Given that a weed whacker with round-profile string can readily karate-chop its way through grass, I’m wondering about whether keeping a sharp edge on my lawn mower’s blade really matters.
People who would like you to pay them for sharpening your blades all insist that it makes a difference, that your grass will be brown-tipped and vulnerable to disease if you cut it with a dull blade. But has anyone here actually observed the difference? Cut the grass one week with a dull blade, take a few pics, sharpen the blade, then cut it again a week later?
Anecdotal evidence is all I’ve got, but I remember one summer of m’youth when my dad was wondering why all our grass blades had split ends. It suddenly dawned on him that he had never sharpened his mower blade. He did so and the problem went away.
When I first moved into my house, I had to borrow a mower from some friends. The blade was so dull that the engine would stall on not overly long grass. Sharpened the blade on a belt sander, and it worked great…cut that grass like buttah!
I’m bad about getting my mower blade sharpened. My friend likes to say, “with that blade, you’re not cutting the grass, you’re beating it into submission!”
However, the OP mentions paying people to do the sharpening, and I would never do that. I do it myself a couple of times and then replace it. This is partly because my blade keeps hitting things like rocks that put serious dents in it that you can’t just grind out, but also because a new blade for my mower is $20. No point in spending much on sharpening when a brand new blade is so cheap.
(Yes, I would like to avoid the rocks, but making the green belt behind my yard perfectly level and rock/trash free is not a simple weekend project. I’m still pulling tent stakes, blankets, lumber, cement chunks, etc. out of the ground, which is marshy in areas so that new obstacles arise from the depths each year.)
weeds tend to be stiffer than grass. you also get good effect by tearing up the weed stem end, you do have edges (on noncircular string) to first cut but then it shreds the remaining end.
a clean cut end on the grass will heal better and loose less water.
Depends on the grass. My dad had Zoysia grass. Developed by Winthrop Rockefeller in Arkansas, 1960’s. Sharpened his blade (himself) on a grinder wheel three times a summer.
Zoysia is a very dense matted grass. You need a razor sharp blade to cut it properly and you need to alternate directions. One time crisscross (the old standby checkerboard). Then the next Cutting diagonal. Then the next circular. Properly maintained it’s one of the most beautiful lawns you can have.
Excellent for putting greens too.
You can tell when Zoysia was cut with a dull blade. You’ll see this brown powdery stuff in it. One of the few downsides to Zoysia.
I only mentioned that because they are the most vocal proponents of blade-sharpening, but they have an obvious self interest in promoting it, so they are unlikely to be the source of the straightest dope.
I just saw a lawn this week that each blade top was brown for the first 1/4" to 1/2" and shaped like Bart Simpson’s head. Pretty nasty looking and it’s got to be stressful for the grass.
Never sharpened mine. What type of business offers this kind of service? And don’t say “the lawn mower blade sharpening company.” We don’t have one of those around these parts.
Smaller welding shops often have a grinder wheel. There’s an old shop near me where I take my pruning shears, axes, hatchets, and lawn mower blades. They’ve been in business since the 1940’s.
I have three blades that I swap out. When two are dull then I go to the welding, fix it place. That way I always have a fresh, sharp blade ready to use.
I know someone who started their own landscaping company and they do a lot of mowing. By the end of the week, it takes longer to mow, some areas get cut unevenly and he may even need to go over some places twice. Sunday is blade sharpening day for all of his mowers. If he forgets, you can rest assured he won’t forget to sharpen them Monday night.
