Basic training
Step one with new lawn care workers involves mowing grass safely. They’re introduced to the machine and taught how to operate it safely. They’re shown how to put straight gas in without causing ugly spills; and they’re given tarps for clipping collection.
Then, if you do it right, you take them for a walk to introduce them to their mow section and, hopefully, point out any hazards. I’m talking about landscape lights, metal drains, metal covers, tree stumps, wires, etc. Anything that could be hit and potentially damage the mower blade. Or worse, bend the shaft that holds the mower blade. That ruins your mower and requires costly repairs.
I always advise new lawn care dudes to only cut green grass and think as they do it. If there is a tight spot and they start stressing, something is off.
Go go go!
There is pressure to get lawns cut quickly so you can move on to other tasks. Which is why landscape foremen don’t always take the time to watch their new workers mow. There’s work to be done. But it’s a mistake: you should invest some time into training your new lawn care workers. I know it blows up your day plan a little bit but catching mistakes in real time and giving feedback can save you from headaches.
Riot from last week
I knew this would inspire several blog posts: a new guy came to work for two weeks! So the expectation was for him to do some mowing because that’s usually the first landscape skill people acquire.
Except nobody really watched this guy mow and it was a riot. Here’s why.
Normally when you mow, you cut along the perimeter and then fill the lawn in. This poor guy just mowed anywhere but at least his lines were ok.
He also mowed way too close to the edges which risks slipping off the edge and scalping the lawn down to dirt. That’s a big no no. I had to remind him to leave some work for the line trimmer coming behind him.
Running your mower through tree wells is also bad. It risks scalping the edge and the wheels compact the soil in the tree well; it also looks awful. I don’t like seeing wheel marks in fluffy, weed-free tree wells.
Then when the dude exited his mow area he kept his blade engaged too long and ran it over a tarp!? The tarp is now in heaven and must be replaced.
One final mistake was running the mower deck over a cement cover. Luckily, the deck cleared it but it was close. Metal mower blades shouldn’t be run over fixed objects. You have to mow around them, not over them! If you jam the blade into a fixed metal or cement object you bend it and also most likely the shaft which holds the blade.
So now, instead of a temporary worker making you money, you’re shelling out dollars for repairs.
Conclusion
When new lawn care workers arrive, spend some time with them in the field; watch them and give feedback when mistakes happen. It could save you headaches and money.
Need help with your garden? Call!
