Many of us will, at some point in our lives, mow a lawn. Some do it as a full-time job, some as chores, some to make a bit of extra cash, and some to make the garden look nice. But with the bewildering array of lawn types, mower types, and God knows what else, the task can be somewhat daunting to the novice. for those people, here is an entry that attempts to make sense of the chaos

The Lawnmower

The most common division of lawnmowers is into push and ride-on mowers. However, this makes very little difference to the actual mowing. Ride-ons are faster and can hold more grass, but are much more expensive and need more fuel. Ride-ons are most suited to ~very~ large lawns.

Probably the most important division is into cylinder and rotary mowers. A cylinder mower will give more distinct and lasting stripes, while a rotary will get the job done faster. The diference here lies in in the cutting mechanism. A rotary mower uses a circular, scythe-like blade, perpendicular to the angle of the grass, and cuts it every which way. A cylinder mower uses a cylinder-shaped arrangement of blades that lie parallel to the lawn. Both these types are suitable for nearly any lawn.

Another division is into bag and expulsion mowers. This is more important than whether it is a push or ride-on, but the difference is still very small. With a bag mower, you have to empty the grass out every so often. With an expulsion mower, you have to rake it all up when you're done.

Yet another difference is between fuel and electric. Electric is a bit more dangerous than fuel, as you run the risk of running over the cable. however, with a bit of care, this risk will not present itself. Electric mowers are cheaper and more efficient than fuel-driven ones, but are only really suitable for smaller gardens.

There are also 'hover' mowers in existance. These have no wheels, and are held up by the rotation of a fan above the blade, or the rotation of the blade itself. These are good for small lawns or if the grass is vey long, but the finish won't be quite as good as with one of the other types. These are useful for gardens with steep slopes or lots of levels. They are also relatively cheap, light, and manoueverable.

Precautions

Always make sure there is enough fuel in the tank and oil in the oil tank. A lack of oil can damage your lawnmower.

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES STICK YOUR HAND UNDERNEATH THE MOWER WHILE IT IS STILL RUNNING. This will take your hand off in a second and mash it horribly. Also, note that the blade keeps turning for a few minutes after the lawnmower is turned off, so don't think that just because it's off you can stick your hand under there.

Be sure to read the instruction manual or have someone else* show you how to use it before attempting to use it yourself.

Do not attempt to mow the lawn if it is wet or damp, or it has just been raining.

If you are using an electric mower, be extremely careful that you don't accidentally run over the cable. It is also a good idea to have it plugged into a ciruit breaker, so that if you do happen to run over the chord (God forbid), the electric flow will be broken and you won't get electrocuted. This risk can be minimised further by starting at the side of the lawn nearest the power cable and working your way around.

Wear long, thick, durable trousers and boots when mowing, to avoid unfortunate accidents involving stones and things being thrown out (very dangerous)

Water the grass a little bit, unless you live in somewhere very rainy like the West of Ireland (You in England have it sunny compared to over there!). This will prevent it going brown.

Make sure to use the right height adjustment on the blade, otherwise it may get caught, ecpecially if the grass is very long.

Finally, start the mower on concrete, tarmac, or a similarly flat surface. It is more likely to start this way.

Mowing

The best way to get stripes on a small to medium sized lawn is as follows: mow round the edge in one long run to form a border in which to maneuvre. Empty the bag/box, then begin somewhere in the middle with a single run in one direction in as straight a line as you can manage. Turn the mower 180 degrees and overlapping as little as possible go back and do another one. Voila, two stripes (assuming you're using an even vaguely useful mower). If you've left it a long time, or your lawn is really big, you might need to empty the box/bag again already. In any case, make sure you empty it often - you don't want cut grass left on the lawn. Now continue in that direction until you reach the edge. Return to your first stripe (the one in the middle) and work outwards again in the opposite direction.

Remember which direction you did the stripes. If you did them North/South, then next time you should do them East/West.

Remember also which direction you did the initial border. If this time you did it clockwise, next time do it anticlockwise.

For the first cut of Spring, a hover mower is useful, and an expulsion may be nicer to use than a bag, as it will save you from having to empty it every few minutes. Not everyone has several mowers, however, and most any mower will work. However, a ride-on is not really practical here, as there is too little grass to cut.

For a large or irregularly shaped lawn, follow this procedure: starting at the corner of the lawn, push/ drive the mower around with the outer wheels overlapping the edge* and continue around in a concentric shape. Nominate a corner of the garden (or several if you have a particularly large garden) as the 'dumping site' (for want of a better phrase); if you use a bag mower, detach the bag when you get to this point and empty the grass in here. However, it is not necessary to empty the bag on every lap, particularly if the grass is short or you are getting near the end. If the grass is long, however, you may need to stop mid-lap and empty the bag because it might be full. An expulsion mower will simply fire the cut grass out through a hole in the side; rake this up and put it in the dumping site *. Stripes will be difficult if the lawn is rregularly shaped, but the pattern should be interesting if you manage to pull it off. If you desperately want stripes, rollers can be obtained that cause the effect, but these may be quite heavy. If your lawn is ~huge~ (ie that which would be found on a country estate), a ride-on is suited, as it is faster and a more efficient use of time.

Flower Beds and Vegetable Gardens

These can be a bit tricky. If you have put stones, a small fence, etc. around the bed/ veggie garden, then there is no problem; simply cut in a circle around the stones, incorporating this into your route (though you may have to cut the grass closest to the stones with a manual cutter or strimmer). If they are unbordered, however, just be careful. Perhaps you should give the flowers a wide berth and come back at the end with a set of manual cutters.

Trees and Hedges

Trees aren't too difficult - just push the mower in underneath the branches and cut around the tree, then move the mower out and continue with the mowing. Though hedges grow somewhat lower to the ground, the procedure is pretty much the same, unless they have branches actually touching the ground. In this case, get someone else to lift the branches high off the ground and stand well out of the way, then you push the mower in, cut the grass, and withdraw. Now allow your assistant to let go.

Sandboxes and Swingsets

Treat as flower beds and trees respectively.