Reducing Maintenance Time
The shape of a lawn, whether square, rectangular or irregular, will have a great influence on the amount of time it takes to keep it neat as well as the style of garden you are trying to create. Obviously the larger a lawn the more time it will take to mow. This can, however, be offset somewhat by choosing a mower with a cutting width to match the size of your lawn. For a larger lawn, more than 300 square yards, look for a mower with a cutting width of at least 14 inches. If you have a small lawn, less than 60 square yards, a mower with a cutting width of ten inches would be sufficient.
A mower with a twelve inches wide cut would be the best option for lawns in between these two extremes. Wider mowers are usually more expensive, so consider whether the extra cost is worth it. The extra maneuverability of a smaller mower might be better in a small garden, with fewer straight runs. You can reduce the time and effort involved when mowing by keeping the shape of your lawn simple. Simple shapes often look more appealing than complicated fussy ones in any case.
If your existing design has obstacles, such as island beds and specimen trees, you could reduce the amount of stopping and starting as well as the length of edge to be trimmed by joining the beds together or extending borders from the sides to incorporate them. If you have more than one lawn in your garden, consider joining them into one. Small lawns in the front garden often take more time to look after than the main one at the back. You may be better off getting rid of the small lawn altogether and replacing it with an area of gravel.
Surface drainage can be impeded if the grass has become compacted because of excessive wear. You can overcome this by a technique know as aeration. Small areas are best treated with a garden fork. Simply spike it into the grass, pushing the times into the ground to a depth of about six inches, spacing the holes about two inches apart. For larger areas of lawn consider hiring a powered spikier or slitter instead. Fill the holes with sharp sand or a mixture of soil and sand for poorly drained soils, or use peat or very fine, well rotted compost if the ground is sandy. Autumn is the best time to aerate your lawn.
The author is a garden designer as well as a very experienced garden writer and editor. Come visit the author latest websites on trees, plants, bushes and shrubs at Plant Nursery Supplies. Besides that, the author also has a particular interest in Nutritional Supplement Products for healthy living.
Related posts:
Water Chiller Articles | admin | 
July 30, 2010 5:34 am
Subscribe