Exactly how I'm doing it now. 20 bucks to two kids with a mower, weed eater, and blower. It's a cinch.

Mini horses and goats.

 

And you get fertilizer with them too.

I would use a system of lasers that targets any blade above a certain height.

Or I would use genetically engineered grass that only grows to the right height. Also it makes breezy sounds when there's no wind and it tells the stupid crickets to shut the f*ck up already. 

I just bought a Greenworks 10 amp mower 

and a little trimmer as well

But now amazon is saying 1 - 2 MONTHS for delivery so I  might have to cancel and buy local. 

 cc_rider wrote: 
Part of the POINT of Roundup is that it's temporary; you can re-seed with something "desirable" shortly after the weeds are dead.  There are a number of "persistent" herbicides on the market that will keep things kilt for a season, or close to it.
 

 DaveInVA wrote: 
now go out and get some crutches.

 DaveInVA wrote: 
Good, Dave, be kind to yourself.

 kysmet wrote: 

I ended up paying someone to cut my lawn in the rain yesterday as I couldn't do it because of my foot..

 mzpro5 wrote: 
I'm with HC on this one.
if mom really wants a lawn service, consider switching to an organic one. there's a few out there.
or if you brother wants to DIY try this Gardens Alive

 hippiechick wrote: 



I appreciate the remarks about the negative effects of such teatments (notice that I said I have never used such treatments on my own lawn) but at 82 yo she is not going to give up one of the things she is proud of -her lawn.

I also realize that a nice lawn can be had without the use of the treatments but she can't and I won't do all the hard work required.

 mzpro5 wrote: 
My neighbor has his lawn treated with something every 2 weeks. One day I asked the guy doing the spraying if the stuff was toxic to animals. He said definitely so and that no animals should be allowed on it for at least 3 days after spraying. Stinky is attracted to the smell of the chemicals and wants to go over and eat the grass after its sprayed. I figured the stuff was toxic and tried to keep him away and inside whenever I knew it was freshly treated. I asked the vet if Stinky eating freshly treated grass could have caused his CRF and she said yes its possible. Also, this guys own outdoor cat died unexplainably not long after he started using this service.

 mzpro5 wrote: 
That stuff puts lots of bad chemicals into the water system, poisons animals, and causes allergic reactions. 

Scott's is not an honest company, for years they sold bird seed that was treated with chemicals that are poisonous to birds (Really, Scott??? Seriously???). 

My Mom has had her lawn fertilized/treated by a lawn service for the last 15 years. Usually 3-4 treatments/year fertilizer and whatever else they put on it. This year my brother is going to just get Scott's or some other stuff and do it himself.

I am of the opinion that she can probably go a few years without any treatment at all as a lot of the stuff from the last 15 years is still in the ground and working. I told her this every year thing is just the lawn people making money.

DISCLAIMER: On my own lawn I have never had it treated in 26 years. Only thing I do is keep it cut.

 cc_rider wrote: 
i'm there...

 cc_rider wrote: 
flamethrower.

but I have a house with a brick foundation and asbestos-concrete shingle siding - it's fireproof.  

 cc_rider wrote: 

I agree - wouldn't recommend spewing kerosene around the yard either.  I had tried a bunch of different products that claimed they caused Ivy death but just couldn't quite eradicate the stuff.  My neighbor claimed that the owner before me had a friend that worked at a lab at USC.  The story goes that they were experimenting with different drought tolerant plants and supposedly this Ivy was part of a super breed that his friend gave him from the lab.  My neighbor suggested and supplied the kerosene.

Have no idea if the story is true or not but it definitely was a very hardy plant.

 justlistening wrote:
 
Well, I was kidding. There are a few weed killers made for tough stuff like ivy. It says something like 'woody stem herbicide'. I have found some great industrial-strength products at www.diypestcontrol.com. They also have a lot of technical expertise: I was trying to remove wild violet (?) from my yard, and they knew what I needed to use that wouldn't kill the grass.

Used motor oil- the West Virginia fenceline maintenance way!