Essential Equipment & Machinery for Lawn Maintenance

The characteristic, closely cut English lawn was born in the 17^th century. Having a lawn demonstrated your wealth, because you could afford to keep land without using it for food production. These days, lawns remain popular because they make an attractive contrast to borders and other planted areas, and provide space for recreational activities. Though they take a little upkeep to stay looking verdant and healthy, it’s worth it in the end!

Managing your lawn in the right way ensures your garden works for wildlife and for you. This might include leaving some areas unmown and never using harmful chemicals. Instead, roll up your sleeves and invest in some proper equipment and machinery – you’ll get the results you want, without damage to the local ecosystem.

Proper lawn care equipment will need some proper maintenance. Venhill manufacture high-quality cables for a variety of applications, including lawn mowers! We started with motocross bikes in 1970, but have expanded to produce cables for cars, mobility equipment, gym equipment and more!

Whether you’re starting a gardening business or just want to keep your own lawn looking its best, this article will outline what equipment and methods to use.

Essential Equipment for Lawn Care

To maintain your lawn, you’ll need to invest in some tools and machinery. Though it might seem a big outlay, high-quality tools can last for years with proper care, and will reward you with the luscious green lawn of your dreams.

We begin, of course, with the king of them all, the mower:

Lawn Mower

A good mower will make lawn care a breeze. For larger spaces, a petrol lawn mower is best, but for small medium sized lawns, electric options can work well. If your garden is very small and you want to get your steps in and reduce fuel consumption, a push along could be a great option! Otherwise, ride along mowers tend to be more efficient.

Another thing to consider when choosing your lawn mower is the extra features you might want. Some lawn mowers collect cut grass, whereas others will chop it into tiny pieces to be returned to the lawn as mulch.

Of course, once you choose a machine to invest in, you’ll want to keep it in good nick. Part of that will include checking up on your cabling. At Venhill, we make throttle and control cables for major lawn mower brands. Even if you’ve got an older model, we can create a brand new cable based on the old one – just send it in!

Other Top Lawn Care Equipment

Depending on your requirements, the tools you need might vary a little. For example, if you’re thinking of starting a landscaping business and want to offer lawn mowing as part of that, you might need more heavy duty options.

You also might want to invest in a branded vehicle to transport your machinery from location to location. Luckily, Venhill also manufacture a range of car throttle cable kits and gear change cables, so you can keep on top of all your maintenance in one place!

Here are some other lawn essentials:

Blower
Spreader
Lawn Rake
Edging Shears
String Trimmer
Scarifier
Garden Fork
Weeding Tools

How To Care for Your Lawn

Mow the Right Way

During the summer months, regular mowing will help promote lush, green growth. Despite this, it’s better for pollinators and other wildlife to incorporate some areas of longer, wildflower rich grass into your garden.

Wild Plant Conservation charity Plantlife recommend cutting your lawn into a ‘Mohican’ style, with some areas cut regularly and others left to grow longer because different pollinators favour different lengths of grass. This method of mowing will create a variety of habitats, increasing the biodiversity of your garden – and it looks great too!

Uproot Weeds

If your aim is a neat, uniform lawn, other plants growing alongside the grass may offer competition. To avoid this, you can uproot things like dandelions with a weeding fork, hoe or knife. Don’t be tempted to use weedkiller or herbicide. Not only will this severely impact all wildlife and leach into the water table, but it can also have a detrimental impact on the grass itself.

Spread Grass Seed

Any bare patches can be thickened up by spreading fresh seed using your spreader. Properly cared for, these sparser areas will fill out in no time at all.

Water Effectively

It’s important not to overwater grass as this can promote a shallow root system. During the hot summer months though, a lack of rain may mean watering is necessary to keep it looking fresh, springy and green. Some people use a hose for this, but a cost-effective, environmentally friendly option is to install water butts at your property to collect rain or even recycle grey water from your household.

Fertilise Naturally

Most people recommend feeding grass in the spring and summer to promote healthy growth. Sowing leguminous plants like microclover is a natural way to do this, fixing nitrogen to make it available for the grass. This is much better than using nitrogen fertilisers as they are highly polluting to make and can cause eutrophication. You could also make your own DIY fertiliser using green waste soaked in water.

Spike and Rake

Using a garden fork to spike turf can be a great way to aerate areas of grass that have become compacted over time. As well as this, use a rake or scarifier to scrape away fallen leaves, dead growth and longer cut grass to ensure the grass will receive maximum oxygen and sunlight.

Tips for Maintaining Your Lawn Mower

As good lawn care requires a good mower, keeping your machine in working order is essential. You should give your mower an in-depth once over before it goes into storage for the winter, at the start of the growing season, and every month or so during the summer. Below, we list some checks and upkeep jobs that will keep it running at its best.

Check Spark Plug – if this is dirty or damaged, replace it.
Check Oil Levels – top up if necessary.
Inspect Air Filter – if this is grimy, it’s a good idea to get a new one.
Clean and Oil – we all need a bit of TLC and mowers are no different! A light oil will reduce the risk of rust and keep your machine in top condition.
Check Underside – lift your mower and give the underside a wipe. While you’re here, check the wheels turn freely and tighten any bolts that seem loose.
Sharpen Blades – torn grass equals brown edges, so keep your cutting blades sharp.
Check Cables – last but definitely not least, check and replace broken cabling with brand new, super smooth throttle cables and controls.

Maintain Your Lawn Care Equipment with Venhill

We have over 50 years’ experience manufacturing top-quality control cables for motorcycles, cars, lawn mowers and more, as well as other motorcycle equipment.

Our super smooth cables are available in high volumes or as a one-off replacement. We can even create custom cables or product prototypes. Whatever you need a cable for, we can supply an industry leading solution that works for you.

Still have some questions? Get in touch with our friendly team and we’ll find the right part for your machine.