Depending on who you ask about lawn mower blade maintenance you will get very different answers. Landscape professionals will tell you 25 hours of use in between sharpening while pesticide and turf professionals will tell you every 8 hours of use. Now, in a commercial setting this would be almost every day or every other day while homeowners who cut their own lawn would probably only need to sharpen the blades once a month if that. The reasons why blade sharpening is so important is because it protects the lawn from pests and diseases, provides a better-quality cut, and saves time which in the end saves you money.
The most important reason to keep your lawn mower blades sharp is because it helps eliminate and prevent pest and disease issues. The sharp blade provides a nice smooth clean cut to the grass blade unlike a dull blade which leaves the blade of grass jagged. By having a smooth cut, the grass can heal itself better and faster. When the grass is cut by a dull blade it leaves a jagged and rough edge on the grass which doesn’t heal as well and leaves the grass susceptible to pests and disease. This jagged cut from a dull blade will give a direct entrance for these diseases and pests which could all be avoidable by sharpening blades more frequently.
Another important reason for frequent lawn mower blade sharpening is because it provides a higher quality lawn cut which makes your property look better. By using dull blades, it not only leaves the grass blade jagged but will also cause the jagged and damaged tips to appear yellowish brown. This yellowish-brown appearance on a whole lawn will ruin the vibrant green color we all want. Sharp blades also help improve the visual appearance of the lawnmower passes or “lines” in the grass. The clean cut of a sharp blade helps provide the light and dark green streaks you see after a lawn is cut.
Besides preventing pest and disease issues for your lawn, frequent blade sharpening will save you money in the long run. With dull blades, you may not get the clean-cut appearance you are looking for and may have to cut the lawn twice. In a commercial setting this cannot be done due to time restraints but even on a residential level it’s not ideal and can double your work time. Also, if you cut the lawn weekly which equals about 30 cuts a season, saving 10 minutes each cut can be an extra 300 minutes you have to do more important tasks. Or if you pay a landscaper that could come out to be an extra $300 a year easily. Not to mention wear and tear on the machines from not doing proper maintenance could have you spending money on repairs that are unnecessary or by having to replace broken equipment from lack of maintenance.
In conclusion, if you want your grass looking the best, protected from pests and diseases, and to not cost extra money then frequent lawn mower blade sharpening is ideal. Again, this is because it helps limit and reduce ways pests and diseases can get into the grass. Also, by giving it a clean smooth cut it will have a better visual appearance. Lastly, blade sharpening will save you money and time! Here at Big Red’s we believe in sharpening our blades once every other day or about every 8-10 hours of actual cut time. We are in the business to make your lawn look better, not worse.
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