Line-trimming is an important part of lawn care and it takes practice-sometimes several seasons- to get it right. This blog post shares three important tips that will make you a better line-trimmer. And better line-trimming means good days for you and happy clients and bosses.
Way too tight
Scalping with your mower is the ultimate sin in lawn care. So, we can’t scalp with a lime-trimmer either. The hard rule is to line-trim at the level of your mower; not higher and definitely not lower.
Why is scalping bad? You will understand this after you consider how grass grows. Grass plants grow from meristems-growth points-located in the lowest third of every grass plant. If cut below the meristem there won’t be any new growth happening. You’ve just committed the ultimate lawn care sin.
There are other problems with scalped grass patches: they look ugly, they slow down photosynthesis and expose weed seeds to sunlight.
So, here’s my suggestion: ease up when you line-trim and always consider the height of your mowers. And, if you’re just starting out, line-trim after mowing so the appropriate line-trimming height is obvious.
Practice, practice, practice!
Hazards
I see this all the time. Owners create all sorts of designs that don’t take into account lawn care maintenance. While the owners love it, the landscape professionals struggle to complete their maintenance work safely. And safety is no joke. All work must be completed safely.
Consider my problems in the picture below. There is no clear separation between the lawn and the rocks. Therefore, if you line-trim carefully the way I did-of course!-the grass will still be a bit high. If you line-trim lower you risk blowing out windows.
If you run into this problem in the landscape, line-trim higher and move on. Poor landscape design is no excuse for blowing out windows.
Above and beyond
This is the after picture. Initially, when I got to this corner I almost couldn’t see the hose because it was covered in tall grass; grass tall enough to start reproducing sexually.
While there is pressure to complete maintenance work quickly and efficiently we must, once in a while, slow down and take care of these dirty corners before they start to drag down the look of our landscape.
It wasn’t that bad. I quickly moved the hose, line trimmed the wilderness and returned the hose to its original spot. Once you start getting phone calls about this, it becomes a problem. So, take your service above and beyond for a great looking site and happy clients.
Line trimming is like any other landscape maintenance skill; it requires training and tons of practice. Use the three tips above and be great.
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