How to Use a Strimmer

Once you’ve completed the bigger gardening jobs, like mowing the lawn and cutting back larger trees and overgrown bushes and hedges, the humble strimmer can really come into its own. The little touches that a strimmer can bring to a garden to give it that finished edge (no pun intended) can really make a big difference. So what exactly can this particular piece of equipment do for you?

You may well be under the impression that strimmers are quite limited in their use and are only really for one purpose. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to hear though that there are many ways they can be used to great effect in your garden. So to help you out, SGS has put together this post to show you 5 jobs around your garden you can use your strimmer for.

Tips and Advice

Firstly though, we have some tips and advice regarding how to carry these out safely and efficiently.

• Check for potential hazards like bits of rock and stone, as well as things such as animal waste which you don’t want whipping up by your strimmer!
• When working near solid surfaces, take care not to damage the strimmer spool or cutting tools by getting too close to them.
• Wear protective items like gloves, goggles, boots and appropriate gardening clothes.
• Read the manual! It may sound obvious, but if you’re ever in doubt about how to operate the strimmer or perform a specific task, have a look through the instructions.
• Only carry out these jobs if you are physically capable of doing so

With all this in mind, you will be ready to take on the following tasks:

Trimming Back Long Grass and Weeds

This application is probably the most common use for a strimmer. They really are the perfect tool for trimming back the sections of long grass and weeds which are inaccessible with a lawn mower; giving your lawn a complete cut.

Edging your Garden

Flowerbeds and step effects in your garden can be given a sharp and smart, square edge with your strimmer. Simply follow the track of the edge with the strimmer horizontally, taking care not to get too close to the ground. Then follow the track back, but angle the strimmer vertically to square off the edge.

Clearing a Path

Garden paths, drive ways and patios alike can all be ruined by weeds and grass that force their way through the cracks. That is until your strimmer sorts this problem out! Again, taking care to keep the spool just above the surface, you can swiftly rid yourself of these unsightly bits of plant life and leave your hard garden areas clear.

Freeing your Garden Walls

Along with the above, pesky creeping plants such as Ivy can mask and even damage your garden walls. So, providing the Ivy isn’t too thick, your strimmer can be used to carefully free your garden walls from this obstructive flora.

Creating Different Textures

With a steady hand and lots of control you can use your strimmer to create different patterns and textures on your lawn. By varying how close you get to the grass (the closer the shorter) you can give your garden an artistic and bespoke look, all thanks to this fantastic tool.

So, it would appear the strimmer really isn’t a one-trick pony with all these different functions on offer to you. Naturally, some of these (like #5) require a little more practise than others, but this will get better over time the more you do it. If you’ve yet to invest in a strimmer, SGS can also help you out too as luckily we have a great range of affordable garden strimmers. So be sure to invest in one these excellent, versatile gardening tools and turn your green space into the little piece of Eden it should be!