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What tools are essential for good lawn care?

arslanarslan Posts: 40
in Tools and techniques
Hi experts, I am looking tools for my lawn. Besides a lawnmower, what tools are essential for good lawn care?

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  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 10,309
    Lawn edging shears if your lawn has an edge
    I've been very pleased with these that I've had since 2016
    https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0001IX7L0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    Spring tine rake or scarifier to remove thatch/moss


    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 2,284
    A half moon spade to neaten the edges between your lawn and borders - simple but makes your lawn look well cared for!
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.
  • arslanarslan Posts: 40
    Pete.8 said:
    Lawn edging shears if your lawn has an edge
    I've been very pleased with these that I've had since 2016
    https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0001IX7L0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    Spring tine rake or scarifier to remove thatch/moss


    Thanks for the advice!
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 8,870
    My ordinary spade takes care of the edges so I don't need a half-moon edger. The spade has a flat blade, not curved (a curved one would cut scallops). You can buy hollow-tine aerators for spiking any compacted areas, but an ordinary garden fork will do, and many people don't need to spike at all if they don't have areas that get compacted.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 2,284
    edited April 2022
    An ordinary spade works too for edging but I find that the half moon spade makes curves more easily and does not cut scallops if held upright!
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 8,870
    Sorry @Plantminded , I wasn't suggesting that a half-moon edger would cut scallops, but a spade that's curved forward at the edges would. Some spades are like that, some like mine are flat so I don't need an edger as well, and no need to spend money on a tool to use maybe once or twice a year and take up shed space the rest of the time :)
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 2,284
    Thank you @JennyJ, sorry, I misunderstood.  I use my half moon spade quite a lot.  It's useful not just for cutting the lawn edge but also for honing the side of a previously cut edge which has turned green with algae.  A fine sculpting tool!  It's just a shame that the lawn's not up to the same standard as the edging 😊.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 52,151
    I use  a border spade too. Mine's nice and flat, as you describe @JennyJ, and much sturdier than the half moon things. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 8,870
    My lawns all have block paver edging (except where one area meets the concrete driveway) so I just work around pushing the spade vertically between the grass and the blocks to chop off what's overgrown. Once or twice a year tops. I clip the edges with one-handed shears the rest of the time if it's looking shaggy. My sandy soil won't hold a vertical edge without crumbling.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Papi JoPapi Jo Posts: 3,865
    edited April 2022
    On this YouTube video I demonstrate how I take care of my lawn's edges, using 3 tools: the border half-moon, the long-handle lawn edging shears and the "normal" grass shears.
    More about the half-moon on my garden site (in French, sorry!) at https://www.rezeau.org/wp-garden/fr/le-jardinier-confine-jour-9/

    You are invited to a virtual visit of my garden (in English or in French).
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