Mowing

The most popular option is mowing, and for a good reason. Mowing is a great way to give your property the dream look, as overgrown grass is a bad thing to have at a holiday home. If grass is cut correctly, it encourages the grass to branch out and become denser, which turns thousands of individual grass plants into a tightly woven lawn. It sounds simple but there are more factors to it, like mowing height and frequency. Cutting a lawn too short stresses the lawn, discouraging good rooting and will help weeds and moss to thrive, also regularly serviced equipment is essential (sharp mowing blades) to give a good clean cut to the lawn.

We offer a weekly or bi-weekly mowing service to keep your lawn in best possible condition. Combine this with one of our treatment programmes and you will have the best looking lawn in your area.

Lawn Treatments

We utilize the same products used for professional lawns and sports grounds, which are unavailable to the general public. This enables us to give you the beautiful lawn you have always wanted. Training and qualifications (city and guilds level) is required by all of our operatives to administer our products. No lawn is the same so neither are our treatments, that’s why we assess every lawn and tailor a specific lawn care plan to suits its individual needs. we use combinations of a wide variety of lawn fertilisers and weed treatments which are applied with specially calibrated equipment to give the maximum effect.

The basic treatment is good if your lawn does not suffer from moss, if you require moss treatment you should be looking at the complete treatment.

The complete treatment is the same as the basic programme but it includes a moss treatment in autumn prior to scarification being carried out. This treatment is best if your lawn suffers from a lot of moss.

Scarifying

Scarifying is the process by which the `undergrowth` or thatch is removed. For a lawn, it can be a harsh process and initially will make your lawn look worse but ultimately will make it much healthier.  Thatch is mostly dead plant matter and actually prohibits healthy lawn growth by preventing nutrients and water reaching new grass shoots. A healthy lawn will have some thatch but not too much. The scarification process will also remove moss build up – though only temporary unless it has been chemically treated.  We can scarify your lawn in spring or early autumn after your spring/autumn lawn treatment that would have included a moss treatment. We do not recommend scarifying a lawn without this treatment as it helps the lawn recover after the scarification process, and also if moss is scarified without a moss treatment, it will only spread the moss spores around and make the problem worse.

Weed Control

Weeds and unwanted growth on hard surfaces i.e. around the edges of driveways, in between slabs in your garden or business property and in block paving can make the area unsightly, uneven or slippery when wet, giving a scruffy unkept look.  Often restricted in size due to the poor growing conditions, weeds are still capable of flowering or setting seed, they can also be very damaging too. Weeds on hard surfaces are usually common weeds from lawns or waste ground such as dandelion, annual meadow grass and creeping buttercup that have blown in as seeds. Most weeds will need all of their roots removing. Deep-rooted weeds such as dandelion and dock require the removal of their tap root which can be tricky. Just pulling the weed out is not enough as this often leaves behind the tap root which will start to grow back after a short period of time.

We also offer many more services, you can either look here or contact us.

All holiday homes require different care, and we can ensure that you are getting the right service for your needs at Grasshopper Garden Services.

You do not need to search online for some sort of online if your lawn mower came with a manual. All manuals will show you how to maintain your lawn mower properly. Every mower is different, so one manual will not work for them all, servicing with a different manufacturer’s manual could cause issues.

Removing the spark plugs

Spark plugs are very important as they ignite the fuel in the engine, which makes the blades spin. Before doing anything, disconnect them. If you are working on the blades, disconnecting them will prevent accidental starting. Clean the spark plugs, then you are ready.

Draining petrol

It is very important to drain your fuel tank. You might not believe it, but petrol can go bad within a month, which will cause further problems and risk damage. You should always put as much fuel as you will need into your lawn mower, then at the end of the mowing season, make sure it is all drained. If you happen to forget and leave it in your tank for too long, make sure you replace it with fresh petrol before attempting to start the engine.

Removing any debris

It is normal for any sort of grass or bushing to get stuck in the blades or frame. Remove any that is lodged inside before servicing further, as it could cause issues with starting. Debris can also cause overheating, as it will be blocking and insulating airflow. Before tipping it on its side, make sure you read the manual, as oil or fuel could leak into the engine if tipped wrongly. You should be removing debris after mowing, as it will be moist and will prevent build-up. When left for too long, it will become dry and become even harder to get out.

Tightening any loose parts

This will be a good time to check for loose or old parts that could cause issues over time. Confirm that everything is properly tightened before it is time to start mowing. It is a danger to you or your mower if there are loose parts, as they could come loose. Go over all bolts, and especially the ones on your wheels, as the wheels take the most stress. If your mower is old and they wobble a bit, it could just be general aging.

Replacing air filters

The filters are a very important part, as they prevent dirt to get into your engine. Problems could appear if dirt got in. You should change the filter a few times a year as you should take care of your engine, plus it will keep it running at its optimal performance. Choose the correct models for your mower, as some can be different, even if they look similar. Clean out everything surrounding the filter in the servicing process.

Sharpening or replacing your blades

Blades have to take a high amount of wear put on them, and they will need sharpening, and eventually replacing. Not sharpening your blades can cause uneven cutting, making your lawn look rough. If your blades are in bad condition, simply check your manual and order the exact ones.

Changing the oil

This part is one of the most important, as bad oil can mess up engine performance or health badly. You will need your specific mower manual for this step, as they are all different. You will use some sort of bucket or tray for collecting the old oil when you remove the plug. Used oil will have a dark color. Make sure to use quality oil for refilling, and then check the dipstick to confirm that the oil levels are in the right spot.