Hedgers, or hedge trimmers, are wonderful if you have a lot of shrubs in your yard. Hedgers make quick work of your [pruning]chores, making it easy to cut a bunch of bushes to the same height or give them all the same shape. A hedger isn't exactly a must-have garden tool, but it is certainly a product of convenience that will make your gardening chores much more enjoyable.

Hedgers are basically a long metal rod with wide teeth that allow you to give a shrub a haircut with ease. They come in single or double-sided blade varieties and can run on electricity, gas or batteries, depending on the model.

Choosing The Correct Hedge Trimmer

When looking for a hedger for your yard, it's important to consider blade length, the size of branches it can cut and how it is powered.

Generally, hedgers with longer blades are better for heavier-duty use. If you don't have a lot of hedges to trim, go with a 16-inch blade. For a little more power, pick an 18-inch blade. Heavy-duty use will require at least a 20-inch blade, and professionals and those with long rows of hedges will choose a 22-inch blade or longer.

Most hedge trimmers can cut branches ranging from three-eighths of an inch to three quarters of an inch. If you have special trimming needs, check the manufacturer's specifications to find the hedger that is right for you.

We already covered power briefly. Electric trimmers are typically lighter and less expensive than other models. Gas models are heavier but also more powerful. If you don't have an outlet handy, a gas or battery-powered hedger may be your best bet.

Another issue having to do with power is a safety concern. If you have an electric hedger, make sure that your cord is nowhere near what you are trimming. Cutting the cord while the hedger is in use can be very dangerous.

Safety Tips For Using Hedge Trimmers

Speaking of safety, your hedger should have an auto-stop system that stops the blade in under half a second. You can also buy one with a locking starter that will prevent accidental startup.

Very small hedgers that are known as "detail trimmers" can be used for small areas of if you're sculpting a bush into an intricate shape.

The popularity of hedgers has gone down in recent years because many plant experts say plants do better when they are trimmed selectively rather than wholesale. But some people really like the neat, landscaped look of a hedge or row of shrubs that is neatly manicured.

If you are going to use a hedger in your yard, make sure you always wear safety goggles when the hedger is in operation, remove debris from the area before trimming, and make sure before you buy that you are comfortable holding the hedge trimmer at the level you will need to trim and with your arms extended. If it's too heavy for you, find a lighter model. You certainly don't want to drop the hedger while it is running.

No matter how well you maintain your lawn throughout the years, it will still need to be aerated in order to maintain good water and air flow to the soil. In order for water and air to penetrate the soil properly, there should be small pockets, like pores, that allow for the air and water to flow properly. Over time, though, foot traffic, grass clippings and debris will begin to close off those pockets, making it harder for water and air to penetrate the soil. When this happens, the soil and grass will no longer be able to breathe properly.

Gardeners will notice that their lawn just doesn’t achieve its optimal lushness, no matter how often they cut, water, weed eat and fertilize. Lawn aeration is a simple procedure that can help to reestablish the pockets needed to allow water, air and nutrients to penetrate the soil, returning the lawn to its optimal beauty.

So how do you go about lawn aeration? Although it sounds like a difficult process that would most likely involve a landscaping professional, lawn aeration can actually be done at home. Of course, if you have a large amount of land, you may want to consider hiring professionals or a professional equipment to help speed up the process, but for most homeowners with a regular sized lawn, aeration should not be a difficult task. Lawn aeration from a professional landscaping company will cost at least a few hundred dollars, depending on the size of the land.

Economical Lawn Aeration Methods

Other more economical forms of lawn aeration include purchasing lawn aeration shoes. Of course this will only work if your yard is small enough to cover by walking across in a short amount of time. Lawn aeration shoes cost between $20-$50, look similar to cleats, but instead have long spikes on the bottom that will re-open pockets in the soil for proper nutrients to get back into the soil. These shoes can be purchased at a local lawn and garden store or can be ordered online through a specialty lawn and garden company.

Another way to go about aerating your lawn is to rent or buy your own lawn aeration machine from a landscaping company or from a lawn and garden store. Renting a machine costs roughly $50, while purchasing your own machine will cost between $150-$200, depending on the brand purchased. The plus side of an aeration machine is that it can cover more ground in a shorter period of time than with a pair of lawn aeration shoes. The machine is fairly compact, approximately the size of a large seed spreader, and can fit easily into a storage shed or garage.

How often Should You Aerate

So, how often should you aerate your lawn? This truly depends on how often you mow, how often it rains in your area and how often you fertilizer the [lawn] . Keep in mind that the main factors for compacting the lawn soil are debris, such as grass clippings, leaves, and fertilizers, as well as excessive water that will also compact the soil. Even the healthiest lawns need to be aerated at least once a year, but for gardeners who are watering, fertilizing and mowing more often, it doesn’t hurt to aerate at least twice a year. You may want to get into the habit of aerating at the beginning of spring and again in the fall to receive the most benefit. Most lawns will become compacted from the winter weather and can be rejuvenated in the spring. Lawns will also become compacted from all the summer mowing, watering and the fall leaves collecting on the lawn, so aerate again in the fall months.

Lawn Dethatching is often confused with lawn aeration but the processes are two completely different lawn maintenance procedures. Both will help with keeping your lawn looking lush and beautiful though. Lawn thatch is a layer of clippings, debris, leaves, grass stems and roots that settles onto the ground. For lawns that are regularly raked and cared for, not much thatch will accumulate and the rest will eventually decompose. But for lawns that see excessive amounts of thatch, for lawns that are not properly cared for or for lawns that have never been aerated, lawn dethatching may be necessary.

What Is Dethatching

Dethatching the lawn is simply removing the thatch that has built up over time. To know whether or not your lawn needs dethatching, simply observe the lawn to see if is has stopped responding or slowed down responding to fertilizers and waterings. You may even notice that no matter what you try, your lawn just doesn’t have the same lush look it had in years past. This means that the proper nutrients aren’t getting into the soil because the thatch is too heavy and won’t allow air and water to penetrate the soil.

If this seems to be the case, then you may need to dethatch your lawn. Keep in mind that not everyone needs to go about lawn dethatching. Some gardeners can instead simply aerate their lawn or do regular maintenance of picking up grass and leaf clippings. Eventually, though, almost everyone will have to do some type of lawn dethatching , but there really is no routine that each lawn needs. The major reason that each lawn is different is simply because some thatch is good for providing nutrients for the soil, as well as protection from sunlight and excessive rain, usually up to ½ an inch of thatch.

The best time to dethatch a lawn is in the spring. It is best not to try and dethatch a lawn in the fall or winter months because more debris will collect during those months and will simply negate the lawn dethatching process. It is also best not to go about lawn dethatching in the hot summer months when there may be a drought, heat wave or a chance that the lawn will not be able to get the proper water nutrients it needs to recover from a harsh dethatching process.

Using Power Dethatching Machines

Power dethatching machines can be rented from a [lawn and garden] store or landscaping company. These machines will help to “rake” up the debris and thatch that has covered the lawn. Dethatching machines are really only necessary for yards that are close to an acre or more in size. If you have a normal sized yard, you can simply go about manually dethatching with a leaf rake or a specialty dethatching rake. Although a power dethatching machine may be less time consuming, it tends to be a little more stressful on the lawn and should definitely only be done when the weather is cool and there will be plenty of opportunity for rain to replenish the thatched areas, usually in the early spring months.

Also keep in mind that you may need to power dethatch if you have more than an inch or an inch and a half of thatch covering most parts of the yard. It would be difficult to manually thatch with any more coverage than this. If you are using a thatching or yard rake, then it is important to make sure all of the thatch is picked up from the yard once you have compiled it into one area of the lawn.