5 ms·

I really struggle to believe that people in Georgia with a lawn are spending 5 hours a week maintaining it. That's basically an entire weekend day. Why can't yo

by notJim 5y ago

I really struggle to believe that people in Georgia with a lawn are spending 5 hours a week maintaining it. That's basically an entire weekend day. Why can't you mulch it, or use the clipping bag? My grass grows quickly in Spring and Fall, but it takes about 20 minutes to mow it. I don't usually bother to pick up the clippings unless it's really long.

WarOnPrivacy 5y ago
It's routine here to see people spending an hour every day maintaining their lawns. Over the course of a week they're pulling weeds, fertilizing, watering and patching their grass. They have to or else it dies/gets overrun almost immediately. They get crispy after 2-3 days w/o water. Start dying in a week. Lawns here are a freaking nightmare to keep up.
- Thlom 5y ago
  Can't they use a robot mower? I'm in a northern climate, so lawns only grow from late April until late September, but around here more and more are getting robot mowers. They are completely silent and are continously cutting the grass. The clippings are so short that they can just stay on the lawn and functions as nutrient for the grass. So less fertilizer is needed, weeds will be cut constantly. So in theory you just need to water it if there's no rain.
  - cptskippy 5y ago
    Most people think of a lawn as rectangle of grass on a flat surface but most are not. In all but the southern parts of Georgia it's very hilly with most properties flowing down hill to a washout, creek, or pond. There's also a dense tree canopy over most properties older than 20 years which means lots of roots, acorns, pine cones, leaves, and pine needles. Electric mowers and robots have fragile little blades designed to weight as little as possible because they're running on batteries. They'll be damaged or break entirely if they strike a root or rock. I had to use a self propelled dual blade mulching power to handle the terrain and so I didn't have to spend an hour or more walking the property gathering all the pine codes and other crap that might stall out a lesser mower.
    - Thlom 5y ago
      Robot mowers work on most lawns. If it's very bumpy or hilly you just need to go up in price. This summer I visited a farm with a huuuge lawn with trees, hills, rocks and what not. They had two Husquarna 4WD robot mowers and the lawn looked pretty nice.
arh68 5y ago
In GA, with .25 acre of centipede, I'd say it's about 2 hrs/wk with heavy rain & sun (like recently). Less rain, 2 hrs / 3 wks. Push mower, slow & steady pace (it grows so thick, I can't just power walk it). Maybe St Augustine is very different from centipede. Mulching seems to be fine if you cut along the rule of third (cut less than 1/3 of the thing at a time). Even side discharge seems ok, especially as you spiral over the discharge, re-mowing it. I used to let it grow out, but thatch became an issue. Which is why raking them up makes sense (or dethatching). Now I cut slightly on the short side, more often, which seems to naturally favor centipede over dandelions almost anywhere there's good sun & water & drainage. Nothing really beats mowed centipede, for me; letting it grow wild invites snakes et al, and paving it would be hot.

by notJim 5y ago

WarOnPrivacy 5y ago

It's routine here to see people spending an hour every day maintaining their lawns. Over the course of a week they're pulling weeds, fertilizing, watering and patching their grass. They have to or else it dies/gets overrun almost immediately. They get crispy after 2-3 days w/o water. Start dying in a week. Lawns here are a freaking nightmare to keep up.

Thlom 5y ago
Can't they use a robot mower? I'm in a northern climate, so lawns only grow from late April until late September, but around here more and more are getting robot mowers. They are completely silent and are continously cutting the grass. The clippings are so short that they can just stay on the lawn and functions as nutrient for the grass. So less fertilizer is needed, weeds will be cut constantly. So in theory you just need to water it if there's no rain.
- cptskippy 5y ago
  Most people think of a lawn as rectangle of grass on a flat surface but most are not. In all but the southern parts of Georgia it's very hilly with most properties flowing down hill to a washout, creek, or pond. There's also a dense tree canopy over most properties older than 20 years which means lots of roots, acorns, pine cones, leaves, and pine needles. Electric mowers and robots have fragile little blades designed to weight as little as possible because they're running on batteries. They'll be damaged or break entirely if they strike a root or rock. I had to use a self propelled dual blade mulching power to handle the terrain and so I didn't have to spend an hour or more walking the property gathering all the pine codes and other crap that might stall out a lesser mower.
  - Thlom 5y ago
    Robot mowers work on most lawns. If it's very bumpy or hilly you just need to go up in price. This summer I visited a farm with a huuuge lawn with trees, hills, rocks and what not. They had two Husquarna 4WD robot mowers and the lawn looked pretty nice.

arh68 5y ago

In GA, with .25 acre of centipede, I'd say it's about 2 hrs/wk with heavy rain & sun (like recently). Less rain, 2 hrs / 3 wks. Push mower, slow & steady pace (it grows so thick, I can't just power walk it). Maybe St Augustine is very different from centipede. Mulching seems to be fine if you cut along the rule of third (cut less than 1/3 of the thing at a time). Even side discharge seems ok, especially as you spiral over the discharge, re-mowing it. I used to let it grow out, but thatch became an issue. Which is why raking them up makes sense (or dethatching). Now I cut slightly on the short side, more often, which seems to naturally favor centipede over dandelions almost anywhere there's good sun & water & drainage. Nothing really beats mowed centipede, for me; letting it grow wild invites snakes et al, and paving it would be hot.