Lawn Mowers

The way you mow your lawn could mean the difference between a healthy lawn and a very healthy lawn. Most people are not thrilled when they have to mow the lawn or weed it. But these are important lawn maintenance tasks that have to be done.

The first step to mowing the lawn is to buy the right lawn mower. There are many different kinds on the market today.

Push mower -These are probably the oldest lawn mowers in existence, but they are very effective for smaller lawns. You will get no special perks from this mower. With some updated mower, you may be able to change the blade height, but that?s about it.

All you have to do is manually push the mower over the lawn and it will cut the grass. It is important to make sure the grass is dry or it will get caught in the blade and you will have to remove it.

The clippings will fall on the lawn.

You can grab a bag and rake them up, or you can let them decompose and feed your lawn. It?s your choice.

Electric mower - An electric mower is a little easier to use because it is powers by electricity. This means that you will be able to cut your lawn faster than with a push mower. Older electric mowers have a power cord that you will have to plug in order to use. These mowers can be dangerous if you do not remember to look after the cord.

As with the push mower, you will have to clean up the clippings or leave them on your lawn.

Electric cordless mower - These mowers do not have cords which make them much easier to use and do not require you to find an outlet on both sides of the house. Electric cordless mowers also come with a bag that will store lawn clippings. When the bag is full, you will have to empty it. These mowers run on a battery that can be charged easily when not in use.

These mowers can also be used without the bag if you would rather let the lawn clippings fertilize your lawn.

Ride-on mower - For larger lawns, a ride-on mower will help you not run out of energy to complete other tasks around the yard once the mowing is complete.

These mowers have bags that will catch lawn clippings.

Mulching mower - If you want to use your lawn clippings, but do not like the site of them, you should look into investing in a mulching mower. These mowers will ground up lawn clippings so they are not as visible as regular clippings.

How to Mow

Regardless of which lawn mower you purchase, you should learn how to mow the lawn correctly so that you do not do unnecessary damage. You should consider following these tips:

You should mow your lawn when the grass is dry and is about three inches in length. If you mow any sooner, you may end up killing the grass. You will then have to reseed and start all over again. If you don?t want to walk outside each weekend and measure your lawn, you should mow about twice a month or every other weekend during the summertime.

Each time you mow your lawn, you should begin in a different direction. If you mow in the same direction each time, you will end up creating ruts in your lawn. These ruts could destroy your lawn and also make it look run down and unkempt.

Even if you do not want lawn clippings, and have not purchased a mulching mower, maybe you could compromise and only pick up lawn clippings once a month instead of twice. Full of nutrients, lawn clippings will make your lawn healthier.

Mowing the lawn is not difficult, but it should be done correctly so that you can get the most from your lawn during the spring and summer months. The nutrients you feed your lawn during this time will keep your lawn healthy for the entire year. While mowing too much can be a problem, so can not mowing enough. Long grass can cause shorter pieces to not get enough sunlight.

Mow your lawn consistently and you will enjoy a lush lawn all season long. Fertilize it with fertilizers, mulch, compost, and lawn clippings to keep that green alive all year long.

Check out our huge selection of home and garden fountains, birdbaths, planters and statues. Just choose a catagory on the left or type what your looking for in the search box. You can also go to our main store at Home & Garden Fountains

If after giving it some deep thought, you just don?t want to deal with grass maintenance, but you still want to create a great looking lawn using plants, flowers, trees, and shrubs, you should consider alternative options to grass.

Who says a lawn has to be green? Other alternatives include:

Clover leaf lawns
Gravel lawns
Rock lawns
Mulch
Wild vines
Mixed plant lawns

If you have a small front lawn and do not want to plant grass, any one of these alternatives will work for your lawn. Eliminating the grass factor does not mean you will be getting out of doing yard work. You will still have to weed, plant each season, and make sure that your current plants are healthy.

Clover leaf lawns

Using small leaf plants that grow quickly and densely will the illusion of grass without having to mow. Clover leaf is a good plant to use especially if you live in an area that receives a lot of rain. You should plant these plants in the fall. You should prep the lawn and seed as you would a grass lawn. Within a few weeks, you will have a lawn covered with this pleasant looking green plant.

Maintaining these plants is easy. Make sure they receive plenty of water and trim them back on the sides of your lawn to keep them looking clean and neat. Since these plants do not grow very tall, you should not have to trim the tops.

Gravel lawns

Sometimes fine gravel that is mixed with different colors can be a nice complement to the trees and flowers that you have on your lawn. You can buy bags of gravel at your home and garden store.

Before spreading the gravel, you should prep your soil and weed it thoroughly. Spread gravel evenly on the ground with a rake. If you have drainage issues, you should reconsider laying gravel because you may end up with bald spots each time it rains.

You will have to weed more often in order to keep the lawn looking clean. Gravel lawns can look clean, simple, and will cut down on the time you will have to spend seeding and prepping your soil.

Rock lawns

A rock lawn is similar to a gravel lawn, except that you will be using rocks to decorate your lawn. You can spread a layer of gravel onto the soil and then arrange your rocks. You have many options here and you can combine mulch and rocks together to create a unique lawn.

Mulch

Mulch can be used on your entire lawn. You can buy different types of mulch that will match the rest of your landscaping.

You should be prepared to weed more often and change out the mulch every few months.

Wild vines

Wild vines are similar to clover leaf in that they will grow on their own without too much supervision. You may have to trim the vines occasionally to make sure the lawn looks clean.

There are many types of vines to choose from that will grow all year long.

Mixed plant lawns

If you want, you can mix your favorite plants and vine flowers together to create your own lawn. Be prepared to do your research, however. You should only mix plants and flowers that can work well together. Other wise, you will have plants and flowers competing with each other. The results could be very unpleasant.

As you can see, there are many alternatives to grass green lawns. You may want a traditional lawn, but areas where you can incorporate these suggestions. Your lawn should be a representation of who you are, so have a little fun and create something beautiful. Over the years, you may want a change. Adding new features to your lawn will only enhance its beauty.

Make sure that you have the right materials and tools before planting your lawn. You should be patient for the first few weeks as your plants, flowers, and grass are growing. Within a month, you should see some results.

Check out our huge selection of home and garden fountains, birdbaths, planters and statues. Just choose a catagory on the left or type what your looking for in the search box. You can also go to our main store at Home & Garden Fountains