Lawnmowers

Talk to me about mowers.

Hubby has just informed me (as he mows the lawn in the dark - don't ask!) that our lawnmower is no good for our 'type of lawn'. The phrase 'a bad workman always blames his tools comes to mind'.....

So bearing in mind that he knows even less about gardening than I do (if that's possible) - could he possibly be right, and should I let him buy yet another mower.

We don't have a massive lawn


That shows you the size quite nicely, but we've since got rid of the molehills and i don't know why there are soily patches there, they aren't there now.

We used to have an enormous petrol mower, that he liked, but it was MASSIVE and took up literally the whole shed. So now we have an electric mower. It's a flymo, but I don't think it's a hover version. He says it is, but it looks nothing like the hover version my dad used to have.

Now, I think it's not cutting the grass brilliantly for a couple of reasons
1. Because it needed doing about a month ago and he never did it, so now the grass is crazy long.
2. The lawn isn't in great condition so it's quite bumpy
3. Because it's bl@@dy dark out there and he can't see what he's doing, but he's in a mood now and is insisting that he carries on!

So, any suggestions?

 

The lawn is in poor condition because of the winter we have just suffered. A better mower may be a Hayter self drive. That would be a good compromise for you, BUT, the lawn needs feeding and scarifying. I reckon he will only cut it in the dark because he`s shy about using a liitle electric mower.:yess:

 

ROFL!! you could be right. He named the old petrol mower. He called it Metallica.

Sigh. Boys and their toys.

The lawn has been fed (we have greenthumb come round) and i started scarifying it, but I was scared I was ripping it to pieces!

 

The dead stuff wont come back, get it out, any patches can be reseeded easily enough. Why pay through the nose for Greenthumb when you could do the job yourselves for about a 10th the price they charge?

 

Right! I'll get on with it then, and stop being a wimp about it!

 

Bowling green = Cylinder mower
Utility lawn = Rotary

Half-way-house = Rotary with a rear roller.

Cylinder needs to be self propelled (ones that aren't are for tiny lawns only), Rotary can be either, although the ones with rear-roller need to be self-propelled.

Self-propelled, and not Metalica-large would mean you could mow the lawn (if you want to).

Cut the lawn twice a week at this time of year, the rate of growth of the grass makes the job a nightmare otherwise.

Cutting frequently would mean you could avoid collecting the grass if you wish.

Rear-roller will give you nice stripes. Hover mower won't give you stripes. Hover mower is good for slopes / banks, pushing back-and-froth (such as under bushes / trees, like using a Hoover under furniture). If you don't have those issues (doesn't look like it from the photo) then I don't see the benefit of a Hover for you.

If you want a smarter looking lawn then keep it mowed frequently, and short enough, as that will reduce the rougher grasses and allow the finer ones to compete, and over-sow with some grass seed (i.e. containing finer grasses) periodically (too lazy to get up and get the book to remind me if its Spring or Autumn!).

Lawns take quite a lot of work to look smart, BUT a smart lawn sets off the rest of the garden and people won't notice some weeds etc. in the beds.

 

Hello lovely . Dai took the words out of my mouth - Hayters r lovely mowers and r a joy to use and they look manly enough to use during the day !! They aren't cheap but as per usual , u get what u pay for and a cheap mower can be hell !!! When u scarify u drag out the nasty cloggy thatch but u also cut the grass plants into smaller pieces . As I understand it , the grass roots along the way so when u chop it up a bit scarifying u r actually cutting it into many smaller grass plants . Once these have grown on u have a thicker , more lush lawn .

 

Did they see me coming! I bought a Hayter petrol mower two years ago and I hate it. It's so temperamental. Even after servicing I've had nothing but trouble trying to start it (pull cord). With a dead-mans handle to contend with it's no joke. I'm told there's nothing wrong with it! :gaagh:
Wish I'd stuck with a Honda.

 

I think it was a Mountfield petrol we used to have. But the thing was so heavy there was no way I could shift it. i think it weighed more than I did, plus we have steps up from the shed to the lawn!

I got out there and did a bit of raking today though. It's hard work though! Does look a bit better in the places that I did though. Should get it all done in a week - just in time to start again i imagine.

 

"It's hard work though!"

But cheaper than Gym Membership :thumb:

 

Hey, I am also looking for a lawnmower, so we can help each other
At first I was looking at ebay, and then got to this site, where people sell their used grass equipment (as seen here), So I have more options now. But I am still reading and choosing a lawnmower, haven't bought one yet.