With the nights getting lighter and the temperatures finally lifting by a few degrees you might want to start pruning or cutting back the unruly trees in your garden.  Most trees and shrubs benefit from annual pruning. It keeps them in shape, gets rid of dead or diseased wood and encourages new growth. Now is a good time to make a start before the growing season starts and the new shoots and buds appear. Different trees will have different responses to being pruned so make sure you pick the right time to do yours. Don’t prune in Spring when trees are producing sap as cutting can damage, and trees can bleed to death.

Think about the tools you will need for the job. Any high or large work will probably need to be done by a professional. Don’t attempt these jobs yourself and seek advice if you’re in doubt.

Larger branches can be cut with a chainsaw if required. A normal domestic chainsaw can have a bar length of between 12 to 18″. Larger sizes are for professional users only.

For light pruning of branches of up to approx 2″ a multi-tool with a pruning saw attachment is ideal. Several manufacturer’s now produce a pruning saw for their combi units including Hitachi, Echo, Ryobi and Mitox. With extension shafts these attachments can usually reach up to 12ft.

With all of these machines make sure you have the correct Safety Clothing, gloves and protective head gear should be worn as a minimum. You can also add ear muffs or defenders as well.

 Pruned branches can then be chipped to use as mulch on the borders.

New for the 2010 season a range of Lawn Tractors from Yard-King.

  The YK50 Rider is a grass collecting model with a 176 litre collector and mulch kit included. Powered by a 10.5hp Briggs & Stratton engine it has a hydrostatic gearbox and is capable of a 30″ cutting width with it’s rear discharge cutter deck.

Yard-King side discharge tractors are ideal for bigger gardens. With a 2 blade cutting system, large areas are quickly covered.

The YK60M and YK60H Lawn Tractors feature either a manual or hydrostatic gearbox. Both have a powerful 15.5hp Briggs & Stratton engine.Single cylinder engines have ample power for cutting fine lawns or tackling long wet grass on rough areas and slopes. and have a mulch kit included. You can also have an optional 274 litre 2-Bin collector fitted to the machine.

The Yard-King YK50 Rider

Yard-King Lawn Tractor

These tractors are also equipped with Yard-Kings unique toolless deck leveling system and are built on a step-through design increasing the operators legroom and also aiding in mounting and dismounting the tractor. Both have a cutting width of 42″/107cm and cutting height of between 38-114mm. They also have headlights fitted as standard.

AL-KO 38VLB Scarifier/Aerator

Aerating a lawn is literally the process of creating air channels in the lawn to let it ‘breathe’ so air can circulate around the grass roots encouraging better growth. Aerating also helps to prevent moss growth, improves the grass roots development and increases the water and nutrient uptake into the soil promoting strong new growth.

Agri-Fab Walk Behind Aerator

 Natures aerators are of course worms but you can  aerate the lawn yourself. This can be done either by hand or with a machine depending on the size of your lawn. Aerating is either done by removing small cores of soil usually with hollow tines or by making slits or cuts in the ground.Spike aerators use a series of rotating star-shaped tines that slice into the soil to allow seed, fertilizer, water, air, light and nutrients to reach the grass roots.

Hand machinery which can do these jobs include  the Agri-Fab Walk Behind aerator and the Sheen Hollow Tine aerator. You can buy larger machines which will take all the hard work out of aerating such as the AL-KO Comfort 38VLE an electric model which also scarifies or the AL-KO 38VLB a petrol combi machine which can scarify and aerate by changing between the 2 cassettes.

Spring is just around the corner now so it’s a good idea to start thinking about the jobs that will need doing in the garden. The milder weather and Spring rains will both mean that the growing season will start shortly.

Have a good look around your garden and make a list if you have to of all the jobs you might need to do. Do the borders need tidying, are there leaves and debris on the lawn or on any paths. If you have hedges do they need a light prune or trim. Checking the lawn, have a look for moss and weeds. It might need scarifying. Which removes material usually thatch or moss that would otherwise prevent a good dense grass growth.

If you haven’t already done so make sure your garden machinery is in good working order. If you need to, get any machines serviced now so you will be ready for that first prune or mow. You don’t want to have a few inches of grass to cut then realise the mower won’t start or the blades are blunt and need sharpening or replacing.

• Collect and compost if possible any leaves and debris from the lawn and borders.
• Check garden machinery is working and ready for use.
• Tidy up any borders from weeds and debris
• Check the lawn for moss and weeds and consider scarifying

One of the first  jobs to consider in the garden at Springtime is the care of your lawn. The Winter months have probably taken their toll and it’s looking a bit worse for wear now but with a little TLC your lawn can look beautiful again this year.

Scarifying removes material usually in the form of thatch or moss that would stop a good even, dense growth of fresh grass.Lawns with moss or thatch don’t wear well and during dry spells starve new grass of much needed moisture for growth. Don’t start scarifying until the grass is growing fairly well so you don’t destroy any new growth too early. You could be left with a patchy lawn for the summer!

 Depending on the size of your garden this job can either be completed by hand with a lawn rake or with a machine. Electric and petrol models are available for this job. Mountfield have an electric model the VE32 which is ideal for smaller lawns. For bigger areas a petrol machine might be a better idea and a sound investment for future years. Recommended machines include the Mountfield S38 and the AL-KO Powerline 3800VB.

After you have completed this job you might want to encourage new grass growth by aerating the lawn and feeding with a lawn fertiliser.

Masport started as a manufacturing company in New Zealand in 1910. Since then the Masport brand has become a symbol for good quality and reliable outdoor equipment. They produced their first hand mowers in the 1930s and by 1938 their first petrol model. Today Masport offers a range of quality lawn and garden products for the consumer, exporting to over 30 countries worldwide.

For Spring 2010 Masport has introduced the RRSP-22 Petrol Rear Roller Lawnmower. This mower has an exceptionally large 22″ cutting width suitable for even the largest gardens. If you are looking for the ‘Wimbledon’ stripe effect on your lawn this is the mower for you. The cutting height can be lowered to 10mm giving a superb bowling green appearance to the lawn. The steel rear roller is a full width 22″ giving extra wide bands to the cut. Masport have also fitted one of the new generation of Briggs & Stratton engines to this model. The 190cc XVS60 engine is powerful yet quieter than older types and with improved fuel efficiency and less emissions you can mow with less impact on the environment.

The RRSP-22 also comes with a large 70 litre capacity grass collection bag and with ‘Aero’ technology the bag will pack in the grass so it doesn’t have to be emptied as often. The hard top cuts down dust in drier conditions.

New from Murray for Spring 2010.

The new Murray MXMH 850E Petrol, Rotary Lawnmower is a new generation of Briggs & Stratton powered Eco mowers. The 850E features the new Eco Plus engine technology which is friendlier to the environment than more traditional engines. Briggs & Stratton have modified this engine with improved components, put a carbon element in the fuel cap, made low permeation fuel lines (i.e less fuel,gas vapour leakage) and put either a metal or fluorinated tank on the machines.

Murray Green MXMH 850E 3 in 1 Lawnmower

 All these features help to reduce the total amount of evaporative emissions produced by the lawnmower.

The Murray Green is self propelled, has 4 wheels and can mulch, collect or discharge the grass clippings from the rear. The collection bag is made from soft fabric and will hold up to 65 litres. The lawnmower has a cutting width of 52cm and height of between 20-80mm. Available from March 2010 for £389.

New for the 2010 season a range of petrol chainsaws from Mitox.

In response to the growing demand for a reasonably priced petrol chainsaw, Mitox have produced a range of 4 excellent value for money machines. The range all feature 2-stroke engines, Walbro carburettors and Oregon bar and chains.

 Each saw has either a recoil assist start or a decompression value starter. Both ensure that the saw starts quickly and effortlessly. With bar lengths from 14 – 20″s and prices ranging from £129 for the 3814 37cc model to £189  for the 5020 49cc 20″  there is a chainsaw to suit all pockets.

New for 2010 and Spring, Mantis have introduced a range of Garden and Lawn Care Packages for their Petrol and Electric Tillers.

Every petrol and electric tiller comes complete with a Kickstand and Border Edger as standard. The New Mantis 4-Stroke Tiller has a powerful Honda engine, weighs just 11kg and can easily till down up to 25cm/10″ in depth. Pushbutton priming makes for easy starts with no fuel mixing required and will run all day on 5 litres of petrol.

The Eco-Friendly Mantis Electric Tiller is a lightweight machine weighing just 9.5kg. It has a 3-Speed 230 volt motor and like it’s petrol brother will till down up to 25cm/10″ in depth. Supplied with a 10 metre cable the tines also have a lifetime guarantee.

The Mantis Lawn Care Package includes either the Petrol or Electric tiller plus the Kickstand, Border Edger, Lawn Dethatcher and Lawn Aerator attachments.

The Mantis Garden Package includes either the petrol or electric tiller plus the kickstand, border edger, planter and plough attachments.

New for 2010 from Little Wonder a range of 8 Electric Hedgetrimmers.

The Hedgetrimmers feature both single and double blades and have dual reciprocating blades which can cut shrubs and hedges up to 1/2″ thick. The new design produces 10db reduction in sound pressure (the sound the user hears), and an 8db reduction in total noise.

The Little Wonder 2420, 110v, double edged hedge trimmer has a dual reciprocating blade which will cut new growth and established heavy growth up to 1.2cm thick in shrubs and hedges, cleanly and quickly. Priced at £229 this hedge trimmer is excellent value for money.

Little Wonder 2420 Electric Hedgetrimmer

The machines are lightweight the heaviest being just 4.6kg. The ergonomic handle is designed to fit the user’s hands and reduces fatigue. The balancing of the machines means that reduced vibration makes the trimmers easier to hold and manoeuvre. Each machine comes with a 2 Year Consumer/ 1 Year Commercial Limited Warranty.