Lawnmowing when it's mid-90s

[ss20ts]

Originally Posted by USNRET04

I live in the south, so if you wait until it's not 90's then you won't mow from June-October and grass will be knee high.

Depends where you are in the South and what type of grass you have. When we lived in SC we didn't mow most of the summer...maybe 3 times. The grass just didn't grow. It was irrigated and still just said nope. It's like it took a nap because it was too freaking hot.

[otterhere]

Originally Posted by ss20ts

Depends where you are in the South and what type of grass you have. When we lived in SC we didn't mow most of the summer...maybe 3 times. The grass just didn't grow. It was irrigated and still just said nope. It's like it took a nap because it was too freaking hot.

I would love that. People around here are either mowing all the time (especially early in the morning; the noise) or paying out the wazoo for someone else to mow six months out of the year. It's crazy.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by otterhere

I would love that. People around here are either mowing all the time (especially early in the morning; the noise) or paying out the wazoo for someone else to mow six months out of the year. It's crazy.

I'm glad 4/5 of my just under one acre lot is woods. I keep a small meadow area open, but doesn't cost much to water that area as it's shaded for over half the day.

[JONOV]

Originally Posted by otterhere

I would love that. People around here are either mowing all the time (especially early in the morning; the noise) or paying out the wazoo for someone else to mow six months out of the year. It's crazy.

Parts of the southeast can get by with centipede grass. It doesn't get very tall and is very heat tolerant. But its picky. You need acidic soil, it needs regular water on well draining soils, and isn't hugely shade tolerant. So, coastal areas with their sandy soil, regular rains and warm weather are perfect.

Similarly I can go two weeks without mowing my lawn, if its dry and hot, but I have to mow later into the year than elsewhere in the country. And April-June if we get regular rain it's sometimes more than once a week.

[victimofGM]

There are some valid reasons for a homeowner to remove shade trees. Of course a dying or dead tree is a safety hazard and must be removed. Another issue is if the tree was planted too close to the water and sewage pipes and the trees roots have invaded these pipes. Sadly few home owners take care of their trees. Shade trees should be a plat it and forget it. They need some care to stay healthy and non-threatening to the home. Some people plant trees not well suited to the local environment choosing a decorative or fashion tree instead of a native tree.

Same thing with grass. Instead of picking a grass because of looks or ease of lawn maintenance they should look into lawns that are sturdy for the local environment. A lawn that works great in the hot and humid southeast won’t work in the hot and dry southwest.

[Weaubleau]

I used to think we are supposed to let grass grow longer when temp gets high (90s) and there isn't much rain. At least that's what I did in the NE (near Boston). I just moved to a nice suburb in Cincinnati Ohio and EVERYONE here mows their lawn super short even in this heat. I'm the only one with 2+ weeks old grass - which I purposely left longer.

They are probably hillbillies from KY or WV. I noticed this in my youth, every family who moved to our town from WV or KY always kept their lawns scalped like a crew cut.