MISSION, KS--(Marketwire - April 4, 2011) - (Family Features) Regular lawn mower maintenance is vital to keeping this tool running well. These tips from the experts at TruGreen will help you take care of the workhorse of lawn care.
Sharpen the blade
The sharper the blade, the cleaner your mower will cut the grass, and the better your lawn will look. Dull blades can shred grass and cause discoloration at the tips.
If you don't have the time or the inclination to sharpen the blade yourself, pack up your mower (or carefully remove the mower blade) and take it to a repair shop or home improvement store. For the do-it yourselfer, take a look at these general tips -- for safety, always consult the owner's manual for instructions specific to your machine.
To sharpen a blade:
When you reinstall the mower blade, make sure you place it at the proper mowing height.
"Letting grass grow tall and then removing more than 1/3 of the leaf blade is called scalping and can damage the lawn," said Ben Hamza, Ph.D., director of technical operations at TruGreen. "Be careful not to mow grass extremely low as you can damage the lawn by cutting into the crowns of the plants."
TruGreen professionals recommend that you measure the grass plants after mowing a very small area, then adjust your mower as necessary. Optimal mowing height varies by type of grass. Experts suggest the following mowing heights, in inches:
Clean it up
Cleaning your lawn mower not only helps machine performance, it can minimize the spread of lawn disease.
Maintaining your lawn mower is essential to a lush, green lawn and complements the customized professional lawn, tree and shrub care services TruGreen provides. Taking these simple measures will make mowing easier and help your lawn look great. Learn more at www.TruGreen.com.
Contact Information:
Wendy MacDonald
wmacdonald@familyfeatures.com
1-888-824-3337 ext. 235
http://editors.familyfeatures.com