by Trimmers, lawn mowers and other devices will help create an ideal lawn on a suburban area. And Lifehacker will help you navigate them. How to mow grass in a suburban area” />
Olga Popova
Olga Popova Head of the macro category “Economics, house, dacha” of the company “Avito”.
Grass is a real scourge of a summer resident. Any owner of a plot of land outside the city knows how hard it is to regularly tidy up the lawn. During the phase of the most intensive plant growth (in central Russia it occurs in June), this must be done at least once every two weeks. Otherwise, after the rain, you will move around the site wet to the waist, clouds of mosquitoes will divorce in the country, and ticks in the thickets. And for those who want a perfect, even lawn, you need to mow the grass even more often, about once a week. So mowing devices are an absolute must-have in the arsenal of any gardener.
Lawn mowers
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A lawn mower is the first thing that comes to mind for a novice gardener. These devices are equipped with a knife in a round holder, which rotates with the help of a motor, the whole structure moves on wheels and leaves a cut strip behind it. It would seem that this is an ideal option that allows you not to spend a lot of effort. However, lawn mowers have one drawback: they are only suitable for very flat areas. Hillocks, pits, even a height difference of 10-15 cm significantly reduce the quality of mowing.
If you have a flat area, you can safely buy a lawn mower. In this case, the first thing to decide is whether it will be gasoline or electric. Gasoline (for example, Makita PLM4626N, CHAMPION LM4627) are not tied to a place, but they cost twice or three times more than electric ones, require careful storage, fuel, and also poison the air.
Electric lawn mowers (BOSCH ARM 37, Gardena PowerMax 1100/32) are much more environmentally friendly, but you need access to a power outlet to use them. However, an inexpensive garden extension cable allows you to safely use such a technique even on a plot of 20 acres. Now there are also battery-powered lawn mowers: for example, Makita DLM380Z, Gardena PowerMax Li‑18/32. But, like any battery technology, such devices are more prone to breakdowns, they are afraid of temperature changes and long periods of inactivity.
Perhaps the most important parameter is the cutting width, that is, the span of the blades. It depends on him how wide the path the mower leaves behind – and how many times you have to go back and forth to process the entire area.
. This is a useful feature, because grass, especially tall grass, resists the mower and requires physical effort to mow.
There are also mechanical models – inexpensive, but requiring, accordingly, even greater physical effort (Gardena 330 Classic, Husqvarna 54). They are a roller of knives on the handle, which is rolled on wheels and cut grass. They work without electricity at all. In addition, there are now robot mowers that act like robot vacuum cleaners (Robomow RX12u, BOSCH Indego 350). But, in addition to the high cost (from 40,000 rubles), they can be even more helpless than a regular lawn mower on an uneven area where there are many trees and flower beds.
You should not buy a cheap lawn mower from an unknown manufacturer. When mowing grass, knives and plastic parts inevitably collide with stones, sticks, and low-quality materials can crack at the first obstacle. If you are not sure whether such equipment is suitable for your site, it is better to buy a product from a trusted manufacturer in the secondary market.
Trimmers
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Another popular option for gardening equipment is a trimmer. In fact, it is an electric version of a conventional hand scythe (which is why it is also called an electric scythe). There are trimmers with blades, but in most models they do not cut the grass, but “antennae” made of thick fishing line, which rotate around the central axis at high speed. The line wears out and needs to be renewed periodically, however, with irregular trips to the country, the coils can last for several seasons.
Due to its design, the trimmer cuts the grass not in stripes, but rather in semicircles . You will have to monitor the uniformity of mowing and the same length of cut grass yourself.
Another point to consider is that the weight of the device is several kilograms, which you will have to carry around. Out of habit, after a couple of hours of waving the trimmer, biceps can hurt. However, such a device does not care about uneven and neglected areas. In addition, the trimmer is much more maneuverable than a lawnmower, and it is easy to get to where it will not go: to the grass around bushes or fruit trees, in tight corners.
Trimmers are also available in gasoline (for example, Denzel DT 43S, PATRIOT PT 443) and electric (BOSCH EasyGrass Cut, BLACK+DECKER GL8033). It is better to choose the one that comes with a shoulder strap and two handles – this will greatly facilitate the work.
Scythes
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Yes, yes, the good old handmade scythe is absolutely not worth discounting. If you have a small plot of 6 acres or you need to clean some corner, you may not need fancy equipment: the efficiency of a scythe will be comparable to the efficiency of a trimmer or lawn mower.
Such a unit is quite inexpensive, does not require electricity or gasoline. And also the work of a scythe is an excellent fitness, if it is properly selected (the length of the handle must be adjusted to the owner).
The disadvantages include the laboriousness of mowing large areas, the need to regularly sharpen the scythe and the danger of an open blade for children and household animals. Also, in keeping with the adage “scythe, scythe, while the dew is on the way,” this tool is best used early in the morning while the grass is wet. Then the vegetation is cut much easier and more efficiently.
Mowers
Mowers, in fact, are a microscopic copy of the harvesters that clean the fields. This is a semi-professional equipment designed not only for mowing grass, but also for making hay on farms. Like lawn mowers, they are also rolled around the site, but the cutting elements are much more outward and they cope much better with tall and neglected grass (and some even with young growth of trees).
There are three types of mowers: beam, rotary, rotary disc. Beam (Eurosystems M80 450 Series Motor Mower, AL‑KO 126107 Solo by 532) work like large garden shears and fold the grass under them. Rotary mowers (such as the Caiman RM 60S) cut grass with a bladed disc – they handle debris and mounds, but lay the grass in a thick layer. Rotary disc mowers are equipped with two discs for cutting any grass and even tree shoots.
The disadvantages of this technique are the high cost (from 55,000 to 300,000 rubles) and heavy weight. But some models can be used as snowplows in winter.
Riders and mini tractors
And finally, the most non-standard option for serious summer residents is garden tractors and riders. They are suitable for very large and flat plots, for country houses with an adjacent farm, where they live all year round.
Riders (MTD Smart RF 125, MasterYard ES1233M) are small in weight and dimensions machines with a seat for the operator, which have a small turning radius. Mini tractors are more like a device and price of a car, weigh several tons, can have a closed cabin and are suitable for long-term work, including in winter. The cost of riders starts from 140,000 rubles: expensive, but comparable to the aforementioned mowers and sophisticated robotic lawn mowers.
Riders are primarily designed just for mowing grass, and mini tractors are more multifunctional: they can be attached to additional equipment for clearing snow, digging trenches, and so on.
If you have a small and uneven area, you will most likely have enough electric trimmer, in addition to which it is worth buying a regular scythe to trim the grass in the corners . If you have vast lands, you have created an even lawn and are willing to pay to keep it in perfect condition with minimal physical effort, get a rider or a robotic lawn mower. By the way, the appearance of the lawn depends not only on mowing, but also on the quality of the initial leveling of the ground and on the type of lawn grass – but that's a completely different story.
Cover: Alexey Stiop/Shutterstock Text edited by: Olga Popova
