Lawn treatment

[falafel]

With my reel mower I don't bag my grass, so it seems like the debris it starting to build up underneath the grass.


If you're asking in general
http://www.nutrilawn.com/Your-Lawn/d...aking/641.html

I've read about dethatching before, but my understanding is that only certain types of grass develop thatch. I have tall fescue, which apparently does not build thatch. I don't know about Utah lawns.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

So those aeration shoes that I bought from SkyMall don't work?

They sure worked well in Enter the Dragon

[Jeff Lebowski]

Bought me a new Stihl edger today. We have always had good luck with our Stihl trimmer, but we have been wanting to try an edger for a while. This is the unit we got (FC 70):



Holy cow, I love this thing. I haven't had this much fun with a new tool in a long time. These beautiful clean edges make my little engineer heart go pitter patter.

[mtnbiker]

Bought me a new Stihl edger today. We have always had good luck with our Stihl trimmer, but we have been wanting to try an edger for a while.

Holy cow, I love this thing. I haven't had this much fun with a new tool in a long time. These beautiful clean edges make my little engineer heart go pitter patter.

Looks great. Why don't you bring it on over and see how it works on my driveway? I've wanted to have a nice grass edge, but have a hard time laying down $300 for something that gets used a couple of times a year and then gets a trip to the small engine shop when it won't start the next spring.

How did you decide on a 2-stroke hand-held vs. a wheeled 4-stroke?

[Jeff Lebowski]

Looks great. Why don't you bring it on over and see how it works on my driveway? I've wanted to have a nice grass edge, but have a hard time laying down $300 for something that gets used a couple of times a year and then gets a trip to the small engine shop when it won't start the next spring.

How did you decide on a 2-stroke hand-held vs. a wheeled 4-stroke?

A couple of times a year? What are you talking about? Keeping the grass in check is a constant battle.

We did a major backyard remodel last year and we have a bunch of open edges that we need to maintain, not to mention a long run of pavers. This is going to save us a lot of hand work.

[Solon]

I'm looking to buy a trimmer for our postage-stamp-sized lawn area. There are a few spots that I can't get with the mower, and I'd like to cut the weeds from the vacant lot from spilling onto the sidewalks in my neighborhood.

Has anyone had luck with the battery-powered models? I'm slightly tempted to go this direction, since I don't need hours of use at a time and the cost is right. Are they as powerful as similarly sized gas models?

Also, the beer-to-kill-grubs debate earlier in this thread might be a corruption of the beer-to-kill-slugs practice. Pour some beer into a can or a jar and bury it in a flowerbed so that the rim is even with the surface. Slugs & snails are attracted to the beer, fall in, and drown (or at least are easy to scoop up). I used this technique many times as a kid and it worked well to get the snails out of the flowerbeds. Too bad my dad always bought cheap beer.

[beefytee]

I'm looking to buy a trimmer for our postage-stamp-sized lawn area. There are a few spots that I can't get with the mower, and I'd like to cut the weeds from the vacant lot from spilling onto the sidewalks in my neighborhood.

With a tiny lawn, these should work great:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-9210-Long-Handled-Swivel-Shears/dp/B00004SD6Y/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1336067506&sr=8-7"]Amazon.com: Fiskars 9210 Long-Handled Swivel Grass Shears: Patio, Lawn & Garden@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21J2Y2R39DL.@@AMEPARAM@@21J2Y2R39DL[/ame]

It you want to cut down some weeds, not so much.

[Jarid in Cedar]

I'm looking to buy a trimmer for our postage-stamp-sized lawn area. There are a few spots that I can't get with the mower, and I'd like to cut the weeds from the vacant lot from spilling onto the sidewalks in my neighborhood.

Has anyone had luck with the battery-powered models? I'm slightly tempted to go this direction, since I don't need hours of use at a time and the cost is right. Are they as powerful as similarly sized gas models?

Also, the beer-to-kill-grubs debate earlier in this thread might be a corruption of the beer-to-kill-slugs practice. Pour some beer into a can or a jar and bury it in a flowerbed so that the rim is even with the surface. Slugs & snails are attracted to the beer, fall in, and drown (or at least are easy to scoop up). I used this technique many times as a kid and it worked well to get the snails out of the flowerbeds. Too bad my dad always bought cheap beer.

I have a battery powered trimmer. Works like a charm. Only have problems when going through thick weeds for prolonged periods of time. Feel free to borrow it for a test drive if you want.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

I'm looking to buy a trimmer for our postage-stamp-sized lawn area. There are a few spots that I can't get with the mower, and I'd like to cut the weeds from the vacant lot from spilling onto the sidewalks in my neighborhood.

Has anyone had luck with the battery-powered models? I'm slightly tempted to go this direction, since I don't need hours of use at a time and the cost is right. Are they as powerful as similarly sized gas models?

Also, the beer-to-kill-grubs debate earlier in this thread might be a corruption of the beer-to-kill-slugs practice. Pour some beer into a can or a jar and bury it in a flowerbed so that the rim is even with the surface. Slugs & snails are attracted to the beer, fall in, and drown (or at least are easy to scoop up). I used this technique many times as a kid and it worked well to get the snails out of the flowerbeds. Too bad my dad always bought cheap beer.

I have an electric Black and Decker, no batteries though. It was pretty cheap and it works quite well. The cord is a pain but not as much of a pain as dealing with starting a gas one. The electric motors are generally problem free.

[jay santos]

Bought me a new Stihl edger today. We have always had good luck with our Stihl trimmer, but we have been wanting to try an edger for a while. This is the unit we got (FC 70):



Holy cow, I love this thing. I haven't had this much fun with a new tool in a long time. These beautiful clean edges make my little engineer heart go pitter patter.

Lebowski, where'd you buy this at?

[Jeff Lebowski]

Lebowski, where'd you buy this at?

Carpenter Seed.

[mtnbiker]

You still haven't answered my question about how you decided on a 2-cycle vs 4. I haven't had good luck with 2-cycle engines. If I don't start them and let them run for a few minutes at least once a month, they get all gummed up and refuse to start, even if I think I've run them out of gas. My neighbors probably think I'm nuts when I fire up my snow blower once a month, even in the summer. I haven't had much of a problem with 4-stroke engines.

[Jeff Lebowski]

You still haven't answered my question about how you decided on a 2-cycle vs 4. I haven't had good luck with 2-cycle engines. If I don't start them and let them run for a few minutes at least once a month, they get all gummed up and refuse to start, even if I think I've run them out of gas. My neighbors probably think I'm nuts when I fire up my snow blower once a month, even in the summer. I haven't had much of a problem with 4-stroke engines.

We have a Stihl trimmer and it has provided great service for many years. We take it in every couple of years or so for a tune-up. I figured it would make sense to buy an edger that was the same brand and used the same mixture of gas/oil. And the sales guy (who carries several brands) said that the Stihl was best.

In general I would have a tough time buying a 4-stroke engine for a handheld tool like this because 2-stroke is lighter and more powerful. But I do enjoy our 4-stroke scooter and outboard motor on our boat.

[mtnbiker]

In general I would have a tough time buying a 4-stroke engine for a handheld tool like this because 2-stroke is lighter and more powerful. But I do enjoy our 4-stroke scooter and outboard motor on our boat.

Well, there are 4-stroke units that aren't hand-held. They have 3 wheels plus the blade, and you just roll them along the ground. Seems like they'd be a bit more heavy-duty, but also possibly more tuned to those locations where you have concrete on one side for it to roll on. May not work in your back yard where the grass just runs up to a planting area. Just curious if you'd considered something like this, and if so, why you went with the hand-held.

[Donuthole]

Holy cow, I love this thing. I haven't had this much fun with a new tool in a long time. These beautiful clean edges make my little engineer heart go pitter patter.

Not to burst your bubble, but I can get edges just like that with an electric weed-eater/trimmer. Flipped upside down, the head is a perfect edger. Most new ones come with a swivel head, even. It probably takes a little bit longer than using an edger, but a steady hand will give you the exact same result. Gas edgers don't work as well, because 1) you can't flip the engine upside down, and 2) even if it has a swivel head, the trigger is usually too touchy to maintain a good speed for edging.

/ramble