Whether you use your lawnmower at home or on the grounds of business, a great-looking landscape offers many benefits! First of all, everyone loves a lush and green garden when they step outside their door. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, a tidy green lawn also enhances air quality. Topsoil brings nutrients from deep underground up to the surface layers where they’re more accessible to plant roots. Mulching creates an environment that discourages helps to prevent weed growth, plus it acts like fertilizer.
The benefits of having a great-looking lawn are many, but you can only reap these benefits if you have a well-functioning lawnmower. To ensure that your mower is able to do the job right, you need a sharp blade. That’s where the importance of proper lawnmower blade sharpening comes in handy!
Importance of lawn mower blade sharpening
Sharpening your lawnmower blade is crucial when it comes to getting the job done right. Think about it. If you have a dull blade and are trying to cut through something soft, like grass or weeds, it won’t work. Dull blades will just make indentations in whatever they come into contact with. This will leave your grass blades ripped and pulled with ragged tears, which can weaken the plant.
If your grass blades are frayed or ripped in any way, you may be risking the condition of your landscape. Fraying and ripping blades can make a lawn look unkempt, which will cause weeds to grow more quickly than on healthy turfgrass. These broken edges can also lead to more insects in your garden, where they will wreak havoc on your plants by eating them below ground level and up because there is no barrier protecting your plants’ roots.
On the other hand, sharp mower blades cut neatly and allow your plant to recover quickly. This will help eliminate the chances of plant diseases, and also reduces the amount of time needed to mow your lawn.
How often should you sharpen your lawnmower blades?
A healthy and visually appealing lawn is not something you can grow overnight. It takes time to cultivate a great-looking lawn and maintain its health. A good rule of thumb is to use your mower on a regular basis, even more often than required, which means keeping up with sharpening blades regularly too.
If you’re the type of homeowner or landscaper who wants to improve and maintain the health of your lawn, experts recommend sharpening your mower blades at least once a week (or after approximately every 25 hours of mowing.) Another indication that your blades may need sharpening is when you notice a reduction in its performance.
How sharp should your lawnmower blades be?
In addition to paying close attention to the sharpening process and frequency of blade sharpening, you also need to be aware of how sharp your blades should be.
While your blades need to be sharp enough in order to make clean cuts, they shouldn’t be as sharp as a razor’s edge. Otherwise, this can negatively affect the performance of your lawnmower, and it will become dull quickly. When it comes to sharpness, be sure your blades aren’t so sharp that they will cut your finger when you touch them, but they shouldn’t be too dull either, so that they can withstand the demands of the mowing job.
What items do you need in order to sharpen your lawnmower blades?
- Lawnmower blade grinder In order to sharpen your blades properly, you need to use a quality lawnmower blade grinder. This device can help you achieve the right sharpness and restore your blade to a factory-grade sharp edge.
- Protective eyewear Protective eyewear or safety glasses are another essential must-have when sharpening lawn mower blades. These will help ensure that tiny bits of debris don’t get into your eyes or cause injury.
- Ear protection It’s equally important to protect your ears and your hearing when sharpening lawn mower blades. Be sure to use hearing protectors whenever you sharpen your mower blades on your own.
- Gloves Your hands also need protection from cuts and other potential injuries when you sharpen blades. Make it a habit to wear gloves whenever you sharpen your blades.
The condition of your lawnmower blades can make all the difference between achieving your desired result and an ugly mess. Ensuring that you keep your blades in good condition will allow you to get the job done right each time you mow your lawn. If you need professional help with sharpening your lawnmower blades, feel free to reach out to Greg’s Small Engine.
