Things you thought you'd never be buying
May 7th 2015, 8:31 pm
#31
Joined: Mar 2009
Location: Google Town
Posts: 7,532
Re: Things you thought you'd never be buying
..... As I noted previously there is a big difference in tending grass surrounding a tree and grass surrounded by trees. 
May 7th 2015, 8:32 pm
#33
Austin. TX.
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 5,930
Re: Things you thought you'd never be buying
They drive me up the ****ing wall. Not to mention the environmental impact.
You don't need to clear your 2.5 acres of lawn of the leaves though. Parks in the UK manage to function perfectly well with leaves on the grass. I've got no idea why people have such an issue with it over here.
You don't need to clear your 2.5 acres of lawn of the leaves though. Parks in the UK manage to function perfectly well with leaves on the grass. I've got no idea why people have such an issue with it over here.
May 7th 2015, 9:46 pm
#36
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2014
Location: Park City, UT
Posts: 88
Re: Things you thought you'd never be buying
200 rounds of 5.56
May 7th 2015, 10:26 pm
#37
Under blue skies
Joined: Mar 2011
Location: East Anglia->New England
Posts: 3,624
Re: Things you thought you'd never be buying
yeah N1cky that's what I thought. I thought, clear the lawns so the grass will grow but leave the leaves on the borders to compost down. Except one of the oaks around here has leaves that takes years to break down for compost. Then this morning I was talking to the pest control man about why do all the people here clear all the leaves, even from the borders. He told me it's because the cockroaches like to bury and nest under the dead leaves..............
I have neighbours who tell me the leaves are too acidic and kill the grass or promote "grub growth". My reply is most of these leaves grew out of the very same soil to which they fall, the soil needs those nutrients back so how could the leaves kill the grass? What kills grass around here in coastal New England is sandy drought-burned soil that has no compost element added back to it because everyone cleans every bit of fallen leaves off... or feels bad if they don't.
And grubs! Grubs aren't all bad for plants, and they're great for birds! My lawn is full of robins now, happily eating up those lawn grubs because I refuse to poison them...
And PFrancaise, the snakes are good too. They'll probably eat any roaches up, along with other noxious TX insects.... Though in all our decade in TX I never saw a snake in our suburb.
Last edited by WEBlue; May 7th 2015 at 10:39 pm. Reason: Too much ranting...
May 7th 2015, 11:07 pm
#38
Joined: Mar 2009
Location: Google Town
Posts: 7,532
Re: Things you thought you'd never be buying
Oh for goodness sake, the pest control people would just love for their customers to fear all the creatures hiding in fallen leaf litter are evil and dangerous. Most bugs are good for the soil and do more to keep it healthy and naturally fertile than all this blowing the leaves off and then fertilizing the crap out of the grass below.
I have neighbours who tell me the leaves are too acidic and kill the grass or promote "grub growth". My reply is most of these leaves grew out of the very same soil to which they fall, the soil needs those nutrients back so how could the leaves kill the grass? What kills grass around here in coastal New England is sandy drought-burned soil that has no compost element added back to it because everyone cleans every bit of fallen leaves off... or feels bad if they don't.
And grubs! Grubs aren't all bad for plants, and they're great for birds! My lawn is full of robins now, happily eating up those lawn grubs because I refuse to poison them...
And PFrancaise, the snakes are good too. They'll probably eat any roaches up, along with other noxious TX insects.... Though in all our decade in TX I never saw a snake in our suburb.
I have neighbours who tell me the leaves are too acidic and kill the grass or promote "grub growth". My reply is most of these leaves grew out of the very same soil to which they fall, the soil needs those nutrients back so how could the leaves kill the grass? What kills grass around here in coastal New England is sandy drought-burned soil that has no compost element added back to it because everyone cleans every bit of fallen leaves off... or feels bad if they don't.
And grubs! Grubs aren't all bad for plants, and they're great for birds! My lawn is full of robins now, happily eating up those lawn grubs because I refuse to poison them...
And PFrancaise, the snakes are good too. They'll probably eat any roaches up, along with other noxious TX insects.... Though in all our decade in TX I never saw a snake in our suburb.
May 8th 2015, 12:13 am
#39
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jun 2005
Location: Oz -> UK -> San Diego
Posts: 9,912
Re: Things you thought you'd never be buying
A pool boy
May 8th 2015, 12:22 am
#40
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,448
Re: Things you thought you'd never be buying
Oh for goodness sake, the pest control people would just love for their customers to fear all the creatures hiding in fallen leaf litter are evil and dangerous. Most bugs are good for the soil and do more to keep it healthy and naturally fertile than all this blowing the leaves off and then fertilizing the crap out of the grass below.
I have neighbours who tell me the leaves are too acidic and kill the grass or promote "grub growth". My reply is most of these leaves grew out of the very same soil to which they fall, the soil needs those nutrients back so how could the leaves kill the grass? What kills grass around here in coastal New England is sandy drought-burned soil that has no compost element added back to it because everyone cleans every bit of fallen leaves off... or feels bad if they don't.
And grubs! Grubs aren't all bad for plants, and they're great for birds! My lawn is full of robins now, happily eating up those lawn grubs because I refuse to poison them...
And PFrancaise, the snakes are good too. They'll probably eat any roaches up, along with other noxious TX insects.... Though in all our decade in TX I never saw a snake in our suburb.
I have neighbours who tell me the leaves are too acidic and kill the grass or promote "grub growth". My reply is most of these leaves grew out of the very same soil to which they fall, the soil needs those nutrients back so how could the leaves kill the grass? What kills grass around here in coastal New England is sandy drought-burned soil that has no compost element added back to it because everyone cleans every bit of fallen leaves off... or feels bad if they don't.
And grubs! Grubs aren't all bad for plants, and they're great for birds! My lawn is full of robins now, happily eating up those lawn grubs because I refuse to poison them...
And PFrancaise, the snakes are good too. They'll probably eat any roaches up, along with other noxious TX insects.... Though in all our decade in TX I never saw a snake in our suburb.
My grass dies if it gets buried under a blanket of leaves and taking a blower to remove them from my lawn, and off the gravel driveway (so as to reduce the amount of organic matter there snd so by reduce the number of weeds growing in the driveway and therefore the need to spray weedkiller) doesn't make me the devil incarnate.
May 8th 2015, 1:11 am
#41
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 975
Re: Things you thought you'd never be buying
A .38. Or a $200 graduation gown and "package" for someone who didn't go to college yet.
May 8th 2015, 1:46 am
#42
Joined on April fools day
Joined: Apr 2012
Location: 30 miles from a decent grocery store.
Posts: 10,642
May 8th 2015, 2:45 am
#44
Austin. TX.
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 5,930
Re: Things you thought you'd never be buying
Oh for goodness sake, the pest control people would just love for their customers to fear all the creatures hiding in fallen leaf litter are evil and dangerous. Most bugs are good for the soil and do more to keep it healthy and naturally fertile than all this blowing the leaves off and then fertilizing the crap out of the grass below.
I have neighbours who tell me the leaves are too acidic and kill the grass or promote "grub growth". My reply is most of these leaves grew out of the very same soil to which they fall, the soil needs those nutrients back so how could the leaves kill the grass? What kills grass around here in coastal New England is sandy drought-burned soil that has no compost element added back to it because everyone cleans every bit of fallen leaves off... or feels bad if they don't.
And grubs! Grubs aren't all bad for plants, and they're great for birds! My lawn is full of robins now, happily eating up those lawn grubs because I refuse to poison them...
And PFrancaise, the snakes are good too. They'll probably eat any roaches up, along with other noxious TX insects.... Though in all our decade in TX I never saw a snake in our suburb.
I have neighbours who tell me the leaves are too acidic and kill the grass or promote "grub growth". My reply is most of these leaves grew out of the very same soil to which they fall, the soil needs those nutrients back so how could the leaves kill the grass? What kills grass around here in coastal New England is sandy drought-burned soil that has no compost element added back to it because everyone cleans every bit of fallen leaves off... or feels bad if they don't.
And grubs! Grubs aren't all bad for plants, and they're great for birds! My lawn is full of robins now, happily eating up those lawn grubs because I refuse to poison them...
And PFrancaise, the snakes are good too. They'll probably eat any roaches up, along with other noxious TX insects.... Though in all our decade in TX I never saw a snake in our suburb.
Like Pulaski, we get enormous amounts of leaves falling from autumn right through to about 2 weeks ago, our lawn would die buried under them all. I mow what I can into the lawn. I had left the leaves on the borders but the other day OH was planting and moved some and a whole load of mosquitos came out. Youngest daughter reacts very badly with mosquito bites.
I think we will end up xeriscaping with stones next year to cut down on the work and the water bill! if you know anything about Austin you will know that water supply is a growing problem.....
May 8th 2015, 1:13 pm
#45
Under blue skies
Joined: Mar 2011
Location: East Anglia->New England
Posts: 3,624
Re: Things you thought you'd never be buying
Er, I agree with everything you say (except for one). I don't put down insecticides to kill grubs, I don't kill snakes, and I know that a healthy population of black snakes discourages the venomous and short-tempered copperheads. I leave standing "snags" for the woodpeckers (unless/until they become a danger to people or property), and have I nesting boxes out for the bluebirds. Hë11 I mow, and even trim, around most toadstools in my lawn to give them a chance to spread their spores!
My grass dies if it gets buried under a blanket of leaves and taking a blower to remove them from my lawn, and off the gravel driveway (so as to reduce the amount of organic matter there snd so by reduce the number of weeds growing in the driveway and therefore the need to spray weedkiller) doesn't make me the devil incarnate.
My grass dies if it gets buried under a blanket of leaves and taking a blower to remove them from my lawn, and off the gravel driveway (so as to reduce the amount of organic matter there snd so by reduce the number of weeds growing in the driveway and therefore the need to spray weedkiller) doesn't make me the devil incarnate.
You're a good steward of your land obviously. Just a tad ... misguided (?) when it comes to this love for those horrendously noisy and disruptive leaf-blower machines.... However, for your situation I suppose it seems the easiest solution. (I dislike gravel, never want it--too migratory, never stays where it's put, morphs into projectiles when mowing the grass, etc.)For people with large properties such as yours, things like ride-on mowers and leaf-blowers allow you to handle large swaths of lawn without hiring help. But for most American suburbs (like mine, with 1/2 acre plots) this kind of gardening with large, noisy machines seems crazy overkill.
From now until November, the garden services ride in these neighborhoods like cowboys in the old West--they fire up their machines & send all life-forms scurrying for cover (including humans). They blow mulch in the spring, blow grass-mowings in the summer, blow so many leaves all autumn long. The damn blowers are never silent till it snows--part of the reason why winter is a blessed relief here, in spite of too much snow.
Sorry, this is just my rant... and not personally directed against you or Petite Francaise or indeed anyone else at all. I just hate these excessively noisy garden "instruments". Abominations.
Last edited by WEBlue; May 8th 2015 at 1:15 pm.