....for a couple of months (say) what are the long-term implications. Of course
it will be unsightly and could present the mower with an initial problem when
finally getting round to being cut but what about the long-term implications for
the grass itself? Will it recover if subsequently given its due attention.

thanks for any thoughts

"Jim" [email protected] wrote in message
...
...for a couple of months (say) what are the long-term implications. Of
course
it will be unsightly and could present the mower with an initial problem
when
finally getting round to being cut but what about the long-term
implications for
the grass itself? Will it recover if subsequently given its due
attention.

thanks for any thoughts

Hi Jim,

Shouldn't be a problem, particularly in the drier, late summer. When you
come back, set the lawnmower on a high setting for the first cut and then
lower for a second cut.

HTH

Cheers

Nick
http://www.ukgardening.co.uk

In article , Jim [email protected]
wrote:

...for a couple of months (say) what are the long-term implications. Of
course
it will be unsightly and could present the mower with an initial problem when
finally getting round to being cut but what about the long-term implications
for
the grass itself? Will it recover if subsequently given its due attention.

thanks for any thoughts

I did that last year - in late spring - and only cut it when walking
through it got irksome. It looked wonderful with my two silver birch in
it like a proper English meadow (plus my late Mum's huge Tamarisk in
the far corner in its full pink glory).

--
"Noah's Ark is a problem...We'll have to call
it early quantum state phenomenon--
Only way to fit five-thousand
species of mammal on the same boat"

You may get the odd weed appearing which would previously have popped it's
head up and been chopped off but apart from that, go for it.

I have a sloping area at the back of my lawn and have left it with long
grass this year. Sure beats the ground elder and bindweed that are normally
there ;-). And having dug it I got some "free" poppies too.

Paul DS.

"Jim" [email protected] wrote in message
...
...for a couple of months (say) what are the long-term implications. Of
course
it will be unsightly and could present the mower with an initial problem
when
finally getting round to being cut but what about the long-term
implications for
the grass itself? Will it recover if subsequently given its due
attention.

thanks for any thoughts

In general the lawn should be fine (assuming it is a utility lawn) - I am
trying to keep mine medium long this summer after the damage done by the dry
weather last year.

Implications:

coarse grasses may start to crowd out the finer lawn grasses which grow
better when 'grazed' by a lawnmower.

the grass may well go to seed, which won't harm the lawn but may well affect
the rest of your garden :-)

when you cut it back short it may take a little time to green up again, as
the lower stems you expose will have been shaded by the higher leaves and
gone yellow.

Don't worry too much - people quite often leave gardens (e.g. during moving
or after a bereavement) and the lawns soon recover after a cut or two, and
the borders reappear after weeding.

HTH
Dave R

Jim wrote:
...for a couple of months (say) what are the long-term implications.
Of course it will be unsightly and could present the mower with an
initial problem when finally getting round to being cut but what
about the long-term implications for the grass itself? Will it
recover if subsequently given its due attention.

thanks for any thoughts

Depends..... if it's a rough/family lawn it will recover. If it's a fine
lawn it will never be the same again without a lot of hard work.

When you cut the long growth do it in stages. 1/3 off leave a few days, 1/3
off leave a few days. Longish normal cut.

pk

On Fri, 25 Jun 2004 14:44:06 +0200, Jim wrote:

...for a couple of months (say) what are the long-term implications. Of course
it will be unsightly and could present the mower with an initial problem when
finally getting round to being cut but what about the long-term implications for
the grass itself? Will it recover if subsequently given its due attention.

Lawns are funny things. The mix of species depends in part on the
mowing regimen -- frequent mowing discourages the coarser species
and encourages finer species.

So at a guess, your lawn will be less sward-like afterwards. If
this prospect troubles you, find someone to mow it weekly while
you are sailing around the world.


--
Rodger Whitlock, Victoria, BC, Canada

"Listening to the [Opus Clavicembalisticum] is much like
Mussolini is alleged to have reported about governing
the Italians: it's not impossible, just POINTLESS."

----Jeffrey Friedman, 2004/06/24

I'm most grateful for everyone's constructive and occasionally cautionary reply
- this is a lawn of modest size and I would guess very humble stock mixed in
with a few patches of clover. I'll chance leaving it to itself for a while....

thanks again

"Jim" [email protected] wrote in message
...
I'm most grateful for everyone's constructive and occasionally cautionary
reply
- this is a lawn of modest size and I would guess very humble stock mixed
in
with a few patches of clover. I'll chance leaving it to itself for a
while....

thanks again

******
If you can afford to sally forth and sail around the world I would suggest
you can afford to forget the lawn and have it returfed when you come back,
you lucky ole thing!. (:^).
Don't stay too long in those marinas in Greece though, - especially the one
at the Athens Kalamaki marina near Piraeus. Everyone including the
Harbour-Master wants his whack before anything happens, not to mention the
three eager amateur stevedores who rush to put your mooring rope loop around
the bollard! There's good news though! .You'll never be short of a casual
Captain, there are plenty wandering the quays, all of whom skippered the
well-known Greek oil Magnate's luxury cruiser at some time or other. Even
our hired deckhand used to wait on and make tea for Maria Callas. (He said).
Enjoy your absence and let the grass do its own thing!.
Doug.

"Jim" [email protected] wrote in message
...
...for a couple of months (say) what are the long-term implications. Of
course
it will be unsightly and could present the mower with an initial problem
when
finally getting round to being cut but what about the long-term
implications for
the grass itself? Will it recover if subsequently given its due
attention.

thanks for any thoughts

******
You have answered your own question, Jimmo lad. - "Given due attention!".
IMO it will usually take no harm. However, depending on how long you leave
it, both in time and length of the grass, will depend the difficulty of
restoring it. So cut as early as you can.
If left for some time you are talking about using a hand sickle which is
very laborious and bad for the back , or if later on, a harvesters lei.
That's one of them there big curved scythes the farmers used to harvest
wheat crops ..
Doug.
******

In article ,
"Douglas" writes:
|
| If left for some time you are talking about using a hand sickle which is
| very laborious and bad for the back , or if later on, a harvesters lei.
| That's one of them there big curved scythes the farmers used to harvest
| wheat crops ..

Yes, scythes are easier for large areas, but sickles are NOT bad
for your back if you get down on your knees ....

A sickle is fine for up to about 100 square yards (not 100 yards
square!) of long grass. Above that, I agree about the effort.
But make sure that the sickle (a) is a proper agricultural one
and not a footling little 'grass hook' and (b) keep it SHARP.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Jim [email protected] wrote in message
...
...for a couple of months (say) what are the long-term implications. Of
course
it will be unsightly and could present the mower with an initial problem
when
finally getting round to being cut but what about the long-term
implications for
the grass itself? Will it recover if subsequently given its due
attention.

thanks for any thoughts

Hello Jim,
I agree with the others, but would add that you will need to feed it after
cutting it. If you just cut off all the *green* summer growth which has
been feeding your lawn, the remaining *yellow* grass will struggle to
photosynthesize. You will have starved your lawn on a grand scale, in other
words. As it will be late summer/autumn by then, you will need to apply an
autumn feed, which will feed and strengthen the grass ready for the
onslaught of winter. If you try to use up a spring feed, for example, it
will contain more nitrogen. This will produce lots of sappy growth which
will be damaged by the first frosts.
Spider

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"Douglas" writes:
|
| If left for some time you are talking about using a hand sickle which
is
| very laborious and bad for the back , or if later on, a harvesters lei.
| That's one of them there big curved scythes the farmers used to harvest
| wheat crops ..

Yes, scythes are easier for large areas, but sickles are NOT bad
for your back if you get down on your knees ....

A sickle is fine for up to about 100 square yards (not 100 yards
square!) of long grass. Above that, I agree about the effort.
But make sure that the sickle (a) is a proper agricultural one
and not a footling little 'grass hook' and (b) keep it SHARP.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

******
Glad you wrote that word, - SHARP!.
Sharpening a sickle or a lei is a dangerous game. They are sharpened with a
rod-like honing-stone which tapers a wee bit towards the ends. There is no
hand guard. Skill and care is required because you make long hardpressing
strokes using the stone along the sharp business edge of the implement. Your
clasped fist is in great danger because the distance between fist an the
cutting edge of the implement is small and it's very difficult to judge
unless you are a splendid old gaffer who has done plenty of hand-mowing
and knows what he is doing
Doug.
******

On Mon, 28 Jun 2004 11:27:58 +0100, "Douglas" wrote:


"Jim" [email protected] wrote in message
.. .
I'm most grateful for everyone's constructive and occasionally cautionary
reply
- this is a lawn of modest size and I would guess very humble stock mixed
in
with a few patches of clover. I'll chance leaving it to itself for a
while....

thanks again

******
If you can afford to sally forth and sail around the world I would suggest
you can afford to forget the lawn and have it returfed when you come back,
you lucky ole thing!. (:^).
Don't stay too long in those marinas in Greece though, - especially the one
at the Athens Kalamaki marina near Piraeus. Everyone including the
Harbour-Master wants his whack before anything happens, not to mention the
three eager amateur stevedores who rush to put your mooring rope loop around
the bollard! There's good news though! .You'll never be short of a casual
Captain, there are plenty wandering the quays, all of whom skippered the
well-known Greek oil Magnate's luxury cruiser at some time or other. Even
our hired deckhand used to wait on and make tea for Maria Callas. (He said).
Enjoy your absence and let the grass do its own thing!.
Doug.

Straitened circumstances here I'm afraid but thanks for the invitation to dream.

On Mon, 28 Jun 2004 15:27:52 +0100, "Spider"
wrote:


Jim [email protected] wrote in message
.. .
...for a couple of months (say) what are the long-term implications. Of
course
it will be unsightly and could present the mower with an initial problem
when
finally getting round to being cut but what about the long-term
implications for
the grass itself? Will it recover if subsequently given its due
attention.

thanks for any thoughts

Hello Jim,
I agree with the others, but would add that you will need to feed it after
cutting it. If you just cut off all the *green* summer growth which has
been feeding your lawn, the remaining *yellow* grass will struggle to
photosynthesize. You will have starved your lawn on a grand scale, in other
words. As it will be late summer/autumn by then, you will need to apply an
autumn feed, which will feed and strengthen the grass ready for the
onslaught of winter. If you try to use up a spring feed, for example, it
will contain more nitrogen. This will produce lots of sappy growth which
will be damaged by the first frosts.
Spider

appreciated, good point. I'm in france where the brand names will probably
differ so other than keeping a look-out for "nourriture d'automne pour une
pelouse" what would be the favoured chemical balance?