Who doesn’t love a lush, green lawn? With just a few pieces of lawn care equipment and a little time spent caring for the turf, any homeowner can enjoy a beautiful yard as well.
Curious about what is needed? Here are the most common types of lawn care equipment that are helpful to have on hand.
1. Lawn Mower
Overgrown grass looks very unkempt so it’s important to cut the grass regularly during the growing season. Plus, regular cuts help the grass grow thick and full, cutting down on weeds and making the grass hardier.
There are various options for mowers. Reel mowers are powered solely by the user pushing them across the grass. The user gets more exercise and these machines give off zero pollution, making them a great sustainable option. This used to be the more common option decades ago, but interest in sustainability has fueled renewed interest in this type of mower.
However, electric (cord or batteries) or gas push mowers still tend to be more common. For mowing large lawns, riding mowers make quick work of the job.
2. String Trimmer
Because of the blades’ positioning, a lawnmower can’t quite cut the edges of the lawn along fences or at the edges of flower beds. Homeowners use string trimmers to get these hard-to-reach areas instead.
Gas string trimmers were common in the past, but now most homeowners opt for corded or battery-operated electric trimmers. These tools use a spinning nylon cord to easily nip off the stray blades of grass at the edges. This makes trimming these areas far easier.
3. Edger
Edgers are handy for those who want crisp, clean lines of lawn along the edges of their sidewalk, flower bed, or driveway.
These lawn care tools are similar to trimmers but instead of using a horizontally spinning cord, they have a vertical metal blade. There are gas and electric edgers as well as hand-held models. Edging is only needed occasionally to keep the lawn edge crisp. Edgers can easily be rented or homeowners can use a square shovel in a pinch.
4. Spreader
Spreaders are a type of lawn care equipment used to distribute lawn seed, fertilizer, and some types of pesticides across the lawn. Broadcast spreaders fling the material in a circular pattern as the operator moves across the lawn, and drop spreaders distribute material in a controlled line.
Spreaders are manual tools that are available as a push model or a handheld device operated with a crank. They aren’t expensive, and homeowners will generally only need them a few times a year.
5. Sprayer
A sprayer performs a similar function as a spreader but is designed for distributing liquid materials — usually pesticides or weed killers.
A basic half-gallon hand sprayer is the simplest model and works well for people with small lawns. For the average homeowner, a one-gallon pump-handled sprayer is usually sufficient for the job.
For large lawns, there are two-gallon models with a battery-powered spray head that the operator can wear on their back.
6. Leaf Blower/Vacuum or Broom
Leaf blowers are kind of a controversial piece of lawn care equipment. They are noisy gas, electric cord, or battery-powered tools that blow leaves and other debris off a lush lawn. Some models are reversible to serve as a vacuum as well.
They are nice to have for homeowners who have a lot of trees dropping leaves, needles, and other suffocating debris on the lawn. However, a simple rake or broom performs the same function — much more quietly.
Blowers are so noisy that some communities restrict their use. Homeowners that plan to buy one of these tools are encouraged to check their local noise ordinance for limits.
7. Lawn Aerator
Aerating is not a frequent lawn care maintenance task. Most homeowners opt to rent aerators as needed rather than own one. However, the task can be arduous work, so many homeowners decide to hire it out.
A lawn aerator has a heavy roller with dull spikes on it. As the operator rolls it across the lawn, it punches holes through the thatch. This allows nutrients, water, and air to more easily reach the roots of the lawn and help it to grow healthy and strong.
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