Gardena 330 Classic Hand Mower
Manual mowers are free to use, quiet and non-polluting and very effective, as they slice grass (like a pair of scissors) rather than tear the grass ‘helicopter-style’ like rotary mowers. If you are fit and only have a smallish lawn, good manual mowers can even give beautiful stripes, good enough for bowling greens.
Avoid artificial lawns with pets (these cool slower, could cause heatstroke). Flush dog pee immediately with water, to avoid brown spots. Keep pets away from freshly-seeded lawns and pine needles. Check ears, ears, paws and inside mouth after walking through long grass and take care in long grass to avoid adders.
mowing to help wildlife
Manual mowers are good for wildlife, because you have less risk of accidentally harming them as it’s easy to stop if you see a creature (never use robotic mowers as they still harm hedgehogs who will roll into a ball and young rabbits who will startle – some say declining numbers of bees and butterflies is partly due to robotic lawnmoers). Use with hedge trimmers (to avoid strimmers that also harm – at least sweep through with a broom first if you use one).
Raise blades to increase grass height to 1.5 to 2 inches and cut weekly in warm moist summer weather, but fortnightly in dry weather (stop mowing early August and start again in April). Try to keep some long grass (and anthills) over winter to give food for birds, and remove thatch by raking (leave bramble as shelter and food, you can cut it every few years, to encourage new stems).
Garden moles are a sign of a healthy lawn, their hills make excellent potting soil. Sonic devices rarely work. Lawns that ‘go a little wild’ are less likely visited by moles, who love manicured lawns (they do a kind of ‘breast-stroke’ through softer earth to find worms). Messy gardens, means fewer moles!
how do reel mowers work?
Manual mowers were used by everyone before we discovered oil and electricity. You likely have a photo of your grandpa with a manual mower back in the day! They are safer than electric mowers (which must be used with a safety plug to avoid getting electrocuted from a cut cable) and less cumbersome than petrol mowers, which cost around £1 an hour to run (the ‘tearing motion’ also turns grass brown, whereas reel mowers naturally produce thick green grass).
Gardena 330 Classic Hand Mower is a quiet and economical mower that is easy to use. The large wheels mean it’s easy to use and the handle folds down to easily fold away in safe spaces, when not in use. Sold with an optional grass collector. Includes nice give in the handles, when you go around corners. Also sold as the larger Gardena 400 Mower.
Webb Push Hand Mower has a precise cylinder cutting mechanism to slice through grass at a consistent height. Has hardened steel blades and larger rubber wheels to easily roll over long grass, and the large handle keeps you comfy while you mow. Comes with a 22 litre grass collector (or just leave cuttings) and 2-piece rear roller for striped lawns. One review says this ‘cuts like a knife through butter’.
Handy Push Mower is a good basic cheap version, the design has changed little since its design in 1830. It has side wheels so is ideal for a small lawn, and needs little maintenance bar cleaning and adjusting the blades. Very simple to put together, easy to use and works!
tips for a lush green lawn
- Choose a drought-resistant organic grass like rye or red rescue. Although it’s toxic to pets, clover is good for pet-free gardens as it’s loved by bees. Know toxic wildflowers (often used for lawns) to avoid near pets.
- Aerating lawns (and raising mower blades) should prevent moss. Remove weeds naturally (with your hands!)
- You can usually leave grass clippings on the lawn. Or put them in tumbling compost bins (to avoid making compost bins too slimy, with too many ‘greens).
- Most lawns can survive for days without water, and quickly recover with rainfall. Or use a watering can (this one collects rain and includes a ‘frog ladder’ to allow small creatures to escape!) over a hose. Use water butts with safety locks to avoid open barrels (stagnant water is harmful to pets and attracts mosquitoes).
- Grazers makes non-toxic calcium-based to humanely deter wildlife from eating grass by making it unpalatable (don’t use for pet rabbits etc). It can also be used for golf courses and bowling greens. Apply just before mowing, then leave 5 to 7 days, before you mow again.
- Natural Grower makes eco-vegan lawn fertilizers (keep pets and children away for 24 hours, to allow liquid to soak into roots). To avoid small particles of organic matter blocking sprayers, they recommend not using a fine filter, or use a watering can with a coarse rose. Feed monthly from March to November.
- Ants usually disappear in cooler weather, and also aerate soil and provide food for birds (by protecting caterpillars due to sticky honeydew they create). They like anything sweet or with protein (coke, crumbs, sandwiches) so don’t leave these foods out. Although they don’t like mint, don’t grow mint near pets.
