Those of us who are fortunate to live in climates where lawns can be watered appreciate their importance. I know, with all of the negative things going on in the world, why would I write about lawns? Drive down a residential street and what stands out? Lawns. Yes, there are houses and trees but lawns are what you notice. The lawn is well cared for or it is a mess. You can tell a lot about a person based upon how they tend their lawn. Lawns are important. A great looking lawn can add value to your home.
I am not a psychiatrist or a lawn scientist, I simply have developed an appreciation for a well cared for lawn. There is much humor in lawns as well. A couple of years ago, it occurred to me that during the summer growth period, many of my neighbors mowed their lawns on Friday. None of us got together and arranged this (it’s probably a violation of some law on collusion). I have a theory and it goes like this: When neighbor “A” mow’s their lawn, it makes neighbor “B’s lawn look unkempt. So, neighbor “B” cuts their lawn and so on. Again, I am not a scientist but we all look at each other’s lawns.
Lots of women mow lawns
Another thing that I have noticed is that while conventional wisdom indicates that lawns are mowed by men, not true. There are plenty of women mowing lawns in my neighborhood and not just with riding mowers either. When I see couples (assume they are married but today we may not ask), working their yard together, it’s a good feeling. My wife and I often work in our yard together. She watches and I work! That was a joke, she does pitch in. When the weeds in the garden get high enough she can reach them and will pull them.
As we are driving in various areas (I am a real estate broker), I comment on lawns. The thinks that I am fixated on lawns and need help. To her, a nice lawn is a nice lawn and that is it. I however know enough to discuss grass with others. During the past two years, I have laid sod at several rental properties that I have invested in. Hundreds of sod sections. In my area, the best grass seems to be a centipede. It’s not the fescue that I had in California when you were allowed to have grass but it works.
Green grass in winter
A family member living in my area was overseeded this year with contractors mix and his grass during the middle of winter was lush and green. All and I mean all of his neighbors asked what he did to keep his grass so green. Centipede grass goes dormant in the winter turning a gray color. His grass was bright green and when looking down the street his lawn was in stark contrast to what seemed to be a scene from an old black and white movie.
So about that lawn and its care. The lots in my neighborhood and many along the Mississippi Gulf Coast are large by suburban standards and of course giant by city standards. Neighbors have fenced in the back yards but front yards run into the neighbor’s yard. There are continuous lawns broken only by driveways. Many people buy lawn tractors. Now, I have a theory about lawn tractors as well.
My dad was a lawn fanatic
Growing up in Southern California when there was water for grass, I was responsible for mowing the lawn. My dad was a fanatic about his lawn. There was a way to mow and If I knew what was good for me, I would follow his instructions. We had the latest power reel mower. It was not hard, just lots to mow and usually, it was in the middle of a hot Saturday. Later I saw riding mowers at Sears and then on TV shows. I thought that it would be great to own one but with all of the homes that I have owned, I never bought one until I moved to Ocean Springs, MS.
One of the first things I did was to buy a fancy tractor/mower. It has a built-in generator and powers two blades. I found that when I went fast enough the breeze helped keep me cool. Many of my neighbors own lawn tractors and on any given Friday during the summer you can see tens of thousands of dollars in lawn tractor hardware moving up and down the streets. I wish this was the end of this part of the story. It’s not.
Tractor kept hitting stumps
My property consists of about 2 acres much of which was a forest. The people who cleared the back section for me did a good job removing stumps but they left a few rights at the ground line. I planted grass and guess what, my tractor kept hitting the small stumps and it was bending my mower. After many times of removing the cutting deck, turning it over, and hitting it back in shape with a sledgehammer, my wife thought I was due for a change.
A friend down the street had just purchased a new zero turn mower and to break it in, came over and mowed the rough area in the back with weeds about 5 feet tall. That zero turns knocked it all down. We both watched from our patio and my wife said, go get one. Her wish was my command and besides, It looked like it did a better job cutting the front lawn. I noticed other neighbors buying zero turns and just like it was where we lived in California (everyone had to have a German car), I bought one at Lowes with my military discount.
Now I have two lawn tools to put into my garage. Out came her car for my new zero turn. Now I have a choice every time I want to mow the lawn. The lawn tractor or zero turn. By now you are thinking, how long can he go on about lawns? Oh, there is more.
How long can we talk about lawns?
It’s time to talk edging. There is nothing better to look at than a lawn with a sharp edge against concrete. I started with an electric edger which worked ok but those pesky long shoots from the centipede grass are very hard to cut off. After edging you see what you missed and go back and then back again. That was not going to work. Next, I invested in a battery-operated blower, weed wacker, and edger. No self-respecting lawn expert would leave the edgings or lawn cuttings on their driveway. I learned to blow the cut grass back onto the lawn where it became fertilizer. The new battery-operated equipment worked well but the edging was not quite there.
One of my neighbors was moving and he sold me his McLane edger. This is a heavy-duty single-purpose gas edger with four wheels. The same one that my dad had when I was a kid. The first time I ran that blade down into the soil near the driveway I knew that was the solution. I needed a dump truck to remove the dirt and grass it dug up but after blowing the dust away, wow.
COVID caused a focus on lawns
Then came COVID. Truthfully in Southern Mississippi, most people worked so the lockdown was short but it did send people home to work and with time on their hands, they started looking at their lawns. Before long people were fixing dead spots in the lawns and improving their gardens. We were all into the curb appeal of our properties. I have a close relative and I will not mention him by name but with so much time available, he was sitting waiting for his lawn to grow a 1/8 th of an inch just to mow it. Some of my neighbors were doing the same thing. For two or three months, there were no lawns that needed to be cut because they were cut before they needed it.
My sod laying days are behind me for now as due to all of the rain the grass is growing very well and when the grass is growing well, it expands to fill other spaces. I planted two trees on the lawn and tried to keep the grass away from the bottom of the trees. I lost the fight. My grass is tougher than I am so I am removing the wood trimming around the base of the trees.
Just remember, if you don’t take care of your yard, your neighbors will be offended. You may earn a nickname as they talk about you. If you have been neglecting your grass, perhaps it’s time to do something about it. Drive to Lowes, buy that lawn tractor or zero turn and go out Friday evening and mow that grass and edge. Put a lawn chair out and watch your neighbors admire your newly cut grass.
Irrigation system
I came back to add this section. Some parts of the country do not require an irrigation system because there is sufficient rain at intervals to keep the lawn in good condition. The Mississippi Gulf Coast for example receives sufficient rain most of the year but not in the fall.
There are times when the weather plays tricks on us. In early 2021 we received an entire year’s rain in a few months. Later in the year the rain almost disappeared. My irrigation system got a workout in October and November. The Southern California home that I owned required watering constantly so I installed an irrigation system.
You need not spend a fortune to install one. Just rent the trencher from Home Depot. Buy pipe and sprinklers then put them together. It’s like building legos. There are lots of youtube channels that have “how-to” videos. Install a wifi controller so you can control everything with your mobile phone.
Thank you for reading this article and visiting my website. Please read my companion article “Landscaping is Cathartic”. Please leave comments. If you are considering moving to a great area of the country, the Mississippi Gulf Coast, do not hesitate to contact me. I can show you homes that will meet your budget with great lawns.
