Your eyes are arguably the most important part of your body to protect while performing lawn care routines. Flying dust and debris can irritate the eyes and flying objects can cause more serious injury like blindness. ForceFlex™ Safety Eyewear by 3M's TEKK Protection brand are geared towards homeowners who are into DIY projects but don't necessarily use adequate safety gear.

One common misconception is that sunglasses can provide the same protection as safety glasses. In fact, sunglasses can make an eye injury worse with broken glass potentially injuring the eye. ForceFlex™ safety glasses eliminate the need for sunglasses with their tinted lenses which are actually able to handle the flying debris that may come their way.

Safety glasses are more stylish and comfortable than ever. They are reasonable priced and there is really no reason not to use them. An accident can happen very quickly, especially when mowing or string trimming, so don't get caught unprotected. Throw on some safety glasses.

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ForceFlex™ Safety Eyewear TEKK Protection™ brand by 3M™

The makers of the Grass Stitcher have added a complete lawn restoration program to their line-up of Grass Stitcher items. The Grass Stitcher Lawn Repair System comes with the Grass Stitcher, either 10 inch wide or 20 inch, and enough premium grass seed and starter fertilizer to repair 1000 square feet of bare or thin turf.

The Seed-N-Bag system is a simple and effective way of metering out the right amount of seed and fertilizer with a few shakes of the bag. It's also a great way to store the seed and fertilizer, and have on hand for quick, as needed applications.

Staying on top of bare patches and thinning turf is a great, chemical-free way to stay ahead of weeds and it will not get any easier or effective than the Grass Stitcher Lawn Repair System.

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Grass Stitcher Lawn Repair System

I'm a big fan of getting to know the soil that a lawn is growing in. Certainly have it tested so you can determine the pH and nutrient content, but you should also dig it up, get your hands dirty and analyze the soil profile.

Touch your soil. Squeeze it. Smell it. Is it crumbly, does it stick together to form a ball? Is it sandy or more like clay, what color is it? Are there worms present, grubs? Find these things out so you know more about your soil and what it may need or what type of grass may be more appropriate.

Soil is the stuff that grows the grass. Knowing your soil goes hand in hand with growing grass and the more you know about your soil, the easier it is to grow a great lawn.

Read more:

• How to Analyze Your Lawn Profile

• The Importance of Soil Testing

• Plant Nutrition

photo © Jamie Burke

Clippings can either be removed while mowing, dispersed out the side of the mower, or mulched back into the lawn with special mulching blades.

My preferred method is mulching the clippings. Contrary to popular belief, returning the clippings to the lawn does not promote thatch build up. The clippings are 90% water so there is very little organic matter left behind. Mulched clippings account for up to 1lb of nitrogen returned to the soil over the course of a season, reducing the amount of fertilizer needed. Mulching also saves time because you're not dealing with bagged clippings.

Mulching blades for rotary mowers have added cutting edges, enabling them to cut the grass into finer pieces and drive them down into the thatch.

If you collect your clippings with a bagging attachment, start a compost pile. You can convert your clippings into valuable compost to use as topdressing.

If you disperse your clippings out the side of your mower, be sure to stay on top of potential clumping.