Mowing...hate it or love it

[schplurg]

I'd like a hedge labyrinth in my front yard like the one in The Shining. Only thing my old lawn was good for was for other peoples' dogs to crap on.

 

I had a camera and it was comical (or a major tick off really) watching people pretend not to see their dogs drop one so they don't have to pick it up.

 

"Oh is that a bug on my shoulder? Let me stop here, turn and check...ah yes that is a bug (glances sneakily at dog crapping on my lawn)...darn bug huh wonder what kind it is....pssst are you done, Fido?"

 

I watched two kids doorbell ditch me one night, after the fact. Scared the crap out of me...BOOM BOOM BOOOM on my door at 11:30 pm as I dozed in my living room.

 

I checked my camera and had a good laugh. Good honest prank! Good on them.

[Big Hands]

On 5/25/2022 at 7:46 PM, schplurg said:

I watched two kids doorbell ditch me one night, after the fact. Scared the crap out of me...BOOM BOOM BOOOM on my door at 11:30 pm as I dozed in my living room.

 

I checked my camera and had a good laugh. Good honest prank! Good on them.

I was hoping it would end with you seeing them (on your camera) step in Fido's fecal matter as they sprinted across your lawn.

[TnRiver46]

The soothing sound of snipping stems on a spring Saturday (yes I had an extra large coffee today) 

[Bird]

We've had a lot of rain lately, gonna force me to mow today......grrrr.

[jbsoonerfan]

Welp, I officially HATE it!!!!

[A-Jay]

The 'mowing' is one part of it all, but what about the fertilization 'regiment' ?

All spread with a walk behind rotary spreader . . .

Halts Weed & Feed ~ 2nd or 3rd week of April

Turf Builer Weed & Feed ~ 1st week of June

Grub Killer ~ 1st week of July

Summer Guard Turf Builder ~ 3rd week of July

Fall / Winter Guard last week of Aug or 1st week of September

That keeps me busy and my property pretty green & weed/bug free all season.

A-Jay

[BrianMDTX]

First off, to answer the question, as Newman said, “I loathe it”. Well, not really. I have a lawn service maintain our lawn here in TX, but when we lived in MD, I always did the lawn maintenance. On almost 1-1/4 acres that was 90% grass and 10% wooded. On a lawn tractor for the most part. 
 

But I’m starting to believe that lawns are likely one of the worst things for the environment. The amount of exhaust emissions, the impact to our waterways from fertilizers, the amount of landfill space for grass clippings, large amount of water usage for watering lawns… all for what? For something that “looks good” but is not good for native animals and plants. 
 

Yeah, I loathe it lol! ?

[A-Jay]

14 minutes ago, BrianMDTX said:

For something that “looks good” but is not good for native animals and plants. 
 

C'Mon.

Human existence isn't native.

A-Jay

[TnRiver46]

3 hours ago, BrianMDTX said:

First off, to answer the question, as Newman said, “I loathe it”. Well, not really. I have a lawn service maintain our lawn here in TX, but when we lived in MD, I always did the lawn maintenance. On almost 1-1/4 acres that was 90% grass and 10% wooded. On a lawn tractor for the most part. 
 

But I’m starting to believe that lawns are likely one of the worst things for the environment. The amount of exhaust emissions, the impact to our waterways from fertilizers, the amount of landfill space for grass clippings, large amount of water usage for watering lawns… all for what? For something that “looks good” but is not good for native animals and plants. 
 

Yeah, I loathe it lol! ?

I don’t use any fertilizer or herbicide, just constant demolition . Native creatures such as moles and even the occasional exotic crackhead use it for habitat 

[Unk]

Like it ? No . Man , I'm just thankful I can still mow  

[Way north bass guy]

Well, today was the kids first run on the riding mower. He’s been pushing the small one for a couple years now, and now that we have a much larger lawn, there’s lots of room to practice driving. I set him up on the backyard, no trees or other obstacles at all to worry about. Figured he’s got enough things to worry about on the mower, so we’ll give it a few weeks before there’s any dodging around trees and gardens. 

[Bird]

I'm not understanding this fertilizer thing.

 

Why would I promote the grouth of something I'm trying to kill ? ?

[gim]

I’ve currently been mowing 2 lawns the past couple weeks because I technically own 2 houses right now. I’ll drop one off starting Tuesday.

 

I enjoy having a nice yard and property. There is some responsibility that comes with being a home owner, and maintaining it in reasonable condition is part of it. The house I sold and will be done within Tuesday has an immaculate yard right now. I put some fertilizer down in early May and with the rain we’ve received, it’s thick and lush and dark green. Right now it’s seeding too so every time I cut it, it’s like re-seeding the entire lawn.

 

The new one I have isn’t quite as nice. It’s a work in progress. I have an estimate for an underground sprinkler system on Tuesday for it.

 

I’ll always take mowing it before watering it. If I’m mowing regularly, that means we’re getting consistent rain, which is a lot better than drought.

[T-Billy]

If I could afford it, my entire yard would be concrete. 

[T-Billy]

On 5/28/2022 at 11:22 AM, A-Jay said:

The 'mowing' is one part of it all, but what about the fertilization 'regiment' ?

All spread with a walk behind rotary spreader . . .

Halts Weed & Feed ~ 2nd or 3rd week of April

Turf Builer Weed & Feed ~ 1st week of June

Grub Killer ~ 1st week of July

Summer Guard Turf Builder ~ 3rd week of July

Fall / Winter Guard last week of Aug or 1st week of September

That keeps me busy and my property pretty green & weed/bug free all season.

A-Jay

Working to help the grass grow, so that you can cut it more. The definition of insanity.? Just razzing ya brother. Beautiful lawn ya got there. Personally I'd rather have brown grass and more time on the water. Different strokes...

[Dirtyeggroll]

I love mowing my lawn myself. With my busy work schedule, having a newborn and having a desire to fish I find it harder and harder to have the time to do it myself and seeming like will have to outsource it soon.

[gim]

14 hours ago, Dirtyeggroll said:

I love mowing my lawn. With my busy work schedule, having a newborn and having a desire to fish I find it harder and harder to have the time to do it.

 

I hear ya.  Just aint enough time in the day anymore.

[Junk Fisherman]

I enjoy cutting the grass.  It is rewarding when the lawn looks nice and I enjoy getting the 40 minutes of walking.  As long as I am able, I'll never hire someone to cut my grass.  It's too easy.  

Edited June 1, 2022 by Junk Fisherman
missed word

[gim]

18 minutes ago, Junk Fisherman said:

It is rewarding when the lawn looks nice

 

Its about pride of home ownership to me.  If you want to be a home/property owner, there are certain duties and items that need regular upkeep.  There's plenty of places to rent or pay an association fee, and they will take care of the grass for you.  Taking care of a house and a yard isn't for everyone, and its apparent in this thread.  You can often tell a lot about a person based on the way the yard looks.

[jbsoonerfan]

Normally takes 2 to 2 and a half hours to do the yard work. With all the rain and storms we have had here lately I had my work cut out for me today. Between hauling limbs off, mowing the yard (basically twice) and weed eating, I spent about 8 hours in the yard today. Once again though, I love the result. 

[J Francho]

I like the result, and I live in a neighborhood where it would not be acceptable to have an overgrown lawn.  But for the past few years, I'm over it.  I'd like the time back for other things.  I see others that have a service come in, and I'm not particularly impressed with the results.  Seems like rush job/money grab.  So I'll keep mowing and weed whacking.  

[A-Jay]

Clean them up this weekend ~ They needed too.

I have help ~

A-Jay 

[12poundbass]

On 5/28/2022 at 10:51 AM, jbsoonerfan said:

Welp, I officially HATE it!!!!

My wife did that to our slider about 6 years ago at our old house. ?

[gim]

2 hours ago, J Francho said:

I like the result, and I live in a neighborhood where it would not be acceptable to have an overgrown lawn.  But for the past few years, I'm over it.  I'd like the time back for other things.  I see others that have a service come in, and I'm not particularly impressed with the results.  Seems like rush job/money grab.  So I'll keep mowing and weed whacking.  

 

Same.  There is city code where I live and if it gets too over grown, the city sends a warning followed up by paying a service to do it and then sending you a bill for it (its extremely over priced).  Some people just avoid doing it like the plague and wait until it looks like crap to do it, only to avoid the warning and/or penalty.  I call those people lazy.  They should probably move to an apartment or into a neighborhood with an association.

 

A couple of my neighbors pay to have theirs done too.  They do it very quickly with a two-man team and fast-moving rider mowers, but they mow it WAY too short.  It almost has a bit of a "white" look to it after they're done.  So far, we've been getting enough rain so that its not stressed or going dormant, but the problem is when you mow it that short and then it doesn't get water and/or it gets super hot out, it turns into scorched earth.  Short grass doesn't hold any moisture.

 

I should mention also that a couple of my neighbors who pay to have it done are on the older side so maybe they just physically can't do it anymore.

 

Properties are looking good @jbsoonerfan and @A-Jay.

[J Francho]

Another one of my problems is all the things on my property.  There's a two car detached garage, pool, deck, a number of garden beds with brick borders, and the AC condenser, etc.  At least the front is fairly straight forward, lol.  Yes, I am mowing tonight.