A dandelion holds on through one deep taproot, so the trick is lifting the whole root, not pulling the leaves off the top. Early autumn is close to the ideal time to clear them, while the soil is soft and…
A mower that races and nearly stalls in a rhythm is almost always running lean: the governor keeps opening the throttle to chase a steady speed the fuel supply cannot hold. The cause is nearly always cheap and fixable at…
Lawn mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of underground fungi feeding on buried dead roots and thatch, and most of them help your soil rather than harm it. Pull larger ones by hand and scatter small clusters with a stiff broom…
The Blade Slices Dry Grass and Tears Wet Grass, and the Lawn Pays for It You planned to cut the lawn this morning, it rained in the night, and the grass is still growing. The honest answer is to wait…
A Week Under Wet Leaves Is All It Takes to Yellow the Grass Walk back inside after the first proper leaf fall and the lawn looks buried. The fix is simpler than the pile suggests. Rake or blow the leaves…
A mower that fires up and then dies within a few seconds almost always has a fuel supply problem, not a dead engine. The usual causes are old fuel gumming up the carburettor, a blocked vent in the fuel cap,…
Clover takes hold in thin, underfed grass, so the real fix is a thicker lawn rather than a bottle of spray. Fork out established patches, rake and mow the creeping stems, and reseed any bare soil this early autumn while…
Stale petrol left in the tank over winter gums up the carburettor and corrodes the fuel system, the single most common reason a mower will not start in spring. A proper end-of-season service takes about an hour: sort the fuel,…
Summer lawn feed is loaded with nitrogen, which pushes soft leafy growth that struggles in cold, wet weather and falls prey to fungal disease. Autumn feeds drop the nitrogen and load up on potassium and phosphorus, feeding the roots so…
Look closely at the grass a day after you mow. If the tips are shredded and pale rather than cleanly sliced, and the whole lawn has taken on a yellow cast, the mower is tearing the grass instead of cutting…
