When was the last time you mowed?

[Dan Thiem]

It's been two weeks since I've had to start my mower. This dry spell does have something good going for it.

[harvey lee]

Its been almost two weeks and Im in no hurry to cut it in this warm weather.If I do,the mower deck will be raised as I dont want to cut it to short in this heat.

Kind of nice not mowing so much but the yard looks like heck.

[Eckie]

Last week...I've also been running the sprinkler system every morning...can't wait to hear the wife's comments when the water bill comes...but in my mind it's a small price to pay vs. a new lawn, I guess.

[Marmot]

I have been mowing about every other week. I have been watering a lot too. I normally mow every five days or so during a normal summer.

Marmot

[Dan Thiem]

Quote:

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Kind of nice not mowing so much but the yard looks like heck.

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No doubt! The weeds are really doing good. The grass is brown and the weeds are tall and green.

[echotrail]

Eckie...I'm running the sprinkler every day to and mowing about 5 or 6 days at 3 1/4". The water bill might be big, but it will never be as big as the bill was in 1988 after I tilled the dead yard and re-seeded. That was the year all the "Experts" said "Don't worry, it's just dormant and it will come back in the fall". Tell her what your doing now is cost effective as opposed what you will have to do if it dies.

[SteveWilson]

Carefull if you water too often. When you water, water deep. If you run the sprinkler every morning and don't let it run for a long time, you will encourage a shallow root system and you will make your lawn susceptible to disease and drought. Raise your mower deck and when you water (twice a week, maybe 3 times), water deep.

[Marmot]

Quote:

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Eckie...I'm running the sprinkler every day to and mowing about 5 or 6 days at 3 1/4". The water bill might be big, but it will never be as big as the bill was in 1988 after I tilled the dead yard and re-seeded. That was the year all the "Experts" said "Don't worry, it's just dormant and it will come back in the fall".

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I remember being in the yard that fall with my Dad power raking and hand raking so we could reseed the yard as my parent's also heeded the expert's advice that going sans water would not hurt the yard.

[Eckie]

Thanks for the tip...I usually only water 3 times a week and I've only been doing the everyday thing for the last couple of weeks...and have each zone set for 15 minutes (9 zones)..

Steve, do you think I'm setting myself up for problems?

[echotrail]

Eckie..15 minutes daily for each zone is kind of short. I've got 6 zones, and I'm watering 2 of them each day for 40 minutes each. In a weeks time each zone is getting 80 minutes in two good soakers.

[Eckie]

This is my first summer with the system...so I appreciate the input. I guess I need to rethink my watering patterns.

[SteveWilson]

15 minutes is a bit short. I would also start watering a bit earlier in the day, say 1/2 hour after sunrise. I don't have a sprinkler system here (I did in Saudi) so I have the Nelsons out for about 2-3 hours in the morning. I also have a couple of areas with drainage issues (poor soil prep when the yard was installed) that are slowely comming around. Those areas I run a drip hose on and water them for 5-6 hours at a time (slow drip to avoid runoff). It's taken a couple of years but the roots are getting down and building a better base. For me the goal is to be able to take a weeks vacation without water and come back to a lawn that is still decent - even in August.

[bucketmouth64]

I had to cut my "grass" because the weeds outgrew them. It's pretty dry when you walk on the grass and it sounds like you are walking on cornflakes. Pretty dry and brittle.

[DTro]

With the goofy restrictions we have here in Jordan I water my 6 zones for 30 minutes every other day 2 times (morning and evening). The soil in the area is pure sand so it's really a PITA to have a decent lawn.

Howz a $250 water bill every 2 months sound

[harvey lee]

DTRO

Been there with the water bill.I hate turning on the water but what else can one do?

I have two 12ft maples that I had moved in three years ago.I thought I watered enough and Memorial weekend while I was gone the leaves on the two trees all started turning brown.I now water evry two days for 6 hours and by golly the trees look like they are going to make it.The leaves still look a little brown but they did not drop.Boy am I keeping my fingers crossed.

[Gadgetman]

I have a question for the water gurus out there. I live on top of a pile of class 5 gravel. I have about 3 inches of black dirt that was hauled in. I pump my water out of the lake and water about ever day or for sure every other day for several hours at a time. If I water less it seems to want to burn up on me. Is there a better system, short of hauling in another 6 inches of dirt and starting over. Fortunately it doesnt cost anything for the water and as far as I can tell my pump bill isnt costing me much either. Oh, by the way my kids get to mow about once a week, much to their dismay

[SteveWilson]

hauling in more dirt and a bunch of compost and a bit of sand would be the most effective in the long term. Otherwise work on training your lawn to grow deeper roots by watering longer and less frequently. Also water early in the morning and avoid the heat of the day. You can also look at overseeding with varieties that take less water. I use to have a lawn in Saudi Arabia on a plot that started out as sand. I hauled in sweet sand (sand that stuff would grow in, ask the bedouin where to get it) and planted a variety of grass from South Africa that was drought and salt tolerant. It took 3 years but I had a fairly nice, small lawn established, nice and comfortable on those 120F days with high humidity.

[BobT]

One way to find out if you're watering adequately is to put a rain gauge out where you are watering. You'll be surprised how much sprinkling will be required to get the equivalent of 1/2" of rain. I don't know how much is adequate though so hopefully others with more knowledge will chime in.

I haven't mowed in nearly a month. My lawn is still somewhat green but I don't concern myself. Living on a farm, if the lawn is brown for a while, it'll come back but then my lawn is made up of native grasses.

Bob

[hoggs222]

I have a well for watering the backyard. I don't want to water, due to the fact that I don't want to cut the grass in 100 degree weather!

[The Grebe]

I haven't cut our grass even once this season and it looks pretty good...no, it's not astro turf, or anything like that.....Mrs. Grebe is the self proclaimed lawn mower...even though lawns are my business, she doesn't think I know how to cut one! Thats fine with me!

[hawkeye43]

I pump water from the lake and live on a sand hill also. I start pumping water up around 3 am and by 9 am it about 2". the only bad part I have to move hoses around. I lost most of my lawn 2 years ago when I was gone for 5 days and it got hot and windy, burn it right up. I mow at 3.5" or I should say my son does.

[jonny_redhorse]

I cut mine last week some time ....she's turnin brown ...looks like hell but I'm not adding to my utility bill for just grass..rather put the x-tra money in my gas tank ...nature has a way of taking care of itself...grass looks crappy but isn't dead by allmeans....and a record breaking 90's+ for this weekend...she's going to get browner before she gets greener....tough stuff that grass...kinda feel sorry for the robins with their young..tough to pull worms out of sun parched lawns ...worms are probably 5' down jonny

[Deitz Dittrich]

probably last year some time?... My wife(Garden Girl) Mows, but even for her its been probably a week and a half?

I only mow when she is away on a "girl" trip.

[bgmny]

I live on solid clay, and the guy from chemlawn said to water 1 1/2 inches twice a week at night.