What's the best kind of lawnmower? The best lawnmower for a manicured lawn is a push mower, but a gas powered mower with a mulching feature is the next best. When asked what's the best kind of lawnmower,...
When asked what's the best kind of lawnmower, Merrideth Jiles, who is the garden center manager at The Great Outdoors Nursery and Landscaping Center in Austin, Texas, replies, "Old fashioned push mowers are the best way to cut your grass. No doubt about it. But here is the issue with the old-fashioned push mower: you have to mow very regularly. The thing with a gas lawnmower is that it will cut tall grass, but a push mower won't. It's not good to let your grass and weeds get eight inches tall. It is very difficult on a push mower to mow tall grass, but a gas-powered lawnmower will do it. But with push mowers, the way they cut is almost like taking a pair of scissors and individually trimming each blade of grass in your lawn. The blades, the nature of the blades, they are relatively thin and the way it makes a cut is a very clean cut. But if you let your grass get too tall, then they won't cut it, they will actually just push the grass over. So they are the best kind of mower for your lawn, but they require a very high level of dedication from the homeowner. So, people that use push mowers, their lawns always look very nice and very well manicured, but it's a lot more work and it's a workout! So for most people, I think, the level of dedication that it requires is too high."
If you are not able to put in that kind of time or muscle into maintaining your lawn, Jiles says, "As far as shopping I would say that one of the features to look for in a lawnmower is a mulching blade or a mulching feature. That is definitely the number one thing I would encourage anyone to look for." If you are purchasing a gas mower to save on effort in the first place, a mulching feature will also help save time in the fertilizing of the lawn, or at least in the saving of some money by you creating some of your own natural compost. Jiles goes on to say, "Self-propelled mowers are nice, but not necessary." This is also another option available to those that are not physically able to push a mower or just want an easier, less demanding way to cut the grass.
No matter what type you decide to purchase, Jiles says, "Basically, just look for something that is made well. If you go to a store and you buy the cheapest thing they have, you are probably getting the cheapest thing that is made and it is going to be very low in quality." On one hand "you can spend a lot of money on a lawnmower that you don't need, but you get what you pay for."
A larger purchase, such as this one, needs to be mulled over before making any decisions. Research the different types of lawn mowers that are available to you in order to find the one that is best for your lawn, your lifestyle and your budget.
