Even if the rest of your lawn is green and even, it is going to look unsightly if the edges are uneven and shaggy. However, creating a clean edge is not always as simple as it might seem. If you've been attempting to edge your lawn but it is still looking like a toddler gave it a haircut, then here are some tips you will want to follow.
Remove any excess soil and roots first.
If you have not regularly edged your lawn, then roots may have begun to migrate over the concrete and into any cracks along the edges. Soil may slowly come with them. You can't get a nice edge if you have soil and roots up on the concrete. So, before you bring out a trimmer at all, you need to remove the excess dirt. You can do this by scraping the soil and weeds back with a garden hoe or by using a dedicated landscaping tool called an edger. An edger looks like a tiny shovel; the edge is slightly sharp. Use it with short strokes until there is a clear line between your lawn and the concrete pad.
Flip your trimmer over.
You can use an electrical or gas trimmer to edge your lawn. But in either case, the secret is to turn it upside down. You want the blade to be spinning vertically so that it nips any blades of grass that are reaching over the concrete. Slowly lower the trimmer down and pass it along the edge of the concrete, going parallel with the concrete.
Do a little at a time.
If your grass is overhanging the concrete by more than an inch or two, trim it back little by little. Just take an inch off during the first pass. Then go back and make a second pass, and a third if needed. This type of slow, successive trimming results in a smoother, more even edge than taking all the grass at once.
Keep up with it.
Don't wait until the lawn looks shaggy to edge it again! You should really be doing this once a week, or perhaps every two weeks during slower growing seasons. The grass will stay healthier if you are trimming it a little bit now and then, rather than all at once.
With these lawn edging tips, you will get crisp results that make the neighbors jealous. Reach out to lawn edging professionals for more help.