Ah, the aroma of freshly mown grass. Few scents better evoke the essence of summer. Mowing grass can be satisfying on so many levelsfrom having a beautiful, healthy lawn to getting out in the sunshine and enjoying some exercise.
There is a downside, however: Grass clippings. Wait too long to mow and you'll end up with long rows of ugly, dead brown grass clippings on top of your beautiful green lawn. Environmentalists and lawn experts advise us to leave the clippings on the lawn as natural fertilizer. But that isn't always practical. Small children or pets can track dead grass into the house. And heavy loads of grass clippings can turn spring lawn dethatching into a nightmare, adding fungus and bacteria as an unwanted bonus.
Many of us opt for raking up those ugly clippings and getting them out of the way. Whatever you decide to do with your dead grass clippings (bag them or mulch them) there's one thing you can't avoid. You're going to have to rake. Raking is not just a tough job, it's also known to be a leading cause of back strain during the summer and fall. You can avoid both by having the right tools for the job.
A new invention eliminates much of the work of removing leaves and debris from your yard. The Leaf Glutton is manufactured by Felknor Ventures of Oak Ridge, Tenn., the same company that brought the TopsyTurvy Upside Down Tomato Planter to the world of gardening.
The Leaf Glutton eliminates the need to bend over while collecting grass clippings or leaves. Leaf Glutton actually allows the user to grab and lift up to a bushel basket full of material at a time, all while standing up. Touted to cut fall leaf-raking duties in half, this patented device allows for easy removal of grass clippings and other yard debris such as leaves, small branches, and shrub and hedge trimmings. Another bonus: If the lawn debris is thorny or sticky, you never touch it.
Leaf Glutton features two light-weight, easy-to-handle wide-headed, specially designed rakes held together at the top of their handles by the Leaf Glutton, acting exactly like a giant hinge. This simple hinging action allows the two rakes to open up wide, like a set of giant tongs, to easily grab and lift yard debris. The design allows these two rakes to swivel completely around and 'spoon' or 'nest' against each other, allowing two rakes to be used by one personexactly as a single rake could ?Cto rake and collect material into a pile. A set of two rake heads raking simultaneously allows super fast raking and extra clean lawn surfaces.
If you're lucky enough to have a partner raking with you, Leaf Glutton also allows one of its rakes to be quickly and easily disengaged from the other so both workers can individually have a wide-headed rake to use. This is done by simply turning one rake at a 90 degree angle, allowing it to slip out of the Leaf Glutton locking system. Absolutely no tools are required and this takes only about five seconds. To 'reattach' the rakes together, you need only reverse this action.
The Leaf Glutton also features a top tamping disc that can be used to 'tamp' or 'pack down' twice as much clippings or leaves as you would normally be able to put into a bag or trash can.
Author Bio:
The Leaf Glutton is available on-line at www.topsyturvys.com, through mail order catalogs, hardware stores and garden stops. Editor��s Note: The Leaf Glutton and TopsyTurvy Upside Down Tomato Planter are registered trademarks of Felknor Ventures. - ARA
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