Mowing the Lawns
I love mowing lawns! ‘What’, you say? ‘Everyone hates mowing lawns!’ Well, not me. It is a combination of seeing the immediate effect of your work and being outside doing something useful. When I’m done, everything looks so orderly and well kept. It is very gratifying!
As a bonus, I get to smell the freshly cut grass. Like with soil, this rich particular smell might be anchored in our DNA. It makes me feel calm and connected with the earth.
When we bought the house, the former owner had left us a push mower. I used it to mow the lawn behind and in front of the house, and it took two hours. After some years, we upgraded to a self-propelled mower and as a result, expanded our lawns a little. It still took me two hours to mow everything, but our lawns looked more open and inviting to run and play on.
Then we bought a small riding mower. The lawn was expanded again, and the mowing time remained two hours. This is when some friends and neighbors clucked amongst themselves that I was missing the point. More efficient machinery was supposed to reduce my mowing time!
I love mowing lawns! ‘What’, you say? ‘Everyone hates mowing lawns!’ Well, not me. It is a combination of seeing the immediate effect of your work and being outside doing something useful. When I’m done, everything looks so orderly and well kept. It is very gratifying!
As a bonus, I get to smell the freshly cut grass. Like with soil, this rich particular smell might be anchored in our DNA. It makes me feel calm and connected with the earth.
When we bought the house, the former owner had left us a push mower. I used it to mow the lawn behind and in front of the house, and it took two hours. After some years, we upgraded to a self-propelled mower and as a result, expanded our lawns a little. It still took me two hours to mow everything, but our lawns looked more open and inviting to run and play on.
Then we bought a small riding mower. The lawn was expanded again, and the mowing time remained two hours. This is when some friends and neighbors clucked amongst themselves that I was missing the point. More efficient machinery was supposed to reduce my mowing time!
When we built the pond, the lawns were expanded yet again. There was a dam, the beach area and the lawn above the pond. Of course, we needed a riding mower with a bigger mower deck. Mowing time was two hours. Fewer of our friends sought to remind me that I was getting the machinery/mowing dynamic wrong. They just rolled their eyes and said everything looked very nice.
Then we expanded the lawns because it looked better that way. Our new “garden tractor” had a deck of 48 inches. Now it had gotten to the point that our lawns had names. We have a killer hill, the extension, the new area, the back and front lawns, above the pond, the beach area, the dam, in front of the barn, in front of the egg house and around the wheel pine. Mowing time was two hours.
Then we expanded the lawns because it looked better that way. Our new “garden tractor” had a deck of 48 inches. Now it had gotten to the point that our lawns had names. We have a killer hill, the extension, the new area, the back and front lawns, above the pond, the beach area, the dam, in front of the barn, in front of the egg house and around the wheel pine. Mowing time was two hours.
In the fall we bought a ‘baby tractor’ with a 54 inch belly mower, and I am wondering how big the lawns will be in a couple of weeks. One thing is certain however that the mowing time will be two hours!
We do not fertilize our lawns and we do not pick up clippings. Clippings reduce the need for fertilizers. We found that mowing the lawns once a week, the clippings somehow disappear thanks to a healthy population of earthworms. They not only take care of the clippings, but they also keep our soil aerated and thus very healthy. Mulching mower blades are fine, and can help reduce thatch build up, but needing mulching blades may be a symptom not the solution. Your soil’s pH balance may be off, you may have grub infestations, etc. Bringing a 12 inch square of turf cut from a problem area to your Agricultural Extension is a great way to diagnosis any lawn problems.
The lesson I’ve learned: If you get bigger equipment for lawn mowing, you will not cut down on your mowing time. You will only make your lawns bigger!
We do not fertilize our lawns and we do not pick up clippings. Clippings reduce the need for fertilizers. We found that mowing the lawns once a week, the clippings somehow disappear thanks to a healthy population of earthworms. They not only take care of the clippings, but they also keep our soil aerated and thus very healthy. Mulching mower blades are fine, and can help reduce thatch build up, but needing mulching blades may be a symptom not the solution. Your soil’s pH balance may be off, you may have grub infestations, etc. Bringing a 12 inch square of turf cut from a problem area to your Agricultural Extension is a great way to diagnosis any lawn problems.
The lesson I’ve learned: If you get bigger equipment for lawn mowing, you will not cut down on your mowing time. You will only make your lawns bigger!