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Finally moved in. Here's a pic of me on my phone in the new backyard I am also starting to learn about the glory that is Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist for building supplies. I just bought a Weber BBQ, extension ladder and a shitload of extension cords for basically $100.
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Apr 17, 2017 07:14
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RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS posted:I have large patches where it's just dirt because after the leaves fell nobody did anything about them until now (this is a new house and I guess they trucked in all the soil or something so anyway the grass is new and not very well established). So I need to seed them with something (don't I? I assume I do if I want them to, you know, not just be dirt) and I was wondering if I should consider something beyond plain old grass seed. Pennington and Scott's are two good brands for seeds in general (good moisture retention coatings and low weed seed %). If you want to do something more fancy there are seed retailers online too. Since you are in NE you may be able to do some seeding RIGHT NOW, but further south seeding in the spring is hard because the grass doesn't have much time to establish roots before the heat/dryness comes. You get out what you put in with seeding. If you just toss it on the ground you'll get some germination, and only some of that will die over the coming months. Trying to keep them moist is really a very big help for the first 2 weeks and will boost germination rates a lot. Daily watering can help but isn't strictly necessary if you are using seeds with fancy coatings like the Scott's or Pennington, and not at all needed if you are getting regular rain. Hitting the bare patches with a hard toothed take to loosen the soil first will also help them get established. If the ground is really tough, rake it hard to decomapct it some. Thsts about where "low maintenance" ends, but that much alone will help you a lot. Hubis fucked around with this message at 12:52 on Apr 17, 2017 |
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Apr 17, 2017 12:38
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Yeah, I'm getting a bunch of circulars advertising seeding services so I'm guessing it's not horrible to try seeding now. Although it was like 80 degrees yesterday.
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Apr 17, 2017 14:14
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RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS posted:I live in New England. I'm wondering if anyone knows anything about various low-maintenance lawn solutions because I did some reading on maintaining your lawn and I can't see myself doing as much mowing and watering as these people recommend. I'm going more for "green and not totally out of control" than "golf course" here so I don't mind some other plants getting mixed in if that helps. I've never watered except for treating patches. Even in long stretches of dry weather, the worst I see are occasional patches of brown. My neighbor mows at around 2 inches and during such times, most of his lawn is brown.
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Apr 17, 2017 14:22
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RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS posted:Yeah, I'm getting a bunch of circulars advertising seeding services so I'm guessing it's not horrible to try seeding now. Although it was like 80 degrees yesterday. As far as varieties go, the standard blends are pretty good because they give you a mix of grass adapted to different circumstances. I use the Pennington Sun & Shade blend for my front/side yard and the "dense shade" blend for the rear where I have some tall trees. If you're aiming for a nice lawn with minimum maintenance, you could go for a Kentucky Bluegrass blend directly (instead of the generalized cool-season blends which are usually fescue with some bluegrass mixed in). Fescue grows in clumps, meaning it won't spread to fill in bare patches (because you're not letting it go through it's full lifecycle and go to seed). Bluegrass spreads via rhizomes (underground roots) and so over time will spread to fill in thin areas as it grows. If you want to whip it into shape quickly and aren't concerned about growing a mono-stand (the "golf course" lawn mentioned before) you could just seed bluegrass now so it starts giving you even coverage and then throw down some fescue or a blend in the future. Note that because it's a clumping grass, Fescue *needs* to be overseeded in the fall. It's not really optional -- over time the old crowns will age and become less healthy and you'll end up with tufty patches and bare gaps in between. Overseeding is basically simulating the lifecycle of the grass so you always have "young" crowns growing every year. Once you have a healthy lawn, though, overseeding isn't too much work. Rocks posted:Finally moved in. Here's a pic of me on my phone in the new backyard That's drat nice. Congrats! Hubis fucked around with this message at 15:21 on Apr 17, 2017 |
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Apr 17, 2017 15:19
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It's nice I guess but your neighbor in the chair looks like an idiot
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Apr 17, 2017 15:47
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I'm in the market for a lawn trimmer. I had some hand me down 2 stroke model and I'd like to move away from gas powered. Is there a recommended brand for electric ones and should I spring for a battery powered or settle for corded? I have the extension cords and the outlet placement outside for corded if that's a good route.
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Apr 17, 2017 16:34
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couldcareless posted:I'm in the market for a lawn trimmer. I had some hand me down 2 stroke model and I'd like to move away from gas powered. Is there a recommended brand for electric ones and should I spring for a battery powered or settle for corded? I have the extension cords and the outlet placement outside for corded if that's a good route. Do you need a weed whacker or an edger?
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Apr 17, 2017 16:47
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The lawn people just called me and apparently I am the first customer in their history to request overseeding with white clover. They wanted to confirm that I was absolutely sure that I wanted this before going ahead with it, and had to hang up to tell me "they'd look into it."
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Apr 17, 2017 17:00
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Also I am seeing some mildewing appear at the lower edge of all of our windows, especially down in the basement. Does this mean we need a dehumidifier?
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Apr 17, 2017 17:01
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Cheesus posted:Mow twice, maybe three times a week at the mower's higher settings (3-4 inches). Three times a week is way beyond what I'm looking to commit to here.
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Apr 17, 2017 17:16
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couldcareless posted:I'm in the market for a lawn trimmer. I had some hand me down 2 stroke model and I'd like to move away from gas powered. Is there a recommended brand for electric ones and should I spring for a battery powered or settle for corded? I have the extension cords and the outlet placement outside for corded if that's a good route. Cord vs. Battery is a convenience vs cost thing. I use a corded one (mower, string trimmer, hedge clipper) because my yard is very small and lugging a cord around is fine. My blower has a battery that can almost do my whole driveway, porches, and walkway in one go, but it was free with purchase of the house (my dad left it on my back patio one morning.) The battery on it is useful in that my longest extension cord doesn't quite reach the sidewalk, so I use the cord for half of it then swap in the battery. If it were my money, on my small lot, I would buy all corded and be done with it. The cord on the mower isn't as much of a hassle as it seems like it would be. Edit: Re: below poster with big battery system: If my lot were larger than a standard 25' power cord could reach, that is what I was looking at buying. Go all in on an ecosystem, don't half rear end it. Lithium batteries make cordless electric mowers have enough juice to actually get the job done. H110Hawk fucked around with this message at 17:23 on Apr 17, 2017 |
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Apr 17, 2017 17:17
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couldcareless posted:I'm in the market for a lawn trimmer. I had some hand me down 2 stroke model and I'd like to move away from gas powered. Is there a recommended brand for electric ones and should I spring for a battery powered or settle for corded? I have the extension cords and the outlet placement outside for corded if that's a good route. Not knowing the extent of what you have and will need down the line, this may not be right for you, but maybe others will find it useful if you don't. I fully endorse the tools made by Ego Power + https://egopowerplus.com/products These are not super cheap, but so far they have been real good for me. Its a 56 volt system which can provide some serious power and every tool they make uses the same interchangeable battery packs. Depending on your needs they have a variety of different sizes up the 7.5 amp. I own the backpack leaf blower and the Power 21 lawn mower, two 5amp batteries and a rapid charger. The tools are solidly made, as powerful and easy. I can mow my entire moderate sized front and back yard on less than a single charge ( I don't know how much space it is, but it takes me about 45 minutes to mow). With the blower, the rapid charger will recharge at about the same rate I use the other battery so I get multi hour continuous usage if needed. I have no doubt the other tools are as high quality. I wanted to go electric in general, but was pushed to do so when I bought this house that has no good place to store gasoline tools (fumes and all) and I did a fair amount of research before I chose thsi company. It can be a little pricey, but so far (about a year in) I think they are excellent.
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Apr 17, 2017 17:17
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Hubis posted:Do you need a weed whacker or an edger? Preferably one of those weed eater models that has the wheel on them to do easy edging because I'm awful at keeping it straight. I might go with the battery just to not have to deal with the cable every time. Thanks for the input.
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Apr 17, 2017 17:30
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I'm not actually endorsing the brand but I went in whole-hog on Ryobi. They make a weed whacker that is a "hybrid" - it runs on a battery pack, or you can plug it in. Definitely more power and speed when it's plugged in, but you can stick in a battery for work where a cord would be inconvenient. Ryobi is actually Home Depot's house brand or something? I have a buddy who had a really bad experience with their batteries and has sworn off them forever, but I've had no problems at all. I did find that the small battery that came with the weed whacker wasn't quite enough to do my whole lawn edging etc. in one charge, but since I also got a Ryobi drill and sawsall (a buy one get one free deal on the small tools, so together they cost like $75), each of which came with a small battery, I went ahead and ordered a large battery with another charger. The big one lasts like three or four times longer, and having two chargers and four batteries means I never ever run out. Ryobi is cheap and not a premium brand. But if you're just doing some basic home maintenance and repair stuff and light yard/garden work, I think it's probably fine and costs a lot less than the equivalents from better brands like Makita. And I think it rates a little higher in quality than like black & decker (which is absolute garbage tier). Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 17:40 on Apr 17, 2017 |
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Apr 17, 2017 17:38
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Leperflesh posted:Ryobi is actually Home Depot's house brand or something? You're thinking of Rigid.
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Apr 17, 2017 17:43
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EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:Also I am seeing some mildewing appear at the lower edge of all of our windows, especially down in the basement. Does this mean we need a dehumidifier? What is your interior humidity? Ideally it is someplace between 30-50%.
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Apr 17, 2017 17:46
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The Dave posted:You're thinking of Rigid. Ah yeah that's right. Anyway you can't get Ryobi at Lowes, but Home Depot always has tons of Ryobi stuff. e. Actually wikipedia says RIDGID is a subsidiary of Emerson Electric and nothing about being owned by Home Depot so maybe I was just told something wrong by a random Lowes employee.
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Apr 17, 2017 17:51
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EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:The lawn people just called me and apparently I am the first customer in their history to request overseeding with white clover. They wanted to confirm that I was absolutely sure that I wanted this before going ahead with it, and had to hang up to tell me "they'd look into it." Most lawn companies are poo poo and will sell you way too much fertilizer, pesticide, and other expensive stuff while simultaneously turning your lawn into a barren monoculture that is unable to support itself. Again, start off with a soil test. Always. They're relatively simple and you can get it done in like half an hour. Then look up "organic" lawn care. The organic part isn't so much important, just that you are applying a base level of nutrients and organic matter, overseeding with an appropriate mix (with clover), mowing "high", and mulching. Then things will generally take care of themselves with minimal maintenance. Mowing two times a week is kinda par for the course though. You don't want to hack off too much at once since that stresses the plant. If that's too much maintenance, then you need less lawn and should convert it to other cover (pollinator garden!) until it seems manageable. I really do want to stress a soil test though, especially with new construction. So many contractors will put down "topsoil" that is just fill from construction sites elsewhere. Most of which isn't actually topsoil, but subsoil that doesn't have as much organic matter or available nutrients. If you have mediocre soil, you get mediocre plants.
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Apr 17, 2017 18:16
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LogisticEarth posted:Most lawn companies are poo poo and will sell you way too much fertilizer, pesticide, and other expensive stuff while simultaneously turning your lawn into a barren monoculture that is unable to support itself. The guys who got back in touch with me seemed enthusiastic about my (these) goals. I was specific about not wanting any pesticide, and they were happy to accommodate the clover thing after I explained my goals were as you've specified. The ag school extension office does a soil test but it's by mail, but I'm going to go ahead and obtain a composite sample from my yard. The lawn care company I'm contracting to mow is contracted to mow high, overseed a mix and mulch instead of bag. I would do this work myself, but both my spouse and I work 65 hours a week and are allergic to cut grass. I'm happy to have them mow however much they need. The house is 12 years old at this point, so I think some of the soil quality stuff will have evened out, but I think I will probably urge them to use less fertilizer so we don't drown the lawn. I pull out anything with a taproot myself.
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Apr 17, 2017 19:20
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I've been using a Ryobi 40V mower, blower, and trimmer/edger for the past year and I love it. Make sure you get one of the "high capacity" batteries (I think it's 5A instead of 1.8A) if you want to be able to use it for an hour or more. I have about a 1/4 acre lot and I can mow the whole thing, and use the battery to start trimming before it dies and need to swap to my second one. Also, throw down some Milorganite every couple of months (I actually alternate Milo with Ringer Lawn Restore - another organic fertilizer with different N-P-K numbers) and hand pull weeds and you are good to go. The only chemical I put on my lawn/garden is stuff to kill ants/earwigs around the perimeter because those loving suck. Organic is the way to go. Unless you have a huge yard, or are super busy, doing it yourself will always turn out better than paying a service to do it for you. They are more about speed and moving on to the next customer so they scalp the edges, import weeds/disease from other lawns, and generally don't give a poo poo about your yard.
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Apr 17, 2017 19:50
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Leperflesh posted:I'm not actually endorsing the brand but I went in whole-hog on Ryobi. They make a weed whacker that is a "hybrid" - it runs on a battery pack, or you can plug it in. Definitely more power and speed when it's plugged in, but you can stick in a battery for work where a cord would be inconvenient. I think I have the same weed-whacker (entering its 3rd season) and it's pretty ok. Haven't ever actually needed to use it corded because my yard is pretty small and the battery charges pretty quickly. Much better than the garbage black and decker one it replaced. It seems to run through line pretty quickly though so probably worth it to buy a big spool and rewind your own vs buying them for $6 a spool or whatever.
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Apr 17, 2017 20:02
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I love my Ego stuff 
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Apr 17, 2017 20:40
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H110Hawk posted:Cord vs. Battery is a convenience vs cost thing. I use a corded one (mower, string trimmer, hedge clipper) because my yard is very small and lugging a cord around is fine. My blower has a battery that can almost do my whole driveway, porches, and walkway in one go, but it was free with purchase of the house (my dad left it on my back patio one morning.) The battery on it is useful in that my longest extension cord doesn't quite reach the sidewalk, so I use the cord for half of it then swap in the battery. I use a Black and Decker corded mower and corded weed eater. It's like you said: the cord isn't as big a deal as you'd think. It's bright orange so it's not like you're going to miss it easily
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Apr 17, 2017 20:47
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Thufir posted:I think I have the same weed-whacker (entering its 3rd season) and it's pretty ok. Haven't ever actually needed to use it corded because my yard is pretty small and the battery charges pretty quickly. Trust me on this. Do a little trimming with it on battery, and then plug it in and give it a whirl. It's eye-opening.
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Apr 17, 2017 22:02
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General question here.....what exactly is the aversion people have to proper gas powered small tools? I mean, I get that if you leave crap ethanol gas in them they don't want to start. But this has been an entirely solved problem for quite some time now (google: trufuel and you'll find that as well as many other brands).
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Apr 17, 2017 22:38
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Most people don't want to deal with maintaining them and storing gas tanks.
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Apr 17, 2017 22:43
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Motronic posted:General question here.....what exactly is the aversion people have to proper gas powered small tools? My city frowns on them, they're loud, and I sure as hell am not going to maintain them - trufuel or otherwise. The peoples republic of California frowns on gas mowers for home use, to the point of exchanging them straight across for a plug in electric mower once a year, or a battery system with small upgrade fee. Overall I am glad I don't have to deal with getting a gas powered small engine running, purchase fuel, oil, and plugs for it. There is really a non-existant trade off to me for our yard size. If I had a yard like my parents did I would be all about the gas powered tools. Related story: Gas powered blowers are outright banned due to the amount of smog output by them, however they basically turn a blind eye to all the contractors who use them because the cities own teams often are caught using them. This has resulted in places like the school district maintenance team complying with the letter of the law and lugging around a portable generator which they plug into their electric blower.
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Apr 17, 2017 22:50
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Motronic posted:General question here.....what exactly is the aversion people have to proper gas powered small tools? My first inclination was to get a battery powered mower because my yard is small, and batteries have gotten good enough that they seem like the right amount of power for the jobs that I would need to get done around the yard. Gas is smelly, inconvenient to store and I don't really enjoy the idea of doing small engine maintenance, especially when compared with an electric appliance.
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Apr 17, 2017 22:54
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I figured there is a market somewhere where a yard crew can trailer around a small efficient diesel generator that charges Li-ion batteries while they work. I don't know if they are there yet wrt charge time and endurance, but I bet there are wealthy, green communities that would eat up a yard crew that only used electric tools, both for the Prius factor as well as the noise level.
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Apr 17, 2017 23:09
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that sounds pretty nice. I was real grumpy when I realized lawn work was legal both Saturday+Sunday where I live and it's nonstop leaf blowers to infinity
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Apr 17, 2017 23:21
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I got a kid across the gully from my back yard who practices trumpet outside. I'd rather have leaf blowers.
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Apr 17, 2017 23:21
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Mercury Ballistic posted:I figured there is a market somewhere where a yard crew can trailer around a small efficient diesel generator that charges Li-ion batteries while they work. I don't know if they are there yet wrt charge time and endurance, but I bet there are wealthy, green communities that would eat up a yard crew that only used electric tools, both for the Prius factor as well as the noise level. Even if they were all plug in I would prefer it, I can let them use my outdoor outlets, pay the same amount, and their costs go down. No one who is paying for the electric experience is going to want a nasty diesel engine idling in their front yard for an hour.
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Apr 17, 2017 23:27
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A diesel generator in a good enclosure can be very quiet, but outlets could also be used. My area is terrible for lawn crews all day. A weekday at home in the summer is endless two stroke drone.
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Apr 17, 2017 23:35
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With conversion losses, they'd probably end up using less fuel with the equivalent gas powered tools though.
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Apr 18, 2017 00:31
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Motronic posted:General question here.....what exactly is the aversion people have to proper gas powered small tools? I have a snowblower I bought the year I moved in to my house (Moved in Dec 2015, like 2 weeks before a major snowstorm that dumped like 2' of snow and I couldn't find someone to plow so I panic bought a snowblower) that is gas powered. I am now considering selling it off because I'd rather shovel the small amount of walk not handled by the plow guy I now have than deal with maintaining it. Although if I was mowing my own lawn I would get a gas powered because the trade offs change when you're mowing an almost 2 acre plot.
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Apr 18, 2017 00:33
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Motronic posted:General question here.....what exactly is the aversion people have to proper gas powered small tools? Small engines pollute like crazy since there's basically no emissions regulations on them. they're also noisy and it's super annoying if you run out of gas mid job. Plus the extra maintenance above and beyond zero for electric. I run all gas because of the size of my yard, but I get why people would rather use electric if it's feasible.
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Apr 18, 2017 00:40
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Motronic posted:General question here.....what exactly is the aversion people have to proper gas powered small tools? My dad made me run and maintain the lawnmower when I was a teenager. As an adult, I bought an electric motor in order to avoid all of the hassle of a gas mower; with an electric mower I just need to occasionally sharpen the blade. They're also nicer to use in general, with the exception of the extension cord (which I don't personally mind) We also have PV panels on the roof and the power company doesn't have to pay us for any more than our usage over the year (aka if we have a net surplus of credit at the end of the year, the company has to rebate us for any months that we ran a deficit, but no more than that). So running the electric tools is basically free
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Apr 18, 2017 01:13
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Steampunk Hitler posted:Although if I was mowing my own lawn I would get a gas powered because the trade offs change when you're mowing an almost 2 acre plot. Get rid of some of that lawn, yikes. What's the point of 2 acres if you keep it all turf grass?
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Apr 18, 2017 01:16
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Motronic posted:General question here.....what exactly is the aversion people have to proper gas powered small tools? I have a 25' wide Chicago lot, I'd spend more time squeezing a lawnmower through the gangway than I would mowing. Manual push reel mower for me!
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Apr 18, 2017 01:20
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