Why do you need to have motorised tools in the garden

Question

it is not compulsory to have a football pitch outside your back door I never did as a child I have a pusher mower a sickle a pair of shears and secateurs. this is a green issue

Answer 1

It takes me a good hour to cut my lawns with a hover mower.  It would take me twice as long with a push mower and I would be too worn out to do anything else for the rest of the day.

Answer 2

I take it that you are rather fit and healthy, I'm not and would not have the strength to push a mower. Shears are extremely difficult if you have arthritic hands and I have never seen electric or petrol secateurs. You are right, this IS a green issue, the green of my small lawn, the green of my lavender bushes and the green but turning brown of the leaves from my cherry tree, or should I not have a garden because I am disabled? i don't think that you have thought this one through very well.

Answer 3

I've gotten away from them. I find that sweeping my deck is far easier than getting out the blower; easier, doesn't smell, doesn't create horrible (unnecessary) noise and I feel better about it.

Yes, Electric is more acceptable, but somehow it would be nice to get away from perfectly shaped shrubs and more lawn than we need. What about naturalized borders, next to no maintenance and a beautiful, equity increasing choice?

Answer 4

i think it's okay for people like senior citizens who need it but other people who can should move their lazy butts and think about the enviroment.

Answer 5

I have a huge scythe with two handles, only I haven't got around to using it properly as it came unsharpened and I have since got a bad back (mending fast).  Fingers crossed this will be a new way of keeping fit (if it stops raining long enough).  The practise go was great fun and left the neighbours looking scared.  I tried it out in a navy coloured hoody, not forgetting to wear steel toe caps too (okay for a 5'1'' girl?).

Answer 6

The population is aging rapidly.  Many people are still able to do much of their yardwork, but they need "asistance."  Having power tools can be a huge help.

I purchased a push mower long before it was "cool" to have one, or "green."  I HATED the machine!  I could get exactly one push into my thick, lush grass (about 4 inches tall) in the Pacific Northwest, and it was completely bogged down.

Brand new, and the blades were not even sharp enough to cut warm butter, much less thick grass.  It was a "high end" push mower too!

Now we mow the grass the TRUELY old fashioned way!  The sheep are put on the lawn to graze it down!!  

Next year, our goal is to entirely do away with lawn.  Instead it will be a giant garden area, and the sheep will be returned to the pastures.

~Garnet

Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years  

Answer 7

I don't have time to cut my garden with a hand mower - simple as that.

Answer 8

You have to examine the wider issues. The principle purpose of you having a garden attached to your house is for your families pleasure. The easier it is to maintain the more pleasure you should obtain. This is a social welfare issue.

Your garden eats disposable income and personal time in it's upkeep. It's a financial and physical burden.

Power tools improve task performance. Calculating environmental impact isn't quite as straight forward as you might like to think. If you put the kettle on twice whilst manually mowing the lawn and have a kitkat with your cuppa, your burning energy and the down time involved in cleaning a push mower is greater than using electric. Like wise the same false economy occurs in hedge trimming.

If you want to turn it into a green issue should the land not be used for vegetable production?

Myself I own a rather large garden, the lawn belongs to the dog and in the summer it needs cutting root mean every 9 days or she will be running around nose deep and I will be standing in her c**p. I use a Flymo, because it's the best tool for the job

I've got a greenhouse that hasn't been used in donkies years as I was producing more tomatoes than I could use and feeding family and friends at my cost and effort. Economics are saying it might be worth using it again next spring.

My hedge is mixed species and it grows at different speeds and density. I chose the plants so it is bird friendly. It would be impractical to cut with power tools, so I use secateurs, shears and loppers. The thing is I also enjoy doing the hedge, it isn't a big job only certain bits need doing at any given time, which is just as well as it's over 300 feet in length.

Relative to todays climate I may have to consider reverting to my childhood garden and grow spuds, but that's not through personal choice and I couldn't justify a rotorvator on the scale of my garden.

It is a green issue, but may be for the wrong reasons

Answer 9

The only motorised implement I use is a small electric lawn mower, which I've had for years.  Weather permitting it's only on for a few minutes week, just to make sure the lawn is respectable if not pristine.  

Everything else in the garden is done by muscle power including weeding the paths as I refuse to use chemical weed killer.  If the current lawn mower packs up before I do it will be replaced by a push me/pull you one.  

Apart from the energy/fuel issue the manuals are much nicer to listen to.

Answer 10

For the people who use electric mowers for their lawn, that is pointless. It is less efficient and maybe even less "green" than using a 4 stroke petrol mower. The electricity comes from burning coal at our power stations. The electric powered motors have to work harder to produce the power of a petrol motor. They are simply inconvenient and can struggle with the thick grass.

Blower-vacs though are a waste of energy, I agree on that, as you can simply sweep.

You cannot beat motorised garden tools for convenience and ease of use. I will continue to use my petrol mower, and refuse to change to electric ones.

Answer 11

I'm with you Dunnrobin 46, and I have a large garden:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3180/2482...

My new wife and dogs, I can manage ok thanks.

Answer 12

I have an electric mower and electric hedge cutters because as a senior citizen I find the physical activity is too difficult to cope with any more.

Answer 13

basically because it is easier and we're a lazy nation.

I am diabetic and can almost certainly guarantee a drop in blood sugar when I mow the lawn, even with an electric mower.  I used to love the old push mowers but hey you've gotta move with the times.

Answer 14

well i also have a nonmotorized push mower but I can see the usefullness of a rototiller.

reel mower is what its called. I had used my landlords gas mower, the reel mower takes perhaps 10 minutes more , plus its not a danger that stones, or sticks may shoot out, so my dog can be outside with me, or kids if i had them. also its nice not to hear that noise & i can wear sandals. its not a work out, i dont break a sweat & it dosent stink (like a gas mower!) i think the only downside is it doesnt mulch.