Lawn mowing

[Old Grumpy]

Just done my last cut of the year. First time I can remember doing it in November! Always used to be September, I'm sure.

It's been so wet the last few weeks I had to put it off until today - a lovely, sunny dry day - but the ground is absolutely sodden.

[oddoneout]

Just done my last cut of the year. First time I can remember doing it in November! Always used to be September, I'm sure.

It's been so wet the last few weeks I had to put it off until today - a lovely, sunny dry day - but the ground is absolutely sodden.

Parts of my apology for a lawn have got long and could do with being trimmed but there's no chance of it being dry enough to do so unless it doesn't rain for a long time, as the low sun means that the sun hardly gets to much of it. I only have a little battery mower and there's no point in wrecking it!

[Old Grumpy]

Petrol rotary here - the lawn is nicely cut but looks like a go-kart track due to all the wheel marks!

[eighthobstruction]

sod it , it'll wait till Spring....

[oddoneout]

Petrol rotary here - the lawn is nicely cut but looks like a go-kart track due to all the wheel marks!

I had one of them, mostly used on the allotment, but got to the point where I couldn't pull the cord to start it(it went to my son a few years ago, much appreciated in his large but rather rough garden)It was too big really for the lawn at home, so got a battery strimmer for the allotment paths and an electric(corded, as cordless wasn't a thing at that stage) mower for the lawn. When I moved though the garden of this house is so long and narrow that the electric lead was an almighty problem, both in terms of the length of extension lead necessary and the awkwardness of trying to turn round at each end without going over the cable, so when an inexpensive cordless option became available I took it.

[Old Grumpy]

Sounds like a good choice OoO. We had a much larger garden before moving here. I have not yet got round to getting another mower, but I think battery is the way to go.

[Serial_Apologist]

Parts of my apology for a lawn have got long and could do with being trimmed but there's no chance of it being dry enough to do so unless it doesn't rain for a long time, as the low sun means that the sun hardly gets to much of it. I only have a little battery mower and there's no point in wrecking it!

Our gardener often cuts the lawn when it's wet. When asked he said he'd use it for mulch. I suggested "squelch" might be a better word.

[Serial_Apologist]

I had one of them, mostly used on the allotment, but got to the point where I couldn't pull the cord to start it(it went to my son a few years ago, much appreciated in his large but rather rough garden)It was too big really for the lawn at home, so got a battery strimmer for the allotment paths and an electric(corded, as cordless wasn't a thing at that stage) mower for the lawn. When I moved though the garden of this house is so long and narrow that the electric lead was an almighty problem, both in terms of the length of extension lead necessary and the awkwardness of trying to turn round at each end without going over the cable, so when an inexpensive cordless option became available I took it.

I used to own one of those cheap rotaries that had little plastic clip-on blades which made a nice if burdensome job of the lawn but without those nice stripes some people like. The blades were soft enough to break off when hitting invisible obstructions and to not cut through the cable if run over. I liked that little machine, even if it took longer than my father's old Suffolk Punch cylinder mower. Incidentally I don't approve of all these new-fangled battery-driven mowers, strimmers, vacuum cleaners etc., which run out of energy before a job is properly completed and will lead inevitably to more and more batteries being dumped in landfill.

[oddoneout]

I used to own one of those cheap rotaries that had little plastic clip-on blades which made a nice if burdensome job of the lawn but without those nice stripes some people like. The blades were soft enough to break off when hitting invisible obstructions and to not cut through the cable if run over. I liked that little machine, even if it took longer than my father's old Suffolk Punch cylinder mower. Incidentally I don't approve of all these new-fangled battery-driven mowers, strimmers, vacuum cleaners etc., which run out of energy before a job is properly completed and will lead inevitably to more and more batteries being dumped in landfill.

Things have moved on with the advent of Li-on batteries SA. My strimmer, which must be at least 8 years old now, worked hard on the allotment for several years and still works well in my garden. It does take a while to charge up but given how hard it works that's not surprising and it still has a decent run-time - certainly quite long enough for me to be holding quite a heavy piece of kit that vibrates. The mower is not so old, does almost two full cutting sessions, depending on how long/wet the grass is and doesn't take long to charge up. Dumping the batteries in landfill is less likely than the current disposable vape issue as tips have separate arrangements for equipment and their batteries and so they are less likely to be put in domestic wheelie bins. Single use batteries are the real problem on that front - 10 tons of lithium from disposable vapes last year - enough for 1200 car batteries.

[RichardB]

My new lawn is about the size of a postage stamp, so I'm wondering what kind of device to use to mow it once spring comes along. Any ideas?

On the other hand, as soon as I moved in here I went straight out and got myself a shears to trim the hedge. My Dutch friends found this highly amusing and quintessentially British.

A few weeks ago I was cycling through a nearby neighbourhood which is considerably more affluent than the one I live in, and found it really quite spooky that the only sign of "life" was the presence of numerous robotic lawnmowers trundling around the immaculate gardens.

[Serial_Apologist]

My new lawn is about the size of a postage stamp, so I'm wondering what kind of device to use to mow it once spring comes along. Any ideas?

The old joke used to be to recommend nail clippers!

Shears used to suffice for our 15/15ft back lawn in Earls Court in the 1950s.

[RichardB]

Shears used to suffice for our 15/15ft back lawn in Earls Court in the 1950s.

Thank you sir. I have the technology!

[Serial_Apologist]

Thank you sir. I have the technology!

[oddoneout]

My new lawn is about the size of a postage stamp, so I'm wondering what kind of device to use to mow it once spring comes along. Any ideas?

On the other hand, as soon as I moved in here I went straight out and got myself a shears to trim the hedge. My Dutch friends found this highly amusing and quintessentially British.

A few weeks ago I was cycling through a nearby neighbourhood which is considerably more affluent than the one I live in, and found it really quite spooky that the only sign of "life" was the presence of numerous robotic lawnmowers trundling around the immaculate gardens.

These days of course you would be told to ditch the lawn/turn it into a wildlife meadow - by those who have no idea of either option nor the fact that some folk like having a patch of grass, but slavishly(thoughtlessly) regurgitate current trends...
If you are happy with shears then that is the answer, but a small cordless strimmer would be an alternative - they can be quite good at grass cutting for a decent surface and some can twist the head to trim the edges as well. I use one for the paths between fruit and veg beds that are too narrow even for my small mower, and can produce a tidy even result.

[vinteuil]

... a thought for RichardB or others with a tiny lawn - why not replace the grass with camomile, no need to cut, and it smells nice when you walk on it...