How to Cut Tall Grass without a Mower

How to Cut Tall Grass without a Mower?

7 minutes

Using a mower is a very popular and common way of maintaining your lawn and cutting the tall grass. But many people do not own one because of shortage of space, struggling with how to operate, raising environmental issues, and many other potential reasons. If any of these resonate, surely you’re looking to replace a mower with other options to take care of your lawn, right? 

So, how to cut tall grass without a mower is a vital question for people who are facing trouble with their mower. 

Homeowners who are searching for cutting tools have many other options for keeping their lawn attractive and healthy. You can even cut tall grass without the power of a mower.

For your convenience, we’ve compiled a list of all of the options and how to use other tools for cutting tall grass. 

Let’s go ahead and find your ultimate solution: 

How to Cut Tall Grass without a Mower: The Ultimate Guide 

You have so many options for cutting tall grass instead of using a mower. Some of which are: a string trimmer, scythe, shears, hedge trimmer, sickle; you can even use goats or your hands to cut the tall grass and save your lawn from becoming overgrown. 

Now it’s time to let you know how these tools work and function for your lawn. 

A String trimmer

woman Mowing the Grass

The problem with a lawn mower is a storage problem. People face trouble storing them in their limited space. A lawn mower even creates overall messiness with all the green residue and color after cutting the grass.

So, many of you might have issues with owning a lawn mower. In this situation, an electrical trimmer is a possible solution!

This is comparatively thinner and taller than a mower. So you can easily store it anywhere. Moreover, it’s also easier to use than a mower.

The best part of a string trimmer is that it’s cordless and comes with a battery system. So, you can easily move it anywhere to cut. 

How String Trimmer Works

  • Before trimming the grass, check whether it’s fully dried or not. If the grass is wet or drenched, due to rain or morning dew, you should not cut it because it may give the grass an uneven shape. 
  • Next, check how long the extension cord is and what distance it can withstand. Sometimes you may need the cord setup. By properly setting it up, you can make the trimmer more convenient to use. The extension cord setup will free you from relocating the plug repeatedly. 
  • Now, you have to take a comfortable stance and grip the handle of the trimmer properly. You can start it by simply holding the head of the trimmer near the grassroots.

This procedure could potentially create some mess, spreading the grass over the lawn. So you’ll need to wipe down your lawn at the end to discard the excess. 

Scythe 

to harvesting a field with old scythe

There are so many people who are opting for the old-school style of cutting grass, with the use of a scythe.

A scythe is a large metal blade that comes with a long wooden handle. The blade of the scythe is curved and it uses the back and forth motion to cut the grass.

It can be effective once you get used to it, and you don’t have to need any kind of power system to use it. 

How Scythe Works

  • First, hold the scythe comfortably and take a firm position to grasp it. Then, arrange your scythe so that it sits horizontally, this will help you cut the tall grass easily and effectively.
  • Even a mower might not work well with tall grass because this sort of grass clogs the mower and creates a jam within the system. But with the help of a scythe, you can cut the long grass easily. 

Shears 

Cutting grass using grass shears

Shears are the large-scale scissors that you need to hold with two hands. 

For using shears, you’ll need knee pads in order to keep your knees and elbows down to the ground while cutting the grass. It can cause pain and discomfort in some cases, so it’s best to use knee pads. 

Shears do take much longer to take care of a yard full of tall grass. So, if you are an impatient person, then this is not for you. On the other hand, it is good to clean small areas. 

A Hedge trimmer

Cutting a hedge with electrical hedge trimmer. Selective focus

A hedge trimmer is an effective and fast way to get rid of tall grass within a few minutes. This is a small piece of equipment but works really well to trim the grass and give it a perfect shape.

It can cut grass and shrubbery with ease, but it takes some extra time if you are not familiar with the tool. Moreover, safety is a very important issue here, for instance your hand could be injured by the sharp blade of the hedge trimmer, or the grass can be cut unevenly. 

The best part of a hedge trimmer is you can cut and shape the grass at the same time. You can cut all of these with just one swipe. If you use a hedge trimmer, then you don’t even need any other tools. It will do every job. 

A Sickle

Historic sickle for cutting grass.

A sickle is an agricultural tool which is a grass hook or a bagging hook. This has a curved shape with a sharp blade that will allow you to cut the tall grass.

It is a one-handed tool. So, you have to hold the sickle in the right hand and hold some of the grass with the other hand and then place the sickle close to the grass. Now, cut it off with the help of the sickle. 

Goats

Three goats standing and eating green grass at rural meadow.

Believe it or not, goats are the best natural cutter for your lawn! Did you know there are so many people who don’t use a lawn mower of any sort? Yes. It’s true.

They use farm-friendly animals to help clean their yard. But using goats, or any other animals, to take care of long grass is not always possible everywhere. It’s a very tricky method and it’s generally used in rural areas where there are more opportunities to use them for grazing on the grass. 

Final Thoughts About Cutting Tall Grass Without A Mower

When you are cleaning an overgrown lawn without the help of a mower, you definitely need to know what other tools you can use.

Among all of the tools we’ve listed, the string trimmer and hedge trimmer would be the best, easiest, and fastest to use. 

Verdict 

With the help of so many other tools except a mower, you can do your job. It’s important to always maintain safety and have patience while getting the job done. Hopefully knowing how to cut tall grass without a mower can help you to introduce these types of equipment.

Now you can easily take care of your land without the help of professionals. 

Todd L Miles
Lawn Mowers Enthusiast
I started "Landscape and Lawns Care" to provide clients with lawn care with better service, better products and, most importantly, better ethics. My promise to every customer is to give the greenest grass possible while controlling weeds, insects, and diseases! The most important thing is that I strive to always do the right thing for you, your lawn and your wallet!