Lawns Hub

A lawn mower starter can be man’s worst enemy. There, I said it. These infernal little necessities rank somewhere around computers for sheer irritation value. The worst case scenario has it thusly: You wheel your mower out to commence a mid Summer mowing before the heat comes up. Bending down, you give your starter a crank with a mighty pull, yet it won’t catch. Pulling again, you feel a twinge in your lower back, ripping that sucker out this time with a bit more force. Still no luck. Finally, you give a mighty heave, feeling a certainty that your effort plus luck itself will get her going and you hear a “snap!”……….whoa, the cord is broken! Your day now consists of trying to rewind the cord (perhaps driving down and getting a new one) and challenging you already limited Mr. Fixit abilities. What a nasty start to a fine day.

Well, I can only help a little. One secret now possessed by people who use motors daily, starting and stopping many times, is to make certain of a few needful items before commencing. One, the spark plug is something of a Holy Grail for starter cords. These get fouled in may ways, sometimes by age and sometimes by the contaminates in those gas tanks we store for weeks at a time. Insuring a good spark plug is a necessary factor in success against the whims of machinery. Be sure you know how to replace them, when necessary and have an extra one around. Making sure you have clean, uncontaminated gas is next. Water in gas can kill a spark plug and foul a carburetor. This you want to avoid like a plague.

Both these small checkups can save a lot of grief. But what saves more is having an automatic ignition system, lol. Imagine using a pull cord to start your car! My advice here is to either get a battery powered electrical engine or an electronic ignition for true relaxation over starters. Both are available and while neither is particularly “Macho”, both are pretty daggone satisfying.

The truth about cats dogs and lawn chemicals is not as unpleasant as one might fear. There had indeed been some input into the hazards of animals in the vicinity of chemical applications after some horrible events made this entire study necessary. These are unpleasant as they can be and there is undoubtedly more to come.

Having said that, there are increasing numbers of benevolent chemicals and substances that can be used for the same purposes in a much safer way. As well, when we use these chemicals, the written instructions which too many people ignore to their and their animals’ detriments should be strictly observed and adhered to. For example, many chemicals which are toxic from the bag or spout require watering into substrates of the soils they effect. Had this been done properly, rather than relying on unpredictable rainfall to supply the leaching effect, many animals would be healthier today.

More organic and animal-friendly substances are being developed to supply maintenance chores to act as pesticides and lawn illness remedies. There is constant study in these substances owing to a new concentration on “green” and more environmentally-friendly substances. Some of our very best scientists and young horticultural testers are finding solutions to agricultural and horticultural problems by their researches using natural products. The truth about cats dogs and lawn chemicals is that we need to be more circumspect ourselves and respect those products we use in the smartest possible way.

Thinking lawns is thinking green. And in that area, sharing some thoughts on my mind today.

Lawn care products pollution can be a scary look at a potential problem. The tendency to urbanize has pushed people closer together and created situations where this massing can produce any number of effects, among them, unfortunately, a tendency for lawn care products pollution. Frequent uses of machines generating gas-powered carbon monoxide emissions spew from those gas powered machines we all love to maintain our lawns and gardens with. Pesticides and fertilizers can also create a witch’s brew of poisonous run off, especially so when irrigation practices include over watering. Mowing for an hour is the pollution equivalent of driving a car 20 miles. Spreading 40 pounds of a petroleum-based fertilizer is the equivalent of pouring 2.5 gallons of gas on your lawn.

These represent some scary facts when one considers the sheer volume of thier usage. Having said all that, you often need to drive 20 miles. 2.5 gallons of gas will get a normal car about 40 miles. These are all actions within a certain reason and are only alarming when considering a vast and compressed scale of usage. Help is on the way for these things as remedies are appearing, especially considering herbicides and pesticide usage,factors which I have not yet dealt with here but which could well be far more dangerous in terms of soil and water contamination.

There are abundant examples where we can do better. And I, for one, feel we will gradually become less dependent on these inorganic methods, especially when one considers the number and quality of folks now bending their backs into the science of finding alternatives. Some of the more promising findings yet involve genetic manipulation of grasses and more drought-tolerant plants and crops. These can also be made more disease and pest-resistant.