Essential tools for lawn maintenance

Lawn mowers

A good lawnmower is one of the most important tools for maintaining a healthy, well-kept lawn. With a vast range of options available, choosing the right one depends on your lawn size, the type of lawn you have, and how much time and effort you have.

For large lawns, a petrol mower is often the best choice, providing power and efficiency to cover bigger areas quickly. These are available as push, self- propelled and even ride-on models—the latter being ideal for reducing physical effort, especially on sloped or uneven ground. Electric mowers, whether corded or battery-powered, are better suited to small and medium-sized lawns. They are quieter, easier to maintain, and can be more environmentally friendly than petrol options, with cordless battery-powered models offering greater flexibility. If you prefer a more traditional and quieter mow, a manual push mower provides a workout while delivering a clean cut—perfect for smaller, well-maintained lawns.

For those looking to take the effort out of lawn care, robot mowers are an increasingly popular option. These mowers trim little and often, helping to maintain a consistently neat lawn. They mulch the clippings back into the grass, reducing waste and improving lawn health. While the initial investment is higher, they save time and effort in the long run, making them ideal for busy gardeners.

If you love the look of a striped lawn, choose a mower with a rear roller. However, remember that cutting the grass too short not only makes stripes less visible but also weakens the lawn, encouraging weeds and moss. Mulching mowers finely chop clippings and return them to the lawn, feeding the grass naturally. Standard mowers without a mulching feature should have a collection box to prevent clippings from being left in clumps, which can suffocate the grass and create an untidy appearance.

The best mower for you depends on your lawn size, budget, and how much effort you want to put into maintaining your grass. Whether you prefer the convenience of a robot mower, the power of a petrol model, or the precision of a push mower, choosing the right tool will make lawn care easier and more effective.

Hosepipe

Watering your lawn during dry spells is vital to keeping your lawn lush, green, healthy and it will also help strengthen the roots so winter damage is less likely. It is common practice to pop out into the garden and give your lawn a quick watering every day, however, this will just mean that the water will only penetrate the top few centimetres of soil. If only the top of the soil gets wet, the roots of the grass will head towards the water and end up growing near the surface. This means they will dry out quicker and be more susceptible to damage.

A good soaking once or twice a week during dry spells is far better for your grass and will encourage deep, strong rooting.

Edging shears

It’s all very well having a nicely mown, striped lawn, but without neat edges, it simply doesn’t look the part. Make sure you keep your edging shears nice and sharp to avoid tearing the grass which causes brown edges. Hold the edgers upright when you cut to avoid cutting into the soil and having slanted edges, although it would take a while, your lawn would get gradually smaller each time you edge.

Edging iron

Sometimes called a ‘half-moon’ due to its shape, this tool is vital for freshening up your edges, and also creating new shapes or borders to your lawn. Used vertically, slice down just into the edge of an existing border to make the edge flat and sharp again. For new borders this tool is great for slicing into the turf, simply use the edging iron to cut your new border, then remove any unwanted grass with a fork

Lawn rake

Probably one of the cheapest tools in lawn care, but still very essential! Over the year you will get a build-up of dead weeds, moss and grass (thatch), this can block light, moisture and provide a growing base for more pesky lawn weeds and suffocating mossy patches. Rake over your lawn every couple of months, but don't rake in very cold or frosty conditions as this will damage the blades of grass. Make sure you pick up anything raked up, why not leave a small pile of the thatch for the birds to line their nests with? If you have a large lawn then you can buy powered lawn rakers, but it's still handy to have a manual rake for tidying up.

Scarifier

This is a machine that slices through the lawn, removing the build-up of thatch. It will also add air to the topsoil (aerating) helping to rejuvenate an old tired lawn. Scarify once a year, or once every two years for fine lawns. As with most lawn maintenance, this is best done in late spring or autumn.

Lawn spreader

Last but not least, a lawn spreader. Not necessarily essential, but definitely very useful. All lawns will and the easiest way is to pop some in a spreader and off you go! Most have adjustable settings so you can apply a range of products including lawn dressing, grass seed and multi-action products containing a lawn feed, weed killer and moss killer. You can apply these products by hand, but a spreader will give you a more accurate and even application alongside avoiding overdosing, which can damage your grass, and patchy results.

Leaf rake

Usually, a plastic, somewhat flexible, rake. This is important for when you remove any dead leaves that fall on your lawn in the autumn. Not only do leaves block light from the grass, but they can also start to decompose and be a haven for diseases and fungus to grow. Unlike the metal spring lawn rakes, these plastic ones don’t tend to ‘spike’ the leaves and won’t clog so easily, plus they are kinder to your grass as you are likely to be raking on a regular basis to lift the leaves.