Growing and maintaining a lush green lawn takes care and the
right equipment. The right lawn mover for your landscape and
proper maintenance of your equipment will ensure a nice even
lawn. A good lawn mower should cut the grass and not tear or rip
it out.
The first thing to consider when purchasing a lawn mover is your
landscape. Is your lawn on a slope or flat ground? What type of
mower can get the job done with the least amount of effort?
Another factor is how easy the mower is to maintain for peak
performance.
If you have to cut grass on a slope, the best type of lawn mower
is one with high wheels. This will make it easier to push up a
hill, or to move back down the hill with. The second type of
lawn mower is a cordless or electric mulching lawn mower. The
mulching mower is less messy and mulches your lawn. The third
type of lawn mower is a reel lawn mower. Reel lawnmowers are
environmental friendly, not contributing to pollution and are
easy to use.
After deciding on the type of lawn mower to purchase, review the
maintenance schedule. A good maintenance program will allow your
mower to last for years to come and give your grass a better
cut. Every spring, the different parts of the lawnmower should
be cleaned or repaired. Spark plugs should be cleaned or
replaced for good firing and nuts and bolts should be checked
and tightened where necessary.
The underside decking should be cleaned throughout the season to
remove build up of grass and dirt. Cleaning the grass and dirt
will also help in preventing the spread of diseases in grass. In
order to clean the deck of the lawnmower, you should first empty
the gas tank and make sure that the spark plug is not connected.
You can then stand the mower up on its side and spray the mower
with water. You can then scrub off the rest of the dirt and
grass that is stuck on the mower. Make sure to dry the mower
after you have finished rinsing it off, to make sure that none
of the parts rust.
Your maintenance should also include checking the oil and air
filters. The air filters should be cleaned or replaced on a
regular basis. Before removing the filter to replace, make sure
that you know whether it is paper or foam. The oil in your lawn
mower lubricates the engine. Be sure you read the operating
instructions on the type and amount of oil your mower uses.
Another important part of maintenance is sharpening the blades
every one or two months, depending on use. Sharp blades ensure a
clean cut rather than ripping out the grass. This can be easily
done by removing the blade from the mower and sharpening it with
a file.
When mowing season is over, there are certain steps to properly
store your lawn mower for the winter. It is advisable to remove
the oil and gas, and clean the exterior.
With consistent and proper care of your lawnmower, you will be
able to keep your lawn looking great through the seasons and
years, and your mower will last for years too.
About the author:
For more information about lawn mowers and your lawn, visit
http://www.lawnmowersinfoguide.com and
http://www.lawninfocenter.com
Article Source:
http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com
Most homeowners take great pride in their lawns, giving them
constant care and attention; dutifully rooting out crab grass
and catching dandelions before they go to seed, and applying
lawn fertilizer in precise patterns on a set schedule.
Unfortunately all of this excellent care can be for naught if
your lawn becomes infested with bugs. Here are the top five lawn
bugs that can cause lawn devastation. When properly treated
these pests can become a thing of the past, however like so many
other battles in the suburban jungle constant vigilance is the
key to a prolonged success.
White grubs are one of the most common lawn critters that most
home owners have to deal with. These little guys cause extensive
damage to the root systems in which they live. Adding to the
problem, it is impossible to see white grubs on the surface of
your lawn as they exist below the blades of grass in the root
zone, so the only way you will be able to know if you have a
white grub infestation is to physically dig up patches of the
lawn and look in the underlying soil.
There are no surefire telltale signs of a white grub infestation
in your lawn, in fact about the only thing you'll notice is the
general poor health of the grass. The only signs you will get of
a white grub infestation is general browning and dying of the
grass and in some cases that are severe you'll be able to pull
back patches of the grass with your bare hands. The best defense
against a white grub infestation is to keep your lawn healthy in
the first place by applying proper fertilizers and watering on a
regular schedule. Your next line of defense, believe it or not,
is to encourage birds in your yard. Birds eat the white grubs,
so the more feathered residents you have the more grubs they
will eat.
The fiery skipper is another common lawn pest. Luckily these
guys are rather specific in the types of grass that they like,
favoring Bermuda grass, bent grass, and St. Augustine grass. A
common symptom of a fiery skipper infestation is noticing
patches of brown grass popping up among your healthy green
grass. As the infestation worsens these brown patches can join
together and form large patches or veins of brown grass that
skirt across your entire lawn. To help fight in infestation of
fiery skippers you are going to want to reduce the thatch of
your lawn as well as over seed with grass species that they do
not find palatable.
Billbugs are a past that is endemic to all species of grass.
They have no preferred feeding habits thus you will not be able
to choose a resistant grass for your lawn if you find them
eating away at your turf. Much like the fiery skipper if you
have a billbug infestation you’ll notice brown patches on your
lawn that grow in size and eventually join up to form larger
patches which can extend to several feet in width. The best
defense against billbugs is to make sure your lawn is very
healthy to begin with by adequately fertilizing and watering on
a regular schedule. You'll also want to increase the mowing
height when you perform your regular lawn care.
Lawn moths are an unusual lawn pest because they do not reside
below the surface of the ground, though they are no less trouble
some then any other lawn pest. Symptoms of a lawn moth
infestation are fairly obvious, you'll find a general browning
of your lawn, as well as observing chewed grass blades. To
combat this problem you will want to remove excess thatch from
your lawn, as well as provide adequate fertilizer and water to
keep your lawn healthy and thus less likely to succumb to
further moth attacks.
The last scourge of the suburban lawn is the any worm, or
cutworm. This lawn pest exhibits symptoms of many other pests,
including chewed up blades of grass, and brown spots that can
grow and merge into large brown patches. Combating these worms,
like many of the other pests, requires you to reduce your lawn
thatch as well as maintain general good health of the grass by
fertilizing and watered regularly.
These top five lawn pests are not the only bugs you will
encounter that want to eat your lawn, but they are some of the
most common. If you'll notice however they all have a common
cure; general good lawn health and maintenance. You are never
going to be able to read your lawn of all insect residents, and
these insects need to eat something; so the best offense is
actually a good defense. And the best defense your lawn can have
is to be properly fed and watered so it has the strength to
resist infestations.
About the author:
Craig Elliott is a freelance writer frequently writing about
lawn care |
lawn service
Article Source:
http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com