Lawn Edging Tips for Lafayette, LA

You mow your lawn in Lafayette every week. You weed, trim and prune the shrubs. After hours of these back-breaking chores, your lawn still doesn’t look well-manicured. One task you may have overlooked is edging. Is it really necessary? Here are some lawn edging tips for Lafayette, LA.

To edge or not to edge

The short answer? Yes and often. Edging adds curb appeal to your landscape. It provides a root barrier to prevent invasive grasses from spreading into your flowerbeds. It also cuts down on the amount of trimming you’ll need to do and keeps the walkways neat and clean.

Do I need to edge every time I mow?

If you mow your lawn every week, you may be able to get away with edging every other week. But some types of grass will need it every time you mow. St. Augustine and Zoysia do well in Lafayette’s heat and humidity, but both tend to spread and encroach into flower beds. Bermuda grass also grows quickly and can become a target for weeds if not mowed and edged often. Tall Fescue and perennial ryegrass are much easier to control and don’t need to be edged as often.

Minimal time requirements

Once you get on a good schedule of edging, you’ll find it takes you less time to do so. If you edge your lawn only once a month, you may have to spend an hour or more on the project. However, if you’re maintaining the edges, the chore will only take you about 20 minutes each time.

Don’t overdo it

You may be tempted to trim back every single blade of grass, but be careful about getting too aggressive with the edger. You don’t want to encroach on the lawn and give it a short appearance. Take a step back periodically and evaluate the neatness and limitations of your borders.

Consider the time of the year

During the summer, your grass will grow more rapidly, and it may need edging once a week. You may be able to take a break in the late fall and winter, maybe edging once a month.

Edging efficiently

If your lawn is less than a third of an acre, it may make sense to use a trimmer with a lithium-ion battery which requires no gas or electrical outlet. It’s important to wear good safety goggles and long sleeves while trimming to avoid flying debris.

To get started, position the base of your trimmer at a ten-degree angle to the ground. Make sure you start the trimmer above the grass so that it won’t shave too much. Use mostly the tip of the string, and increase the power output for thicker growth. When you trim, do so from side to side to avoid getting hit with cuttings.

You’ll need a power edger with a sharp blade for the borders around sidewalks and driveways. Make sure you have extra blades on hand and that you replace them often. A dull blade can shred the edge of your lawn.

If all this sounds like too much work, consider installing permanent edging around your flower beds. Keep in mind, metal and plastic edging can shift, so you’ll still have to maintain and weed the edges.