Non-motoring > The first lawnmower of spring?	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: bathtub tom	Replies: 52

New Fri 5 Mar 10 13:12   The first lawnmower of spring? - bathtub tom

My neighbour's been cutting his grass. It was -4C here last night! Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 5 Mar 10 13:21   The first lawnmower of spring? - Alanovich

Jings. You've just reminded me that I need to buy a new mower. Harumph. And my hayfever will start later this month. Double harumph. I love winter. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 5 Mar 10 13:23   The first lawnmower of spring? - R.P.

Not needed yet - even on the newly turfed back garden - this was professionally cut tail end of November when it was still growing. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 5 Mar 10 13:30   The first lawnmower of spring? - Alanovich

My lawn's turned mostly to moss over the winter. Time to get someone in who knows what they're doing, perhaps. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 5 Mar 10 13:32   The first lawnmower of spring? - Fenlander

Ours looks about ready... been a lovely day here too but no time to fire up the Honda. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 5 Mar 10 13:38   The first lawnmower of spring? - Dog

>>> My neighbour's been cutting his grass <<< OMG! tis far too early ... When we lived in Gorran Haven (near Mevagissey) they used to mow their lawns all through the winter ... looked luvly they did, many were like bowling greens come the Spring, trouble was though that the mere suggestion of dry weather and they all turned a lighter shade of Brown :) Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 5 Mar 10 14:09   The first lawnmower of spring? - Zero

we had a couple days dry and a sunny day in January. Mowed mine then. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 5 Mar 10 14:15   The first lawnmower of spring? - tyro

In my case, probably in May, though I might just manage in April. Since the 19th of December, we have only had 16 mornings in which we didn't have snow lying in our garden. Mowing the grass just doesn't seem right when there is snow on it. Reply to this message | Report message

New Fri 5 Mar 10 23:26   The first lawnmower of spring? - Dave_

My 20ft x 40ft back lawn has 7ft hedges along each side and a 6ft fence at the far end. On the other side of the fence is a country park and cricket pitch. It also slopes quite steeply downwards (1 in 5) towards the North. The damp country air combined with the lack of breeze and the mere hour or so of sunlight hitting the grass on a good day means that it won't be dry enough to cut until May or June, by which time it'll be too long to cut neatly! It's also not much good for summer sunbathing on, for the same reasons. Or drying clothes over. :-( On the plus side, the snowman stayed put for much longer than anyone else's! Last edited by: Dave_TD {P} on Fri 5 Mar 10 at 23:27 Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 6 Mar 10 00:08   The first lawnmower of spring? - henry k

I bought a nearly new Qualcast petrol cylinder mower last year and I hope the Kawasaki engine starts without any problems after its first winter with me. It had a scarifier cassette that I can swop for the blades but I have yet to try it. I have a very soggy lawn so I have no idea when I can risk using it as I think it would act more like a plough at present. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 6 Mar 10 03:50   The first lawnmower of spring? - Iffy

I'm tempted to skim over the little patch outside the caravan in leafy North Yorkshire, if only to do a bit of grooming/debris collection. My electric Bosch rotary is fairly light, but moisture underfoot could still be an issue. Last edited by: ifithelps on Sat 6 Mar 10 at 03:51 Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 6 Mar 10 04:17   The first lawnmower of spring? - Pat

My mole is back:( He has a 40 acre field over the hedge to play in but prefers our lawn. Pat Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 6 Mar 10 08:37   The first lawnmower of spring? - Vicar of Bray

Ive just seen my fIrst swallow. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 6 Mar 10 09:25   The first lawnmower of spring? - Dog

We had a large garden (or a small field) a few houses ago - 2 acres. My mate used to cut his with an Allen scythe but I just left mine until about May and got Farmer Giles to cut it for silage. I used to enjoy seeing the various small mammals scurrying about, and the Barn Owl & Buzzard trying to make them his dinner. I've also had experience of fake-turf, I wanted to hide a septic tank on our last property, so I got a load of samples from various Co's and carefully matched up the colour - perfikt! If money was no object - fake-turf could be the answer! Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 6 Mar 10 09:45   The first lawnmower of spring? - Zero

I love the power of google advertising - when i read this thread I was offered a link to a tractor mounted scarifier. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 6 Mar 10 11:50   The first lawnmower of spring? - crocks

Yes. But it is £175 a day to hire. I could returf my whole lawn for that ! Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 7 Mar 10 10:49   The first lawnmower of spring? - Vicar of Bray

I should say at thIs poInt, the swallow Is In the PhIlIppInes.... Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 7 Mar 10 11:37   The first lawnmower of spring? - Dog

>>>I should say at thIs poInt, the swallow Is In the PhIlIppInes.... <<< Tehe! I've been racking my brains over that one Karen, According to the RSPB - Swallows can be seen in Britain from March, but, I've never seen one :) Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 7 Mar 10 13:11   The first lawnmower of spring? - Bromptonaut

Grass here in Northants just starting to grow in patches - probably showing the areas where the ground is warming soonest. Very waterlogged underfoot, might run a high trim over it by next weekend if the cold stays gone. Glad K clarified where he'd seen the swallow. Even those that arrive later this month often have to lie low for lack of airborne insect food. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 7 Mar 10 15:37   The first lawnmower of spring? - Ted

Feeling quite left out now...... sulk sulk. I don't have a lawn now, due mainly to owning bitches for 30 years. I have got rather fetching grey flagstones where the grass once grew. Weedkiller in the cracks and a soft brush are the weapons of choice now. Ted Swear filter wouldn't let me give the correct name for female canines !! edited in for you Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 8 Mar 10 at 00:43 Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 7 Mar 10 16:41   The first lawnmower of spring? - Stuu

Did mine yesterday, it was starting to look untidy so I gave it a good going over. Also got a load of plants in aswell, even coaxed the wife to plant our hedge up and her heather plants aswell. Just nice to be out there pottering. Darned bird keep digging up our bark chippings an dthrowing them all over the place though! Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 7 Mar 10 17:19   The first lawnmower of spring? - Zero

Ted you need to feed your "female canines" tomatoes ( half a can of sainsbury esential chopped tomatoes ) a day. It neutalises the dog wee Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 7 Mar 10 18:37   The first lawnmower of spring? - Pat

Our lawn is still waterlogged but we're barely above the water table here:( I wish the mole would drown though! Does anyone know how to get rid of them? We've tried all the Jasper carrot methods, even the shotgun and the sivel chair but it still comes back and I don't want to kill it anyway, just turn it round and let it go into the field. Pat Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 8 Mar 10 at 00:43 Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 7 Mar 10 23:25   The first lawnmower of spring? - Ted

Pat, If you do get rid of it please tell me how. I have a mole on my right elbow ! Ted Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 7 Mar 10 18:47   The first lawnmower of spring? - Dog

>>> you need to feed your "female canines" tomatoes <<< S'funny, I read Teddy's post as his lawns were b*****s and he had given up on em :) Anyways - Dog rocks (hehe) do the same ~ www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=132&pf_id=6503 Dog! Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 7 Mar 10 18:58   The first lawnmower of spring? - Iffy

...Does anyone know how to get rid of them?... Pat, I'm afraid most mole removal strategies centre around killing the animal. I have heard it said you can dig one out if you happen to see the molehill being created and you are quick. The idea would be to cut the thing in two with the spade, but I suppose there's nothing to stop you digging it up and letting it run away. But you'd be digging that quick, it would be easy to decapitate it by accident. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 7 Mar 10 19:11   The first lawnmower of spring? - Pat

Well, that's it then, it looks like I'll have to use the same strategy I have with Boris. It works too. He lives in the house all winter behind a painting on the wall, and when he comes out when I'm there, I have a very stern chat with him and explain that his days are numbered unless he stays out of sight. I think he has babies though that seem to 'hatch' in the bath. They get 24 hours of a towel draped over the edge, and they always manage to get out. I shall go and rehearse my levture for Moley tomorrow. Pat Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 7 Mar 10 19:15   The first lawnmower of spring? - Iffy

Pat, Yes, they are all God's creatures, but moles can be a real pest if you are trying to produce a half-decent lawn. Trapping is the other way, by pushing a spring loaded trap through the ground into the mole's path. This is where you need the services of a proper countryman who would have an idea where to put the trap, and how deep. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 7 Mar 10 20:12   The first lawnmower of spring? - Zero

I have a labrador, it would eat the damn rocks Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 7 Mar 10 20:19   The first lawnmower of spring? - Fursty Ferret

Jasper Carrott. Mole advice. Sorted. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 7 Mar 10 21:03   The first lawnmower of spring? - -

haven't needed to cut the grass yet but the assortment of fast growing various plants under the bird feeders will need harvesting quite soon. Reply to this message | Report message

New Mon 8 Mar 10 11:09   The first lawnmower of spring? - Zero

>> haven't needed to cut the grass yet but the assortment of fast growing various plants >> under the bird feeders will need harvesting quite soon. >> Some of them will probably be . err.. cough,.. "herbal" Reply to this message | Report message

New Mon 8 Mar 10 10:51   The first lawnmower of spring? - Dog

>>> I have a labrador, it would eat the damn rocks <<< I thought Fifi was a Malinois? Reply to this message | Report message

New Mon 8 Mar 10 11:07   The first lawnmower of spring? - Zero

>> >>> I have a labrador it would eat the damn rocks <<< >> >> I thought Fifi was a Malinois? Non mon amis. The house dog - Fifi - is a soft as butter labrador. I help train some malinois for the sport of shutzhund. One we sold to Northants police (for a large sum of money) after it bit me. Its now chewing up itinerate tarmac layers in Corby. Reply to this message | Report message

New Mon 8 Mar 10 13:30   The first lawnmower of spring? - Dog

>>> I help train some malinois for the sport of shutzhund <<< Interesting! I didn't know that shutzhund was a sport. We got a 2 year old shepherd from a 'specialist' German Shepherd rescue centre some years back, they told me the previous owner was a head case and she couldn't handle him ... I managed to trace her and she said he'd bitten her BIL ... he went on to try and remove my friends Achilles tendon + the lawn-mower mechanics calf muscle - smashing Dog though :( Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 7 Mar 10 23:28   The first lawnmower of spring? - Ted

Dog rocks..... Strontium ??....Won't that make your dog glow in the dark ? Ted Reply to this message | Report message

New Mon 8 Mar 10 08:35   The first lawnmower of spring? - Dog

>>> Strontium ??....Won't that make your dog glow in the dark ? <<< Ah, your thinking of Stronium 90 comrade teddy ... What don't kill ya - makes ya stronger! Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 7 Mar 10 23:23   The first lawnmower of spring? - Ted

Zero, All gone now to the great dog-pound in the sky. None of them would entertain eating a tomato/cucumber/lettuce. Always carefully picked out and left on the floor. They might have been conned into tinned toms mixed with other grub, though. The last two were Border Terriers and they would eat anything....except salad ! Ted Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 10 Mar 10 09:24   The first lawnmower of spring? - bathtub tom

Now the council have just gone down the road cutting the grass verges! Is there something I don't know? It's too cold to get the mower out of the shed and sharpen the blades. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 10 Mar 10 09:47   The first lawnmower of spring? - Dog

>>> Now the council have just gone down the road cutting the grass verges! Is there something I don't know? <<< Eh, basically yes - they're getting paid for it ... by you :) Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 11 Mar 10 15:32   The first lawnmower of spring? - Badwolf

Well, we've not got a lawn so I don't have to faff around with mowing it and raking up the cuttings etc. Thing is, the patio needs power-washing, the decking needs the wood stain stripping off and re-applying and we could do with another ton or so of gravel. I suspect that a lawn would be easier.... Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 11 Mar 10 16:01   The first lawnmower of spring? - Pat

..................but then there's the mole:) Pat Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 11 Mar 10 17:04   The first lawnmower of spring? - madf

We have had snow - or frost - every day since before Christmas. The grass is sulking and not growing.. - It's global warming I am told... Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 17 Mar 10 20:11   The first lawnmower of spring? - Dave_

My 500 sq ft of English countryside was finally dry enough for a trim this evening... so now I've effectively hoovered up 4 months' worth of worm casts, snowman buttons and neighbours' cats' ****, and about a handful of grass. Oh well. Reply to this message | Report message

New Sat 8 May 10 07:58   The first lawnmower of spring? - L'escargot

>> My lawn's turned mostly to moss over the winter. Time to get someone in who >> knows what they're doing, perhaps. >> Apply sulphate of iron mixed with water to kill the moss. Two weeks later scarify the lawn to remove the dead moss and thatch. tinyurl.com/37wdzng Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 18 Mar 10 09:46   The first lawnmower of spring? - hawkeye

We professionals have our weapons of choice serviced, polished and lined up in the garage ready to do battle. Next week in sunny North Yorkshire. At this time of year one of the 3 rotaries is rigged as a power rake with spring tines attached. That gives the moss something to think about. Makes the lawn look awful ior a week or three but beautiful in summer. Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 18 Mar 10 10:48   The first lawnmower of spring? - Iffy

...ready to do battle. Next week in sunny North Yorkshire... Aim to do the same today or tomorrow at my static caravan in more or less the same place. Don't suppose my piece of grass is much bigger than a double garage. But it does have a couple of fiddly bits and I still manage to make quite a meal of looking after it. Latest plan is to replace the little mains mower with a Bosch rechargeable. All the petrols are too big and unwieldy for the patch, but stepping over the mains lead is driving me nuts, so cordless seems the best option. The mains one I have is 32cm and the Bosch is 34cm, which should still make it easy enough to throw around. Last edited by: ifithelps on Thu 18 Mar 10 at 10:48 Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 5 May 10 22:16   The first lawnmower of spring? - tyro

Afternoon of the 3rd of May. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 5 May 10 22:25   The first lawnmower of spring? - Runfer D'Hills

That's one of the many things I miss about not living at altitude in Scotland anymore Tyro. Not having to cut the grass very often, being able to ski on snow and being able to go to the pub in a pullover without looking like a wife-beater being just some. Edit - oh and room ( lots of room ) to play with a Westfield....... Last edited by: Humph D'bout on Wed 5 May 10 at 22:27 Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 5 May 10 23:56   The first lawnmower of spring? - bathtub tom

Did you have a Westfield, I didn't know that. You'll have to tell us about it one day. ;>( Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 6 May 10 12:26   The first lawnmower of spring? - Runfer D'Hills

>> Did you have a Westfield... .....and a sheepskin lined leather flying helmet to go with it. Now that's a man's hat. Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 6 May 10 07:12   The first lawnmower of spring? - L'escargot

In recent years the earliest I have mowed our lawns was 26th February. That was 2008. This year the first mow was 6th April. Last edited by: L'escargot on Thu 6 May 10 at 07:15 Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 6 May 10 08:33   The first lawnmower of spring? - Dog

When we lived at Gorran Haven in sowf cornwall, it has a micro climate mate and is protected by high hills (cor!) The peeps used to cut their lawns all year round, like I did (not). Reply to this message | Report message