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Smart lawn care means including safety checks in you lawn care and maintenance routines. Safety checks are especially done when in the mowing process. But what every homeowner should consider is the safety checks done before mowing the lawn. Pre-mowing routines are just as important as any other lawn care and maintenance procedure. In fact, safety checks before lawn mowing are recommended to avoid any future lawn problems.
The first and foremost pre-mowing check you have to do is to go over your lawn and remove any objects on the lawn surface. This includes twigs, stones, toys, and even pet droppings. One reason for this is to ensure safety for the people around when the lawn is being mowed. Lawn mowers can throw stones and other objects in various directions and can cause cuts, injuries, and maybe even broken bones.
Another reason to clear up the lawn is to avoid damage to the lawn mower. The lawn mower blades and other parts might get damaged because of stuck stones or other hard objects.
Clearing up the leaves or pet droppings from your lawn may not seem all that important because they are not hard objects and will not cause considerable damage to either you or the lawn mower. However, they will be scattered on your lawn by the lawn mower weight. It could then cause lumps or bumps on the lawn surface, which will block the penetration of sunlight. It could be the reason for the grass underneath to die or wither.
You should also check for waterlogged turfs or parts on the lawn surfaces. They will be compacted by the weight of the lawn mower and will be further pressed down. The outcome of this will be ugly depressions, markings, and tracks on your lawn.
Brushing your lawn with a besom broom is also a good idea. The broom will prevent the grass from lying flat and help you cut them thoroughly as you mow them. Brushing the lawn will also disperse any worm casts that may be there on the lawn surface. It can also remove and remaining dew from the grass, which is important because mowing the grass when wet is not good for your lawn.
Before mowing your lawn, you also have to plan on which direction you want your stripes to go. It is recommended that you aim to make the stripes at right angles to the stripes you created on your previous mowing. This change in the stripe directions helps avoid washboarding.
The last task for a homeowner to do before mowing the lawn is to check the lawn mower itself. This is to ensure that the lawn mower is up for the job ahead of it. For those using a petrol mower, check to see if there is enough petrol in the tank. Check other parts of the lawn mower and see that all parts are not broken or in danger of being broken when used. The lawn mower blades, which are practically the most important part of the lawn mower, should also be checked. Don't forget to set them to the correct height, as the length of the grass cut is a factor in the growth and health of the lawn.
These safety checks should be a normal routine for every homeowner who mows their lawn. Aside from preventing any accidents, these checks before lawn mowing also helps to provide your home a healthy and green lawn.