mediaOrganic » Lawn Care

of water bans and lawn irrigation scofflaws

john — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 10:07:03 +0000

The weather continues to be completely wacked. It’s been hot and humid for the better part of the past 5 or 6 weeks. The region has suffered repeated thunderstorms and torrential downpours that resulted in severe flash flooding in some areas. But by some twist of fate/luck, my personal piece of geography has been bypassed by most of the rain. I suppose drought is preferable to flooding since I have a modicum of control over watering.

The town has once again implemented a water ban limiting irrigation usage to just two specific days per week. In the suburbs, of course, irrigation refers to lawn irrigation which accounts for the bulk of non-essential water use. As I ride my bike around town, I am amazed at how many people choose to ignore the ban. I suppose if you have paid a million dollars for your house on a two acre expanse of lawn you feel obligated to keep it looking lush but I find the sense of entitlement off-putting. I am tempted to form my own jack-booted bike-riding environmental hit squad to roam the town photographing these scofflaws.

My poor lawn, on the other hand, is parched. I am one of the few holdouts in my town without lawn irrigation. Of course I do have an efficient irrigation system for my garden that feeds off my four rain barrels…when they contain water. Unfortunately, the rain barrels are now empty and I too must resort to using town water for my vegetable garden.

lawn aeration

john — Mon, 25 May 2009 19:50:16 +0000

We’ve been in our house since 1997. About two years after we moved in I paid a landscaper to put in a new lawn. The first few years the lawn looked great. I dutifully mowed and fertilized in the spring and fall every year. Then one year it fell victim to grubs and then the skunks dug it up looking for the grubs. This began a several year period where I would rake the thatch every fall and reseed, see the lawn look good in the spring only to dry and weaken over the summer months. Gradually even the healthiest parts of the lawn began looking stressed and my lawn would be largely crab grass by August.

Last fall I once again dutifully raked and overseeded and started this year with a healthy new crop of grass. Rather than doing the insane thing (i.e. the same thing but expecting different results) I decided to aerate the lawn and rake in some organic material. I rented an aerator for $50 (plus $40 delivery charge) and finished up in about an hour. I then took several bags of peat moss and distributed it over the lawn. I raked the peat moss out and as a final step, I applied a light layer of fertilizer. So far the results are great but the proof will be if it still looks decent in August.

i sing the lawn mower electric

john — Sun, 10 May 2009 15:02:25 +0000

Apologies in advance to Walt Whitman and Ray Bradbury. Today I mowed my lawn for the first time this season so I thought I’d take the opportunity to discuss the pros and cons of electric lawn mowers. This is an area where I have real street cred. My father bought an electric lawnmower from Sears back in 1965 when I was in second grade and I began cutting the lawn to earn my allowance shortly thereafter. I quickly became a master of the orange power cord, whipping it around like a rodeo cowboy twirls a lasso. Up one row, flip, down the next, flip, repeat. That lawn mower followed us to four different houses and was finally retired only after my father died because my mother no longer needed it. After 20+ years of service it was still going strong.

When I became a suburban homeowner in 1997 I once again went electric, this time with a cordless rechargeable. For the most part, it was a perfectly serviceable mower however it had some annoying limitations that eventually led me to purchase a gas powered mower. I used that gas mower for five or six years until last year when something broke on it. Rather than pay to have it repaired, I decided that it was time to return to the future and purchased a corded electric mower. Now every time I mow my lawn I am also reliving my childhood. That’s a pretty good deal.

So why did I go back to the corded electric mower? Let’s look at at a comparison chart:

Feature	Corded Electric	Cordless	Gas
weight	winner!	2nd place; battery adds weight	heaviest
noise	winner! still noisy, just not as noisy	winner! still noisy, just not as noisy	noisiest
pollution	winner! carbon footprint depends on your source of electricity	runner up carbon footprint depends on your source of electricity; battery must be recycled due to hazardous materials	loser! According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a traditional gas powered lawn mower produces as much air pollution as 43 new cars each being driven 12,000 miles.
service and operating costs	winner! just clean it and keep the blade sharp and it will last a lifetime	will eventually need a new battery; otherwise maintenance free	oil changes, spark plugs, fuel filters, air filters; engine must eventually be rebuilt
power	winner! electric motors have tons of torque	depends on battery charge; heavy use discharges battery quickly	winner!
cutting range	unlimited duration; distance limited by length of extension cord; practical range is 100-150 feet from nearest power outlet	unlimited distance; duration limited by battery storage capacity; heavy use discharges battery quickly; battery recharge can take several hours though faster charging batteries may be available soon.	winner! limited only by the size of your gas can
fuel	winner! as long as the power is on at your house you’re in business	limited by battery charge; heavy use discharges battery quicker; power is as close as closest power outlet	extra trips to the gas station to fill your gas can
safety	winner! no need to store flammable liquids	winner! no need to store flammable liquids	storage of flammable liquids required

The environmental impact of electric lawn mowers depends on the efficiency and fuel source of your local electric power company. You can assume that coal fired plants produce more environmentally harmful byproducts that those fueled by natural gas. But no matter what your source of electricity, use of either a cordless or corded electric lawnmower is better for the environment than a gas powered equivalent.

Electric mowers aren’t for everyone. If you have a yard with more than a half acre of lawn or if you are a lawncare professional, the limitations of both corded and cordless electric lawnmowers will make them impractical.

Finally, I’ve also owned a pushreel mower and would offer up some thoughts based on my experience. I used it a few times and then gave it away. They are simply not a very effective solution for the suburban homeowner with a quarter acre or more of lawn to care for. They only cut grass that is within a certain height range. If you let grass get too long it won’t slip under the mower’s front bar into the blade; the mower simply runs it flat whereupon it immediately springs back up. Given busy schedules and weather, it is nearly impossible to not let the grass grow at some point during the season. Once you do, you’re screwed. And of course pushreel mowers are useless for picking up and composting all those fall leaves which make excellent mulch.