Monthly Garden Maintenance Tips
Need some advice for your garden? We have a tip which you can start putting to use, right now!
How to Mow Wet or Long Grass
Over the past 25 years, Etesia ride on and pedestrian mowers have become renowned for being able to cut and collect – all ALL weathers. Below you will find some useful tips on how to mow wet or long grass.
Tip one – Mow More Often
If your typical mowing interval is every seven days, reduce that to five days or even less. This prevents the grass from getting too long. Tall grass is more difficult to cut, and tall, wet grass is even worse.
Tip two – Raise the Mower Deck
Mowing height is a compromise between getting the superb looking lawn you want and allowing the grass enough leaf to be healthy. This means you can mow your lawn close but only when optimum conditions prevail; warmth, moderate sunshine, moderate rainfall and adequate fertiliser. This is also when the grass is healthiest and able to recover easily from regular low cutting. When it is wet and you still need to mow, raise the cutting height of the mower to at least two settings above what you would normally have the mower set at.
Make sure that you take your time and reduce your cutting speed to reduce the load on the mower blade and empty the grass box mower often – wet grass weighs more than dry grass after all and you don’t want to be pushing unwanted weight!
Tip three – Sharpen Your Mower Blades
A sharp blade produces a crisp cut, and this keeps the grass healthy. It’s particularly important during damp or wet mowing conditions, when the blade will have a tendency to shred rather than cut.
Tip Four – When All Else Fails, Rear-Discharge
If weather conditions are really bad, don’t forget that the Etesia DuoCut system allows you to cut and collect, mulch and also rear-discharge instead. Set the mower to the highest setting, remove the grass box (and mulching insert if this is in place) in place, and mow. This leaves rows of clippings on the lawn, of course. You can cross-mow (mow at 90 degrees to the first mow) in mulching or collecting mode to take care of the clippings; you can rake them up, or you can let them dry for a couple of days and mow again, this time in mulching or collecting mode.
Tip five – Clean After You Mow
Damp grass clippings cling to the underside of a mower deck and form a soggy layer that quickly turns into a moldy mess. If your mower has a washout port, then by all means use it to clean the deck. But even after you’re done, scrape the deck clean with a putty knife, being particularly careful to clean the lip where the deck edge curls under. Also, clean the mower’s tires / wheels with a wire brush. Finally, wipe down the top of the mower to remove wet clippings, and if required, give a light coating of a lubricant such as WD 40 to avoid and rusting.
Getting your lawn mower ready for the winter
Your lawn mower has been a reliable throughout the cutting season, so at the end of the mowing season, ensure you give it the attention it deserves. Spend just a little time prepping your mower for storage over the winter, and you’ll enjoy a happier reunion in spring. Here are some tips on what you can do now to be sure your mower will start easily next spring. Make sure your operator’s manual is on hand for quick reference when you work on your mower.
Remove the Battery
Whether your lawn mower is battery-powered or a petrol/diesel powered ride-on mower, then it’s a good idea to remove your battery for the winter and store it in a cool, dry place. Be sure to store it away from petrol cans. If you have a fuel powered ride-on mower, disconnect the battery cable from the battery, starting with the negative cable (it will have a minus sign). Remove the battery and wipe it off with a cloth. Clean the battery terminal using a metal brush, or clean it with a battery cleaner product. For added protection, coat all terminals with a product like a spray on white grease product or Terminal Protector.
Clean your Mower
Brush or hose off leaves, grass and mud from your mower. Always remove the spark plug lead wire from the plug before doing this or any other mower maintenance, and tape or tie it out of the way. Gently tip your walk behind mower on its side to spray the underbody. If debris is caught on the blade, use a stick or tool to remove it – never use your hands.
Use Fuel Stabilizer Correctly
You shouldn’t store your lawn equipment with a partially full fuel tank. Either run the equipment out of fuel, or use fuel stabilizer in a full tank of fuel. Add the stabilizer (also called fuel preserver) according to package directions. Then – and this is important – run the mower for a few minutes so that the stabilizer circulates through the carburetor. The stabilizer keeps fuel fresh for up to 6 months. Turn off the engine and completely fill the fuel tank. A full tank will help prevent moisture from condensing in the tank which can form rust that could break away and clog the carburetor.
Store your Mower in a Dry Place
Store your mower in a dry, protected place such as your garage, workshop or a garden shed. Never store it next to a furnace, water heater or appliance with a pilot light!
Autumn Leaf Clearance Advice
For many people, Autumn is a favourite time, the changing of colours and dropping of leaves indicate a slowing down in the year and a time to enjoy the changing seasons. For others, and in particular gardeners and owners of large properties with many trees, the autumn leaf fall can be something close to a nightmare with constant drain blockages and gutters packed full of sodden mulch.
Patios and garages seem to ‘grow’ leaves and pathways become slippery and treacherous after heavy rainfall. So what is the best way to clear fallen leaves in areas where you don’t want them to pile up?
For many years the humble leaf blower has come to the rescue of gardeners and property owners, saving many hours of backbreaking work stuck behind a lawn rake and wheelbarrow. The latest range of Pellenc battery-powered tools include the Airion 2 leaf blower which makes seasonal leaf clearance and also litter clearance a breeze!
One of the quickest and easiest ways to clear leaves off the lawn is to simply run over them with a pedestrian or ride-on lawn mower. The lawn mower must have good suction power and be a collecting model (with a box or bag). Etesia pedestrian and ride-on models are ideal for the task; their impressive suction performance, ordinarily used to lift grass blades upright for a quick and clean cut, makes them efficient leaf collectors in the autumn. For maximum capacity in the grass collection box, raise the height of the lawn mower blade so that it’s not cutting grass, just collecting the leaves. Wait for a dry day when the leaves aren’t soaked, and don’t walk on the lawn if not absolutely necessary in damp, wet or frosty conditions.
Autumn leaf clearance advice:
Blow leaves into a pile before collecting them up with a leaf vacuum or by hand with a pair of rectangular wooden planks for example.
Extend the reach of your Pellenc leaf blower and clear leaves out of low gutters with blower tube. Ask your official Pellenc dealer about the choice of leaf blower nozzles and accessories available for the Airion battery-powered blower. A round-ended nozzle is ideal for blasting large areas of leaves. The smaller diameter of a flat-ended nozzle ensures a high air speed and is ideal for removing stuck-on debris like damp leaves. A flat nozzle with a curved end allows you to target dirt and debris more accurately.
Mulch mowing advice from Etesia
Put simply, mulch mowing recycles the grass clippings by finely cutting the standing grass without collection which in turns feeds the soil.
By mulch mowing with your Etesia pedestrian or ride-on mower, you may also save time as you will no longer stop to empty the grass box.
You will need a lawn mower specifically designed as a mulching mower to recycle the grass correctly. At Etesia, we have a range or pedestrian or ride-on mowers which can cut and collect, cut and drop, mulch and now with the fitment of a rear roller kit, stripe – all thanks to our DuoCut concept.
Why mulch?
Grass clippings make a great slow release fertiliser if mulched correctly and left in the lawn. Throwing away grass cuttings only adds to the already overloaded landfill sites and of course wastes valuable nutrients and time.
How does the Etesia DuoCut system work?
Our research and development team never gave up on the quest to develop a cutter housing that could be as good at mulching as at collection. In 2006, our engineers created the DuoCut concept. This was a housing designed to give a 100% quality finish regardless of whether you are collecting or mulching, with no compromises on either of the two functions.
The new housing design even enhances collection performance. The kit, supplied as standard with our range of DuoCut pedestrian mowers, is simply a plug for the ejection channel that perfectly follows the bell shape required for mulching and does not require the addition of another blade. The accessory can be fitted without any tools in just a few seconds. Following the success of this new concept, it was adapted for the cutting deck of the Hydro 100 Evolution in 2009. As with the pedestrian lawn mower models it allows for a very high quality of mow whether using the collection or the mulching function.
Why is mulching quicker?
Mulching grass is quicker than collecting because there is no need to stop mowing to empty the grass box. A mulching mower travels at a similar speed to a collecting mower but keeps mowing without regular emptying until the lawn is finished which, depending on grass volume, can be least 30% quicker than cut and collecting.
Environmentally-friendly lawn care
Green spaces can be a valuable asset to any home. During the spring and summer months you will spend much of your quality time enjoying your garden as an extension to the house. Your lawn is the most important area, so it needs to be durable, neat, tidy and above all healthy.
Cut and fertilise at the same time
Using an Etesia mulching lawn mower recycles grass clippings in a way that feeds the soil. As the clippings decompose nutrients and fertilisers are returned to the soil, you will be cutting the grass and fertilising at the same time.
No Waste Disposal
Unlike more conventional mowers which cut and then collect grass clippings, Etesia pedestrian Duo Cut mulching lawn mowers recycles the clippings as you mow. There are no grass boxes to empty and no trips to the compost heap or local council recycling centre. The result is a perfect lawn finish that can be up to 30% quicker.
Save time
By using a purpose built mulching lawnmower you will get a perfect lawn and save time. If you use an Etesia DuoCut mower you will not only finish mowing the lawn quicker but also have a healthier lawn. Not only will you save time and money, you will eliminate the need to dispose of grass clippings along with piles of rotting grass associated with conventional mowers.
Reducing thatch
Thatch is a ‘spongy’ layer of stems, root stolons and partially decomposed organic matter that has accumulated on the surface of the soil. If left untreated, thatch forms a layer preventing healthy grass growth with the lawn dependent on artificial additives to survive. Thatch is however extremely easy to remove with the aid of a garden machine called a scarifier.
Mulch mowing using an Etesia mower actually reduces thatch and contrary to popular belief it does not cause thatch build-up. The micro-organisms that thrive on decomposing mulched clippings also do a good job breaking down thatch.
Etesia has a new range of battery-powered pedestrian mowers offering extreme versatility with the ability to cut, collect and mulch without the need for an accessory. Find out more here
10% off the Etesia Donky Electric Wheelbarrow
Etesia UK has announced that the Donky electric wheelbarrow is now available with a 10% price discount.
Lightweight, noiseless, no fumes and big savings on fuel – since its launch in 2015, the environmentally friendly Donky electric wheel barrow has quickly become a popular choice for those responsible for landscape management.
With a powerful 1700 W engine, electronic advance management and two driving wheels with an agricultural profile, the Donky has an impressive capacity to move in difficult terrain. Unlike non-electric motorised wheelbarrows, users can enjoy up to two days of work without any harmful pollutants – in turn helping to protect the environment.
Working and moving in complete silence, and not creating any noise problems for the surrounding area, the Donky electric wheelbarrow can move up to 250 kg or 180 L (400L with the boards) in one trip. With a tank integrated in the tray and a 1″ valve, it can carry 85 L of water or liquid and a spray hose can be connected to it.
The Donky is not just comfortable, environmentally friendly and silent, it is also a true tool carrier; with its exclusive MRM tray and accessories, it will help you in a large variety of jobs throughout the year from cleaning, landscaping, snow removal, transportation of liquids and work platforms. It allows the transport of bulky products (boards, cross member, closing fabric and reel), and provides a working surface at a suitable height. The Donky also features a tray emptying function which is achieved by a central lever, with unlocking and assistance.
This versatile machine can be used in many areas including building and landscaping sites, breeding farms, transport activities, snow clearing, green space maintenance, vegetable farming and plant nurseries.
Furthermore, the hourly cost of use of an Etesia Donky wheelbarrow is approximately £0.03 meaning that the operator will notice significant savings when compared to a fuel based wheelbarrow.
Now with a 10% price reduction, the Donky is an even more cost-effective solution priced at just £3231 +VAT.
For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.etesia.co.uk
“I’ve had the machine for 21 years and it’s still going strong – which says a lot about the quality of the build. The base of the machine never deteriorates – you’ve got the chassis which is strong, it has a robust front axle, there have never been any problems with the gear box and the engine is nice and smooth. Overall it has performed for 21 years in all weather and ground conditions – it’s been brilliant.”
The Etesia Hydro 100 was in fact the mower that helped Etesia make its entry into the world of green spaces. It was in 1989 and the concept was a revolutionary one – the first ride-on mower with direct ejection and integrated collection. This new concept made a strong impact on the mower market and rapidly became the standard-setter. Since then, the Hydro 100 has evolved and 2015 saw the launch of the Hydro 100 III. Capitalising on the strengths of the previous model, the new Hydro 100 goes beyond existing standards providing a powerful new Kawasaki engine, a larger 14-litre gas tank to give it more power and range, new steering for greater comfort and a new modern hydraulic drive transmission with differential lock for improved traction and drivability.
Although Robin is extremely happy with his current model, it appears that he already has one eye on the new Hydro 100 III and believes that it will be of great benefit to whoever he eventually passes the baton to.
“We are currently looking into grants because I would like a new Etesia mower. At my ripe old age someone else is going to have to do it one day so I hope the club manages to get one.
“But hopefully that’s a long way off. I love what I do; it’s just like doing the gardening I suppose, except I get more of a reward from this. The award is just the icing on the cake really.”