DIY: Thatching your yard on a dime....

How do I know it’s time to start doing some yard work?  I’m not very scientific about it….I was inspired by some workers taking care of a business’ lawn near my children’s school that I pass by every day.  This week, a thatching and mowing crew was out doing their job…and every year this company has BEAUTIFUL grass resembling a green shimmery carpet.  I guess I just took now and was inspired to do a little “thatching” of my own.

I don’t have any special equipment like theirs, so I just started raking the scattered leftover leaves from the fall and bit of dead grass.  It is amazing how much green showed up and how much better my yard looked.  I had only halfway finished the front yard when my husband came home from work and joined me.  As we worked, my husband suggested that we could look into a thatching blade for our lawn mower that would speed this job up AND do a much more thorough job than our rakes.  I didn’t know such a thing existed!!  (The machines the hired crews use look really fancy and expensive.  And every time there is a thatching fund raiser with the Boy Scouts they usually  ask $50-$100…which is more than I would pay.)  Sooo….my husband went to Lowe’s this weekend and found a thatching blade for $25.  

It has tough REPLACEABLE Nylon Lines...so the tool doesn't have to be purchased over and  over again!!  IF you take the lines out, it is just a "normal" lawn mower blade!! 

I suppose it initially seems a little pricy, but a new blade for a lawn mower costs $20…so only $5 more dollars gets you a new blade AND a thatching device!!  Plus, it does other things besides thatch!


In comparison to hiring a company, taking part in a fundraiser, OR raking until you get blisters and thick calluses…this seemed like the perfect alternative!!  Plus, because our lawn mower has a bag attached to it, the clippings were already bagged for us!  No raking afterwards!  Money well spent: saved time AND money.

It is EASY to install.

1.  Remove your existing mower blade and replace it with the *new* thatching/mowing combo blade.
2.  Make sure your bag is properly attached.  Adjust your height to the desired dimensions.

 

3.  Start your engines...and "mow" your grass like normal...perhaps going a bit slower than usual.

4. Look at all that wonderful GREEN I found underneath all that BROWN!!

Happy Pinching Pennies...