A regularly-mown lawn looks good. But to take your grass game to the next level, you need to do just a little more. Edging the area gives it that finished, professional look you long for!
A lawnmower can only take height off your grass. But grass doesn’t always grow straight up; it also spreads out to the sides. That means it can creep over the edge of the sidewalk, walkway, or even the edge of the garden bed.
With a lawn edger, though, you can trim back these rough spots with ease. It’s best to have both an electric and a manual edger. But if your lawn is small, you can get by with just a manual one.
How To Edge Your Lawn With An Edger
Using an edger to clean up the limits of your lawn isn’t complicated, but it might take a little time. It all comes down to the details.
An edger cuts a small trench along the edge of your lawn, which means you’ll trim dirt and grass.
Tools and equipment
There isn’t much you need for this task. We suggest:
- Powered edger for straight edges
- Manual edger for curves, the edge of garden beds, or smaller yards
- Leaf rake or broom (for cleanup)
- Grass clippers
- Safety goggles
Steps
To get your edging done quickly and neatly, try following these steps:
Mow
Before anything else, mow the lawn. This will make it much easier to edge it correctly. You’ll have less grass to cut through and you’ll be able to see where the border should be.
Plan Your Path
Before starting, take a little time to assess your lawn. After one or two times edging, you probably will have this figured out to perfection.
Start with Straight Edges
You’ll want to start with the straight edges, such as along the driveway or sidewalk. Save yourself some steps by choosing a starting point and direction that will let you reposition the edge to tackle the next side.
You can do this with a manual edger but powered edgers make quick work of it.
Handling the curves
Save tighter corners or curves for last, especially when you won’t have a hard surface (ie, concrete) to stand on.
A manual edger handles tight spaces and curves better than most powered models since the manual one is usually smaller and easier to manipulate.
Detail the edges
Once you have the entire border edged, you may want to go back and trim any stray blades of grass with grass shears. This is the finishing touch on a marvelous lawn!
Clean Up
Of course, once that’s all done, it’s time to clean up! You’ll have grass cutting and even some soil to sweep or rake. Depending on how much, you might want to just sweep it back into the lawn so that it can serve as fertilizer.
Edging without an edger
Tools and equipment:
- Flat edge shovel
- Grass shears
If you don’t have an edger yet, you can still create a great finish for your lawn. It might take a little longer and require some extra care, though. A flat-headed shovel works great for the job.
Press the shovel two to three inches into the soil along the lawn’s edge and wiggle it back and forth ever so slightly – just enough to create a tiny trench.
Move the shovel over and repeat. Allow about an inch of overlap to create an even trench all the way around.
Use your grass shears to tidy it up at the end.
Conclusion
Edging your lawn can put its look over the top! Just like a trim at the barber, edging cleans up the rough edges and keeps everything in place. It takes extra time, but you’ll appreciate the difference!
