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(ARA) - As yard work gets underway for another season, many homeowners have
discovered a way to make lawn chores a more peaceful endeavor. Bypassing the
noise, pollution and upkeep of a gasoline-powered mower, the manual push mower,
also called a reel mower, is enjoying new popularity. “There is a real element
of pleasure in using a manual mower,” says Lars Hundley, owner of Clean Air
Gardening, a Web site that offers environmentally friendly lawn and garden
products. “It’s quiet, there are no fumes and it’s better for your lawn.”
While power mowers tear grass, reel mowers use a scissors-like action for clean
cuts and a finer spray of clippings that can be left on the lawn as beneficial
mulch.
Many homeowners are finding that reel mowers are more convenient as well,
since their quiet operation means they can mow when they please -- early morning
or late evening -- without disturbing neighbors with noise or fumes. Reel mowers
are also safer if little ones might be playing near by. “While children should
not be playing with the mower, the nature of the reel mower means that there is
less likelihood of debris such as rocks or sticks shooting out of the mower at a
high speed,” says Hundley.
Because the blades clip the grass so cleanly, push mowers help reduce the
cloud of pollen, clippings and fumes that a powered mower can create. Many
allergy sufferers have gone back to mowing their own lawns with a push mower
without the sneezing and sniffles they once endured.
A reel mower is a good choice if you have 8,000 square feet of grass or less.
These mowers do take some effort to use, but are not any harder to push and an
80-pound gas mower that isn’t self-propelled. Generally, if it typically takes
45 minutes to mow with a power mover, it will take about an hour with a manual
mower.
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Clean Air Gardening sells two brands of reel mowers, Brill and Scotts. “We
considered dozens of different models before deciding to only sell these two,”
says Hundley. “The Brill has the advantages of lighter weight and a longer
sharpening interval. The Scotts has the advantages of a lower cost and higher
maximum cutting height. Both do an excellent job cutting the grass.” Their
best-selling mower, the Brill Luxus 38, has a 5-blade cutting system and is
shipped fully assembled, except for the handle, and weighs only 17 pounds.
Manual mowers require only human power to work, which means not only is it
good exercise, it also means no trips to the gas station. “As the cost of fuel
increases -- both in dollars and in environmental impact -- manual mowers are
becoming a great alternative,” says Hundley. Because they are not held to the
same environmental controls, the pollution created by a typical gas-powered
mower can be the equivalent to the air pollution created by 73 new cars.
Homeowners who want to enjoy their time outdoors, even as they tackle yard
work, are embracing push mowers as a quiet, clean way to ensure a lush lawn.
For more information on choosing a push mower, visit www.reelmowerguide.com.
A full range of environmentally friendly garden products can be found at
www.cleanairgardening.com.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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