3 Unique Ways to Use a Lawn Edger: Complete Beginner’s Guide

You can make your lawn clean, beautiful, and nicely organized only if you know how to use a lawn edger properly. Regular edging of the lawn will help you keep away from grassroots invading your driveway or sidewalk.

It will not matter what type of lawn edger you are using. Eventually, you will get neat and clean defined edges with your garden and lawn. You should learn every method of lawn edging for better edging work. Learning is not mandatory, but it will help you grow your experience.

Just follow these simple steps below.

Safety Guidelines to Use Edger

Before handling the tool, you must read the manual for use and maintenance. The trimmers must be handled with care, just like other cutting tools. You should wear appropriate protective gear for your safety.

You can also use a protective helmet that contains-

1. Vented helmet.
2. Pair of protective earmuffs.
3. Plastic visor.
4. Metal mesh visor.

Our Pick– Forestry Safety Helmet

Safety Instructions

1. Clear the work area by removing pebbles and debris that could get caught in the tools.
2. Check the overall condition of the lawn edger, including the cutting head, the guard, and the condition of the wire if you use a wired electric edger.
3. Make sure there is no person or animal within your work area.
4. Hold the tool firmly and place the cutting head at the level of grass to be cut.
5. Use your edger under sufficient lighting.
6. Never walk back to see any obstacles and make sure you always stay in balance.
7. If you use an electrical edger on an AC outlet, make sure your extension cord is insulated to prevent electric shock.
8. When pruning grass around trees and bushes. Do not cut wood or damage other garden equipment.
9. If the nylon string breaks, stop the machine immediately.
10. Trimmer blades continue to rotate for a few moments after stopping the machine. Keep the trimmer in the grass until the sharp edges come to a stop.
11. Unplug the trimmer if it is an electric lawn trimmer. Do not touch the hot engine.
12. Clean the trimmer after each use after cooling the engine.

3 Ways to use a Lawn Edger

There are three main methods of lawn edging. Once you learn them well, you should able to trim yours or anyone’s lawn very quickly.

The methods are as follows:

1. Trim the Front or Back Yard
2. Create a New Flowerbed
3. Refine an Existing Flowerbed

Method 1 : Trim the Front or Back Yard

Using a Lawn Edger Manually

A manual or stick lawn edger will appear as a rake handle using a semi-circular shaped blade at the handle’s end. This tool typically comes with a metal pole or a wooden handle.

To some people, it may look like a small shovel or a straight hoe.

• While using this tool, you should wear boots or shoes with solid-sole to make pressure using your foot. Because it’s a tool that needs to manage manually.
• When the soil is a little moist then its high time to cut through using a lawn edger tool since its better than the tough dry earth. In winter evade edging your flower or veggie beds when the earth is expected to be tough to work and frozen hard.

How to use a manual lawn edging tool

To start using the manual lawn edging tool, mark out the spot of your new edge.

Stick the lawn edger tool about 2 inches’ depth in the soil. While holding the edger firmly, place your foot on the tool. Using your foot push down a little to cut through the dirt.

1. Cut the turf through it and gently rock the tool. Push the handle of the tool forward and backward a little to relax and cut the edge away from the remaining of the turf.
2. It may be a good idea, slightly open the cut area to see what you have done. Now cut the next piece by moving the blade a little to the side. Carry on this process until the entire bed has fully edged.

Using a Motorized Lawn Edger

Read first the manufacturer’s instruction label to get a better idea for a specific model. Almost every lawn edging tool has two familiar settings: one is for trimming the grass, and the other one is for edging the turf.

In a few circumstances, you have the freedom to cut as you need. Before you start the motorized lawn edger set the correct setting. However, if you are using a bulky machine to cut, mark out the area visibly for your convenience. 

Method 2: Create a New Flowerbed

 Pick An Appropriate Site For Your Fresh Planting Bed. 

First, you must decide to make a fresh planting bed where to place it.

Simply ensure that you aren’t digging any place where water and power lines may hit accidentally by your garden tools. Be careful you also might hit the sewer pipes.

1. It’s not recommended to make a plant bed where rainwater doesn’t go away easily. Stay away from marshy places where puddles form.
2. But if you have no other choice or place to make a plant bed, you have to increase the bed height to keep the water away from the bed.

Mark Out The Site of Your New Plant Bed. 

Are you planning to make a plant bed shape of a rectangular or square? You should mark out the site using chalk, string, pegs or a spray can.  After marking your bed, start digging and defining the edges of your bed using a lawn edger.

Begin your work from outside of the marking are.  

After Making Your First Cut Go For A Second One, Nearly 1 Inch Inside From The Beginning. 

When you have made your full line visible, cut off the bed’s edge, the second cut should be slightly towards the first cut nearly 01 inches inside.

That way it will create an easily removable narrow strip of turf.

After Removing The Turf Strip, Continue Digging Up The Remaining Of The Plant Bed. 

As soon as you complete the entire length, go on your knees and pull up the 01-inch-wide left out turf from inside by using a spade.

You should improve the soil by digging up again before planting.

Method 3: Refine an Existing Flowerbed

When necessary reshape the edges of your flowerbed. 

After sometime Your lawn may become a bit messy. This is a common scenario if you are living in a place with sandy or chalky soil. Or if you had a plenty of people on your lawn hanging around constantly for a couple of days. This could also damage the edges.

1. Once this occurs, you need to redefine the boundaries of your lawn with a lawn edging machine. Don’t do it too often or your bed will grow a little every time you reshape the edges. So don’t be overexcited.
2. Preserve them as they are if your edges are repeatedly messy, think of using an edging tool.

Cut A New Edge Nearly 01 Inches From The Older One. 

Use an edging tool as defined above to cut a fresh new edge roughly one inch inside from the previous edge. Make your lawn edge slightly wider if it’s been severely damaged. After you’ve made a noticeable cut and make a cut again complete lines of the bed 01 inches from its previous location.

1. If you are considering mulching your plant bed, simply rake out the mulch to fill up the slightly broader zone of the newly created bed. While edging, lead the blade between the edge of your driveway or sidewalk and the grass.
2. Lookout for mailboxes, trees, flowerbed edging, and other problems because you can damage them, and as well as these can wear down your lawn edging blade. So, by now I am hoping you know how to use a lawn edger on your own.