Spring is here, and you're probably looking at that one lawn in your neighborhood that is the envy of all other lawns, including your own. The lawn is perfectly manicured, with blooming flowers and rounded hedges. Then you take a look at your own lawn, seeing brown spots and weeds, and it leaves you wondering what happened. You're thinking, I know I mowed my lawn as much as my neighbor did last year!

What you may not know is that your neighbor did more than mow their lawn. They also dethatched it, aerated it, turned up the dead patches by using a rototiller, and reseeded those patches. Before winter came, they also re-edged along the sidewalks and used a special bedding trencher around their landscape beds. 

You're probably thinking that sounds really great, but also really expensive. You are right, it would be expensive if they had hired a lawn service, or purchased all the tools necessary to do the job. However, they did the whole project themselves by renting the tools. 

According to the American Rental Association (ARA), more and more people are turning to rented equipment and tools for their home improvement projects. Renting equipment and tools offers significant cost savings and it is also convenient. Renting tools from Nickell Rental in Newnan, Coweta, and Griffin prevents you from worrying about equipment maintenance and storage, and you can also count on expert advice from the trained professionals at Nickel Rental. Not only can we help you choose the appropriate tools for your project, we can give you information on how to operate the equipment in a safe and effective way. 

For example, if you visit our store and say your lawn is looking sparse and brown, we may tell you that thatch - the layer of interwoven grass, leaves and stems that blocks water and nutrients from reaching the roots - is the likely culprit.

To pull out the old thatch, you'll be urged to rent a dethatcher, also called a power rake, which will remove the tangle of grass clippings, leaves and stems that have collected in your grass.

The next step will be to rent an aerator, which is a gas-powered or tow behind machine that actually pokes holes in the earth and removes cores of dirt as it goes. The holes allow nutrients, air and moisture to penetrate your lawn's root system. Once that's done, you'll need to get out there and tackle the weeds.

If you have any patches that are all weeds and no grass, you can use a rototiller to turn up the ground and then reseed. You'll also want to rent an edger once or twice during the season to give your lawn that well cared for look.

Your lawn can become the envy of the neighborhood with just a little effort and some cost-effective rental tools.