Minding Your Mower

By Phran Novelli

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - It got warmer, we got some rain, the lawn started to grow, so you went out and gave it a mow. How's it look?

With our lingering winter and so many grey days in the spring, maybe you didn't get around to regular maintenance, after all it's not that much fun to be fumbling with cold lawnmower parts when it's chilly outside. But now that the mowing season is in full swing, if you didn't do it before, make sure you give your lawnmower a once-over: change the oil if you need to, and have your blade sharpened or replaced.

If you're not sure whether your blade is sharp, get down on your hands and knees and look at the grass you cut - if it's ratty and uneven, your blade needs sharpening. A sharp blade means a cleaner cut which is healthier for your grass, looks much neater, and it will also save you time because instead of ripping each blade you'll be slicing cleanly, so you can mow much faster and get on to doing more fun stuff with your weekend.