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Machinery Maintenance

Tips

Maintenance Of The Machinery

The benefits of pruning for trees are many: contain growth, regulate the development of grafted plants (in fruit or ornamental trees), promote flowering and fruiting, restore vigor to weak or very old trees, remove branches dead or irregular, maintain the shape of the tree, etc.
1.- The maintenance of your lawnmower:

• Observe the oil level. The ideal is to do this every time you go to cut.
• Cleans the blades and the machine in general.
• Lawnmowers with 4-stroke engines (all Hondas are) have a tank for petrol and another for oil. No mixing is done.
• Monitor the sharpness of the blades and sharpen them if necessary. It should not be neglected.
• Check the air filter.
• Change the oil if the stipulated working hours are completed.
• In winter, when it is hardly used, it is convenient to do a general review of the machine.
• If you have to spend a long time without using it, empty the petrol tank, sharpen the blades and grease the equipment with clean oil.

But remember that, first of all, it is essential to read your user manual in detail, as you will find all the necessary information for the correct maintenance of your lawnmower.

2.- How to clean the collector bag of my lawnmower

A lawnmower works in the same way as a vacuum cleaner, it blows air through the bag, which at the same time catches the cut grass.
• Always empty the bag before it fills to capacity. Mower performance will decrease if bag is filled above 90% capacity. In addition, the bag is easier to empty when it is not completely full.
• Inspect the bag for tears, holes or excessive wear. The bag wears out during use and will eventually need to be replaced. Objects struck by the blade may be thrown through a damaged collection bag.
• To clean the bag, it is recommended to wash with a jet of water directed from the outside towards the inside.
• The bag must be completely dry before you use it again or it will clog quickly.
• Steam or high pressure washing will damage the bag.

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How to choose a brushcutter

Tips

How to Choose A brush cutter

The benefits of pruning for trees are many: contain growth, regulate the development of grafted plants (in fruit or ornamental trees), promote flowering and fruiting, restore vigor to weak or very old trees, remove branches dead or irregular, maintain the shape of the tree, etc.

We can classify the brush cutters according to their power and their handlebar system.

Power: For small, more or less flat surfaces with obstacles, a brushcutter with a cylinder capacity between 18 and 30 cc will be sufficient. If the terrain is quite irregular and there is plenty of hedges and grass, a more powerful brushcutter, between 40 and 55 cc, will be more efficient Handle: those with a simple handle are lighter and are ideal for giving the finishing touch to gardens, outlining the areas where the lawnmower cannot reach. On the other hand, if the unevenness of the surface to be cleared is considerable and there is a lot of hedges on the ground, the recommended models are those with double handlebars. They are much more robust and are ideal for clearing forest areas, with steeper terrain with much denser hedges.

The edger is the right machine to give a perfect finish and achieve perfect edges, thanks to the curved shape of the bar.

Other characteristics to consider, in addition to its power, are:

  • Level of consumption, emissions and noise. Honda complies with the strictest environmental regulations, EPA2005 and EN2006.
  • Ease of starting.
  • 360º motor rotation. Honda offers the only 4-stroke engine on the market that can run and store in any position.
  • weight
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Lawn mowing

Tips

Maintenance Of The Grass

The benefits of pruning for trees are many: contain growth, regulate the development of grafted plants (in fruit or ornamental trees), promote flowering and fruiting, restore vigor to weak or very old trees, remove branches dead or irregular, maintain the shape of the tree, etc.

Lawn mowing

1.- Frequency:

• 1 time per week in the summer
• 1 time a month in winter
• 2 or 3 times a month in the spring and autumn months.

There are ornamental lawns, or golf course greens, that are mowed more frequently. For example, greens are mowed almost daily in the summer and highly ornamental lawns every 3 days in the summer.
If you want to have a lawn that needs mowing less often, follow these tips:

• Avoid fast-growing species, such as English ryegrass or Festuca arundinacea. There is a species of cespitós called Zoysia Japón, which grows very slowly, therefore, it requires little cutting frequency. It is ideal for temperate-warm climates and turns brown with frost, but resprouts.
• Water and fertilize less, so it will grow more slowly.
• There are very innovative products on the market, called growth retardants, which are applied to the lawn in order to reduce the frequency of mowing.

2 .- Cutting height

• The normal height at which grass is maintained is about 5 centimeters. However, very fine lawns are left shorter (1-2 cm.) and golf course greens only a few thousand meters.
• Keeping the grass very low has the disadvantage that the roots are shallow and rather weak. Keep this in mind because both in the winter (because of the cold) and in the summer (because of the heat), it would be preferable to keep the lawn a little higher than normal, since this way it will develop more powerful roots and be stronger for endure these 2 complicated periods.
Higher, more roots. Therefore, in theory, if it is high in the winter, the better, since it will withstand the cold better; and in the summer too, even if it needs more frequent watering (more water because there is more leaf surface). Its roots are deeper and you will enjoy a more intense green.

3 .- Advice on mowing

• Do not mow the lawn when it is wet.
• The leaves must be sharp, otherwise they leave fringes at the ends of the leaves.
• If it has been infected by fungi, clean the carcass and leaves with a fungicide in solution.
• If the grass is very overgrown, do not cut more than a third of the length of the blade at once, but give a high cut and a few days later, a lower one.
• Raise the cutting height whenever the lawn is subjected to some accident (lack of water, fungi, etc.). Keep in mind that the lower the cut, the more sensitive the lawn will be.
• Collect grass clippings, do not leave them on the meadow because:
• Promotes the formation of felt: a more or less impermeable layer of 1 or 2 cm on the surface.
• Favors fungal diseases.
• It is unsightly.
• They contribute almost nothing of humus to the soil.

It is better to collect to make compost or use as mulch to put at the base of plants and trees; if not, throw it away (unless your lawnmower is a mulching type).

4 .- The importance of direction in cutting the lawn

In order to get good performance from your Honda lawnmower, you should follow the following patterns, as they are the most suitable for the design of the cutter housing and the direction of rotation of the blade:
* If you mow and collect grass: mow in a clockwise direction as this will give you the best performance.
* If the terrain has many obstacles and it is difficult to follow the guideline, mow the lawn in sections.
* If you want to mulch: Cut counter-clockwise.

5.- Reasons to choose natural grass

Apart from the feeling of well-being that being surrounded by grass provides, we must not forget that it also brings enormous benefits to the conservation of the environment.
• Soil is one of our most precious assets. The lawn protects the ground with a permanent plant cover and prevents water and wind erosion. Covering the surface of gardens with aggregates, concrete or artificial grass leads to the destruction of fertile soil.
• The lawn is able to preserve water thanks to its exceptional ability to retain it. Planting grass leads to an improvement in the structure of the soil and allows the accommodation of microorganisms capable of breaking down the organic matter of the soil.
• Water filtration and purification. It is increasingly common (and in many cases mandatory) to irrigate lawns using non-potable recycled water from sewage treatment plants. The large amount of pollutants contained in these poor quality waters are broken down by the microbial flora found in the lawn.
• CO2 consumption and O2 production. The reduction of CO2 production is one of the main environmental objectives of the international community. The lawn contributes to the elimination of CO2 and the production of oxygen. It is important to know that there are numerous species of grass that, in addition to admitting irrigation with recycled water, have a reduced water consumption, need few fertilizers and almost no phytosanitary. Hence the importance of choosing the type of lawn your garden needs.

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The importance of scarification

Tips

The scarification

The benefits of pruning for trees are many: contain growth, regulate the development of grafted plants (in fruit or ornamental trees), promote flowering and fruiting, restore vigor to weak or very old trees, remove branches dead or irregular, maintain the shape of the tree, etc.

The scarification of the lawn can be done:

Manually, using a rake: it consists of vigorously scratching the surface of the earth with the rake. If the area to be scarified is small, it is feasible, but not in a medium or large garden. It is very tiring and inefficient work.

With a scarification machine (Regenerator): This machine has a roller with several vertical knives that cut, break the surface of the soil and destroy this felt, this waterproof layer that suffocates the grass. It also partially breaks the roots, but nothing happens, as they regenerate quickly. The regenerator is used a few times each season (two at most), so it is a good option to use a garden machinery rental establishment. After passing the regenerator, the lawn has a very unsightly appearance, as it looks washed out. We don't have to worry, because in a week or two it will have closed perfectly and will also be regenerated and more vigorous than before. Pass the rake with flexible spikes after scarifying, to collect the "fodder" that the machine has left on the surface. Once either a scarification or an aeration has been done (making holes in the lawn that allow a lot of air to enter), it is convenient to add chemical fertilizers or make a priming. It will be a soil improvement, which your lawn will surely appreciate. A priming consists of spreading, after an aerating or scarification task, over the surface:

Sand alone
Peat or humus alone.
Sand + peat or sand + humus.

If you want, you can also do a light reseeding after scarification.

In summary: EVERY year and on ALL types of lawns it is very convenient to scarify in the spring. Then, once the scarifier or manual rake has passed (if you do it with this tool), it is convenient to add chemical fertilizers or make a mulch with peat or humus. Then, water abundantly and, in a few days, the lawn will be spectacular and rejuvenated. If you can do another scarification in the fall, even better, and if you do an airing in the spring in addition to the "mandatory" scarification, also phenomenal. It is common to see grasslands with little push and with large yellowish spots, mainly due to the compaction of the soil and the felt it has. The solution is to pass the regenerator and then tan.

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Tree pruning

Tips

The Pruning Of the Trees

The benefits of pruning for trees are many: contain growth, regulate the development of grafted plants (in fruit or ornamental trees), promote flowering and fruiting, restore vigor to weak or very old trees, remove branches dead or irregular, maintain the shape of the tree, etc.

Pruning is a very delicate task and the most important thing is to respect the harmony and development of the tree, avoiding incorrect and harmful interventions such as indiscriminate cuts. We have to do from the first year so that growth and shape are harmonious. Dead, damaged or weak branches must be removed. When it comes to pruning, it is just as important to do it at the right time and to the right extent as it is to do the right technique. The cut must be clean, oblique, close to a yolk or a knot and, as far as possible, must be made on branches of not too large a diameter.

Some tips for pruning trees correctly:

• Crossing branches: We cannot leave branches that go towards the trunk, intertwine or rub against each other. We will eliminate them, leaving only those that grow to form an "o" in relation to the trunk.

• Roots: the roots of trees and shrubs also sprout. These new shoots are very harmful to the growth of the plant, as they absorb nutrients, so they must be removed. We can use a hand chatter.

• Cutting: to cut branches with a diameter greater than 7.5 cm we can use a pruning saw. First we will have to clean all those branches that have grown on it to prevent it from getting stuck during its fall. Then we will make a cut along the bottom of the branch to prevent it from breaking under its own weight.

• Sawing: with the chainsaw we will finish the cut on the top. If the branch is very heavy, we will cut it into manageable pieces.

• Scars: we will always try to keep the scar as small as possible, to avoid the risk of possible diseases. For this reason, we will try to cut the vertical branches before the inclined ones. The cut must be clean, which is achieved with a good Japanese pruning shears or a special pruning saw.