As a kid I had to mow about a half an acre of grass each weekend. A quarter acre of it was at a 25° incline and the other half was some of the most dense turf God put on this earth. I can just remember those hot and sweaty Sunday afternoons spent pushing around that big ole gas-powered mower—I’d hunch over with my arms fully extended, breathe in the gas fumes and carbon monoxide and strain my legs to get that thing through the real tough spots.
As I’ve grown older, however, I’ve started to view tending a plot of grass as less of a chore and more of an art form. It’s fun to watch it grow and to work to keep it green. My current home has a fairly small yard (i.e. less than 8,000 sq ft) so I chose to use a reel mower and I have absolutely loved it. These are the biggest benefits to owning a reel mower:
- The quiet whirring is unobtrusive and peaceful.
- They provide aerobic exercise that isn’t overly strenuous (for fatties like me).
- You don’t have to mess with filling it with gas and oil, or untangling yourself from a mess of extension cords.
- They don’t consume electricity and don’t pollute.
- There are less mechanical parts to replace than a motorized lawn mower.
- The direction of the cut is better for your grass.
- They’re inexpensive to purchase and maintain.
- The light weight and compact frame make them easy to store.
- You’ll have a sense of satisfaction and pride for the work you’ve done.
Maybe I just feel good about using a push mower, but I’d say that my grass is some of the greenest and softest grass I’ve ever had. I can’t wait for Sunday.
Update: Posting has been a little erratic lately because my car died, I’m finishing a huge website project for a personal client, and my sister got in a car accident and had to go to the hospital. I’m back on my nightly posting schedule now. See you tomorrow!
Photo by Dan4th
7 Comments
A reel mower is the best choice for a heat-loving grass like the strains of bermudagrass you have out there. Just be sure to keep the blades sharp sharp sharp! (reccomended every 2 months)
Wouldn’t you think that a lawn service that used only reel mowers, those manual edgers and hand clippers would take off these days? It would take longer, but the end result would speak volumes, and for the novelty of it they could charge a premium.
That’s it, I’m going into the lawncare biz!
PS. Sorry about your Sister, hope everything’s ok.
@John, I always love to hear from you about lawns and plants. It’s encouraging to know that I’m doing something right!
@Big Daddy, I totally forgot those hand clippers! I started using them last week and I love it!
I haven’t tried a manual lawn mower, but I do have a small yard compared to when I was a kid and I agree that sometimes it is nice to tend the grass. I have noticed that as I get older / more busy sometimes simple things like being by yourself for a half hour / hour is almost relaxing
I can only imaging what it would be like with no engine noise!
Those mowers are a royal PITA if you regularly have sticks/etc in your yard. We’ve got a cottonwood out back that drops material constantly.
You know, Sir, my least favorite parts of mowing the lawn have always been (1)refilling the gas tank and oil reservoir, (2)inhaling potent exhaust and debris, and (3) emptying the bag on the back of the mower.
Using an electric mower only eliminates some of these annoying elements, but using a REAL mower sounds like a great idea.
One question: assuming you have no bag on the back of your mower, how do you control the spread of weeds in your yard?
Actually I was unaware that leaving grass clippings on the lawn would cause weeds to spread.
With that said, what I’ve noticed is that when mowed regularly and watered sparingly the trimmings are such that they do not clump upon nor coat the lawn. I rarely rake the clippings afterwards, but I suppose if there were an excessive amount you could rake them up.
BTW, great blog. I love the Half one’s age plus seven post. I read about that in Malcolm X.