Grow a Beautiful Lawn without Chemicals or Fossil Fuels
(Page 2 of 3)
June/July 2007
Tabitha Alterman
RELATED CONTENT
Disney offers free admission to 1 million guests who complete day of volunteer work in 2010...
These batter-powered lawn mowers are clean, quiet and easy to maintain and save gas. With cordless ...
Medical Self-Care: The Seven Rules of Self-Care
Seven laws for better health, including home...
With increased interest in organic and hormone-free milk comes a need for help in identifying the c...
HEALTHBEAT: Day care largely untapped in obesity fight even as preschoolers' waistlines bulge...
My next step is to replace the remaining gas-eaters with human-powered and/or electric-powered alternatives. My home is completely solar-powered, so all electric implements will be fueled by the sun. The only exception might be the gas-powered weed whacker that I use to trim the tall pasture around my gardens.
Q. So what kinds of equipment will you be using now?
A. 1. Person-powered reel mower. I've been surprised at how effective this tool is, and it's not much more work to push it provided the ground is pretty level. It's not a good option on most of my lawn because it's hilly and humpy, and it isn't effective on grass more than about 3 inches high. For the smaller areas that are fairly level and mowed regularly, this option works.
2. Scythe. Yet another step even farther back in time. I'm talking about the European scythe, not the American ones you still find at garage sales in the hinterlands. With a few ifs, this option will work: If I'm willing to take some time to practice the right swing of the tool. If I'm willing to learn to sharpen it. And if I keep it sharp. According to the fellow from whom I bought my scythe, there actually are 'green landscapers' who make a living cutting urban lawns this way ? no pollution, no noise. And I'm still looking for more options, because I'm not yet skilled enough to do as much lawn as I want this way. So far, like the reel mower, I'm more effective with it on smooth and level lawns.
I already prefer my scythe over the gas-powered weed whacker in spots where the grass is high because I only mow there two or three times a season.
3. Electric rotary mower. I'm about to get at least one battery-electric mower to replace the multiple gas-powered ones I've been relying on for the more difficult parts of my lawn. Along with the change in mowers, I'll be switching to a higher setting, which is better for the grass.
4. Electric weed whackers. I'll use these for trimming in places where the other equipment has trouble.
Q. Have you calculated the cost difference of your fossil-fuel free system versus the methods you currently employ? Do you expect to save money in the long run?
A. The electric equipment will cost more initially but it'll cost less to operate. But 'saving money' is not my motivation for doing this. The real costs of doing lawn maintenance the American way are way more than the monetary ones. I'm going to reduce my costs even if I increase the amount of money I spend.
Q. What about the difference in time? It seems like you'll probably have to spend more time and effort maintaining your lawn this way.
A. I'll probably spend more time, though I may choose to decrease the size of the lawn to a size that will require about the same amount of time I spend now. I do expect the time spent to be more pleasant, though, and far less noisy.
