There are always innovations in the field of lawn mowers, whether by re-imagining the design or power source of a traditional lawnmower, to creative alternatives for managing grass growth. There are ways to keep your lawn in order that do not involve any engines; animals are a great way of keeping the grass short without any engines, noise or effort. Of course, you may not want flocks of sheep right outside your back door, but for people with paddocks and other large field areas, sheep or alpacas can be an effective way of managing the land without extensive maintenance. In fact, Devon based sculptor Diane Coates has four amusingly named alpacas keeping her land in trim; Pablo, Couscous, Capuccino and Sexy Gary were given to her in exchange for lessons and they are doing a great job. On a smaller scale, rabbits and chickens will also keep a small patch well groomed and fertilised.
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Animals used to be used to graze the parklands of stately homes; cattle breeds such as White Park and Longhorn were a favourite, admired for their horns, colouring and striking contrast with the surroundings. The lawns that were used by the owners would not have been managed by animals, but with a team of mowers armed with scythes. This skill fell out of favour with the introduction of the labour saving lawnmower, but is seeing a resurgence among those interested in traditional skills. It is also good exercise, as well as being a niche competitive sport, so there are many more aspects to modern scything than just keeping the grass short. If you have pets and buy hay for bedding, it could be worth letting a couple of swathes of your garden grow long, then using a scythe to make perfect hay for free in the summer months.
If the keep fit aspect of scything appeals, then perhaps the idea of a bicycle/lawnmower hybrid also interests you. Although not in production yet, a new conceptual design for a pedal-powered lawn mower combines exercise with garden maintenance using traditional cylinder style cutting blades driven by the user. The Grazor is the brainchild of design agency Seymourpowell and incorporates a recumbent seating position with a five speed gearbox, reverse pedal and adjustable cutting deck height.
In Kenya, two engineering students have designed and built a solar powered mower that takes advantage of the plentiful strong sunshine that the country experiences. The lawnmower has rechargeable batteries that power the engine and a headlight that allows mowing to take place in the evenings when it is not so hot. The solar powered lawnmower, invented by Emma Masibo and Lucy Bwire, reduces noise and pollution and is cheaper to run and maintain than a conventional petrol powered machine, making it a low-cost solution for schools, parks and sporting venues.
Solar power also features in an innovative riding lawnmower created by Australian scientist Jacob Strickling. Seeing his son whizz past him on a solar powered go-kart while he was mowing the lawn inspired Strickling to rig up three petrol push mowers to the back of the vehicle, allowing his son Samuel to safely mow their lawn in record time. Technically a hybrid vehicle, as it combines conventional petrol engines with renewable power, the DIY riding lawn mower takes the effort out of mowing the lawn, as Jacob can enjoy a cold beer while he watches his son making short work of the grass, sheltered from the sun by the canopy of the go-kart which houses the solar panels. Solar power probably won’t take off in the UK for powering lawnmowers, as we don’t get enough sunshine to run a powerful engine, but it is a creative application of the technology that can make a difference in sunnier countries.