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TIPS & ADVICE FOR USING GARDEN LAWN ROLLERS, LAWN EDGERS AND LAWN SPREADERS

USING A GARDEN LAWN ROLLER

A garden lawn roller is the ideal tool for the job if you want to keep your lawn healthy, smooth, flat and level.

Rolling also helps to establish good drainage patterns and improves the overall appearance of your lawn.

A lawn roller great for levelling your lawn and is perfect for pressing down new seeds and turf. It also helps to remove air pockets and enables easier mowing.

A garden roller will normally be made from rust-free steel or extra-tough plastic and can be filled with sand or water. They often have a blade along the top of the roller to catch loose material which has been gathered in the rolling process and some have round edges on the roller to prevent gouging when the device is being turned around on the lawn.

If you’re using your garden roller to get rid of bumps in the lawn you should dig three inches around each hump at roll back the turf. Then you should remove any excess soil and replace the turf before using the roller. The area should then be watered thoroughly and you may need to use a roller several times again on your lawn after watering to ensure the surface is completely flat.

If you have a problem with depressions in your lawn you will need to place additional soil under the turf instead of removing it. Again, a thorough watering is required before using the roller to get your lawn flat and level again.

A garden roller comes into its own when you need to sow new grass seeds. First you should roll the lawn and get rid of any dead grass before spreading the new seeds.

New grass seeds should be distributed evenly with a lawn spreader and then watered thoroughly. And then it’s time for your garden roller to go to work, embedding the new seeds into the ground and helping them to germinate. If new seed isn’t rolled, there is a risk of it blowing away in the wind or being eaten by birds.

A garden roller is also the right tool for the job when you wish to replace an area of turf - the roller helps the newly-laid turf bed into the soil, thereby encouraging it to take root.

When you have used the garden roller on the new turf it should be watered thoroughly. You should consider rolling the new turf again after about a fortnight.

It’s also a good idea to use your lawn roller after the winter thaw to get your grassed area flat and smooth again - this is normally around February to March in the UK.

SEEDING A NEW LAWN

The best time to create a new lawn from seed is in early autumn when the conditions are warm and moist thereby enabling the new seats to germinate and bed in quickly.

It’s much cheaper to create a new lawn from seed rather than laying expensive turf, and it really doesn’t have to be too demanding a task.

Spring is not really the best time to sow new seeds because of the competition from weeds and summer is not an option as new seedlings will struggle to survive in hot conditions and will probably wilt or die.

Here is a list of the items you will need to create a new lawn from seed: Lawn seed mixture, pegs, canes and string, scales for weighing seats, a seed spreader for larger lawns, lawn roller, watering can with rose, rake, hose with light sprinkler, plank of timber for obtaining a good straight edge and some plastic to protect surrounding areas.

Step 1: Dig over and remove stones and chunks of earth from the area to be seeded. Then rake over the soil and compact it with your feet or ideally a water-filled lawn roller, before lightly scratching the surface ready to receive the new seeds.

Step 2: If using a seed spreader measure out the right amount of seed for the area of new lawn. Then put half of the seed in the spreader and apply, moving up and down in strips as you would when mowing. You should turn off the spreader supply hole when turning at the end of each row, or use a piece of plastic or planking to cover the ground at the turning point. A garden line or canes can be used as a guide to ensure the strips created with the spreader do not overlap. Next put the second half of the seeds into the spreader and work in the opposite direction, at right angles to your first rows.

If you are sowing seeds by hand you should divide the area into square metres using string and canes. Work out the seed ratio for one square metre and measure into a cup, marking the level. Then measure the full amount needed for the area of new lawn into a bucket. The cup should then be used to scatter the seed evenly over each square metre. You should work in two directions to ensure that seed is spread evenly and you should only undertake one square metre at a time.

Step 3: Lightly rake over the newly seeded area and if no rain is forecast you should water the whole area on a sprinkler setting. Then you should use your lawn roller again, although this time it should not contain water.

Step 4: After 7-14 days your new seedlings should appear and the area should be watered regularly during this period if weather conditions are dry.

Step 5: When the new lawn is approximately five centimetres high a rotary mower should be used to cut it to half this height. The cut grass should be raked up carefully. This process should be repeated three or four more times as the new grass continues to grow.

LAWN EDGERS

A lawn edger is one of the most important tools available to gardeners for putting the finishing touches to their lawn by giving it a pristine and tidy appearance.

They are the perfect way to provide distinct separation lines between different areas of the garden, such as on lawn borders and specific garden segments.

There are several types of edgers available for gardens and lawns including the traditional manual edger and powered models with blades or trimming wires. But they have all been designed with the same objective in mind - to create crisp edge lines in your garden.

Many gardening enthusiasts like to use a trimmer-style edger for cutting down grass at the base of fencing so is the level with the height of the lawn.

In fact a lawn edger can be used anywhere where a clean and tidy appearance is required - it may be a walkway, flower garden, flower garden or driveway.

HOW TO USE A LAWN EDGER

After working out the exact areas which need to be edged, it’s time to prepare your edger for the task in hand.

If a manual edger is your tool of choice you should ensure the blade is suitably sharp so it can move easily in and out of the ground. It’s best if the edger’s blade is made of stainless steel and is weather and rust resistant.

If you need to edge a large area it may be wise to consider investing in a petrol or electric-powered edger to cut down on the strenuous work that would be involved if using a manual edger.

If using a petrol or electric edger, you should begin by positioning the rotating blade end between the area of lawn turf in the area that needs to be edged. Some people like to walk forward when edging and others like to move backwards - it’s all a matter of personal preference.

You should begin walking slowly and carefully and, if using a manual edge which is fitted with a footpad, you should place your foot on the pad while holding the handle in the upright position. Then, with your heel leaning slightly back, you should step forward while moving the handle to follow this motion. This will result in a clean cut of turf and will slice off any long grass that has been extending over the border of the lawn.

To ensure a really sharp finish you should tilt the blade of your edger slightly as you move along. This has the effect of cutting the grass slightly shorter and making the edges appear more distinct.

Then it’s simply a case of removing the edger while keeping your foot on the footpad, and replacing the edger one blade length further along the lawn. You should continue with this procedure until you have completed the area which requires edging.

Rotary edgers are very popular these days and comprise a star shaped fitting which is rolled along the edge of the lawn to create a distinct edge. The edger is rolled back and forwards along the line of division between the lawn and adjoining area.

If using a powered edger you should always wear safety goggles to avoid the risk of injury from debris which could be flicked up into your eyes by the edger.

Always clean your edger thoroughly after use and remove any loose grass or broken up turf with a broom or leaf blower.

A useful tip to slow down the rate at which you lawn will overgrow the newly edged area is to place an inch of sand between the two cut lines.

THE TWO TYPES OF LAWN SPREADER

To maintain a healthy lawn it’s important to use a spreader which delivers a proper amount of grass seed, fertiliser or lawn feed at just the right spread rate.

If the rate is too little the job won’t get done correctly, and if too great it will prove wasteful and could even kill your lawn.

The secret is to choose a model with an adjustable spread rate setting which will enable the seed or fertiliser to be delivered accurately and uniformly.

There are two main types of lawn spreaders - broadcast lawn spreaders, which are also referred to a centrifugal spreaders, and drop lawn spreaders. A common element between both types is a hopper with adjustable holes in the base. A gauge on the spreaders handlebar enables the user to set the size of the holes accurately in line with the settings suggested on many lawn products. This ensures the correct amount of seed or fertiliser is distributed from the hopper.

A drop spreader distributes a trail of material the width of its hopper and is ideal for small lawns or gardens with flowerbeds, pathways, rocks or ponds where the spread of seed needs to be controlled precisely.

The down side of drop spreaders is that it’s all too easy to miss portions of the area being worked or to lay the seed too thicky, which can result in striping.

Broadcast spreaders are best for large areas and deliver the seed or fertiliser much more quickly than a drop spreader, but it can sometimes prove difficult to ensure even distribution. This type of spreader is the choice of the professional. One of the wheels on a broadcast spread is geared so when it is pushed the drive wheel spins an impeller plate under the hopper which throws out the seed or fertiliser.

It can be difficult to use a broadcast spreader without scattering seed unnecessarily beyond the lawn and onto pathways and borders although some come with side deflectors which can prevent the problem.

An alternative to a drop spreader or broadcast spreader is the handheld version. This type is perfect for the gardener who has a small area of lawn to maintain. The seed or fertiliser is normally released by a handle and many people get very satisfactory results using handheld spreaders, plus they are much cheaper and don’t take up storage space.