your lawn. You can use the leaves for composting or bag the leaves which the city will pick up.

Cut your grass and keep it relatively short. this also prevents the small animal problem. Mice, moles and other rodents cannot make a home in the long grass over the winter if it is kept short.

Apply fall fertilizer to promote root growth and prepare the grass for winter. The fertilizer should be applied in late fall  while the grass is still growing so it can be absorbed and utilized by the plants. Applied too late it will just sit there or runoff during rain storms etc and not be absorbed by your grass.

Apply Grass Seed

Also apply grass seed early in the fall when there is at least a month of growing season left. This way the seeds have time to germinate and grow before winter sets in. This will thicken your lawn and fight off the weeds that may try to penetrate your lawn. The best deterrent for weeds is a healthy, thick and well looked after lawn. Weeds will still penetrate in a few locations, however in most areas they will be smothered by the healthy grass which is exactly what you want to happen. The need to apply weed control will be less which saves money and helps the environment as well. Your lawn will look great all year round as a result.

Simple steps, that will contribute to a great looking lawn next spring that the average person can do quite easily.

As a consumer do you really want to have lawn care signs dotting your lawn? Typically lawn care companies want to advertise their services. One of the ways they do this is to place small lawn care signs on the lawn at corners etc. They attract people passing by. Usually, there is a phone number, web site address, etc for potential customers to obtain their information.  Would you be willing to allow your lawn care company to place signs on your lawn? Snow removal companies do the same thing, but at least they have an excuse. The signs are used to indicate the edge of the driveway so that they do not damage your lawn on the side of the driveway.

Lawn Care Signs

This writer is not actually in favor of allowing lawn care signs on our own lawn. Perhaps for the first time, it would be alright, but after a few days, it is definitely coming down. The other time it may be ok and in fact you need to place signs, is when you apply weed control. Then it is mandatory to let people know that they should not be on your lawn after weed control is applied. You want to make sure that children and pets are kept off the lawn.

Most weed control applications are ok after a few days or after the rain has washed all of the weed control material into the ground. The next time you cut the lawn, the signs can be removed. Another situation is when you are applying weed control on your own and not using a lawn care company. You really should put some sort of signage up. Make ensure that kids and adults are protected from coming in contact with the weed control material.

Lawn care signs are definitely not for everyone. We would just as soon not allow them on our own lawn unless weed control is applied. Then a combination of advertising and warning of weed application is probably ok. Commercial applications on commercial properties are a different matter. In this case, the owner may not care or if the lawn is in great shape, they may be proud of their lawn and allow the signs.

Discounts

Sometimes commercial companies will give a discount if you allow then to place their advertising on your lawn. A 5% discount might not be unreasonable for this service. Make sure that the sign remains on the lawn for a significant period of time or at least as long as the agreement specifies. This is a subcontract and both parties should get their value out of the deal. We have not tested this particular approach and would be interested if any homeowners were successful with this approach. Even a 10% discount would be interesting and worthwhile to allow signs on your lawn for a specified time frame.

Placing the sign at the edge of your property along the road or at one corner of your lot might also be ok. Your neighbor might object, however, if it is on your property he cannot really object to the Lawn Care Signs being in this location.

One of the considerations consumers may want to take into account when they hire someone to provide landscaping lawn care services is what chemicals they use and whether these chemicals are harmful to the environment as well as to humans. In some cases fertilizer is applied that contains weed killer. In others weed killer is applied in a liquid form. For both situations, consumers should keep their pets inside. Also their children as well as themselves off the lawn for a few days and perhaps even until it has rained or you have given your lawn a thorough watering.

At the minimum you want the weed killer diluted. Best of all to be absorbed into the ground where it will do it’s job dealing with any weeds that are in your lawn. If a heavy rain is forecast you may want to delay applying weed care to avoid the pesticide being washed away into the sewers etc. The ideal for most fertilizer and weed killer is to have a gentle rain. It will wash the material into the lawn where it can do the most good.

Landscaping Lawn Care – Read the Instructions When Applying Chemicals

Always read the instructions and follow them perfectly. If they say to wear gloves, then wear gloves, etc. This stuff can cause all kinds of damage to yourself as well as to children and pets. If they should get some on their skin or somehow ingest it they may get quite sick. Keep everyone off the lawn for several days to protect them from any chance of being poisoned. In addition, wash whatever tools you are using e.g. spreaders when you are finished. Remove all traces of chemicals from the spreader. Do this on the lawn and not the driveway. You might as well have any traces of chemicals watered into the lawn rather than run down your driveway.

Landscaping Lawn Care – Your Contract

Some people will combine contracts for upkeep of their landscaping as well as lawn care. Consumers should be able to save some money when they combine services. For example if they have both the lawn care and the landscaping updates and ongoing landscape care. This would include trimming, fertilizer, raking leaves, etc in addition to the regular lawn care activities. You may even have to have your shrubs etc sprayed to protect them from bugs etc that can cause them to be sickly looking.

Always have everything included in the contract. Make sure everything is clearly specified so that there is no misunderstanding of any kind. You can always update and/or change the contract in the future to make it more clear or to add or subtract items of activity that you no longer need. However, the time to clarify everything is before you sign a contract and commit or at the time of renewal of the contract.

Following an organic lawn care program can be difficult for many people especially if there are a lot of weeds on neighborhood lawns. We have found that a combination of organic lawn care and traditional lawn care seems to work best. Following this approach we are able to have a really great looking lawn. But also have some control over the pesticides that we are introducing to the environment. We also are very careful of our pets and children as well as ourselves when it comes to using any chemicals. There is not much we can do about our neighbors lawn. But we can keep ours looking great and set the example for them to follow. Sometimes peer pressure works and causes people to take an interest. They  improve their lawns just because their neighbors take great care of their lawns.

Organic Lawn Care Program – what Is It

Basically it means that you do not use any harmful chemicals to control insects and weeds on your lawn. What should you do as an alternate? Unfortunately some people just let their lawns go. They still mow them once a week, but they are full of weeds and look terrible as well as contribute to weeds in neighborhood lawns much to the disgust of those neighbors.

Dandelions and other large leaf weeds are pretty easy to deal with. If you dig them up every time you see one, it can take only a few minutes every week to deal with these weeds. Other smaller leaf weeds are more difficult and will take more time to remove. However if you stick with the removing them every week, you can control them well. In addition, the key to fighting off weeds is to have a really healthy lawn. Apply grass seed to thicken the lawn, apply high quality top dressing to provide the lawn with lots of nutrients and use an organic fertilizer as well. Make sure it gets lots of water as well to ensure a healthy thick lawn which will be more resistant to weeds.

Organic Lawn Care Program – Spot Program

We also use some inorganic products to control weeds, We tend to apply this where there is a concentration of weeds instead of pulling them one by one. We do not apply the pesticide throughout the entire lawn and reduce or control the amount applied this way. The one exception is dealing with grubs. Once you have an infestation of grubs, you pretty much have to spray the entire lawn, because the grubs will kill the grass and the animals will dig up your lawn looking for grubs to eat.

Basic lawn maintenance is pretty simple , unless you want a perfect lawn. Then it takes a little more work to obtain that golf green type of lawn, that has a manicured look to it and is the envy of the neighborhood. In the last few posts we have been discussing some of the steps that homeowners need to take to have a really great looking lawn. In this post we will discuss how to have a perfect lawn that is truly the envy of the neighborhood and something that you can be proud of. It can take just a few extra hours each week to make sure that your lawn is healthy and looking great.

The first step is to make sure your lawn gets regular watering so that it never dries out. If you receive enough rain then you may not need to water that much. On the other hand your water system should include at least one inch of water at least once per week and more often if you live in a dry climate. Next cut the lawn when there is no more than one inch of grass to cut.

This will mean that you are cutting the lawn more often, but you will have a more manicured look to your lawn as a result. Always make sure the blade on the lawn mower is sharp so that it cuts rather than tears the blade of grass. These two steps will ensure that you never place the lawn in any kind of stress and the ends of the blades have a cut look to them instead of being torn away.  There are several more things to consider.

Lawn Maintenance – Fertilizer

Apply fertilizer at least 4 times a year using the appropriate fertilizer for the time of year and use a spreader to apply it. Never fill the spreader while on your grass to avoid spilling and burning your grass. Follow the recommended spreading directions. The fertilizer should help blade growth and root expansion to ensure that your grass remains healthy all year long. It is better to spread the fertilizer thinly and travel over the lawn several times to avoid any chance of burning the lawn. You will also have a better distribution of the fertilizer as well instead of concentrating it in the areas that you have traversed.

Lawn Maintenance – Dealing With Weeds

Weeds are a big problem in some areas. You may have to pull the larger ones such as thistles and dandelions by hand. While smaller weeds need an application of weed killer on a regular basis. A thick healthy lawn makes it more difficult for the weeds to grow. You will have many less to deal with as a result. Also apply lawn seed with top dressing at least once per year to thicken the lawn.

What are the lawn care services that you really need to maintain your lawn in perfect condition? Can your lawn look like this one? What will it cost to have a lawn that is always in perfect condition? We put together a list of steps that just about anyone can follow. You can have a great looking lawn and not cost too much money at the same time. You may decide to have someone look after your lawn for you. Use this list to decide what you will do. What lawn care service you need to have a lawn maintenance company do for you.

If you are considering a lawn care service, prepare your list. Provide this list of requirements to several lawn care companies to request quotes for the services. By using exactly the same list you will find it much easier to compare quotes. This includes prices and services that they offer. Everyone wants to have a perfect looking lawn. There is no reason why you cannot have one too at minimal cost.

Lawn Care Service – Weekly

Each week you need to cut the lawn and perhaps even more often if you have a fast growing lawn. In addition, remove any large weeds that you see such as dandelions and thistles. Smaller weeds must be dealt with by using some form of weed control. In addition water your lawn at least once a week if it does not rain sufficiently. In dry climates, daily water may be needed. Cutting the lawn more often before the grass gets too long is actually easier to do and if you use a mulching lawn mower, there is no grass clippings to worry about as well.

Lawn Care Service – Monthly

Prepare a schedule to apply weed control and grub control if you feel that these are required. Your lawn care service will look after this for you. Apply grass seed and top dressing to any areas that may be thinning out. Remember you need to water this area daily to help the new grass take hold and grow.

Lawn Care Service – Quarterly

Fertilizer every three months is usually needed and use the appropriate fertilizer for the time of year. For example a fertilizer that promotes root growth is usually suggested in the fall and one that promotes leaf growth in the spring is suggested. Apply weed control an bug control as needed.

Lawn Care Service – Annually

Remove all debris from your lawn in the late fall after you have cut the lawn for the last time. The same thing applies in the spring before you cut the lawn or apply fertilizer. You will want to make sure that there is no debris such as leaves and branches that could stunt or even kill the grass even over the winter months.

Consumers with all sizes of lawns need more than lawn mowing service in many cases. For some like the one in this picture, mowing the lawn probably takes too much time. The owners have more important things to do. They also have lots of gardens and shrubs that need maintenance services on a regular basis. For others they just do not want to be bothered with looking after a lawn. They hire a lawn mowing service. Then there are a few that simply cannot do it themselves and will hire a lawn mowing service to look after their lawns. If you need your lawn mowed, what other things do you need in addition to someone just cutting the lawn? Fertilizer, weed treatment, watering, patching, removal of leaves and debris in the fall and spring are just a few of the other types of services that may be needed.

Lawn Mowing Service – Other Services

In addition to someone cutting the lawn, many home owners would like the edges of the lawn trimmed so that it looks nice and neat. They also would like any grass cuttings swept off of driveways and sidewalks and disposed of. Fertilizer should be applied at regular intervals to ensure healthy root growth and strong blade growth so that you have a nice healthy looking lawn. In most locations, fertilizer should be added four times a year.

Lawns also benefit from the annual application of lawn seed and top dressing to help thicken the lawn. This application of lawn seed and top dressing will also help to control weeds as well since weeds have a difficult time growing in a healthy, thick lawn. A healthy, thick lawn is the best defense against weeds making inroads in an otherwise great looking lawn.

Water is Important

Water is also important. In large lawns, it can be difficult and expensive. Unless you have an underground sprinkler system to water your lawn regularly. Making sure that your lawn gets regular watering will keep it looking green all year round. If you cannot water the lawn regularly, let your lawn grow a bit longer to help conserve moisture in the ground.  If your lawn turns brown, do not despair.

As long as your lawn gets some rain, it will simply enter a dormant stage. Then return once it rains or is watered. Your lawn care specialist should be discussing these options with you. Not just automatically applying fertilizer or cutting the lawn each week. The good ones care about your lawn. They just do not focus on providing the service whether it needs it or not. We have all probably seen a dried out lawn that has not grown much being cut by some guy who could care less about your lawn. Avoid this type and hire someone who genuinely wants to see a nice looking lawn.

It is even more important to add grass seed and top dressing in the spring when there is lots of moisture to promote a healthy lawn. This is the best time for new seedlings to grow, establish roots and help to thicken your lawn.

What are the basic lawn care requirements and how do you get your lawn looking like the one in the picture? This lawn is in perfect condition with no weeds and no bare patches or even thin patches. We all would like our lawns to look like this. It is actually not that hard if you follow basic lawn care guidelines and devote a few hours a week to keep it in that condition once it is in the condition you want it. One of our neighbors has let their lawn get into bad shape, however in the last year he is making efforts to bring it back and is making good progress. His lawn was full of weeds and was losing the battle to dandelions and other weeds. What did he do to bring it back?

Basic Lawn Care Requirements – Improving your Lawn

The first thing he did was to actually begin cutting it on a regular basis. He had let it get long between cuttings which gives the weeds a chance to really grow and especially the dandelions. Secondly he applied some weed control which killed most of the weeds. Thirdly he went over his lawn and pulled out any weeds he saw by hand. this was a lot of work, but once completed, the weekly review and weeds to pull out became less over the weeks.

Next he spread lawn seed over the lawn to thicken it up and then dressed it with topsoil to give the lawn some needed nutrients. Finally he added fertilizer that would not hurt the new seedlings that were beginning to grow. Over the month and half that this took, his lawn was transformed from a weed-filled lawn to something that looks pretty good. It will only get better as time goes on and he continues to pay attention to his lawn. Note that you cannot ever ignore your lawn if you want it to look great. Once it is in great shape, you still need to regularly apply fertilizer, deal with weeds that find their way into your lawn and cut the lawn at regular intervals.

Summary – Basic Lawn Care Requirements

• Mow your lawn on a regular basis before the lawn gets too long
• Deal with the weeds and use a weed killer
• Pull out any weeds that remain by the root
• Add fertilizer to your lawn based on the time of year
• Add lawn seed to thicken your lawn
• Apply top Dressing to cover the lawn seed

Not every consumers has time for Lawn Care and Maintenance  that can be completed by a professional Lawn Care and Maintenance Services company. The cost can be higher than perhaps you want it to be. However at the end of the day you either have the time to do it yourself and the energy to do it yourself. Or you hire someone to look after your lawn and shrubs. A lawn and garden like the one shown in the picture looks really great when it is properly looked after each and every week. If you let it go, it does not take very long before the weeds creep in. The grass gets thinner and the shrubs are overgrown.

Sticking with the program will ensure that your lawn always looks great. A neighbor of mine gets easily overwhelmed by a lot of work. He just cannot see the forest for the trees as the saying goes. As a result he does nothing and his lawn has deteriorated. In our opinion this is another situation where he should just hire someone to maintain his lawn for him. They would keep it the way he really would like it to look.

What is Included in Lawn Care and Maintenance Services

Obviously cutting the lawn is important. At least once per week so that no more than 1/3 is cut off the stem at a time. Regular fertilizer aimed at the time of year that your grass needs the most help with. For example in the spring, growth is encouraged. While in the fall root development is important to ensure that your grass will last through the winter.

Applying weed treatment when needed will keep the weeds at bay. Also making sure not infestation of bugs gets the better of your grass as well is also important. Next it is important to trim the edges of the grass along walkways and gardens to keep everything looking neat and tidy.

You will be responsible for water in most cases. Home owners need to make sure that the lawn is given a good watering at least once a week if not more often if you are in dry conditions. You will have to monitor the rain fall and water accordingly.

From time to time, your lawn care company may suggest de-thatching of your lawn to remove the old dead grass that has accumulated in the lawn. This allows the lawn to breathe and provides room to grow. It also means that evaporation will take place more quickly. Check the moisture levels of your lawn after de-thatching.

The lawn care maintenance team should also make sure that the blades on the lawn mower are always sharp. The blades of grass are cut rather than torn. This provides a much better look to the grass and it is also healthier for your grass as well.

What are the lawn service prices in your area? Do you have the time to devote to cutting the lawn. Also doing garden maintenance for a yard like this one?  Remember that what is shown here is only the front yard. It will take at least an hour on a riding lawn mower to cut just this part of the lawn. Then you have the back lawn and the trimming and edging to do. There is also weed prevention, insect prevention and any repairs that may be needed from time to time. Most people owning a home of the sort in this picture can make more money working than they will save by doing this work themselves.

Of course they may want to do their own work for the exercise and the therapeutic side of it which is fine as well. Many consumers get a lot of satisfaction out of doing this sort of work themselves. Instead of hiring someone to do it for them. But if you do not have the time, or the health to do this work, or just do not like this sort of thing Find another option. It is a good idea to hire a lawn care service company to look after your property for you.

Lawn Service Prices Factor

The time it will take to complete the job, the kind of equipment that is used, how much trimming is required and how much actual lawn care is needed will determine the lawn service prices that you end up paying. If you need garden or shrub maintenance this will be an additional factor in the overall price. In addition the number of times per month or even per week that someone must come to your property to look after the lawn.

For example if you have a fast-growing lawn that gets lots of water and fertilizer, your grass will grow quickly and may need to be cut every four or five days to keep it looking great all of the time.

Most people will request several quotes. As well as recommendations from friends and neighbors before making a decision. They need this info in which lawn care service company to choose to maintain the lawn for them. Even if you receive recommendations from friends or people you know regarding a particular lawn care company, always request several quotes for exactly the same service and use this information to counter the offer if you are not satisfied with it.

Lawn Service Prices – Quoting

Be specific about your needs. The more clarification that you can provide, the better and more accurate your quote is going to be. Be specific about your needs and ask for suggestions. You might also ask the lawn care company for suggestions that will help to keep the quote within reason. For example, if you ask for the grass clippings to be disposed of instead of using a mulcher on the lawn mower. There may be a different charge for bagging and disposal of the grass clippings. A mulching lawn mower will cut the grass clippings into tiny pieces so that it disintegrates more quickly.

Compare several quotes. If they each have the same specifications, you should be able to easily compare them.