BEAT THE HAZARDS OF FREEZING TEMPERATURES WITH A SPREADER FROM THE GREEN REAPER

The sudden and unexpected freezing weather conditions of late have led to hazardous conditions, not only on our roads, but on our paths, driveways, patios and school playgrounds have become icy.

Quickly make these areas safe by spreading sand or salt using one of our garden spreaders. In particular, the TurfMaster SB4500MG 45kg Push-Type Broadcast Spreader is a delux semi-commercial year round speader which covers areas quickly and efficiently. Pneumatic tyres make for effortless use and exceptionally good grip, whilst the strong poly hopper means the SB4500MG is a very durable piece of equipment.

Supplied fully assembled complete with plastic rain cover, this spreader is suitable for the distribution of sand and salt during winter, as well as seed and fertiliser in spring and autumn.

For full product details, follow the link below:-

http://www.thegreenreaper.co.uk/showdetails.asp?id=945

KEEPING LEAVES AT BAY...

Besides the beautiful picturesque views that autumn brings, there is one hurdle that all gardeners face. As autumn approaches, leaves fall to the ground making lawns, patios and gardens look untidy as well as presenting a potential hazard on paths and walkways. In the past it was common for gardeners to have to tirelessly rake their lawn by hand in order to remove leaves, which was a very time consuming and tiring job. The same job can be done today in a fraction of the time with one of AL-KO's powerful blower / vacuums.

Handheld Blower / Vacuum

For small to medium sized gardens, the AL-KO Hurricane is the perfect companion, either blow or vacuum leaves quickly and easily, clearing the lawn / path and producing a fine leaf mulch for use as compost around the garden. The AL-KO Hurricane is leightweight yet powerful and, with its front mounted roller wheels, it is extremely easy to use, especially in hard to reach corners of the garden.

Wheeled Vacuum

With the 750B and 750H Easy-Vac, the job gets even easier. These powerful petrol wheeled vacuums can cover large areas easily, with a large 200 litre collection bag and a 75cm working width, both models are perfect for large lawns and patios, as well as for clearing driveways and paths. The 750B is powered by a Briggs & Stratton engine, while the Easy-Vac is fitted with a Honda version.

THE EASIEST WAY TO A HEALTHY LAWN

Most people don't realise that their lawn is constantly growing moss and thatch on the surface of the soil. This moss and thatch prevents water, air and sunlight from reaching the grass and its roots, and therefore not allowing the grass to breath and feed. This results in an unhealthy lawn that does not have the rich green colour and thick appearance that it should.

Aerating

Aerating is a process involving blades penetrating the surface of the soil down to the roots of the grass. These blades leave slits in the surface of the soil which allows air and water into the roots of the grass, giving them more of the nutrients that they need to be healthy.

Scarifying

Scarifying is a less intense process than aerating, where spring tines spin and rake out the moss and thatch from the surface of the soil. This allows the air, water and sunlight to reach the base of the grass and its roots.

The AL-KO aerator/scarifier range is designed to eliminate these problems, and restore lawn to a rich and healthy green. With 5 models to choose in either petrol or electric, there is a perfect machine for any lawn of any size. The 32/38VLE and 38VLB Combi models are truly unique, featuring interchangeable cassettes which can aerate or scarify, and require no tools to interchange. This gives users greater flexibility around the garden, at a fraction of the price of owning two dedicated machines.

AL-KO also offers a dedicated aerator. The 250v powered 38VE and Briggs & Stratton powered 3800VB, ideal for when tough jobs demand strength and reliability.

lawn scarifiers

MAKE MORE OF YOUR GARDEN WITH AN AL-KO CULTIVATOR

The Green Reaper realises that a garden is much more than just a lawn and, in order to help you fulfill its potential, AL-KO have produced a comprehensive range of cultivators to transform gardens and allotments into superb growing plots for both flowers and vegetables.

With four models in the range, there is a machine to suite every garden's needs, from the electric hand-held GPH250 for small kitchen gardens up to the flagship MH5060 petrol model which digs heavy soil in larger flower beds and allotments.

GPH Series

The GHP250 is primarily a hand-held electric tiller, very lightweight yet powerful and perfect for turning light soil. A unique feature of the GPH is its ability to turn soil in between flowers and crops due to its compact size. This also allows for easy removal of weeds.

MH Series

The MH Series cultivators are powered by Briggs & Stratton engines and feature high quality heavy duty tines. There are three MH models, the MH350 which is suitable for kitchen gardens and smaller areas, the MH5001 which is suitable for medium to large areas including allotments, and finally the MH5060 which is better suited to larger gardens and allotments due to its large 75cm working width.

With AL-KO cultivators, preparing the ground for growing crops has never been easier.

http://www.thegreenreaper.co.uk/Cultivators-and-Tillers.asp?types=yes&type=Cultivators+and+Tillers+%3E+Cultivators

Maintaining Healthy Soil

It's important to maintain healthy soil in order to grow plants and regular cultivation is vital. It allows air to get into the soil which enables it to get warmer quicker during the growing season which speeds up the growth of your plants. It makes weeding a lot easier and has other useful purposes too. For example, the birds can get at the insects easier and it makes for better soil drainage. It also helps with the nutrients which are vital to the healthy growth of your plants.

Rotovator v Cultivator?

They are both very similar instruments in that they're designed to till the soil. However, a rotovator tends to be used for jobs that require deeper digging and its blades are more powerful helping you to turn over deeper areas of grass and soil. Cultivator blades are lighter and they are usually used in the preparation of plant and flower beds.

Advantages and Disadvantages

For most keen gardeners, the labour involved in digging, hoe-ing and forking is one of the fundamental aspects of why they took up gardening in the first place. Using these power-driven instruments for the basics of soil preparation takes away the pleasure some gardeners find in preparing the soil by hand.

Many gardens are not that large and some gardeners view rotovators as trying to crack a peanut with a large heavy mallet. They are quite expensive too so, unless you have an extremely large garden and the soil is in very bad condition, the traditional spade, fork and hoe are usually adequate. They can also be very noisy and difficult to handle but are good on large areas of soil that are mostly weed free.

One of the main disadvantages of using a rotovator is that if there are lots of perennial weeds in the soil such as nettles, dandelions and the like, a powerful rotovator will simply dig them all up but in doing so, it will shatter the roots into hundreds of tiny pieces which will then be scattered all over the area so you may end up with more weeds than you started with once all the shredded pieces have taken root.

Cultivators tend to dig more lightly and are ideal for tilling areas around trees and shrubs as well as planting furrows for things like onions, carrots, potatoes etc. They can also double up as a useful hedge trimmer and if you have a bad back, they can be a godsend as they are much less labour intensive than having to do the job manually. Removing weeds or working with fertiliser is also made easier using a cultivator.

The best advice would be to consider the size of the area you need to cultivate. If your garden is the size of a small field and the soil is basically free of weeds then a rotovator is the ideal tool although they can be very expensive so it may be worth looking at hiring one or getting someone in to do the job for you. However, for smaller areas and lighter digging a cultivator is less intrusive, more multi-functional and less likely to spread weeds around.

That said, you may still prefer to get the spade, fork and hoe out even if it takes a bit more time and involves a bit of good honest graft and sweat.

http://http//www.thegreenreaper.co.uk/Cultivators-and-Tillers.asp?types=yes&type=Cultivators+and+Tillers+%3E+Cultivators

Our Autumn Range of Garden Vacuums Will Blow You Away!

With the continuing cycle of sunshine, showers and strong winds, the early signs of autumn are already upon us.

Get ready for the abundance of falling leaves with a garden vacuum and/or sweeper from The Green Reaper.

We offer a range of garden vacuums, blowers and sweepers for every size of garden. We also sell hose kits and replacement bags compatible with most machines.


Click here to view our full range http://www.thegreenreaper.co.uk/vacuums-and-blowers.asp?types=yes&type=Vacuums+and+Blowers

Go green and recycle garden debris with a garden chipper or shredder

With the mixture of sunshine and showers we are experiencing this summer, there is no holding back the overwhelming rate of growth in the garden! Naturally, the abundence of garden debris that is generated needs to be dealt with. Traditionally much of this waste has been burnt as the most covenient form of disposal. Nowadays the environmentally-conscious gardener knows that not only is this bad for the atmosphere but it is also a waste of natural composting material.

Garden shredders are an increasingly popular and desirable option and offer an environmentally-friendly solution to this perennial problem. The volume of green waste can be drastically reduced and easily converted to valuable mulch or compost with our range of chippers and shredders.

Click HERE to view our full range of chippers and shredders.

Ryobi PBC-3046YB 30cc Brush Cutter on Special Offer with £50 off

A multi-purpose brushcutter boasting many great features and excellent value for money.The PBC-3046YB has a convenient quick release single safety harness, 3-tooth cutting blade, cow horn handles, a dual nylon line bump feed cutting head and tri arc brush cutter metal blade. Ideal for use on short and long grass, thistles and substantial tall weeds, the Ryobi PLT-2543Y petrol strimmer has a split shaft for use with 'Expand-It' add-on attachments and ease of transport.

NOW £50 OFF @ £109.99

FEATURES:
Centrifugal clutch
Zip start for less starting effort
Diaphragm carburettor to work at any angle
Electronic ignition
Anti vibration rubber mounting on engine
Straight shaft
Adjustable handle bar
Supplied complete with tri arc cutting blade, dual nylon bump feed head and safety harness
2 year manufacturer's warranty

Click to view product: http://www.thegreenreaper.co.uk/showdetails.asp?id=1429

The Green Reaper tackles credit crunch by reducing lawn tractor prices

In response to the current credit crunch, The Green Reaper is giving big savings on its most popular models of lawn tractror with up to £100 off certain models.

The Craftsman brand is our premium range of ride on lawn tractors manufactuerd by AYP (American Yard Products), the world's largest producer of lawn and garden tractors. Featuring larger horsepower engines, heavy duty 11 gauge steel frames and cast iron front axles, these lawn tractors deliver outstanding performance and are build to last.

Click on the following link to view our range of garden tractors:-

http://www.thegreenreaper.co.uk/lawn-tractors.asp?types=yes&type=Lawn+Tractors