I'm a lawn virgin and I'm not embarrassed about it!
My wife and I moved into our first house last week (rented, but 4 walls, 6 sides with no one on the other side of them). Just this vast expanse of green all around. We've always been container gardeners, but having a lawn, and entire yard to nurture is something we were really looking forward to.
So far I've mowed once, and started researching all about dethatching and aerating (those have to wait until fall).
So why a blog? Why not? A nice way to document what we're doing with this place, and to share some of the lessons learned with others. There seem to be so many lawn care advice sites and blogs, that I'm probably not "breaking any new ground" here, but like most of my blogs, they're as much for me as for anyone else.
First lawn mowing lessons:
1) Review the mower's full features before starting. You might just discover that you have front-wheel drive! Better to find out before you've mowed half the yard push-style.
2) On path cross-over, make sure your wheel runs into your last blade bath (5-6 inches even). If you line up with your last wheel track, you'll miss grass and have to go over it again.
3) I already knew to pick up big sticks and stones (it's not like I've NEVER mowed a lawn before). But Laura told me that sometimes bunny nests live under clumps of grass. And we have bunnies, so I did a quick rake of the lawn first.
4) If you have a collector bag, be sure to check it periodically. Mine seems to handle the whole lawn before filling up, but I was surprised how full it was when I was done. It's not like a vacuum bag that lets you vacuum the house many times before it's full.
5) Make sure you have extra gas when you start. Luckily, my landlord left a small can so I could refill when I ran out.
More to come as I learn more! Next week, edging and trimming!
So far I've mowed once, and started researching all about dethatching and aerating (those have to wait until fall).
So why a blog? Why not? A nice way to document what we're doing with this place, and to share some of the lessons learned with others. There seem to be so many lawn care advice sites and blogs, that I'm probably not "breaking any new ground" here, but like most of my blogs, they're as much for me as for anyone else.
First lawn mowing lessons:
1) Review the mower's full features before starting. You might just discover that you have front-wheel drive! Better to find out before you've mowed half the yard push-style.
2) On path cross-over, make sure your wheel runs into your last blade bath (5-6 inches even). If you line up with your last wheel track, you'll miss grass and have to go over it again.
3) I already knew to pick up big sticks and stones (it's not like I've NEVER mowed a lawn before). But Laura told me that sometimes bunny nests live under clumps of grass. And we have bunnies, so I did a quick rake of the lawn first.
4) If you have a collector bag, be sure to check it periodically. Mine seems to handle the whole lawn before filling up, but I was surprised how full it was when I was done. It's not like a vacuum bag that lets you vacuum the house many times before it's full.
5) Make sure you have extra gas when you start. Luckily, my landlord left a small can so I could refill when I ran out.
More to come as I learn more! Next week, edging and trimming!
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