When did you stop doing your own lawncare? (60+, moving, retiree)

[beach43ofus]

I'm an early semi-retiree who can easily afford to have it all done, but I've been frugal for so long, its hard for me to stop. The cheapest local lawncare guy is $35/week, so each time I do it, I tell my wife..."we just saved $35"

They dont do the other stuff either...mulching, planting new stuff, trimming hedges, moving plants not doing well where they're at, removing dead or dying stuff, pulling weeds in the beds, ect. They just cut, edge, blow. That is the easiest part. I could do that another 10 years, its all the rest.

I did succomb & hire pro's to do the chemicals, & that has worked out well, but I'm reluctant to turn over the rest. I like it to be done right, & the pro's just do it fast.

I keep saying when my lawnmower shoots craps, that's when I'm done, but Toro's last a long time.

I like the work out in the moderate temp months, but now its frying pan hot, so its brutal here in SW FLA.

So, oldsters, when did you turn it all over? Any regrets?

[Threestep2]

We have just a tiny bit of grass in the front. For the city and the HOA. We are kind of grandfathered in with our yard guy. Cash and cold water. He does everything and responds to text on a dime. He does not want customers. We love him. My luxury of him versus me 2 1/2 hours.

[Nodpete]

Well, I'm 80 and I'll do it until I feel unsafe driving the tractor. I find it relaxing. Once you start giving up things you can do, you start going down hill in my opinion. Just my take on it.

[zentropa]

I've never done my own lawncare.

[Normashirley]

We are mid 70’s and still do our own.

In a the tractor-is-down emergency we will hire the young man who helps us put up hay. It costs $125 for 1-1/2 hours on his zero turn and it looks like it. It takes me four hours on the JD with a 60” belly mower, so his mowing makes me crazy, lollol.

We also have a riding lawn tractor and the big farm tractor that bush hogs the pastures.

We are right in there with @Nodpete. If we stop keepin’ on, we will be done for.

I have never done well in the high heat/humidity. If the grass dries out enough by 11 00 AM, I’m on the tractor, wearing a tray of ice cubes - no kidding. If I were younger with more energy , I would be mowing in the cool of the evening before the dew sets in.

I still have horses so there’s also barn work to do. This time of year, I try to get to the barn no later than7:00 AM. The drum fans are on timers and help keep things cool until I get chores done.

The horses can run in/out 24/7 but this time of year they prefer the barn during the day and do their grazing at night, so I still have the run-in stalls to clean. No to the people who think they should be shut out of the barn to save work. I’ve been horse keeping 60+ years , I am used to the work, don’t mind it, and my horses are a lot less stressed and big up by bugs & flies.

[engineman]

I was still working in 1987 when we bought our first condo. I gave away the lawn mower and have not missed it yet.

There was a crew that weekly did the landscaping, cleaned the pool, etc.

I will never own another house.

[Okey Dokie]

Mr. Dokie quit for good when he was 70. He really disliked the edging and blowing the clippings. We found a guy who mows about 6 yards as a side biz. Reasonably priced, reliable, will wait until the yard dries up after a rain as opposed to the big commercial firms who need to get back out there pronto to stay on schedule.

But he still likes to putter around on his JD so if he sees our neighbor out, he’ll go over and do her mowing and she can edge and blow.

[fluffythewondercat]

We moved into our new home on the Peninsula in 1995. My roommate ignored the lawn. Before long, the weeds were a foot high. The neighbors were none too pleased. Then he decided he'd mow, but he refused to edge. Edging causes one to miss Star Trek reruns.

I got fed up and found a gardener at a reasonable price. My roommate had a fit!

Years later, he does the mowing on our lawn in Scottsdale using an electric mower. The local landscapers want $500/month.

[elnina]

In my case it's not the age, but the temperatures. Not going to mow my grass when it's 80+F. My health is more important to me.

[JRR]

We moved to Tennessee in the spring of 2017. One of our new neighbors mentioned that they had a good lawn service and I gave them a call. I told my wife when we left Florida that I had no intentions of mowing ever again and I have been more than happy with that choice. Lawn looks good and I don't have to get out there in the heat and humidity.