Lazy McCoy

I mow my tiny patch with a Scott's, but since we don't have an off-season, and I don't like to mow through our winter/rainy season, I borrowed my Dad's new Nueton, and I loved it. It was great for cutting the longer grass that we get after a few months of neglect.  I could never justify the space or electricity, for my postage stamp, but it was sure nice to mow with.

I do have a question though for other Scott's/Reel owners what do you do for maintenance? How often do you sharpen the blades? Do you do it yourself?

I've got one more photo, and I want to know where I send the virtual home made thank you brownies.

Paul,

Thanks for all your help so far. I finally go that hole dug. Broke a shovel handle doing it.  I will write the post and add the pics when I am finished.

I dug the whole near the edge of my lawn where it abuts a patio, that area has never done well, and I've always assumed that that's is where my dog likes to urinate and he's burned out the grass.  Is it better to put sawdust or compost in the hole when I fill it back up?  Have you had anybody have good luck with the chopstick cure?

Paul,

Thanks for your quick reply.

This is a different approach to no-mow. Apparently it's really used places most people won't mow or don't want to mow-median strips, and hillsides and such. It's really more a meadow grass mix that you can mow if you want a traditional lawn look, or not mow if you like a meadow look.  My thought is that when my kids stop running around on it I'll convert it to a meadow and add some local wildflowers to the mix. If you want a better idea of what it looks like you'll have to go to the website.

I assume where you said "get through the summer with no watering" you meant get through the summer with only and inch a month without rainfall. Am I correct?

Also, forgive me as I suspect you've answered this one before, how do I tell if what I've got is soil to two feet?

I can guess that the answer starts with dig a hole two feet deep, and while I can tell the difference between rocks and dirt, I am not sure I can distinguish clay-ey soil, from well clay. Any pointers would be appreciated.

I need help with figuring out watering in my area.

I am in  the Bay Area in a semi-urban neighborhood.  After years of seriously slow progress we're rid of our front lawns (corner property) and they are nicely replaced with natives.

We redesigned the backyard from a confusing patchwork of levels (some deck some lawn) 60% had concrete from parking pads underneath it, and now it's all one level.  We had someone put in the pretty small lawn we wanted for our kids and dogs with a "mow free sod". (From http://www.deltabluegrass.com/mowfree.html) it contains according to the website.

Mow Free
Sheeps Fescue
Hard Fescue
Chewings Fescue
Creeping Red Fescue


It didn't do so well the first couple of years because the guy who put it in did a lousy job with the sprinkler system, and I didn't do a great job maintaining it. (Did I mention I've got small kids?)I know he dug in compost and did a ton of prep work before he put it in but not how much, nor much else about my soil beyond that it's got a lot of clay.

We finally got the sprinklers fixed, and I've set myself the goal of trying to baby the lawn this year so it'll choke out the weeds, and go back to looking more like it did after I got it installed.  So I'm complete on board with "organic" "Lazy" (obviously) and "cheap". I mow high, grass cycle, and practice benign (i hope) neglect. I've never used herbicides of any kind or let anyone use it. I probably gave up chemical fertilizers a decade ago and never used them on the lawn anyway. I'm the type who'd rather read 15 articles about the wonders of permaculture and CSA, then actually go out and do actual gardening-though I am improving especially now that my kids will actually hang out with me and let me do as much as 5 or 10 minutes of gardening without interruption.

But here's my question, can a lawn get buy on 1"/month with NO SUMMER RAIN?

We're in a very temperate area, where summer evenings are always cool, and frost is a once a decade event. 80's during the day are considered heat wave territory, and the soil is clay, and I don't want to use a drop more of water than I should, but I'd really like to get this lawn well established so it looks good, holds up to having my kids run around on it, and is a great place to spread out a picnic lunch on a sunday.