“The autumn leaves are tumbling, the skies are turning grey,
forget your rake-bound fumbling, and blow them all away“
So wrote the late poet laureate Sir Henry Filbert-Mossop in his award winning collection of poetry “Odes To The Seasons”. Born in Swallow-On-The-Naze in South Rutland, Sir Henry …Sorry. Sorry. Ok. I can’t keep this up, I admit it. I’m making it all up. There is no Henry Filbert-Mossop. I wrote the verse because I was having trouble thinking of an opening to today’s blog and making stuff up always works if you have a vivid imagination, can fling a couple of stanzas together and are in possession of no scruples whatsoever. Mea culpa. My bad.
Anyhow. I’m there now. I am bathed in the beauty and russet toned brilliance of autumn, as it is that period of the year loved by poets, painters and conker champions everywhere. Not that conkers are allowed anymore unless you are wearing safety googles and a kevlar protective vest. Rather like leaf blowing.
No-on should leave their leaves on the grass they can rot and encourage pests, block any sunlight and damage your lawn. Neither should you leave leaves on paths and patios, particularly if you have business premises, as they can be a slip hazard and you could be liable for damages should someone fall and injure themselves. Believe me you don’t want those ‘injury lawyers for you’ people on your back.
So it’s time to put down that newspaper, switch off Game of Thrones, drag your eyes away from your mobile phone and get out there and blow some leaves.
However. It’s a dark art is leaf blowing, like playing the tambourine and playing football well. Everyone thinks they can do it but there is more to it than you think. Everyone seems to think you just switch on your blower of choice and point but there is a skill involved and some tips and techniques that can help. Here are a few.
1/ Choose a good day. If it’s blowing a gale outside your little blower will be the equivalent of a pilchard taking on a great white shark. If the wind is blowing the leaves off your lawn…great. If it isn’t (and for every leaf that falls, there is likely to be another one coming down) then just wait until you get a calm spell. Oh and don’t bother in a heavy rain. Unless you have an industrial blower with the built in power of a tornado you won’t shift them.
2/ Think about where you are going to blow them. You can’t just blow them off your property onto the road or someone else’s lawn or plot. It’s just not right. I know people do it, in fact I watched a chap yesterday just blowing them off his lawn on to the road, but you can be more public spirited and clever than that. Blow them into piles and either gather them up and dispose of them carefully, burn them (if you are allowed bonfires) or compost them to use as mulch.
3/ Think about your angle. When you are blowing, keep your angle shallow and use a sweeping back and forth movement, almost like a strimmer, this should keep your blowing even. Try to go in one direction too or you could end up with leaves everywhere.
4/ Protect yourself. I know you’ll think I’m being all Health and Safety Police about this but googles really are a good idea, since you never know what might fly up at you, also if you have a big manly petrol blower you will probably want ear defenders. Cordless blowers may well be quieter but either way, some protection is not a bad idea.Oh, and think about your pets, children and your neighbours, particularly if you are using a loud blower. Be thoughtful about when you do it. Midnight lleaf blowing is pretty much a no-no everywhere.
5/ Have a rake handy too. You will never shift every leaf, even if your blower is the best in the world and you can easily go back a grab a few you may have missed. A spring tined rake is best.
Professional machine: Tanaka THB 260PF leaf blower
And as for blowers? Here are some good examples of quality machines…Well. You can go for petrol with this serious and powerful yet affordable blower from top company Tanaka. The Tanaka THB-260PF Commercial-Grade Handheld Petrol Blower-Vac retails on our site at £268.00, £100 cheaper than the RRP and is described by one customer as “Commercial quality at an economical price” he goes on to say “…starts in a couple of pulls and then just purrs! The blow power was enough to create a 4-6″ wave of Cypressa tree droppings which I then just had to scoop into the bin. I cannot wait for the leaves to drop so I can play some more! The Tanaka is a pleasure and well worth the money.
Alternatively, you could try a mains electric model, like the STIHL SHE-71 Electric Hand-Held Garden Blower-Vac. Stihl is a brand with a big reputation, and this model, costing £129.00, seems to live up to it with one customer saying…“Very Pleased…Does a very good job”
This model has cable strain relief to protect your cable from the usual stretches and struggles and 3-in-1 capability with blowing, powerful suction and a heavy-duty mulch blade that will shred leaves and so on to a ratio of 12:1. Impressive.
Finally, and increasing exponentially in popularity it seems, you could try a cordless battery powered blower. our Redback E435CDQ-6Ah Leaf Blower is a case in point, with great power and the low weight and ease of use associated with cordless tools, which are now rivalling the power of petrol. As one professional gardener user was impressed “has it got enough puff? The answer is not blowing in the wind. It’s a firm yes – as good as anything I have used before”. This is on special offer for £249.00 instead of £406 and includes the blower, a fast charger, a powerful and long-lasting 6-Ah battery and a supporting, convenient power belt. What’s not to like?
So that’s it from me. happy blowing. Oh, and if you need any help and advice on blowers or any other essential gardening equipment, just call us on 0345 4588 905 (9am-5pm Mon-Fri & 10am -4pm Sat) and one of our frienldy asnd ever-so-knowledgable team with give you any help you need…
“…impressed with the expert advice I was given… I couldn’t be happier. Five stars.” TIM
And enjoy your garden. Drew Hardy
