What to look for in when purchasing a lawn mower?

Cochy

We close on our first house March 30th and we are total newbies to homeownership. One of our first purchases should be a lawn mower. The house sits on just over a third acre. What should we look for in a lawn mower? Not even sure where to start. What makes a good lawn mower? Is a rider worth it?

Answer
Depends on your preference. If you want to walk, a push mower would be fine. If you want it to be a little quicker and easier, a rider would do. You should also know what type of grass you have. St. Augustine grows faster and needs cutting weekly during season, while bermuda would grow a little slower, and zoysia even slower. You may need to mow weekly, or every 2 or 3 weeks depending on the grass. The less often you have to mow it the more a push mower makes sense. And with some grass types, such as zoysia or rye, you do want to use a catcher to bag the clippings.

I'm planting zoysia grass in Georgia, and my original lawn has a lot of weeds (real fat leaves).?

linktoterr

Will the new plugs kill out the weeds or can i use weed killer on the weeds while the zoisia is trying to take root and grow?

Answer
Make sure the label reads "kills the weeds and not the lawn" before you spray. That grass is pretty hard to mow. It's hard to push anything with wheels through it. I use a self propelled walk behind mower for part of mine and the rest of the half acre I use a riding mower. The roots are deeper than other grass and also very thick and tough. I never water mine.

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What is the ideal mowing deck height for a lawn mower?

best lawn mower zoysia grass image

Sam N

When i mow my yard and my customers yards i want the best results for them as well as me. I want to know the ideal mowing deck height so the grass isn't too short or too long.

Answer
Honestly, it all depends on what type of grass you are mowing. Bermuda and zoysia can be cut really short. And all others (too many to mention) have other varying heights.

Lawn Mower question, if you have experience mowing lawns?

You may be

For just a small lawn, do you think a reel mower is ok, or will they get rusted up and hard to push after a while.

What do you think, reel, electric, gas.

I need to buy one, but it's just a small lawn about 20 feet by 15 feet.

Answer
It depends on how big your lawn is, and what type of grass you have.

My old lawn was about the same size as yours and I used a reel mower very effectively on it. But with some "cool season" grasses (bluegrass, rye, fescue), you really have to keep up with it. Taller grass can be dificult to cut w/ a reel mower.

If you have a Southern grass, like Bermuda, Zoysia, St. Augustine - they are great mowers. You'd definitely be better off using a reel mower on one of these.

You can pick up a new reel mower for about $60, so it's not a big investment. A gas or electric will run you considerably more.

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Can I seed centipede grass on top of an established lawn seeded with fescue in June?

best lawn mower zoysia grass image

rumell

My lawn is currently somewhat green/brown and I desire a green lawn for the upcoming hot summer months

Answer
I personally had great success overseeding with centipede (I live in a southern state). As opposed to the aforementioned method, I utilized a "de thatching" blade on my lawn mower set at the lowest setting, which tore out all the old thatch and exposed the ground for the seeds (which need to be kept damp after sowing, of course).

Having said that, my greatest success in re-seeding my southern lawn has been through the use of Zoysia plugs (available online through various nurseries). They took much longer to establish than the centipede (about 3-4 years), but now never require water, and keep a dense, carpet-like mat of turf all summer long. Check out Zoysia before you make your final decision to go with centipede.

What's the most effective way to get rid of wild onions growing in my lawn?

clacher

Hi, I spent several hours digging these wild onions up last year but they are now back and worse than ever.

Answer
Chemical Method

Make a bunch of donut-shaped plastic lawn protectors. Each should be about a foot square (no reason to make it round) with a small hole cut in the middle. Make a "crochet hook" from a hanger. The hook must fit through the hole.

This works best if you follow these two rules:

1. Before cutting the grass in the spring so that the weed sticks up from the other grass.
2. When there is no wind.

You can cheat on rule 1, but cheating on rule two is at your peril.

To use, I place a folded protector so that the hole is next to the target weed and use the "crochet hook" to snag the weed and pull its leaves through the hole. Donât make the hole larger than it needs to be to get the leaves through easily. Lay the plastic flat on the lawn so that it protects the good grass.

I use a sponge brush to apply roundup (cheap ones available in the paint department). Barely dip the sponge so that the roundup does not drip. Stroke all of the exposed leaves. Spraying will almost certainly get some of the roundup on your lawn. and you will get dead spots. If your grass is St. Augustine or Bermuda, the dead spots can be quite large. They usually donât last more than a month or two, however.

Leave the plastic protectors in place for at least 30 minutes while the roundup is absorbed, then remove them. If you reuse the plastic protectors, make certain there is a clear upside and downside marker on each one. A small printed sticker works well. If you see the print on the sticker, the correct side is up.

No Chemicals, HEAT Method

If you donât like to use a chemical, you can do a lot with a piece of black plastic sheeting, 30 pound felt, or an asphalt shingle. Cut a square of the black material larger than the area with weeds. Use a sheer to cut the leaves that will be under the square close to the ground. Cover the area with the square, and use nails to pin the square to the ground. The sun will heat the square and the ground and prevent air from getting to the grass. Leave the square in place for two or so weeks of good sunny days. This can even kill weed seeds if it lets the ground get hot enough. When the plants under the square are dead, remove the square and the dead plant material. St. Augustine, Zoysia, and Bermuda will quickly fill the square, but other grasses must be seeded into the area. Make certain you count every nail as you insert it and remove it so that you get every one. You don't want a mower to pick one up!

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Lawn Mower question, if you have experience mowing lawns?

best lawn mower zoysia grass image

You may be

For just a small lawn, do you think a reel mower is ok, or will they get rusted up and hard to push after a while.

What do you think, reel, electric, gas.

I need to buy one, but it's just a small lawn about 20 feet by 15 feet.

Answer
It depends on how big your lawn is, and what type of grass you have.

My old lawn was about the same size as yours and I used a reel mower very effectively on it. But with some "cool season" grasses (bluegrass, rye, fescue), you really have to keep up with it. Taller grass can be dificult to cut w/ a reel mower.

If you have a Southern grass, like Bermuda, Zoysia, St. Augustine - they are great mowers. You'd definitely be better off using a reel mower on one of these.

You can pick up a new reel mower for about $60, so it's not a big investment. A gas or electric will run you considerably more.

Can I seed centipede grass on top of an established lawn seeded with fescue in June?

rumell

My lawn is currently somewhat green/brown and I desire a green lawn for the upcoming hot summer months

Answer
I personally had great success overseeding with centipede (I live in a southern state). As opposed to the aforementioned method, I utilized a "de thatching" blade on my lawn mower set at the lowest setting, which tore out all the old thatch and exposed the ground for the seeds (which need to be kept damp after sowing, of course).

Having said that, my greatest success in re-seeding my southern lawn has been through the use of Zoysia plugs (available online through various nurseries). They took much longer to establish than the centipede (about 3-4 years), but now never require water, and keep a dense, carpet-like mat of turf all summer long. Check out Zoysia before you make your final decision to go with centipede.

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What type of lawn mower do you recommend?

best lawn mower zoysia grass image

Q. I have a small back yard (20' x 30') and love the way the grass looks once it has been cut with a gas lawn mower. However, I want to get rid of the gas mower and considering a reel or electric mower. Would the reel mower give it the same look as the gas mower does? I have Zoysia grass. Opinions?? Thanks!

Answer
I highly recommend a McLane 17" front throw reel mower. With the grass catcher. http://buyapushmower.com/2009/12/21/mclane-17-inch-7-blade-front-throw-17-ph-7/
I've been using mine for over 7 years and is without a doubt the best reel mower out there. Easy to push and maintain. I Never use a rotary mower on zoysia grass. I own a maintenance company and only mow properties with Bermuda, zoysia, or paspalum grasses. It's perfect for areas I can't get a heavy mower into. My zoysia grass is maintained at 350 mm.
You will be able to get a closer, or lower elevated cut on your zoysia, which in my opinion looks better. You will be able to scalp your grass at the lowest setting to dethatch your lawn when needed also.
The first few cuts will be a learning experience and there will be bald spots on any areas where the soil is not level under the grass. Rolling it will solve that problem.

What happens if my Zoysia grass lawn is cut/ mowed too short?

magast91

My father-in-law was in town last week. He took it upon himself to mow our lawn, but failed to realize our mower has a flat tire. My poor lawn received the punishment. I know Zoysia grass is not supposed to be shorter than 1- 1.5 inches. But none of the information I find actually says what happens if it gets cut too short! Will my lawn die? What's going happen exactly? How long will it take for the grass to grow back and look healthy again? Please, your help is needed.
The current height of the grass is about 1/2 an inch.

Answer
The grass will probably grow back it is pretty persistent. I would say just give it a dose of fertilizer if yo haven't done so this spring and don't worry about it . As long as it is not cut that short on a regular basis it will survive.

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What to look for in when purchasing a lawn mower?

best lawn mower zoysia grass image

Cochy

We close on our first house March 30th and we are total newbies to homeownership. One of our first purchases should be a lawn mower. The house sits on just over a third acre. What should we look for in a lawn mower? Not even sure where to start. What makes a good lawn mower? Is a rider worth it?

Answer
Depends on your preference. If you want to walk, a push mower would be fine. If you want it to be a little quicker and easier, a rider would do. You should also know what type of grass you have. St. Augustine grows faster and needs cutting weekly during season, while bermuda would grow a little slower, and zoysia even slower. You may need to mow weekly, or every 2 or 3 weeks depending on the grass. The less often you have to mow it the more a push mower makes sense. And with some grass types, such as zoysia or rye, you do want to use a catcher to bag the clippings.

how do the shades on the baseball fields come to appear on the grass?

benedict k

i'd like the grass on my yard to look like a baseball field..by using just my push lawn mower how can i make shaded lanes on my yard?

Answer
I just ran across this webpage the other day which will answer your question. Part of the answer is here, but check the source for the web address for the full article and other links.

"The designs are created through a process called lawn striping. To create lawn-striping designs of your own, you only need two pieces of equipment: a lawnmower and a roller. Many professional groundskeepers use old-fashioned reel mowers to cut a stadium's grass. Attached just behind the blades of the mower is a lawn roller that bends the grass down. Some lawnmower manufacturers are beginning to make riding mowers with full-width rollers mounted to the rear of the mower to make this task easier.

Whatever pattern you make is revealed by the light shining off of the bent grass. A checkerboard design is created by passing over the grass in side-by-side rows, first going north to south, then making east-to-west stripes in the grass that intersect the north-south stripes. In this way, you alternate the way the grass bends. When you look at your lawn, the stripes of grass leaning away from you will look lighter. This lighter green is caused by the sunlight reflecting off the entire blade of grass. In the darker green stripes, formed by the blades of grass leaning toward you, the sunlight is reflecting only off the tips of the blades.

Different grasses can be used to accentuate the striping effect, including rye grass, fescue and bluegrass. You won't see such a big contrast between the stripes' colors if you have a warm-season grass, such as Bermuda or zoysia. Watering the grass after mowing can make your pattern stand out even more. "

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What to look for in when purchasing a lawn mower?

best lawn mower zoysia grass image

Cochy

We close on our first house March 30th and we are total newbies to homeownership. One of our first purchases should be a lawn mower. The house sits on just over a third acre. What should we look for in a lawn mower? Not even sure where to start. What makes a good lawn mower? Is a rider worth it?

Answer
Depends on your preference. If you want to walk, a push mower would be fine. If you want it to be a little quicker and easier, a rider would do. You should also know what type of grass you have. St. Augustine grows faster and needs cutting weekly during season, while bermuda would grow a little slower, and zoysia even slower. You may need to mow weekly, or every 2 or 3 weeks depending on the grass. The less often you have to mow it the more a push mower makes sense. And with some grass types, such as zoysia or rye, you do want to use a catcher to bag the clippings.

how do the shades on the baseball fields come to appear on the grass?

benedict k

i'd like the grass on my yard to look like a baseball field..by using just my push lawn mower how can i make shaded lanes on my yard?

Answer
I just ran across this webpage the other day which will answer your question. Part of the answer is here, but check the source for the web address for the full article and other links.

"The designs are created through a process called lawn striping. To create lawn-striping designs of your own, you only need two pieces of equipment: a lawnmower and a roller. Many professional groundskeepers use old-fashioned reel mowers to cut a stadium's grass. Attached just behind the blades of the mower is a lawn roller that bends the grass down. Some lawnmower manufacturers are beginning to make riding mowers with full-width rollers mounted to the rear of the mower to make this task easier.

Whatever pattern you make is revealed by the light shining off of the bent grass. A checkerboard design is created by passing over the grass in side-by-side rows, first going north to south, then making east-to-west stripes in the grass that intersect the north-south stripes. In this way, you alternate the way the grass bends. When you look at your lawn, the stripes of grass leaning away from you will look lighter. This lighter green is caused by the sunlight reflecting off the entire blade of grass. In the darker green stripes, formed by the blades of grass leaning toward you, the sunlight is reflecting only off the tips of the blades.

Different grasses can be used to accentuate the striping effect, including rye grass, fescue and bluegrass. You won't see such a big contrast between the stripes' colors if you have a warm-season grass, such as Bermuda or zoysia. Watering the grass after mowing can make your pattern stand out even more. "

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