Turbo2

Here we go again: another 7-8 month stint of trying to reverse Mother Nature's good work. Thanks to the weather last year, I reckon I spent far more time cutting the lawn than actually enjoying time in the garden. If it wasn't for the kids wanting somewhere to play, I'd have half a mind to flag it all over! Then I could spend the time saved more usefully, like playing with my car.

Matteeboy

Turbo - agreed.
When we moved here it was just rough grass, brambles and bare earth. I spent ages strimming, seeding and then mowing and now have a half decent grass area of about 1/2 an acre. Despite the moles best attempts, tonnes of daffs and bluebells in the grass, it'll be mowing time very soon. Takes me over an hour and two if I strim as well!

Does look good when it's done but in the height of the season it looks good for less than two days!

Dull question but what lawnmower?

I had to go for the biggest, most powerful non ride on (it's too hilly for a ride on - I'd fall off and die) - Husqvarna 21" blade with a Honda engine. Didn't cost too much (the Honda equivalent is over a grand - this was under £300!) and works a treat.

Mowing/tidying here is a bit "industrial" - strimmer is a proper brushcutter type with harness (Stihl FS85)!

TopBanana

Takes me an hour or so on the ride-on once a week. Quite enjoy it. That reminds me, must get some noise cancelling headphones for the ipod...

Timwinner

iTrader: (3)

We have some old guy come over and do it, We didnt ask him too its just the people that lived here before used him and he never stopped coming over when we moved in.

Still best smell in the world!!!!! (cut grass not the old man)

davegtt

Think Im going to dig my whole back garden up this summer, going to put some decking down and gravel the rest of it. Think it will make searching for dog poo easier if I fail to cut the grass one particular week

spider

iTrader: (1)

LOL at Tim's smelly old man!

Just did the first cut last week.

Shouldn't be too bad this year as instead of having to cut half an acre we're leaving the bottom half down towards the stream as a wildflower garden and I only cut a two mower's width meandering path round it down to the summer house & apple trees & back.

Oh, for Mateeboy, it's a 21" Mountfield with a Briggs & Stratton

Jamie

Turbo2 I think a MOD on here has some good tips regarding de garden i could be wrong

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Meh: I call it exercise: Gardening substitutes a mild stint down the gym < homer > Gime? < /homer > Nights are still abit too cold to mow lawns IMO. If you do keep it longish, 2" minimum. Otherwise you'll encourage moss and weed growth.

What is good to do now is get the feed+weed+moss killer out. Use a dedicated mosskiller if its really mossy. Give it a week or so to work (after rain). And rake out the dead moss. Also take the opportunity to service the lawn mower; get the blades razor sharp, which will make mowing easier and prevent grass from browning after being cut.

I did all this last weekend...and inadvertently ran the lawnraker over an ant's nest...I now have 12 bites on my ankles and feet (including my little toe - I was wearing my toecapper boots ) which is currently giving me hell with the itching.

So next weekend will be spent raking up ants nests and napalming the little ****** with ant powder.

That is unless I decide to do some more work on the Jag...bloody cars

Leslie

I like to see a bit of green sward, but don't want too much hassle with it-so our lawn is just over 9 feet square.

Les

Andy Hamilton

Got so fed up with our grass that we did away with it and went for astro



With the kids playing out there it became a mud bath in the winter, great for football all year round now

Turbo2

That actually looks quite good to me. We have an odd shaped garden all around the house with one particular long narrow section that never really grows grass very well, so maybe we could partially astro-turf it and perhaps use it as a cricket "net" for when the kids get older. Where did you get yours from? Did you do it yourself? What does it cost? Does it drain OK? Questions, questions...

Timwinner

iTrader: (3)

Thats awesome, Plus if you keep it quiet from the other half you could get an hour or so on a sunday to yourself, claim its "lawn tending time"

tanyatriangles

iTrader: (2)

Pffffffffff, call those lawns? You lot need to try cutting 2000 sq m with a self-propelled mower, once every 6 weeks.

In spring/summer we have grass two feet high and weeds and nettles over 6 feet high

A cut from "needs cutting" rather than "OMG!" takes 9 hours!!!!!!!!!!

It's at the house in France.............oh, and just to make it interesting, the first cut usually disturbs a few BIG snakes.........only grass snakes, but aggressive b*ggers, none the less

AND I once ran over a wasp's nest........then I just RAN

It's a bit easier now, we have a ride-on, 15hp, constantly variable gearbox.

We usually do the first cut without the grass collector at maximum height, give it a day or so to dry, then ride round again cutting a bit lower and picking up.

And laughing at the snakes from a foot ABOVE them

Jamie

You need this lot

Andy Hamilton

Turbo2, didn't do myself, got these people to do it...

Artificial Lawn Company - Suppliers of the real alternative to grass

It's excellent, been down since October '07 and is wearing well, still looks great. No drainage issues or anything, just needs a quick sweep with a broom every now and then when there are too many leaves on our football pitch

Not cheap with the more realistic options being the most expensive, prices on the website. We went for the mid-range 'Leisure', would definitely recommend it.

jacrobat

One of my neighbours was out on his ride on lawnmower the first week of January. I know he is retired etc but I relish the weekends that I don't have to mow the bloody thing.