Lawn rollers are far more efficient than using your feet and perform a much better job. The rollers can either be pushed by hand or connected to a garden tractor hitch.
After filling the poly drum with sand or water, the drum is pulled across the ground.
Multiple passes may be needed depending on the hardness of the ground. A lawn roller can become incredibly heavy when filled, yet only weigh a couple of dozen pounds when empty.
Important Features of your Lawn Roller
Perhaps the most important feature to consider is the width of the rolling drum. The wider the drum, the less passes you must make to finish the job. The internal capacity also makes a big difference.
The most compacted soil requires a heavier drum than soil which is loose.
Simply look at the gallon capacity of the poly drum to compare weight.
Besides compacting the ground, some yard owners like to roll over their grass for a smooth look. Rolling over grass produces a flattened appearance which is quite professional.
All modern lawn rollers are designed with a plastic drum which is very smooth on the outside. Users remove a plug and fill the drum with water or sand in order to give it weight.
Once filled, rollers can weigh a couple of hundred pounds. It should be quite obvious that there would be much pain from rolling over a foot with this tool.
The drum acts as an axle, connected with bearings to a metal frame.
Push rollers are great for small to medium jobs and are powered by you. Feel free to push or pull the lawn roller across the ground.
Having a garden tractor can prove advantageous, however, as many rollers have a hitch attachment.
Multi-use lawn rollers can even switch between tractor and hand pushing mode. For small yards, a hand-pushed roller can do just fine. Commercial applications often employ larger tractor-mounted models to save time and energy.
Using Garden Rollers on Your Lawn
Even if you have the greenest lawn around, your yard can look messy if the ground is not even. Uneven ground can be caused by several things, some of which include mole infestation and frost heaving.
These inconsistencies in your lawn can be quite noticeable even from the street. Instead of grabbing a shovel and tearing up your beautiful lawn, consider using a garden roller to flatten it out
These easy-to-use tools are a great way to maintain an exceptional lawn. Companies like Agri-Fab, Precision Products and Swisher make consumer-ready rollers that are easy to use.
Keep the Soil Compact and Allow the Grass to Grow Healthier
A lawn roller works by using a very heavy cylinder to squash down the ground underneath. A valve on the side of the roller is used to add water from your garden hose, thereby increasing the weight.
Users can add or remove water to fine-tune their experience. A handle is used to push the drum across the lawn, in the process compacting the soil underneath.
This process does not kill the grass — it will continue to grow and flourish.
If pushing a heavy drum around sounds unappealing, some garden roller models can be attached to a garden tractor and driven around. The wider the roller, the more ground you can cover in a single pass. When unfilled, these tools weight around 30-40 pounds, which means that ordering online and having it shipped to you is a viable option. If your yard has areas where mud or wet ground resides, I recommend using a lawn roller with a mud scraper. A mud scraper removes the mud that has attached to the drum as it rolls around. If you are starting a new lawn using seed, lawn rollers can be applied to make this job easier and more effective. Remove any loose debris like leaves or garbage that could prevent proper root growth from taking place. Spread the seeds evenly, preferably with a seed spreader, and then use your garden roller to compact them into the ground. If desired, apply a thin coat of topsoil or manure over the seeds and then run your garden lawn roller over the ground once more. Use your sprinkler system or garden hose to water down the ground after completion. Now it’s time to break out the roller. Slowly roll it back and forth over the surface until the area is sufficiently flat. With these enhanced conditions, grass can establish a stronger root system and grow more vigorously. When your turf has been laid out and placed properly, use your lawn roller on the entire surface of it. Be sure to give the turf a good watering after you’re done. Bumpy areas of your yard such as ones caused by gopher holes can easily be flattened out using a lawn roller. Before you begin, it is important to cut down the turf from the area of the uneven ground. Cutting it back about four inches should do the trick. We do this step to ensure that when the turf is replaced it does not leave any unsightly bare spots. Using a shovel, remove the excess dirt from the exposed area, leaving the spot level with the rest of the area. If a garden lawn roller is used frequently, the soil can become compacted. This is a common problem at golf courses where rollers are used a lot. Using a roller frequently won’t cause damage if you make sure to aerate frequently as well. In the process of aeration, small holes are made in the soil to allow water and nutrients to reach the roots. Compacted soil does not allow water to seep into the ground efficiently, depleting the grass of life-supporting water, oxygen, and food. You can use a rolling lawn aerator for this step. Agri Fab Lawn Roller: People looking for an easy to use, durable roller for home use should consider the Agri Fab tool. This roller has a large 24-inch diameter drum that rolls over bumps smoothly. When fully filled with water, it reached 250 pounds, more than enough for flattening bumps out. When emptied, the roller is lightweight and easy to manage. The black plastic drum is smooth to achieve even flattening. A bar on the metal handle pushes off any mud that gets stuck to the drum. Related Guides:An Effective Way to Start A Lawn
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Word of Caution
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