The following is a guest post written by Russell Jones from Eco Lawn Service.
Here is a bit more about Eco:
Eco Lawn Care Services is a lawn maintenance company but so much more! We care about your soil and know that if your soil is deficient from certain nutrients, grassgrow! We are always learning and looking for want Eco Friendly products that to enhance your soil and not be a danger to you and your pets. We are a new company growing, learning and sharing information with anyone who wants to listen. So, come be a part of the journey and grow with us!
You can get in contact with Eco on their website here or Facebook page.
- Eco Lawn Services
Take it away Russell!
Have you ever been mowing grass and heard a “Whack” from the under the mower where you ran over something in the lawn
It might have been a stick, a dog toy or worse one of your kid’s favorite toys
As you yell out loud, you stop and pick up the shredded pieces. You crank the mower back up and just keep on mowing saying a few choice words under your breath
What you did not think about is the possible damage to your mower blade and the potential damage you may be causing to your grass!
Today, we are going to go over 4 things you should consider about your mower blade and how it affects your grass!
4 Things You Should Consider:
- The value of a sharp lawn mower blade.
- How often should you change your lawn mower blade?
- Different types of lawn mower blades.
- Where to get your blades sharpened.
1) The value of a sharp lawn mower blade.
If you are like most people, you spend a lot of time and money on your lawn.
The last thing you want to do is damage your lawn from to a dull blade. To eliminate this, your best line of defense is a sharp mower blade.
Just like a sharp knife in the kitchen cuts meat cleanly, a sharp mower blade will cleanly cut the grass blades. A dull blade tears and rips the grass blades leaving it open for disease to set in and damage your grass.
Be sure to check your blade and don’t be negligent. You work too hard on your lawn to make such a simple mistake.
2) How often should you change your lawn mower blade?
This depends on how often you mow. A homeowner may only need to change their blade once a year.
But a commercial lawn guy may need to change their blades every day or once a week
The best reference is to check a blade of grass to see if the cut is clean. If the grass blade was not cut clean, change your blade. Also, check your blade edge for damage and sharpness. If you damaged your blade by hitting something in the grass, it could be tearing the grass blades
3) What are the different types of lawn mower blades?
There are 2 different types of lawn mower blades: Standard and mulching.
To discover what the difference is we need to talk about the underneath of the lawn mower deck
As the standard blade turns underneath, it is creating lift. This helps the grass blades to stand up for a clean and uniform cut. Then the grass clippings are suspended in the air and circulate until they are discharged out of the side of the lawn mower
The difference of the mulching blade is it has notches across the top that help to chop up the clippings suspended in the air depositing the finer clippings back into the grass
So, each blade has it’s own purpose. The mulching blade is used more in the fall when you have
4) Where to get your blades sharpened?
With my standard 21” push lawn mower, I have used a file to sharpen my blade.
I recently had a friend show me how to sharpen a mulching blade with a grinder and a sanding disc. It takes more skill to use the grinder but gets the job done quicker. You have to be careful that you don’t get the blade off balance when attempting to sharpen your blade
I hope I have shed some light on the importance of something as simple as a lawn mower blade. If you hire someone to maintain your lawn, ask them how often they change their lawn mower blades. Check behind them and pull a piece of grass up and check the cut on the grass blade