Mowing notes

[jducoeur]

Having mastered Mowing 101 last year, it's on to 201, getting the little details right. Class notes:

1: The advantage of the thinner grass on the front lawn is that the mower is a lot less likely to choke on it. Today, after the Storm of Great Ferocity and Note last night, I only had to stop and clear the discharge chute twice from the front lawn. (As opposed to doing the back lawn earlier this week, where simple dew was enough to force me to stop and clear about 20 times.) So if the lawn is getting away from me due to wet weather, do the front any time, and save the back for when it's actually dry.

2: Especially when the grass is a little thick, mow counter-clockwise. That way, the discharge chute is always facing outward, as I spiral into the middle of the lawn. This means it's not trying to spew the cuttings into the tall grass (which doesn't always work), and I'm not re-cutting the mowings along with the grass itself.

Comments

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

Er, your teacher of Mowing 101 didn't teach "never mow the lawn when it's wet?"

Not only does a standard mower clog up more often and mow less efficiently when the grass is wet, but the increased moisture makes you need to sharpen the blade twice as often (or more) due to rust.

My general rule of thumb is that the grass (and underlayers) be dry enough that my pants don't get damp or wet if I sit down.

[jducoeur]

Oh, sure -- but that's assuming you have a choice. When I *can*, I mow on a dry weekend afternoon. But remember, I'm working, and pretty busy in the evenings and weekends, so my options for mowing time are very limited. Especially in April (when it's raining relatively frequently), the choice is sometimes between mowing when it's wet, and not mowing for so long that it becomes A Serious Problem.

Last year I tried to be stringent about not mowing when it was wet. The result was that the Back 40 wound up so long it took literally hours to get through it. So I'm compromising when I must...

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

Ah, I understand. You can probably minimize the resultant rust on the blade by wiping it down with a paper towel right after mowing is done. That worked with our reel mower; should work with yours. (But I still needed to sharpen it more often than with dry mowing.)

[jducoeur]

Hmm. That's a good idea -- I'll try to remember that for the future. (With appropriate precautions for the nasty power mower...)

Ditto

[cristovau.livejournal.com]

Never mow when wet, it also can lead to lawn burn as fresh cut grass, water and sun will burn the grass. Mow counter-clockwise in high or tough grass. If you are using the discharge, you may want to mow clockwise to gather short grass and make it easier to rake (assuming you are raking.) By doing this you get a cluster of grass cuttings, not a whole lawn worth.

Another tip, circling is easier than cornering. If you can round the angles of your mowing area in the first or second pass, you will save time turning and corning on the rest - especially of use for large zones.

Re: Ditto

[jducoeur]

Another tip, circling is easier than cornering. If you can round the angles of your mowing area in the first or second pass, you will save time turning and corning on the rest - especially of use for large zones.

It's faster, but I don't know about easier. With this mower, straight lines are pretty point-and-shoot: I'm basically just walking behind the thing with a light touch. Curves require a bit of constant wrestling, since the mower really *wants* to go straight. So I'm finding that long squares are typically a decent compromise...

[gyzki.livejournal.com]

I've never done other than boustrephon - straight rows back-and-forth - but I'm willing to learn. What's the main advantage to spiralling in circles?

I have no discharge chute, so that's not an issue. And I'm right there with you on seeking the compromise between not mowing wet and not mowing enough (I tend more towards "not enough" but there are limits, sometimes things get out of hand).

[dsrtao]

When circumstances compel me to mow the lawn, I express my individuality by mowing in whatever patterns seem good to me.

This doesn't necessarily produce the most even lawn, but it pleases me.

Usually I start by marking off a rectangle and rectilinearly spiral in. Sometimes I do contours. And triangles break the monotony, too. Sometimes it's like a game of Mr. Do in my head.

[jducoeur]

What's the main advantage to spiralling in circles?

Less time spent turning all the way around, mostly. And when the discharge chute is installed on the side, it means that the clippings don't fall on the grass I have yet to cut...

[fitzw.livejournal.com]

These are both very important notes.

1. Mowing grass when wet is not the most efficient. It not only can clog up the discharge chute, it will cling to the underside of the mower deck, and sometimes to the blades themselves, both reducing the efficiency of the mower. If you must mow when the grass is wet, be sure to clean out the underside thoroughly when done -- this will help reduce the possibility of the deck rusting out.

2. In general, you should mow with the discharge chute pointed away from the standing grass, even when the grass is dry. Again, this improves the efficiency of the mower. However, for mowing the outermost boundary of the lawn, it's often helpful to mow with the discharge chute pointing towards the standing grass, to keep the clippings from settling into flower beds, against standing walls, etc.

An additional note: Sometimes it helps to vary the pattern of mowing, so that during different mowing sessions you cross the standing grass in a different direction. It's more important with a reel-type mower, but can affect rotary blade mowers as well, resulting in the mown grass being more even when you're done. This is especially true if you wait until the grass is taller between mowings.

[elizabear.livejournal.com]

My 3-yr-old is looking over my shoulder, and saw your icon.

Z: Mama, what's that green thing?
Me: It's a hand.
Z: What's on it?
Me: Well, it's kind of like a diamond and an X.
Z: Who drew it?
Me: Fitzw drew it.
Z: What did he draw it with?
Me: I don't know.
Z: I think he used a marker. That's not good. He needs to wash it off.

[fitzw.livejournal.com]

Z can see a picture of me as the icon on this post.

That's a priceless exchange. ;-)

Please tell Z that I first drew a picture of my hand (yes, that's a picture of my actual hand) on a piece of paper with a marker, and then drew the X and diamond on the picture. So, I only had dirt from the garden that I need to wash off.

:-D

[jducoeur]

Sometimes it helps to vary the pattern of mowing, so that during different mowing sessions you cross the standing grass in a different direction.

Makes sense. In practice, I tend to do this anyway, simply to reduce boredom...