Most Important Tools that are needed to Grow and Keep a Lawn Successfully

A green and soft lawn is a great thing. An unkempt lawn looks unhealthy and unattractive, which is why it is important to look after your lawn. Basic maintenance practices such as cutting grass, removing unwanted plants and watering plants can make a big difference in as far as growing and keeping a healthy lawn is concerned.

Using the correct tools and having a better understanding of which garden tools you need for your lawn will save you a lot of time, money and effort.

There are many garden tools available in the market, but there are the essential ones that every gardener needs to improve the efficiency of their lawn maintenance and care routine. Below are the most important tools that are required to grow and keep a lawn successfully.

i. Garden Gloves

While people tend to overlook this critical garden equipment, gloves are a very important part of your lawn maintenance arsenal. Gardening can be a thorny and splintery exercise, which is why you need the right pair of gloves to protect your hands from scratches, cuts, blisters, etc.

Gloves should fit comfortably as poorly fitting gloves can result in accidents or cause injuries. They should also be durable and should be made of water-resistant and breathable fabrics to keep your hands cool and comfortable. Also, you should consider ones with longer cuffs to keep soil from getting in and protect your wrists as well.

ii. Hoe

Hoe is used to prepare the garden for planting and cutting down weeds. The nature of your garden is going to determine the type of hoe that you require. A thinner hoe is required for perennial gardens such as a lawn, which requires a delicate touch. A good hoe should have a long reach, and it should have a comfortable handle. Also, it should have a sharp blade for ease of use. For turning the soil in rows, flat hoes work better, and they are easy to use.

iii. Garden Fork/Aerator

Aerating your lawn is an important practice of keeping it healthy. The soil in your lawn can get compacted over time, especially if it experiences heavy traffic from mowing. A garden fork will come in handy in crushing the soil particles and creating space for oxygen and water to spread through the soil. It also creates space for nutrients needed to grow the grass and also encouraging roots to go deeper.

Garden fork can dig deeper than a spade. Spades are short-handled workhorses that make your work easy by drilling holes for planting, edging, and moving soil from point to another. Long-handled ones are heavier, but they provide more leverage.

iv. Lawn Spreaders

A lawn spreader is used to spread grass for a new lawn evenly or to apply fertilizers or weed killers. It enables you to apply these products without leaving patches or creating patches of lower or higher concentrations.

Most spreaders come with variable feed controls to enable you to apply varying concentrations of products as needed. For example, you can adjust the spreader to use a thicker layer of grass seed or when you want to apply little fertilizer. Lawn spreaders are mostly wheeled cart equipment, but handheld versions are also available for small yards.

v. Hoses

You will need water to grow and keep a lawn, and that’s why it is important to have hoses that can reach every area. The hoses should have an adjustable nozzle to control the pressure of the water and spray radius. The basic hose diameters are ½-inch, 5/8-inch, and ¾-inch.

The length of the hose will affect the pressure of the water; the shorter the hose, the higher the resulting pressure. As such, you should determine the amount of length you require before you acquire one.

For smaller environments, a watering can will come in handy in ensuring that your lawn is watered during hot, dry spells. Plastic cans are lighter but are not as long-lasting as their metal counterparts. Whether plastic or metal, you should the size that offers the best stability and one that is easy to pour.

vi. Hand Pruners and Loppers

Hand pruners, also known as pruning shears are used to trim plants that are getting out of control. They come in different types and sizes, but ideally, they should fit in the palm of your hand. Loppers, on the other hand, are used to trim hard to reach spots and cutting thick branches as well. They are long-handled which provides the leverage required to cut thicker branches, usually up to 1-inch or more. The handle ranges from 16 to 36 inches. The appropriate choice is determined by how far you’ll need to reach, and just like other cutting tools, the lopper’s blade should be sharpened regularly and kept in good condition.

vii. Lawn Mower

A lawn mower is a pretty obvious tool that every homeowner should have at his/her disposal. It is one of the most critical equipment for lawn care and maintenance as it keeps the grass even and at a constant length. Lawn movers are available in two different options;

• Rotary mowers which use a spinning blade to cut and; 
• Reel mowers which use a set of blades that cut against the flat knife when the mower turns.

Ideally, real mowers are operated manually while rotary mowers, on the other hand, are run by gas engines or electricity. This implies that rotary mowers are not physically demanding as reel mower, but reel mowers, on the other hand, are friendly to the environment as they are non-polluting.

viii. Lawn Edgers

Lawn edgers are used to tidy up crooked lawn edges by removing tattered edges. The result is a clean and sharp cut behind. You can also use a lawn edger to cut away turf blocks to give way for new beds in the lawn.

Although they are easy to operate, they require a little more physical strength to saw through roots and fibers smoothly and neatly.

ix. Lawn Rake

You will need a rake to scrap leaves and debris into piles and to whisk thatch and moss away from your lawn. A standard leaf rake is good for beginners, but for versatility, you will need an adjustable rake. This rake can be used to aerate the soil, gathering huge piles of leaves and even reaching narrow spots. Such rakes have gentle teeth which make them safe to use on your glass without destroying the roots of the grass but at the same time scrapping off the leaves and other debris.

x. Garden Cart

You will need a garden cart or a wheelbarrow to carry everything around, especially if your yard is of decent size. Whether it is for transporting dirt, hauling soil, or carrying everyday gardening items, you will find a garden cart extremely handy. Without one, you will have to make several trips back and forth, which can be exhausting.

Conclusion

There are a variety of lawn care and maintenance tools, and while you may not require all of them, you should consider adding the ones listed above to your maintenance toolbox. You can add other tools as need be, and with that, you will keep your lawn beautiful and glowing.