A Reel Green Lawn

Time to get in shape for summer! Join a gym? Install a pool? Forget it, just cut the grass! Go green and get exercise at the same time using a manual reel mower this summer.

Actually, new manual reel mowers are not as strenuous to use as they were in the past, so you may want to keep that gym membership. Whatever suits you. What should suit us all, though, is doing the right thing, eco-friendly speaking. And there’s a lot going for manual mowers in this area.

According to Statistics Canada, gas powered lawn devices, including weed trimmers, lawn edgers and leaf blowers, release 80 000 tonnes of pollutants in Canada annually, using 151 million liters of fuel. This may be surprising information to some who wonder what harm could be done with such a little engine. The problem is, standard power mowers burn gasoline and oil, and in a very inefficient manner. Add to this the small amounts of gas and oil spilled during refueling and we’ve got another ecological hazard: ground and surface water contamination.

Many people may chose power mowers out of habit or ignorance, but the manual reel mower is an old-fashioned machine that could become the way of the future. As mentioned, they are now engineered to be lighter and easier to push than most power operated ones. To make it an even easier job, cut the grass once every week or two, depending on growth, as push mowers work better on shorter grass. And there are no repairs to worry about. Just keep the blade sharp, which will also make for easier cutting.

Another real draw factor is the quiet operation of push mowers. Enjoy a much more relaxing experience cutting the lawn listening to nature’s own sounds instead of having an engine roaring in your ears.

What about the aesthetics of your lawn? There again, manual mowers win. Because they cut like scissors and don’t tear the grass at the roots, they do a better job. In addition, the smaller pieces of cut grass can simply be left on the lawn to breakdown and put nutrients back into the soil, eliminating the need for fertilizers. Overall, manual mowers promote lush, healthy grass and are perfect for lawns less than a half acre in size. If it’s absolutely necessary that you use an alternative, look into rechargeable electric mowers which are more efficient than gas powered, or look for one with low emissions.

In short, reel mowers are pushing their way back into mainstream landscaping for good reason: get the looks you want, the exercise you need, minus the emissions and noise pollution you can do without.

Tagged as: Backyard, Cutting Grass, Health, Lawnmower, Push Mowers, Reel Mowers