Summer Gardening Tips

Lawn Care

For a lush green lawn, don't mow or cut the grass too low. Low cutting, or ‘scalping' makes for brown, bare and weed infested lawns.

Instead, mow your lawn as high as your mower allows. Longer turf helps protect the root system, keeping it cooler in hot temperatures, making it healthier and more robust, and a thick sward of it will stamp out weeds.

Water your lawn in the cool part of the day, generally in the morning. If you do have to water in the afternoon, make sure you leave enough time for leaves to dry out before sunset – this reduces the risk of mildew and other mould attacking leaves - and helps keep the mozzies at bay.

STIHL's Cordless lawn mower the RMA 370 allows you to adjust the height of your cutting up to 70mm high and down to 20mm.

For your safety, always wear appropriate eye protection, and always wear enclosed shoes when mowing the lawn to protect your feet.

Home Chainsaw Care

Unless you work with chainsaws for a living, you probably won't be using your chainsaw a lot during summer – especially as summer pruning can damage your trees.

To keep your chainsaw in tip top shape when it's out of use, empty out the fuel tank so it doesn't go off during the hot summer months.

This is also a good time to get your chain sharpened, so when you need to fire it back into life in Autumn, it'll be in great shape.

Your local STIHL store offers a chain sharpening service. Find your closest one here and bring it in for a bit of TLC!

Pool Care

With summer around the corner, your pool will need a good clean before you jump in!

A STIHL RE 163 PLUS high pressure washer will blast away even the toughest dirt and grime, whether your pool is tiled or concreted.

Firstly, drain your pool, sweep out any debris and clean up dirt around the edges.

For the first pressure spray into the pool, use a universal cleaning detergent and spray it down. Let it sit for a few minutes to make sure heavy grime is lifted off. This will help lift dirt off the surface instead of pushing the dirt into it.
Make sure you hold the wand at a 45 degree angle to your surface – this will help lift dirt off the surface instead of pushing the dirt into it.

If you need a more direct force, work from a 45 degree to 90 degree angle.

Next, empty the detergent from your pressure washer and use just a water spray to remove other dirt and grime from your pool's surface.

You'll be left with a clean pool ready to be refilled with water and enjoyed for the rest of summer!

Check out the RE 163 here and the full range of high pressure cleaners.