How to cut grass without a lawn mower is a question that would be bugging you, but don’t be in hassle. Just rummage through your tool shed, and we are sure you will find several tools that can be used to mow the grass.
We love to mow grass that has grown too tall using shears or trimmers instead of a mower. This list gives you a complete guide on cutting the grass when your mower isn’t around.
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How To Cut Grass Without Using A Lawn Mower?
Some lawn care equipment and tools like a scythe, shears, or an edger are as good as any mower when it comes to cutting lawn grass. Lawnmowers are only some people’s cup of tea because of the constant maintenance that they require.
– Use a Shear
Who doesn’t have a pair of gardening shears lying in their tool shed? Cutting very tall grass with shears is very neat and satisfying. The larger the shears, the more easily you will go through your lawn. Just take care that the shears are manageable for you to handle, however, don’t forget to sanitize it first.
They are using shears to mow grass is a brained process because they work just like scissors, except that you have to hold them with both hands. As manual tools, they need no fuel or energy but will need their blades to be sharpened periodically. Try to maintain comfortable posturing while using it, or you will have a bad back strain afterward.
– Keep the Blades Straight
If the grass is not tall, you might have to use these shears on all fours. Try to keep the shear blades horizontal over the grass at the same level. This would give you the flawless finish we all want our lawns to have.
How To Cut Without Lawn Mower but Using a Scythe?
To cut grass without a lawn mower but with a scythe, must wear protection and make sure that you sterilize the blades of the lawn mower. After you have set it, you can try it on some moist soil, and aim to go for the longer grass.
A scythe is an old-school but easy alternative to cutting down grass without a mower, if you see that using other methods is not your cup of tea. It is a long, curved, double-sided blade with a long handle and is used by swinging it in a back-and-forth horizontal motion. A scythe takes a little practice to get used to and works best with long grass growing for a long time.
– Wear Protection
Wear rubber gloves, protect yourself and keep pets and kids away from the lawn while using a scythe.
This will protect you from any damages that may harm your hands.
– Sterilize the Blades
It sounds unbelievable, but the result after cutting lawn grass with this hand instrument is quite neat and esthetic. Ensure the scythe blade is clean, sterilized, and as sharp as possible. Apart from traditional designs, you can also use variations like a sling blade or a weeding sickle that work just as well.
– Try It on Moist Soil
A scythe can mow grass better when it is slightly moist or wet. Unlike a mower, you can use it even after it has rained; the lawn has been watered, or early in the morning when the grass is still moist from dewdrops. Make sure you maintain an upright posture as you swing it around because it will be long and labor-intensive work.
– Aim For Longer Grass
Only go for a scythe with a handle at most four feet because that would be difficult to use for a long time. You must be careful while using it because of its sharp, two-sided blade.
How To Cut Grass Using A String Trimmer?
To cut grass using a string trimmer you must first adjust a protective gear, then you must have a solid grip and hold it. After doing so, make sure you keep an inch above the grounds. Finally, you should start rotating the blade.
Using a string trimmer is almost as effective as a lawn mower, except it requires much less maintenance. It is also relatively light and takes up only a little space in your store room. This gardening tool is known as a weed eater, whacker, or strimmer.
– Wear Protective Gear
Some weed whackers can be started by pushing their on/off button, while others start when you pull their starting cord out about six inches long. Before starting the whacker, wear a face mask and goggles because this machine tends to send grass clippings flying around.
– Have Solid Grip
Put one hand on the handle and the other on the starting trigger while keeping your back straight. If there are shoulder straps, then pull them on for extra support.
– Keep An Inch Above
The cutting head of the trimmer should not touch the ground but stay at the height of at least one inch above it. Otherwise, you will end up pulling a lot of dust and dirt up along the grass.
Keeping the blade or the trimmer’s string at the height at which the grass is to be cut, move it side to side at a distance of one foot and move ahead with the cutting of grass.
– Rotate the Blade
You must rotate the blade at the edges of the lawn and near the hard surface at 90 degrees to keep it from hitting them.Unlike a mower, there is no mechanism for bagging cut pieces of grass with a trimmer. You will have to sweep the lawn to eliminate all the grass you have cut off.
The main purpose of a trimmer is to cut down weeds erupting all over the lawn, but you can also use it to cut tall grass. Although it is a powered tool, you must carry it around the lawn. A battery-powered mower can be carried easily all over the lawn, but an electric-powered one will need a long extension cord for the faraway corners of the lawn.
How To Cut Grass With Hedge Trimmers?
To cut grass with hedge trimmers, you should first practice holding it properly, and try to pull your muscles and strength to balance your use. Lastly, make sure you shoot for the longer or taller grass in your yard, and be cautious about keeping kids and pets away.
A hedge trimmer is an electric tool with a rotating chainsaw-like cutting edge. You might have bought it to trim bushes, shrubbery, and even wooden chunks. Now it’s time to take this trimmer out for mowing tall grass instead of a mower.
– Try It Out
Because of its unique blade design, you will need some practice before perfecting grass cutting using it. Once you get accustomed to using this tool, you will have a finely cut and neat-looking lawn.
– Pull Your Muscles
Using this instrument may consume a lot of effort and energy, which must be held with both hands during use. Which means that you must be using your muscles, into managing the grip, such as your arm muscles, shoulders, and even legs to have a proper stance.
– Go For Longer Grass
You will find it easier to cut grass that is longer with this tool rather than a shorter one; otherwise, you will have to bend again.
– Be Cautious
For inexperienced users, the biggest risk is injury by accident from the trimmer’s sharp blades. Keep the kids and the pets indoors, and be extra careful. This is because you are pulling so much energy and strength into it, and you should not be distracted by any kids or pets, because if it gets loose, then it may damage your surroundings.
How To Trim with Grass Eating Animals?
To trim grass with grass eating animals, you have three options, to add cows, sheep, and lastly some goats. These animals will come and eat the grass, not from the seed, but just by biting the upper parts, they will chop the grass and feed on them.
Now, this is one innovative method of cutting grass we bet you never thought of! This option suits you best if you have enough space to keep herbivores grass grazing animals but need more time for lawn and mower maintenance. Of course, this solution is more suited for people living in rural areas because only a few urban neighborhoods allow for keeping goats and sheep on lawns.
– Place Some Sheep
Sheep are at the top of the list because they eat grass without damaging shrubbery and other plants. They are rather slow grazers but will maintain your lawn in a reasonable condition. In certain rural states, you will not even have to buy your sheep and can just rent them for a few days a month.
– Provide Some Goats
Your second-best livestock option is to go for goats for cutting your lawn grass. They are fast eaters, but their biggest problem is leaving nothing uneaten. If you have shrubs, plants, and hay in the lawn, the goats will first attack these.
– Add Cows and Mules
Cows and mules are good at grazing grass but are not a serious option for city dwellers. If you are a proud owner of a large piece of land in a rural area, then a few cows can cut the grass growing there within a few hours.
Remember that these are animals that would eat a lot, and gently they will be wandering around your area, eating the grass from the smallest to the largest cow, they will eat and basically with their bites, chopp off the grass.
How To Cut Grass With An Edger?
To cut grass with an edger, you must start by rotating the blades first, and stand up straight in a right posture, as you are using the machine, make sure you would push the grounds and move, as you move, you must be walking it through.
If the edger can be used to cut grass to create neat lawn edges, there is no reason why it can’t be used for the entire lawn mowing. Like a trimmer, it is a handheld machine you must carry around the lawn yourself. Don’t worry too much, as it is lightweight, and you can use it while standing straight up.
– Rotating the Blades
We understand if you want to ditch the rest of your lawn care equipment for this multipurpose tool. A good-quality edger costs much less and can also trim hedges and mow lawn grass.
An edger has a rotating blade at its end that cuts grass while you hold its long arm with a handle as you move forward.
– Up-right Posture
Keep your back straight and do not bend down while working to keep a good posture. The handle is adjustable, and its length can be increased or decreased at your convenience.
– Push the Grounds
In the case of a manual edger, you will have to put your foot down on it to push it into the ground. An electric edger is way better at cutting lawn grass because of its automatically rotating blade.
– Walk It Through
Walk behind the edger like a push mower at your own pace as it mows grass ahead of you. As you walk, you will be pushing the machine forth and moving it to the directions that you wish to it would be mowed.
Conclusion
Let us summarize our guide on creative ways to cut grass before concluding it.
- A weed whacker will cut grass just as neatly and quickly as a push-type mower.
- Manual tools like gardening shears take a lot of time to cut the grass but produce good results.
- If you have a hedge trimmer, use it instead of a conventional mower.
- If you can manage grass-eating animals like hens, sheep, and goats, they will graze the lawn for you.
After reading our guide, you will not panic whenever your lawn grass overgrows and the mower is unavailable. With so many good options, just go for the one you find the most fun.
