How Many Times Did You Mow?

[oze]

I'm just curious to see how many total times folks around here mow in a year, not counting just leaf mulching. Not a contest or anything like that, just interested. My lawn is mostly PRG, and I have an irrigation system, so I don't let it go dormant in the Summer. Last soil test indicated that mine is deficient in phosphorus, so I normally put down a starter fertilizer in late May, then go strictly with Milorganite or one of its competitors the rest of the year. Clippings are almost always mulched in, and I used the modified Fall Plan (mostly slow release nitrogen to equal 1lbN/k right around Labor Day). Total N for the year, not including clippings, is just over 4lb/k.

I mowed 37 times in 2022, and 39 times this year.

[turf_toes]

I’m reminded of an Eleanore Roosevelt quote. When asked the secret to life, she supposedly said, when something is empty, I fill it up. If something is full, I empty it.

That’s sort of my answer to your question. I don’t count. I cut the lawn when it needs it.

[Green]

Hey oze. Since I keep track, I was able to count them up. I'm at or just under 40 mows total for this past year in the main front. Final mow for the year was just a couple of days ago (12/2/23). I use PGRs. I have a lot of Ryegrass like you. My soil is not deficient in any macros. I fertilize with roughly 3 lbs of N per year, mostly small spoonfeeding apps.

[edslawn]

I don't count, but this past year was twice a week April, May and June. July through Oct was once per week. That's about 40 times if my math is right. Add leaf mulching and it is another 8-10 times.

[oze]

Thanks, Ed and Green. TT, I don't now and never did look at a calendar to tell me when it's time to mow; the lawn tells me. Sometimes it's 3x a week, sometimes it's once every 10 days.

I made calendar entries *after* mowing, just to satisfy my curiosity as to how many times I mowed. And then to convert that to miles walked over the mowing season. I've also been known to write the installation date on light bulbs, just to see how long they last.

[MorpheusPA]

Daily; the mower's out from 9 AM through 4 PM daily through the season, but it's a small robot that trims continuously. So technically, that works out to about 7 hours a day, 180 days a year.