Lawn + Garden Projects
How to Trim Your Lawn
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Trimming is a finishing touch to mowing your lawn. You are simply cutting those areas the mower can’t reach, such as grass around trees and fences. Try to cut the grass as closely as possible to the way the mower cuts. When you’re trimming with a string trimmer, concentrate on keeping the head of the trimmer at the same level the grass was mowed. You can, however, use a slight downward angle to improve sightlines.
It takes a lot of concentration to cut clean level lines with a string trimmer, but don’t lose sight of safety issues. A trim line spins at a high speed and it can catch rocks, small toys, and other yard debris, flinging them a long way at a high speed. Keep an eye out for any surprises hidden at the borders of the lawn, and don’t trim when there are children present.
Your lawn will look its best—and you’ll keep the grass at the fringes as healthy as possible—if you trim every time you mow, regardless of whether the lawn appears to need trimming. As an extension of mowing, trimming has to follow the same rules; you don’t want to take off more than 1⁄3 of the height of the grass you trim if you can help it. You can also use the trimmer for light edging work, basically to square up light overgrowth. Simply turn the machine so the head is vertical (some units have swivel heads for just this purpose).
Finish up trimming by checking the trimmer head and housing for any debris or damage. Replace the spool or wire if necessary; there are several different types, so follow the manufacturer’s directions and replace like with like.
