Clint Waltz, a UGA Cooperative Extension specialist in turfgrass with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ crop and soil sciences department, recently spoke with House Beautiful about the use of robotic lawn mowers.
“They were introduced in Europe a couple of decades ago at the residential level,” he said. “The biggest advantage they offer is time and labor savings.”
Robotic mowers do have advantages for those who don’t want to hassle with a traditional gas or electric mower. There’s no more making sure the battery is charged and there is enough gas or running to get the blades sharpened. Robotic mowers can operate in a light rain and can avoid obstacles, such as wildlife, pets or most toys with their onboard cameras.
The more frequent mowing may also be good for lawns.
“Because the mower takes off very little leaf tissue every time, there’s less stress on the plant,” Waltz said. “Our research has shown improved rooting and improved density of the canopy.”
However, those who use a robotic mower will still need to do detail work such as string trimming around the drive or edging around garden beds, shrubs or trees manually.
