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| Author |
Message |
| 25 new of 172 responses total. |
jdg
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response 27 of 172:
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May 16 16:38 UTC 1994 |
Rane, that's the NWS. As I understand it, the NOAA is a separate
agency.
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rcurl
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response 28 of 172:
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May 16 16:46 UTC 1994 |
The NWS is an agency within NOAA (within USDI). I get my weather
reports from "NOAA Weather Radio" on 162.55 MHz, reporting from NWS,
Detroit.
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srw
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response 29 of 172:
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May 17 07:15 UTC 1994 |
Well we use 2-4D also, but we have a compromise. We apply it only as a
spot treatment for weeds. Of course if you have gone for years ignoring
them, and your entire lawn is full of weeds, you won't like this option.
(The use of "we" in the first sentence is mildly humorous, as my wife
actually does all the lawn work.)
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remmers
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response 30 of 172:
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May 17 09:33 UTC 1994 |
Re #26: A mechanical dandelion extractor would be nice. In the
meantime, I just use this long metal thingy with a forked end that
you plunge into the ground next to the dandelion. It loosens the
soil around the dandeloin so that you can extract the whole plant.
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gerund
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response 31 of 172:
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May 17 09:35 UTC 1994 |
Isn't that pretty damn time consuming?
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remmers
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response 32 of 172:
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May 17 18:05 UTC 1994 |
Yes, if you have a bazillion dandelions. I've just had a few per day
in the front yard, so it hasn't been so bad.
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gerund
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response 33 of 172:
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May 17 20:11 UTC 1994 |
Seems like the maintenance people around here just let them eat up the lawn.
I guess they think they are flowers or something.
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rcurl
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response 34 of 172:
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May 18 06:06 UTC 1994 |
I think they are beautiful. The ride along Eisenhower is stunning.
Then, they go to seed. A metaphor for people, perhaps. Maybe that's
why they aren't more appreciated - too close to the bone.
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gerund
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response 35 of 172:
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May 18 06:36 UTC 1994 |
Hmm. well beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I don't think they are ugly, myself....
Actually I don't really care, but apparently some people view them as only
weeds. Not the maintence people around my apartment, however.
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remmers
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response 36 of 172:
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May 18 10:50 UTC 1994 |
A field of dandelions in bloom is a lovely sight indeed. Viewed from
afar, that is. Close up, the leaves are ugly, and after the dandelions
go to seed, that's all that's left, unfortunately. So not in *my*
yard, thank you.
The back yard got the Weed-B-Gon treatment yesterday evening. Today,
the cat stays in (under protest).
Generally, I'm pleased with the way the lawn looks this year, especially
in the front, where it's thick and green.
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n8nxf
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response 37 of 172:
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May 19 16:58 UTC 1994 |
We have weeds: Lots of weeds. I don't like them but am not willing to
kill them off with some weed killer. Me and the kils like to roll around
on the lawn too much. You can't call ourr lawn a mono-culture! (Chem
-lawn came by a few years ago and left a survey card on our door knob.
We had every weed on the card checked off.)
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rcurl
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response 38 of 172:
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May 19 17:43 UTC 1994 |
You could probably get your lawn on one of the local nature tours.
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n8nxf
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response 39 of 172:
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May 20 12:43 UTC 1994 |
Perhaps. My wife is slowly turning it all into a giant garden. Fine
with we!
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remmers
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response 40 of 172:
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May 20 21:01 UTC 1994 |
Another facet of my lawn and garden care is the compost bin. We have
a wooden one in the back yard. This is where I dump grass clippings
(when I bag them, which I usually don't) and raked-up leaves. We've
been putting stuff into it for three years now, have taken very little
out compared to what we've put in, but it never overflows. We figure
it's just getting denser and denser, without limit. I'm starting to
worry that if I keep adding stuff for much longer, the compost will
turn into a black hole, and the entire solar system will collapse into
it.
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rcurl
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response 41 of 172:
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May 20 21:22 UTC 1994 |
Our compost heap is ca. 6ft in diameter, constrained by chicken wire.
We filled it with garden stuff and wood-stove ashes for 8 years - it
it was great humus when we finally emptied it. Now, its running again.
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remmers
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response 42 of 172:
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Jun 6 15:58 UTC 1994 |
My lawn has gotten too thick for my Snapper mulching mower to handle,
apparently. The last time I tried to mow, the OMIGOSH MY CAT SIDNEY
IS DRINKING WATER OUT OF MY GLASS WITH HIS PAW!!!
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rcurl
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response 43 of 172:
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Jun 6 16:57 UTC 1994 |
OMIGOSH, haven't you taught him to use a straw?
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srw
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response 44 of 172:
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Jun 6 18:32 UTC 1994 |
<large sucking sound>
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remmers
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response 45 of 172:
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Jun 6 21:05 UTC 1994 |
Opps, sorry for the distraction there. As I was about to say, the last
time I tried to mow with the mulching feature enabled, the grass clippings
stuck to the roof and sides of the chamber (inside), building up a layer
of grass muck that eventually interfered with the blade and caused the
mower to stall. Switching to the side bagger seems to have fixed the
problem.
Went over the front lawn with Ringer Lawn Restorer fertilizer this
morning. This may be overkill; we shall see.
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srw
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response 46 of 172:
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Jun 7 04:14 UTC 1994 |
My wife (our resident lawn expert) swears by Ringer's Lawn Restore
(note the spelling). I have a black thumb, so my opinions are not
normally considered in these matters. In fact, my wife does all the
lawn work by choice (honest). Our neighbors mostly use various
lawn services, and I think they are not getting their money's worth.
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n8nxf
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response 47 of 172:
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Jun 8 11:34 UTC 1994 |
Many of the mulching adapters don't work very well. It's also a good
idea to wait till the grass is dry. My 70's vintage Toro was designed
to bag but I simply leave the bag off and let the clippings fall back
on to the lawn. Most of the time, however, I use a Craftsman push reel
mower tha I foung at a garage sale. I love it because it's quiet, I don't
have to send the kids into the house and I can cut the grass any time
without having to worry about disturbing the neighbors.
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remmers
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response 48 of 172:
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Jun 9 15:55 UTC 1994 |
This spring is the first time I've tried Ringer's. So far I'm pleased
with the results. This is our fourth spring in this house, and the lawn
is thick and lush -- significantly more so than in previous seasons.
I had the same clogging problem with my mulching mower last spring. It
went away in the summer when the grass was drier and had thinned out a
bit.
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srw
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response 49 of 172:
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Jun 10 02:25 UTC 1994 |
My wife says never to cut wet grass with the mulching attachment.
It's best to wait for the grass to dry. Failing that, bag it.
|
mwarner
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response 50 of 172:
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Jun 10 04:51 UTC 1994 |
Scuze me, very politely I ask: Bag it? As in: not mow? Or as in: put the
grass in a bag? I can relate to the former!
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srw
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response 51 of 172:
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Jun 10 05:39 UTC 1994 |
The ambiguity didn't occur to me. She meant bag the grass as opposed to
mulching it. She did not mean bag the mowing. If the grass gets too long,
mulching becomes out of the question also. Eventually (at about 2 feet)
the grass police give you a ticket, at least in the city.
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