Reely good tips

While researching this week’s Hot Home Products column on reel lawnmowers, I came across some good lawn care and mower maintenance tips. Here they are. Don’t cut the lawn to a height of less than two inches. You’ll burn the tips and weaken the grass. Do leave the clippings on the lawn – they provide moisture and excellent nutrition. In fact, Mark Cullen once told me that taking clippings to the curb in a bag (not allowed in many areas anymore, BTW) is like carrying $5 down there. The exception might be in areas of the lawn where you are battling something nasty like Creeping Charlie and don’t want it to spread. That’s when you should use the grass catcher bag attachment so that you can gather up the offender. (Good luck with the that one - not only has Charlie moved into my lawn, but he's invited about five million of his relatives along. Oh well, at least it's green!)

You’ll want to keep your reel mower blade sharp, as its efficiency  lies in its ability to make a clean cut. This can be a DIY job – if you get a hand mower sharpening kit from Lee Valley Tools ($26)  —  super simple to use. And on a final note – keep in mind that small twigs or stones can get caught in a reel mower. When you pick them out, remind yourself that just because you think the reel mower is “cute” and “pretty” doesn’t mean the blade isn’t sharp (see above), so be careful when you extract anything. I speak from personal experience on this one....

Comments

[Isabelle Sheardown]

We have one of Lee Valley's push mowers and their sharpening kit.
We bought the mower a few years ago but we don't find the sharpening kits works that well. I have phoned a dozen places in my area to find someone that would sharpen the mower and no one does that, they all tell the only mowers they sharpen are the rotary ones.
Any suggestions ? We live north of Toronto, south of Barrie...

[simon wolfson]

a neighbour of mine had one of those sharpening trucks do the sharpening.

[Jean@Yardworkerz]

Thanks!