No matter how long you spend mowing and cutting your yard, messy edges along paths and garden beds will create an otherwise well-manicured lawn look less than perfect. Edging tools, either the manual or powered number, are simple to use, plus they supply a large aesthetic return on the expense of labor they need.
Preparation
Power edgers have the potential to kick up debris if they are operating, so check the region to be edged for stone, sticks and other objects that might lead to injury or harm if the edger were to throw them up. Even after possible hazards are removed, wear eye protection, gloves, long pants and pants while using the edger. To define new edges in the yard, lay down a guideline for reference; a chain stretched between stakes makes a good guideline for straight edges, even though a garden hose works well for laying out curved edges. Guidelines like these are far better suited to manual edging because power edgers could hurt the hose or string.
Manual Edgers
A manual edging tool is basically a small spade with a short, flat blade that is either direct or semicircular in its border. You plunge the edger into the turf along the guideline at a steep angle then stone it up to dig out a narrow trench along the border. The cut needs to be a minimum of 5 inches deep to make sure that the root systems of the grass have been entirely severed so the bud won’t quickly grow back across the border.
Power Edgers
Power edgers are powered by electricity, rechargeable batteries or petrol, and they are equipped with either a spinning nylon line, a toothed circular blade or a circular cutting wheel, all which are designed to cut a vertical trench which will define the yard edge. If the edger has wheels, roll them on a sidewalk or other hard surface and the border to the best outcomes. Move the edger slowly along the border and make the first pass using the edger on a shallow setting. Make several passes, each one deeper than the last, until the border is strong enough.
Edger Maintenance
Manual edgers need minimal maintenance; cleaning and oiling the sword after each use will help to protect it from corrosion. Power edgers require maintenance very similar to other power tools. Blades and cutting lines must be checked for wear following each use. A gas-powered edger’s oil ought to be checked before each use, and change the oil according to the manufacturer’s recommendations; the exact same is true of the air filter and spark plug.