I guess more of a whine/rant than anything.
I have spent the last 4-5 years working on this and got it better than I ever thought it could be. But it seems never-ending and becoming so much of a chore/OCD subject that it is losing all of the fun. It costs hundreds of dollars every year, is a LOT of work and has become a chore. If all I had to do were my own lawn I would probably appreciate it more. Let me explain.
Five years ago, my elderly widowed neighbor asked if I would mow her lawn for her as her son-in-law was too busy with his work (as a chef) to reliably do so. I am more than happy to help her out and do so. A couple of years ago I went to add her son in law on social media to see he now owns a freaking landscape company. I am more than happy to help me neighbor, she is as much family as I have. But I feel hugely taken advantage of by her son-in-law letting me wear out my equipment and spend a ton of time on it. I do all of the work on hers as I do my own. With 2-3 mowings a week, lawn treatments, etc. it sucks a ton of the fun and enjoyment I have working my lawn. By the time I am done with mine I am usually ready to be done.
Then another elderly neighbor I don't really know was asking if I would start doing hers too. I politely declined, that was a couple of years ago and while I helped once by spraying hers for her, she pretty much handles her own lawn.
Now another neighbor who has every outdoor toy known to man and is constantly outside dicking off, stopped me and asked if I would be interested in doing his lawn too. I politely declined and he gave me the OH COME ON shit saying how he doesn't have time. He plows my driveway a few times per winter so I feel almost obligated. But if I do, then the other elderly lady I declined will be upset with me.
TBH I am about over every bit of it. The money spent, the fact that I feel obligated to let others take advantage of me for half a decade, that the fertilizer works so well it takes 3 mowings a week to keep it looking great. The pre-emergent, the post-emergent, the grub killer, the constant messing with dangerous chemicals.
Has anyone else just thrown in the towel and going back to doing nothing but mowing once per week? I didn't get any of this guilt and disliking the chore when my yard looked like low maintenance shit.
by DawgCheck421
18 Comments
Apply spring pre-emergents when the 5 day average soil temps are in the 50-55F range. Or use [this tracker](https://gddtracker.msu.edu/).
If you have a question about pre-emergents, read the entire label. If you still have a question, read the entire label again.
Pre-emergents are used to prevent the germination of specific weed seeds. They don’t kill existing weeds.
Most broadleaf weeds you see in the spring can’t be prevented with normal pre emergents. You’d need to apply a specialty broadleaf pre emergent in the FALL.
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Can you let us know how you got the lawn looking like that? I think you would be making good money if you did your neighbors lawn care.
I’m in Australia, on a rural property. My lawn is probably the part of my garden I give the least attention, as the orchard and vegetable garden and the ornamental gardens take a lot of work in what is a pretty hostile environment. Despite just mowing, watering and fertilising, and hand weeding after mowing as needed, it looks pretty green and healthy even in the middle of winter and 40 degrees Celsius in summer. The veggie garden is much more work.
If taking on other neighbor’s lawns is causing stress, I think the natural answer would be to politely say you aren’t going to do that anymore. Just focus on your own. If your own lawn is becoming a chore, there’s an in between. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Your lawn can go a long way just with fertilizing 2-4 times a year, and cutting and watering as needed. If you want to be in the top tier or have the best lawn on the block, it takes dedication. If you just want a lawn that green for the most part, you can have that with basic maintenance. You just have to decide what your goals are. And if that means not having the best lawn on the block, there no problem with that. I think you need to rethink whether or not it’s worth it to be helping out other people. It doesn’t mean you’re not a good neighbor if you are just going to take care of your own property. Most people do.
Don’t feel obligated to take care of other people’s shit. Taking care of your own lawn does not nominate you for that role. Also, I’ve found you can get about 80% of the lawn with 50% effort if you know what you’re doing, you have to decide if doing the additional work is worth it.
What about growth regulator to cut down on mowing potentially? Idk how to handle neighbors though.
It’s tough to gauge how intense that one neighbor’s request was and only you know what the vibe really was… but I would’ve just said you’re already maxed out, maybe offer to help with overseeding to not completely lose the plowing good will.
I’d like to stress that you’re under no obligation to make their lawns look like yours and mowing 3 times a week seems a bit ridiculous (for a good neighbor mow). If it were me, I’d just mow once a week, edge every other or something. If they complain just reiterate that you don’t have the time. You’re allowed to say no, just be honest.
Do you think you could do my lawn too?
Yeah, My GF…. Think about it.
once a week? I usually shoot for 8-10 days thrn just mow. No blower, or weed eater. It looks fine
I had my yard looking almost perfect. People would see me outside and tell me how great it looked.
Then I had kids and I was lucky if it got cut regularly.
Yes. Just like my body …. lol. Just let it go
I think that’s normal ebb and flow. Some years you just aren’t feeling it. I try to do the minimum work with the maximum result, so pre-emergent, fertilizer, and grub. Gets you 60% the way there and puts you in the top 20% of lawns.
Would a plant growth inhibitor help you out?
My neighbor worked his ass off on having the perfect lawn, he was constantly out working in his lawn, mowing every other day and his lawn was beautiful. Then for some reason he stopped and now has the worst lawn in our neighborhood. Dead grass and overgrown with black bushes. Never asked him why he stopped working in his lawn.
It always depends on what you want to achieve and especially *why*.
My take on this: I love cutting my grass because it’s one of the very few moments my usually hyperactive brain can rest a second. My job is quite sedentary, and being in touch with nature is super wonderful. That said: I do not care about the variety of grass, the “shadows of green”, and all the nuances I see so many guys worried about in this subreddit.
Do I see a flower? Wonderful! Do I see some strange grass that shouldn’t be there? That’s wonderful too. In the end attending my garden should make *me* a service, and it should *not* feel like a burden.
If it’s about the journey and not the destination.