Comparing Lawn Seeding Tools

The winter months are a good time to sit down and plan ahead for the spring and summer. Part of your planning should include the kind of tools you are going to need and where you can obtain them. When considering garden tools, don’t forget to take into account any ongoing costs such as fuel and maintenance. In this post, we are looking at the various lawn seeding tools.

Lawn seeding tools come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are motorized and quite expensive, some are quite labor intensive, and others simply awkward to use. In general, lawn seeding tools do one of three jobs; they are either slotters, spikers, or groovers.

Spikers: As the name suggests, they spike the ground, a little like an aerator. In fact, they are just an aerator with a different name. Most spikers come as a stamping tool although you can buy heavier motorized version (or hire them). They can be labor intensive, awkward to use, and will run into a couple of hundred dollars to buy.

Groovers: Groovers cut a groove into your soil ready for the seed. They can be quite expensive ranging around the $400 plus depending on what sort of model you get. Most people hire these machines for a day.

Slotters: These tools take spiking to a new level and create slots in the soil ready for the seed to be sown. These tools do a better job than spikers and being rotary tools, can cover a lot area fairly quickly. You are looking at around $300 for a slotter.

Grass Stitcher: the Grass Stitcher takes the slotter to a new level. The Grass Stitcher’s angled tines pierces even old lawns so you can repair damaged lawns without having to dig up the old turf. Being light weight, it can get the job done quickly and easily and with the least fuss. When it comes to cost – the Grass Stitcher wins hands down at around $100.

Lawn seeding tools are often a personal preference. The Grass Stitcher is certainly a tool that you should look a little closer at. It incorporates all the best features of the other tools, then adds some of its own. When it comes to price, there are no extra costs to pay either – it really is the perfect lawn seeding tool.

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Lawn Care – Repairing Insect Damage

We hear a lot about various insects and anyone that has tried to maintain a lush flower bed will attest to the damage that insects can do to their plants. When it comes to lawns, they too can be attacked by insects. However, it is actually quite rare to have large damaged areas caused by insects. Often the real problem is one of fungi and other diseases that gain a foothold in weakened grasses after an insect attack.

Because we blame the insects, our lawn care program then steps up a notch and tries to treat the ‘insect problem’. Of course, the insects in the main are long gone so the treatment is ineffectual and the problem worsens. Before jumping straight in and treating your lawns with all sorts of insecticides, just remember: The pest that most likely caused the problem has moved on so the only insects that you’re likely to kill are those that are beneficial to your garden.

If insects have damaged your lawns then the areas are generally on small. Of course, there are situations where insects attack in plague proportions. In those situations, you may better off just waiting for the plague to move on before even attempting to repair the damage. In most cases, insects are there to eat and your lawn will generally bounce back if fed and watered well.

For patches that have been stripped or damaged badly, be sure there is no disease present before doing anything more. If there is, treat that first. Once the area is free of disease, cut the area back hard and then scour the surface with a hard rake or fork. Sow seed and water well and keep reasonably moist until the seed has germinated. The Grass Stitcher can make this task a lot easier since it scours the surface leaving small indentations that are perfect for seed germination. If you don’t have one, I suggest you check them out – they are a great tool to have when you need to repair your lawn.

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