A Day of Nature

[jducoeur]

Today was all about interacting with Nature. Some of that was enjoying; some was getting rid of it.

Anybody want some hay? My big project for the day was dealing with the Back 40 Problem. The Month of Monsoons we had a while back wrecked merry havoc with my lawn care -- the bottom of the property got so swampy that I couldn't mow it for a month, and after that it was so long that the mower kept choking. By today, it was easily a foot high, maybe 18 inches in spots.

I tried several things. I sharped up the scythe, hopeful that a period approach would work, but had little luck there. The grass didn't stand up well, and wasn't very brittle, so getting a clean cut was too difficult to be worth trying. (Bear in mind that I had about 1/8 acre to deal with here.) elizabear had suggested the somewhat unconventional solution of using a hedge trimmer just above ground level -- that worked, but was *very* slow (the grass was thick enough that it kept nearly clogging the trimmer), and getting the height right was difficult. (And I'm coming to really hate the hedge trimmer, which vibrates so much that it gives me a *fierce* neuropathy within 15-20 minutes.)

In the end, it was back to the mower. Using the side-discharge chute, and mowing a very small amount on each pass (maybe 6 inches, about a third of the width of the mower) kept it from overloading. Took a long time, but I managed to get everything except the bottom glade done.

That finished, we filled our compost bin to capacity with the resulting hay, and put the rest in bags. So we now have six bags of rather nice hay in the carport if anyone wants it. The only complication is that it has received a ChemLawn treatment, about three weeks ago -- the company claims that that's only an issue for a few days, but I have no idea whether it's appropriate as, eg, feed. If anyone does want it, feel free to come by and take it away.

Afterwards, msmemory invited me along on her evening constitutional. We wandered into the conservation lands for the first time, about two blocks from our house. This turns out to be really lovely -- 27 acres of nearly-pristine forest, with a few trails wandering through it. It has fabulous picnic potential; we'll have to have people over sometime to join us on some wandering through the woods...

Comments

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

I'd take some for garden mulch, except that chemlawn residue might kill garden plants.

But more to the point, I use my string trimmer for situations like this. One website I read advocated a string trimmer on wheels, similar to a lawnmower, as a better tool for lawncare than the usual power mower. This would solve the numb-hand problem.

[jducoeur]

Honestly don't know whether the ChemLawn would be an issue. Our guess is that after three weeks it's probably okay (especially after a couple of months in the composter), but it's unclear.

Tried the string trimmer yesterday; I'm afraid it was a total failure. The string trimmer jammed up very quickly on the lush grass in question. I barely got through inches of it before giving up on it. It's possible that one might work for maintenance, but it just plain couldn't bring the bad parts under control.

The numb hands aren't *too* bad with the mower -- I get some of it, but it's controllable by, eg, switching hands on a regular basis. It's the hedge trimmer that's really bad: it vibrates more, and I really have to keep both hands on it all the time in order to keep it properly controlled. So I get about as much pain from 15 minute of the hedge trimmer as 45 of the mower...

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

Some string trimmers are more ruggedized and powerful. I wish I could find the article for you, if only for curiosity's sake, but I've had no luck so far.

[patsmor.livejournal.com]

That's what they do here in Fire Country to get rid of brush on the open faces of hills.

[hungrytiger]

I'm not sure about the specific article you mention, but generally what you're looking for are "brush trimmers" for the rugged hand-held models or "field mowers" for the industrial push versions. I posted some links for Justin in another response.

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

I went surfing on their website. The pesticides "are undectectable after 30 days" but "Herbicide residues on grass clippings may be harmful to tomatoes and should not be used as mulch in the garden unless they have been composted for at least one growing season."

[jducoeur]

Fair enough. That seems to imply that we're probably okay with the composting we're doing (which is mostly set in for next season anyway), but it's not of much immediate use otherwise. Pity -- another issue to consider when thinking about whether to continue the service or not...

[hungrytiger]

While I hesitate to promote an "as seen on TV" product, you might want to check out the Weed Thrasher attachement which you can use to replace the basic string trimmer head with a heavy duty one. It's at: http://weedthrasher.com/
I don't know if it really works (I'm sure you can google for reviews), but its only a $15, so it's not a huge investment to find out.

While searching to get the name of the Weed Thrasher, I found an in-depth article that compares the various options at: http://www.consumersearch.com/www/lawn_and_garden/string-trimmer-reviews/fullstory.html
They mention the Weed Thrasher, but say it's poorly reviewed and not as universal an attachement as the makers claim.
Go down to the bottom of the article for a list of alternative considerations, including the almighty field mower (aka brush trimmer)

You wouldn't need one now, but if the back 40 ever got truly bad, you could look into renting a field mower, like the one seen at http://www.snapper.com/field_brush.html, which is the industrial way to get it done. Renting would be key as these are mighty expensive items.

[jducoeur]

Well, if it ever got to quite that point, I'd swallow my pride and simply hire a professional to deal with it. (Really, my main concern with that is that the pros seem to want to deal mainly in full-season service, not a one-shot job...)

[fitzw.livejournal.com]

That finished, we filled our compost bin to capacity with the resulting hay, and put the rest in bags. So we now have six bags of rather nice hay in the carport if anyone wants it.

Speaking from experience dealing with regular hay: Might I suggest that you empty those six bags of grass back onto the backyard, at least until it's had a chance to dry out? Otherwise, you're running the risk of the grass igniting inside the bags if you keep them too long...

[jducoeur]

Ah -- pain in the ass. Okay, I've spread the hay back out a few inches thick in the back yard again. Thanks for the warning...

[camilla-anna.livejournal.com]

Which is correct, otherwise it will mold. Turn it so it dries evenly. Seriously.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't trust it for feed. But I'm fussy.

Chem Lawn is scary stuff. It probably dissipates in a few days. Are you sure you want it near YOU?

Anna Dimitriova