Three Uses for Your Line Trimmer Besides Edging Your Lawn

Get the Most Out of Your Line Trimmer With These Quick Tips

NOW is the perfect time to dust off your line trimmer!

Some of your garden vegetation will still be dormant, so trimming now means it will recover nicely in warmer weather.

Add these jobs to your trimmer to-do list in April:

• Disperse seeds
• Add mulch to the base of trees
• Cut down nettles and overgrown areas

Use Your Line Trimmer to Reseed

Planting wildflowers provide bees, butterflies, and pollinators with a food source and can bring beneficial wildlife to your garden.

When the flower heads seed, they provide nutrition for birds over the winter, but in Spring, you’ll want to reseed your meadow.

To do this with your Line Trimmer:

• Cut a third off the stems allowing seed heads to fall to the ground.
• Run your lawn mower over the meadow, breaking up the heads and spreading the seed.
• Rake the area to distribute the mulch and seeds evenly.
• Rain and time will embed the seeds, and the left behind organic matter will break down over the coming weeks and months, returning nutrients to the soil.

Add Mulch to the Base of Trees

You’ll likely have done this before, but what do you do with the cuttings?

Leaving the organic matter behind can:

• Fertilise the soil at the base of the tree as it breaks down
• Discourage the regrowth of grass and weeds       
• Provide a bed for mulch, which will help the ground retain water

Cut Down Nettles and Overgrown Areas

The most fun you can have with this tool is flexing that line trimming muscle by cutting down overgrown areas.

Whacking down nettles, long grass, brambles, and all manner of tick vegetation and leaving an area clear is most satisfying.

Once you’ve done the job:

• Dig the organic debris into the ground to restore nutrients to the soil (there’s a theme developing here)
• Remove excess matter and, you guessed it, use it to fuel your compost heap

You can compost perennial weeds like bindweed, docks, nettles, and dandelions, and provided they aren’t exposed to light, you won’t need to worry about regrowth.

Is Your Line Trimmer up to Scratch?

If this is the first time you’ve dusted off your trimmer this season, you may want to check the line and machine.

If you need an upgrade or spare parts…