July is the perfect time to give your lawn mower a check-up. We outline the 6 steps to ensure your mower is running and grass is cut.

• Sharpen the blades! Sharpening at the beginning of the season is NOT enough! For most homeowners, sharpening or replacing the blades monthly is a good habit. A dull blade will cause excessive wear on the mower and leave the lawn vulnerable to disease. 
• Clean the deck. Over the last few months, wet grass has been accumulating and drying on the mower deck. If the mower is too clogged to throw the grass as it cuts, it’s going to create problems for the lawn and machine. 
• Replace your air filter. Do NOT use compressed air to “clean” a filter – this only causes tears in the filter that allow dirt into the engine. A small engine air filter is short money compared to a replacement engine.
• Check the oil. Your owner’s manual will specify how often the engine needs an oil change.  If you can’t recall the last time the oil was changed or debris can be seen in the oil, it’s time to change the oil.
• Check the wheels! On a push mower, make sure all 4 are set at the same height. For riding mowers, ensure all are properly inflated for a nice, level cut. 
• Blow off dust, grass, and other debris. If you own a handheld leaf blower, you’re in luck – it’s the perfect tool to quickly clear areas around the deck, belts, and controls. Plus, if storing in a garage, it’s an easy way to keep things inside clean.

If the winter of 2014/15 forced you into a new snowblower, take a few moments to properly store it and protect your investment! The most common repair problems are easily preventable and they can be completed now – NOT—in the days leading up to a snow storm. 

The single most important storage tip is removing the old gasoline. If you do nothing else, drain the gas!

High ethanol in gasoline will ruin your carburetor.

Drain the remaining fuel from your gas tank. Fuel that sits all summer will go bad and require an expensive carburetor replacement. It’s also unlikely that a carburetor replacement is covered under warranty when bad fuel is at fault! Start by draining the fuel, then:

- Use stabilizer in your fuel. Mix right at the pump with the BEST fuel available. 

- Add a small amount of the treated fuel to the snow blower, and start it up. Run the machine for a couple minutes and allow the treated fuel to run through the engine. 

- Turn the fuel shutoff knob to OFF and let the snow blower run out of gas. 

Finally, turn off the key switch. This step alone will go a long way to protecting the engine and ensure another season of use.

Completing a proper “summarization” involves a few additional steps, but there are maintenance kits available to make the job easy. Most kits will include oil, spark plugs, and fuel stabilizer. If the snow blower is stored outside, its not a bad idea to pick up a cover too!

Sharpening lawnmower blades saves time and money, unless the technique is incorrect – that costs money. 

** Always use proper safety equipment and goggles, hearing, gloves. **

1. Set the blade grinder to the correct angle. For Oregon replacement blades, use 30 degrees. OEM blades, consult your owner’s manual.
2. For a right hand cut, set the motor to forward (counter clock wise) to draw the blade into the stone. This will throw sparks out to the right, away from the user.
3. Your first pass should be to square up the blade.  This will remove any Knicks or chips in the blade.  Once you have set your edge then draw the blade across the stone until you have ground away the metal to meet the bottom edge. Flip the blade and repeat using the same number of passes. Do not attempt to get a razor sharp edge, a .030 - .060 is ideal.
4. Balance your blade – it is a simple step, but very important when sharpening your blades. A simple screw on the side of your work bench or even a fancy blade balancer will do the trick. Balancing your blade can save you from having to replace your deck spindles prematurely.

A blade grinder is a great addition to any landscape company. By properly learning how to sharpen your own blades you can get a longer blade life, better cut and save money and time while doing it!

After an extended spring season that featured long periods of rainy weather, the summer is continuing the “all or nothing” trend. It’s been hot and dry in the northeast and green lawns are starting to turn brown under the stress.  Here are a few suggestions on how to help keep your lawn looking its best.

Irrigation – Getting water on your lawn nourishes and cools the grass. It’s the first line of defense against hot, dry spells. The best time to water is early in the morning from 3-8am. This allows the soil to soak up water needed and excess water will evaporate when the sun comes up. When a saturated lawn remains in contact with excess water, it creates a breeding ground for disease. This is why watering in the evening can do more harm than good! Finally, watering during the hottest part of the day is bad news…water is evaporating and your lawn won’t appreciate the tease!

PRO TIP: Avoid watering by hand. Use sprinklers to evenly water and connect timers for consistency.  There are even smart-phone apps that can operate irrigation controls! Generally speaking, most lawns want between 1”-2” of water per week. This can vary based on soil and grass types, location, and time of growing season.

Let it Grow…Let it Grow!  Set your mower deck at 3” or greater. Taller grass can absorb water better and creates its own shade too. Cutting too short not only stresses the plant, it prevents it from growing deep roots that could further protect from dry conditions.  

PRO TIP: Get a mulching blade and don’t bag the clippings. A mulching blade cuts the grass a few times before dropping it back into the lawn. The dry, starved lawn will appreciate the mulched clippings for food and shade.

Keep Fertilizer in the Bag. Unless you have an irrigation plan in place, don’t fertilize the lawn when the hot, dry conditions take hold.  Fertilizers provide nutrients for growth, but, without water you’re asking the lawn to do the impossible. Plus, fertilizers need to be watered in to be effective. If the product sits on the lawn for days only to be washed away in a thunderstorm/downpour, you might consider yourself lucky. The alternative would be fertilizer washed into lower areas in super concentrated for that kills the grass in a hurry.

PRO TIP: Use the money you saved on fertilizer and take your spouse to dinner.  A night out beats watching grass grow any day of the week…    

With lawn care, you can’t beat the heat - Mother Nature always has the upper hand. If drought and heat threaten your lawn each year, you might consider a new yard design. Trees can be added to create shade, planting a drought tolerant type of grass, and even reducing the lawn size are all long term solutions to consider.