Mar
16
2007
Sooner or later, anyone who has to mow the lawn every week or two for several months will begin to long for a ridable mower. These small tractor-style units are a true blessing for anyone with a 1/4 acre or more to keep neat.
Electric models are available, just as they are in standard push mowers. [...]
Mar
13
2007
A hose is indispensable for nearly every lawn and garden. Even in areas that get regular rain, there are often dry spells that can be dangerous for plants. No matter how good your automatic sprinkler design, there are usually areas that don’t get enough, causing dry spots. And, there’s no good substitute for cleaning up [...]
Mar
10
2007
Most tools have metal parts, making them subject to oxidation that weakens them. Wooden parts, too, can suffer an early demise if the coating is worn off by neglect. Keeping lawn and garden tools including gloves clean maximizes their lifetime and usefulness.
For neoprene gloves, the solution is simple. Just leave them on and rinse under [...]
Mar
07
2007
It can be easily argued that the harshest season of the year is during the winter months. In preparation for this season of the year, many possessions are winterized. One of those possessions is the automobile. The weatherization of an automobile includes the changing of the motor oil, checking the antifreeze, ensuring that the battery [...]
Mar
07
2007
Having an array of lawn and garden tools is a must for proper care. But no matter how many hoes, shears or shovels you have one thing remains true: lawn care uses chemicals.
Those chemicals may be in the modern form of commercially manufactured fertilizers, pesticides and weed killers. Or they may be ‘organic’ (a misleading [...]
Mar
05
2007
Sharp shears are a necessity to avoid ripping those stems rather than slicing them neatly. It also decreases the muscular effort required to make the cut, saving your hands. Fortunately, keeping shears sharp as new is simple with the proper tools and technique.
For larger shears, such as grass or hedge shears, the technique is very [...]
Mar
04
2007
Some people garden and perform lawn care their whole lives using no gloves at all. But apart from the calluses and the dirt, some of us mere mortals require a little help from technology. Fortunately, the technology of gloves has come a long way in the past 50 years.
Today, thanks to advances in materials science [...]
Mar
04
2007
A rotary-blade power mower cuts grass by slicing it off at high speed. The blades on many move around 2,500 revolutions per minute. But that high speed becomes ineffective if the blades are dull or nicked. Fortunately, keeping them sharp is easy and takes only a few minutes with the proper tools and technique.
Since the [...]
Mar
03
2007
A watering can sounds like such a simple device that one wonders how there can be any difficulty in picking one. But, thanks to the ingenuity of contemporary designers, there are a dozen varieties. One may suit your needs better than another.
Consider the weight. Water weighs about 8 lbs (3.6kg) per gallon (~4 liters). If [...]
Mar
03
2007
The metal parts of shovels, hoes, pole saws and other lawn tools with wooden pole handles always seem to outlast the handle. A broken handle usually renders the tool useless. Sometimes total replacement is the least expensive alternative, but it can be frustrating when the tool is relatively new. To replace just the handle can [...]