Step 5 to sharpening a reel lawnmower.
Next, take the crank that came with the sharpening kit, and slide it over the piece of metal where the gear was attached.
This is going to allow you to turn the blades backwards, which is key to sharpening. You are sharpening it using the
"backlapping method" when you use a sharpening kit. This is much safer than grinding the blades with a grinder, because
you won't accidentally overgrind and ruin the mower.
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Sharpening a reel mower without turning the crank.
Don't feel like cranking the blades backward yourself? Here's an idea
that a reader sent in:
"Just though I’d let you that if you have an electric drill,
you can use a 16 or 17mm socket (don’t remember which, but it’s
one of those and it has to be a deep socket) to back crank the reel. It
saves a whole lot of sweat and time!"
Thanks, to Brandon B
More Information:
You can find some other
basic repair instructions for the Scotts Classic on this page.
If you'd like more details about choosing and using a manual mower, please
visit the comprehensive Reel
Mower Guide.
Tips on Maintaining Your Lawn
Regardless of the condition of your lawn, you will be better off to think
‘organic lawn.’ There has been a lot of publicity about the damage that
chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides do to the
environment. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been enough publicity about why
plants, including lawns, are healthier and more disease resistant without
man-made chemicals. If you have been brought up with a typical chemical
lawn and garden mentality, you may think this idea preposterous. It is
not. Understanding how grass actually grows may surprise you. For more
information, look at Organic
Lawn Care Tips.
Even if your lawn has been doused with chemicals for years, you can convert
it into an organic lawn. Some basic practices of organic lawns are still
good advice for improving the health of any lawn even if you also use
chemical fertilizers or pesticides.
I am a fan of organic solutions, but I also recognize that some people
prefer chemically treated lawns and gardens. If you do use a chemical
fertilizer or pesticide in your yard, please make sure to carefully follow
the directions and avoid overuse, which can do serious harm to your lawn.
Check out this terrific
organic weed and feed made from corn gluten meal.
Here are some tips that will improve any lawn.
1. Water less frequently, but deeply. Most experts agree that an
inch of water once a week is about right for most lawns. This will vary
with climate, soil composition, and time of year. To find the best watering
cycle for your lawn, distribute several cans or other containers around
your lawn and water the lawn. When the containers have one inch of water,
turn off the water. Note how long it took to fill the containers to the
one-inch mark. Now you know how long to water. You also know which areas
don’t get as much water and may need a sprinkler adjustment or change.
It is time to water again when the lawn soil surface is dry to the touch.
This insures that roots will grow deep. Exactly how deep the roots grow
depends on the soil and type of grass. Here is more information on how
much to water your grass.
2. Cut your grass to its recommended cutting height. Some people
recommend setting your lawnmower to the highest setting, but I do not
agree with this method. Different types of grasses have different cutting
height requirements, so it is best to stay within the cutting range recommended
for your type of grass. You can look
up recommended cutting heights here.
3. Aerate your lawn. If you aren’t familiar with lawn aeration,
it is simply poking holes in the lawn. This is done with
a machine that pulls little round pieces of soil, called plugs, out
of the lawn. These plugs are deposited on top of the lawn. Although unsightly,
they break down and disappear in a couple of weeks. Aeration allows water,
air, and nutrients into the soil and prevents soil compaction. Your lawn
should be aerated about once a year.
Aerating tool from
Clean Air Gardening.
4. Leave lawn clippings on the lawn. Your lawn needs the organic
material they supply. Because the grass clippings will be pulled into
the soil and decomposed by soil organisms, you will need much less fertilizer.
The best kind of mower for this job is a mulching or reel lawn mower because
they both leave finer clippings than regular rotary mowers. We’ll talk
more about this in the lawnmower section. It is a myth that grass clippings
cause thatch. However, if you already have thatch, you'll want to collect
your clippings until you have solved the problem because clippings can
make it worse.
5. The best fertilizer for your lawn is an organic fertilizer with
a ration of approximately N-P-K: 3-1-2 (3 % nitrogen, 1% phosphorous,
and 2% potassium). Follow directions when applying any kind of fertilizer.
As an alternative, organic fish emulsion
or compost tea will be a healthy treat for your lawn because they
both add live microforms to your soil. You can find fish emulsion at your
local gardening center, but may have to purchase compost tea on the Internet
or make your
own. Compost tea is water that has been soaked in compost. Find a
great
selection of organic lawn fertilizers at Clean Air Gardening.
For more information about
organic lawn care, check Organiclawncaretips.com. For lawnmower engine
information, try Small Engine
Advisor. Visit Weathervanes
Plus to improve your home with a high quality copper or aluminum weathervane.
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