Mowing Tips: How To Sharpen Your Mower Blade
Hey guys! Let’s get started with some of the most important lawn care tips I can think of: lawn mowing. And to start off the 2010 lawn season, we need to look at some of the basic maintenance you should be doing, namely mower blade sharpening.
Why A Sharp Mower Blade Is Important
When you mow the lawn with a dull blade, you end up ripping the grass blades instead of cutting them cleanly. Think of getting your hair cut with dull clippers… it ain’t a happy situation! Ripping the grass blades shreds them and rips them (see the picture here), causing all kinds of issues. Ripped and shredded grass blades turn brown and millions of brown tips viewed from far away make the lawn look brown and not green and that just ain’t cool. You can fertilize the heck out of it, and it will still look brown from the rips on the tips.
In addition, ripped turf blades allow the grass leaf to dry out faster in the sun, and even worse, those injured areas allow an entry for disease pathogens! If you keep your blade sharp, you will get clean cuts, flat and straight and those heal over very quickly and don’t turn the lawn brown.
How Often Should I Sharpen My Mower Blade?
It depends on how big your lawn is and how often you mow, but as a rule, I recommend a good sharpening here in the spring before the first cut, and again in July to help you finish out the season. Of course, you should always keep an eye on things and if you notice the grass blades ripping, go ahead and sharpen up the blade.
I actually keep two lawn mower blades on hand (I use a Lawn Boy mulching mower) so that I can make quick changes when I notice the grass ripping. I also tend to sharpen the lawn mower blades myself to save money and time. There are a couple options you have all the way from a full bench mounted grinder, to Dremel tool attachments, drill attachments, to some cheap but effective sharpening tools that work well on the fly. Check out the boxes I have included here and see which works best for you. Remember, guys, a sharp mower blade is one of the most important mowing tips of the season!