Lets talk lawn mowers.

[alz]

And old-fashioned scythe is too heavy, at least for a pensioner like me.
But get a Turk Scythe, it's light and a pleasure to use. Anyway, you don't need to be in a hurry or do it all at once - just enjoy the scent of the grass and sounds of the countryside.

 

[Lons]

Sheep is what the previous occupant used, and sometimes cut it for hay. I would prefer having it somewhat tamed with a minimum of excrement, so I could have a stroll around on that good sunny day we are blessed with almost every year.
Could we go into mulch a bit more?
Is it feasible to just mulch with out lifting, EVER.
This appeals to me

I collect the grass from the garden Artie but that's kept to around 20mm, I don't care too much as long as it's green tbh. The paddock which stretches away from the lawn is around 40-50 mm at a guess, cut level 3 on the mower and during the season I cut it every 7 to 10 days so very little cuttings to be noticed unless it's left longer when I'm away on hol when some will lie for a few days. I haven't noticed any major issues with thatch build up, if there is it hasn't stopped the hundreds of voles and the bloody moles. I haven't collected the cuttings for several years apart from once when the kids wanted a party and I cut it shorter.

Took this pic this morning showing part of the paddock which starts from where you can see the tripod with targets.

 

[Wayside2020]

I had a large Honda 22 yrs old never failed to start first or second pull. Over time I have reduced my lawn in favour of outdoor living areas. My lawn is now a 3m diameter circle and only took 2 minutes 54 seconds to mow with the Honda. Last year I did a trade with my daughter and they bought me a small cordless mower that’s very light and gets the job done.

 

[Gardener]

Looking to sell my Honda HRX 476 19”
variable speed Hydrostatic mower with mulch facility

Too big now for my garden

 

[Woody2Shoes]

Sheep is what the previous occupant used, and sometimes cut it for hay. I would prefer having it somewhat tamed with a minimum of excrement, so I could have a stroll around on that good sunny day we are blessed with almost every year.
Could we go into mulch a bit more?
Is it feasible to just mulch with out lifting, EVER.
This appeals to me

I think there's a slight conflict between wild flowers and mulch left in place. The most interesting wild flowers find it difficult/impossible to compete with grass, so impoverished soil evens things up a bit in their favour. To impoverish the soil, you ideally need to remove the cuttings.

 

[Woody2Shoes]

Careful with geese - they can be vicious b*****s, and if you are unlucky, they will convert your grass sward into silverweed (Potentilla anserina - the clue is in the name for dog latin speakers). But they are excellent burglar alarms; our neighbours had them on the farm opposite when we lived near Lancaster, and nothing approached our door without them sounding off.

Silverweed=wild flowers
If a goose is agressive (usually in the breeding season) you just need to raise/flap your arms, to look like a bigger goose, and outstare them.

 

[recipio]

At a certain age having to spend 2-3 hours every week mowing becomes a real chore. My neighbour has a Husqvarna robot and its a revelation. It cuts with what seem like Stanley blades and you can't see any grass flying out - it gradually reduces the grass by a few mm a day. Expensive to set up certainly but the technology works. All controlled by an app on the phone so I'm saving up the pennies.

 

[artie]

I was researching mulching mowers online last night and I think they may not be the answer for the climate here. Apparently they don't work well with wet grass,

 

[dickm]

At a certain age having to spend 2-3 hours every week mowing becomes a real chore. My neighbour has a Husqvarna robot and its a revelation. It cuts with what seem like Stanley blades and you can't see any grass flying out - it gradually reduces the grass by a few mm a day. Expensive to set up certainly but the technology works. All controlled by an app on the phone so I'm saving up the pennies.

My reasoning precisely. According to the sticker on the side of the Landroid, it can be app controlled, but that's beyond the understanding of this old duffer!

 

[Sheptonphil]

I had nearly an acre of paddock and tiered grass to cut. I bought and sold the tie on, it wasn’t practical for the tiers. I replaced it with a champion, which lasted four weeks. Then it was replaced with a serious Toro 22” auto pace walk behind mower, which went at any pace you walked at. I sold that last year after moving and thirteen years of use with just an annual service, new belts and blade each year.

 

[BruceK]

We still have 5 elderly sheep and as a youth I used to keep geese. Both are good but once retirement age hits you, the enthusiasm for running around chasing, catching and wrestling an animal which is faster than you and almost as heavy, then trying to turn it upside down and pin it to the ground begins to wane, so our sheep are on an eviction notice. Geese were okay too but the term 'as fast as sh*t out of a goose' is very accurate. They're also an attractive meal for Mr. and Mrs. Fox and there's nothing worse than going out to lock them away in the evening only to be greeted with a scene of disaster (foxes bite off the heads of them all with the idea of coming back to collect them one at a time). It's not pretty. I read up a bit online about good mowers some years ago and came up with an American zero turn Scag. Scag presented itself as having the best reviews so Fleabay became a focus for a week or two. I found an old ex-lawncare Super Z ride on which needed attention, at a good price, expecting to have to put a new engine in it. All that was wrong was the choke was stuck on! That was about 12 years ago and it must have been at least that old when I bought it. Just this week, with the help of a welder friend we've made a new deck to replace the very heavy duty old one which was cracked and rusted and finally giving up the ghost, and I'm now hoping for a lot more years' service yet. It cuts grass on a smoothish surface at up to 10mph and actually, spinning it round and doing wheelies is quite good fun so cutting the grass is no longer the chore it used to be. Long grass is best thrown out of the chute and for the first cut of the season I work my way towards the centre of my lawns, collecting the last row or two with a rake. After that, once it's shorter, the mulching blades do their trick and the day after the grass is mown the mulch has gone, feeding the lawn with natural fertiliser. While the deck has been replaced I've really missed my Scag...and not enjoyed cutting the grass at all.

 

[Woody2Shoes]

....Geese were okay too but the term 'as fast as sh*t out of a goose' is very accurate. They're also an attractive meal for Mr. and Mrs. Fox and there's nothing worse than going out to lock them away in the evening only to be greeted with a scene of disaster (foxes bite off the heads of them all with the idea of coming back to collect them one at a time). .......

Electric netting works - the local foxes have all come to see the new lambs in the fields (!) - the geese are quite happy, watching from behind their netting.

https://theseasonaltable.co.uk/smallholding/keeping-geese-part-3-fencing/

 

[Beanwood]

I have a John Deere LTR - which can bag up, or mulch depending on your want. (Also have a Honda self propelled walk behind for smaller bits)

I bag it when it gets TOO long - first cut of the year - but if you're mowing regularly, the mulching plug works absolutley fine - and saves a lot of time.

Sheep will leave bits they don't like. Geese just make a mess, and cause a racket.

 

[Woody2Shoes]

....

Sheep will leave bits they don't like. Geese just make a mess, and cause a racket.
.....

One of the great advantages of electric netting is that you can subdivide their grazing so none of it gets overgrazed. Ours are only noisy during the (pretty short) breeding season, or when strangers appear - not a problem for us, but YMMV

 

[Beanwood]

One of the great advantages of electric netting is that you can subdivide their grazing so none of it gets overgrazed. Ours are only noisy during the (pretty short) breeding season, or when strangers appear - not a problem for us, but YMMV

Hmm - now you've introduced electric netting - something else to complicate life - easier to empty a grass box than keep the fencer battery charged, or run long leads for mains, and moving it regularly. I think you're getting away from making life easier for the OP....

 

[Woody2Shoes]

Hmm - now you've introduced electric netting - something else to complicate life - easier to empty a grass box than keep the fencer battery charged, or run long leads for mains, and moving it regularly. I think you're getting away from making life easier for the OP....

Nothing's for nothing!
Electric netting's a lot cheaper to buy and own than some kind of ride-on mower...

 

[Beanwood]

Nothing's for nothing!
Electric netting's a lot cheaper to buy and own than some kind of ride-on mower...

Fair point. But factor in what is the cost of buying a few quality geese, fence, fencing unit, battery, charger, fence tester, goose house, drinkers, water supply, goose feed - (Or do they survive on grass alone even in winter). I know my chicken food bill is not 'chicken feed'. Let's not forget any emotional distress after a fox attack - and yes foxes DO kill geese.
I'd have kept the Iseki......

Back on topic, I had a Countax I bought 'pre-owned' that was great on everything, until it finally died of rust.

 

[Peterm1000]

These sheep ideas seem a bit wild for 1/2 acre... How much hassle and expense are they going to be... What happens whenyou want to go on holiday for a fortnight? How much are the vet bills each year?

Surely the low effort option is a robot mower. An alternative is a ride on mower.

 

[Sandyn]

but once retirement age hits you, the enthusiasm for running around chasing, catching and wrestling an animal which is faster than you and almost as heavy, then trying to turn it upside down and pin it to the ground begins to wane

Was wondering if you were meaning your wife, but I see it's sheep you were talking about

 

[clogs]

we had over 3 acres of grass to cut...worn out loads'a cheapy ride on's....all with Briggs n Sttratton engines......
as we we're selling up couldn't justify a Kubota 'D'.........

so bought a Toro Time cutter....Honda V twin eng.......still have it.....wife loves to drive it, amazing around trees...it'll turn in it's own length.....

plus my trusty walk behind Honda proff mower that's getting on for 30 years old......

For the very rough stuff I made this.....never got time to paint it....shame on me......
a certain Swedish company wanted over €900 euros for something prettier.....and it had a Brigs n Stratton .....oh nasty...
this has an ancient 5.5hp honda engine......it's so old I cant buy the recoil starter anymore, so a trusty peice of knotted cord works ok......the wheels are from a junked wheel chair, the spindle pulley is from a 1950's Massey ferg tractor....and the scruffy tool bag is an ex air bag from a wrecked Reno.......it gets a good work out now as have 1.5 acres of STONEY rough pasture in my new place.....
get's me outta the house....hahaha......I used to repair mowers almost full time.....