Gone are the days of pushing around a blunt bladed lawn mower manually powered by you or your son (if you were lucky and willing to fork out a fiver).
Today’s mowers are sleek, high powered and move effortlessly around your garden.
Whether you are considering a hover mower, petrol rotary mover, electric rotary motor, cylinder mower, robotic or ride on mower it will pay to research which type is suited to your grass maintenance requirements. The level of physical effort you will have to put in will also vary massively depending on the type you purchase.
Lets start by looking at the more manual types ..
Petrol Rotary Mowers
The greatest advantage of this type of mower is that it has no cable. This is especially important if you have a large garden. Petrol Rotary mowers are renowned for being powerful – any lawn should be a breeze behind this machine!
One major drawback with petrol mowers is the price, they are not the cheapest option. Another factor to bear in mind, especially if the wife likes to relax on a summer’s afternoon in the garden whilst you are mowing the lawn .. is the shear noise of these beasts!!
Electric Mowers
These are far cheaper than petrol rotary mowers and in some cases by more than 50 per cent! Electric mowers are also quieter and lighter than their noisy petrol counterparts.
Does the reduction in noise, weight and price also mean a reduction in mowing quality? The answer to this would be no. In a small to medium sized garden as long as your mower suits your grass type an electrical mower will perfectly suffice.
The major downfall of this product is the electric cable which makes this mower awkward to use if you have a large garden.
Cylinder Mowers
Many lawn experts believe this to be the best type of lawn mower. Cylinder mowers have been used for generations and were used before the invention of electricity or petrol mowers. As the lawn mower is pushed forwards, a horizontally mounted cylinder rotates with a number of blades on its surface. These blades trim the grass to your desired height. These mowers are ideal for getting those perfect stripes into your lawn. Today there are many petrol cylinder mowers on the market.
Robotic Mowers
For those techno geeks out there this product is a must. Robotic mowers simply require one initial set up and then they are ready to mow your lawn with absolutely no man-power required.
You lay a wire around the edges of your lawn which is pegged in and connect this to a base unit. The robotic mower has sensors to recognise the wire and will stay within this area. Fear not about this looking ugly. After 2-3 weeks the wire will become unnoticeable within your grass. The robotic mower can be set to automatically mow your lawn and return to base on scheduled days.
More interestingly the mower is a mulcher! The grass cuttings are cut extremely small and buried into the roots of the lawn where it can decompose and act as a natural fertilizer. This again removes any effort on your behalf of having to empty its contents.
The disadvantage of this product is the price, this is not a cheap option. Also carefully read up on each model as some struggle to cope with large areas.
Ride on mower
This is the ultimate boy’s toy. If you want power, ease, engines, drinks holder and a superbly cut lawn this is for you. However do bear in mind you will require a sizeable garden and budget in order to reap the full benefits of one of these mowers. For older gardeners, the sit on is a fantastic aid in ensuring you can maintain the upkeep of your garden.
As you can see there are mowers out there for all gardens, budgets and personal preferences. Each have their benefits and drawbacks. Make sure you research well as a well thought out purchase will last you a long time!
Happy gardening!!
Gardener Jack
