If you either don’t have the funds to buy a lawn mower or the space to store one, or are pressed for time, need to cut some grass and don’t have a mower at your disposal, what are you supposed to do? It does depend somewhat on how big the area of grass you need to cut is, but there are actually more ways to cut a lawn without a lawn mower than you probably imagine.
I’ve found myself in this exact situation before. I was visiting a relative, we were blessed with great weather and I wanted to help them tidy up their yard as they’re elderly and aren’t able to give it the same level of care and attention as they used to. They didn’t have a mower though, so I had to make the best of what they did have. I’ll share the solution that I used, as well as some other good ideas if you’re wondering how to cut grass without a lawn mower!
How to Cut Grass without a Lawn Mower: Our Favorite Solutions
In my opinion, there are two good alternatives to a lawn mower for cutting the grass. One is a lot less work than the other…
String Trimmer/Weed Wacker
This would be my go-to suggestion for cutting grass without a lawn mower. It’s the next best thing and can enable you to whip a lawn into shape fairly quickly. Like a lawn mower, string trimmer or weed whackers are motorized, so you don’t have to put as much physical effort into cutting the grass as you would with other options listed below.
Rather than rolling along the ground, you carry a trimmer in your hands, and then direct the cutting head wherever you want to cut. There’s really not much to their operation, and they’re great for trimming around any awkwardly shaped features, like tree stumps, yard ornaments, etc. In fact, that’s typically what they’re used for – to go where lawn mowers can’t/find it difficult to.
For best results when cutting your grass with a weed wacker, you’re going to want to wait until the grass is dry. Wet grass can lead to issues with clumping and realllly slow you down.
I will say that you might not get as even a cut as you would with a lawn mower, because you’re holding the trimmer and might not maintain it at exactly the same height all the way around your lawn. But it’ll definitely make an overgrown lawn look a lot tidier and the quality of the finish is “good enough” for most.
A brush cutter is another similar alternative to the string trimmer that you could use if you have one of those in your shed rather than a string trimmer, and the same comments that I’ve made in this section apply. If you’ve narrowed it down to these two options, you may find this article I wrote comparing trimmer blades vs string a useful read.
Related Article: String Trimmers Made in the USA
Scythe
The other option is a bit more “old school”. My grandad used to tell me stories about using one of these on the farm that he ran. I’ve never personally used one – although I’d truly love to have a go – but I think after a string trimmer, it’d be the next best option to cut grass without a lawn mower.
A scythe has a few things going for it. Firstly, it’s quite a bit lighter than a string trimmer. Secondly, it has a very small storage footprint, so if your property doesn’t have a lot of extra room, this is something you’ll greatly appreciate. And lastly, it’s a great “green option” so you’ll be doing your bit for the environment too (a reason why some people are siding with the scythe vs lawn mower). There is no fuel, so consequently no harmful emissions.
I worked on a farm as a kid and I really enjoyed the honest work. Cutting your grass with a scythe would rekindle that feeling I imagine. But if that’s not your thing, a scythe might not be the best option for you.
Other Options for Cutting Grass without a Lawn Mower
Now I’ll warn you in advance – the two options we’ve already discussed above are by the far best IMHO. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t other answers to the question of “how to cut grass without a lawn mower?” There are some truly stupid suggestions online if you do some reading into this – hacking grass with golf clubs + cutting your lawn with hand scissors are two of the more ridiculous ones that I saw – but I’m going to stick with a few improvised solutions that might actually work for a few people.
Hedge Shears
If you have one or more hedges in your yard, this is a simple tool that you most probably have. I guess it’s not too dissimilar to the idea of hand scissors that I just dismissed as being absurd. There’s one big difference though; hedge shears are a lot bigger. So while it’ll be slow going cutting even a small lawn with hedge shears, it won’t be anywhere near as slow as it would be with hand scissors.
Even so, I wouldn’t recommend this option for an entire lawn, as you’ll be hunched over to get down low enough to cut your grass to a suitable length. I’d probably say it’d be best to move around on your knees – that’ll probably be easier on your back.
However, hedge shears are a great option if you’ve got an overgrown corner of your hard to tackle.
Hedge Trimmer
This is basically the motorized alternative to using a set of hedge shears. Again, I wouldn’t recommend this for a whole lawn, as you’ll run into the issue of being hunched over with your back bent double. But in terms of how to cut tall grass without a lawn mower, this really is a great option. With super tall grass, using any type of lawn mower isn’t really an option. And even a powerful string trimmer will likely clog.
What you need to do with extremely tall grass is quickly bring it down to a more manageable length. If you did have a mower or string trimmer, you could then use it to do the rest. Here’s how effective a hedge trimmer can be to do this:
I’m not sure a workplace safety inspector would sign it off, but if you’re really in a bind, using a hedge trimmer to cut grass in small areas can work.
Livestock (Goats, Sheep)
Now, this won’t be suitable for most, BUT if you have a lawn area of grass that you need to keep under control and either can’t or don’t want to buy a lawn mower, or don’t have the time to mow such a large area, this honestly might not be the worst idea in the world.
Both goats and sheep are very effective at keeping grass short; they’ve got a huge appetite for it! Just be aware that using livestock to keep your grass under control will bring about its own set of challenges and responsibilities.
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