Time for backyard blitz

WHO said spring cleaning had to be confined to the indoors? With longer days and pleasant daytime temperatures, it is the perfect time of year to have a clean-up outside as well.

Many plants in the garden are coming back to life after winter and need pruning to stimulate new growth in the run-up to summer.

There are others that need shaping and containing to ensure they do not go wild in the growing season.

Hayden Campbell, who owns Urban Outdoor Power Equipment at North Lakes, said spring was a great time to get out in the yard and have a good clean-up.

It is a chance to turn over garden beds, prune bushes, tidy up or cut down trees, clear paths and outdoor areas of dead leaves and other matter, trim hedges and remove weeds.

“Right now, I’m finding a lot of people are doing trimming and hedging. All your hedges are starting to grow quite quickly after winter,” Mr Campbell said.

“The rain we had early last week will create a lot of growth as well with the heat coming. So, hedge trimmers and pole saws are the main tools people will be using. Towards the end of next month, it’s going to be brush cutters and push mowers.”

“For your general-purpose clean-up, you’ll need a chainsaw, hedge cutter, pole saw and all of that sort of gear especially if you’re doing big trims on big trees.

“If it’s more a lawn renovation, then a good lawn mower, whipper snipper and small pruning shears are perfect.”

Mr Campbell said his store stocks Stihl products for small and larger properties, and commercial use.

Battery-powered products are a good option because they are easy to start, light-weight and will do the job.

“It’s particularly the case for the chainsaw, it is easy to start. It is the same with the whipper snipper and the blower. For female operators and even elderly gentleman who can’t start other machines, these are perfect,” he said.

“A lot of people with pacemakers can’t use electronic ignitions, but they can use battery because it’s insulated. They’re not just for women, they are for everyone. They are good, you can do anything with them.”

Mr Campbell said small mid-range options were perfect for medium to larger properties and once the big jobs are done, you can enjoy the space for a while.

“It will be a good 12 months until it has to be done again, which is where battery-powered equipment is really handy. With petrol, 12 months of it sitting in the shed … the fuel goes stale, things get hard to start … with the battery, you plug it in the wall, you charge it put it in the machine and away you go,” he said.

“It’s a big benefit in the battery side of things.”

HAYDEN’S TOP TOPS

1. Buy quality, don’t buy cheap products. If you buy a cheaper brand, you’ll buy it twice.
2. Make sure you’ve got the right product for your yard. There are three different ranges to choose from and you have to know what you need.
3. Safety. Make sure you have safe machinery for the job. All the Stihl products have three-point engagement and you have to have all three engaged before you start it. Whereas many other products you pull the trigger and it will run.
4. If unsure get some advice. There’s no question the team can’t answer. They are there to help.
5. Chat to an expert about the size of your block and what run-time you’ll need from your battery. You want to be able to do the whole job without having to put the battery on charge.

For more information, visit urbanope.com.au or phone 3519 4500