I was an arborist tree climber in N. NJ for many years. All year long in the coldest and hottest of days. We advertised for hazardous BIG removals. No bucket or cherry picker (?) Build some testosterone levels, do your lawn and have a lemonaid. HA
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Sorry, I was a bit abrupt. I imagine those in Arizona can employ workers from south of the border that can work with the heat and appreciate the job opportunity. (nothing wrong with that) It IS hot in NJ, I agree. So, put on a skirt, plug in your mower. Then you can come over and hear what 1.5 watts can do. Real men don't need much wattage!! HA HA |
I'm retired but I have a lawn business to keep me busy. When it is hot, the grass does better to be left at least 3" high. It keeps it moist and helps it stay healthy. With the high heat, water the grass often. Cut, no more that 1/3" the length and make sure that the mowers blades are sharp. Cut in the late PM when it's cooler. You cover your head, wear a dust mask if dusty and keep hydrated just like the grass. I cut grass all summer and the dust/dirt is more trouble than the heat. |
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Another solution. |
Having moved from South Jersey to The Phoenix suburbs a bit less than 2 years ago, I can tell you that it is not fun to cut the grass in the dead of summer in either of those states. That said, the same rules apply. Do it as early in the morning as possible, or when the sun is setting here in AZ. In New Jersey, the mosquitos come out at sunset, so it isn't possible. I was lucky to get a house that only has what we call a "putting green" of grass in the back, and decorative gravel everywhere else. That is the best way to avoid cutting grass. |
I lived in No NJ for 10 years and my hatred for cutting the grass was legendary, followed closely by my hatred for raking leaves which then had to be bagged and transported to a mulch center. Given that the teenagers in No NJ stopped cutting lawns for pay 35 years ago, HIRE a service and ditch the lawn mower. Money should not be an obstacle, given the type of green you need to pay for a house and taxes in that part of the state. Unless of course, you enjoy trucking ye olde Craftsman to Paramus for Sears to maintain. Rich |
Right now it's too hot! The best thing I ever did was get rid of the front lawn and install desert landscape. The backyard is still grass but it is not visible from the street. So if I'm lazy or the heat is excessive, I can always blow off mowing for awhile without receiving complaints. During monsoon season it is humid and hot with lows in the upper eighties. I always mow early before the sun is up beating heat rays at me. I like the look of a bit of lawn from the backyard deck but mowing is not an activity I look forward to. |
I grew up and live in Eastern South Jersey near the coast. My wife is from the Phoenix area, and her Dad had her cut the grass as a kid. He sat in the shade with a cold one and a stogie "coaching" her on the fine points of yard management. To her it was torture and the heat would wipe her out! I cut my grass whenever it needs it usually after work in the evening. She'll come out of the ac with Chardonnay in hand to pass on some of his indubitable wisdom. "The beer stays colder the faster you drink it!" Hmmm smart guy, problem is my tractor only has one beer holder, and then there's the Green Heads! Damn things are so tough, when you swat them they look up and laugh at you. I love summer in S.Jersey. |
Most of us in Arizona don't have any grass, it's a waste of water. True, but when my wife was a kid in the 70's water conservation wasn't as big a deal as it is today. The population was much smaller in The Valley Of The Sun and it was later that water conservation became the rule of the day. Reclaimed water (sewage) on golf courses, watering limits, grasses that require less water, and natural desert landscaping. My father-in-law loved to brag about how the town paid him to put lava rock in his front yard. When it get's to hot here in NJ I hit the beach for a dip. The Ocean was nice today, and the scenery was good to. We Piney's aint so dum! |
I'm in Mass., & it's been 90 degrees+ here. I've been going out in the a.m. & mowing for 20-30-40 minutes a day. Since I have almost 1/2 an acre, it takes a while, but that's OK. Today, afterwards, I found the film "Tree's Lounge" (Highly recommended) on cable, & I've opened up a Bud Light. See, it's all about pacing, & balance...... |
Rodge827, Your lovely wife is enjoying the last laugh now!! Cheers to her!! :)True dat! Like you I have a love/hate relationship with my John Deere. I had to pick up a new PTO switch at our local dealer. I walked in the store and my heart almost stopped! I was in Green and Yellow Heaven! Brand spakin' new Green Machines in all sizes with all kinds of attachments Mmmmm...took me an hour to buy a stupid little switch. |
Iso, I'm not sure if that was serious or not. It's either sad, or funny. Went through a nasty divorce once myself. My first wife wouldn't have known which side of the mower to stand on. As luck would have it, my father in law is a Deere salesman, so I have an "in" there. Truth be told, I was ready to buy a Toro zero turn. He would have killed me, she might have divorced me. Not necessarily in that order. |
Update: after a week of extreme temps topping out at 106* there is no grass left to cut. Just a yellow dried up piece of land that looks like a desert. All that's missing is a long horned cattle skull. It's interesting to note that of very recent times I have experienced my first earthquake, a devastating hurricane followed directly by an early October snowstorm and tornados in the middle of the country over 2 miles wide causing death and destruction. I am in my late fifties and I'm confident to suggest that something is changing in the world weather patterns. |
Heat finally broke last night in the Philadelphia suburbs. I have to say the cold front brought the most beautiful lightning show I have witnessed. With the sun going lower, the lightning lit up the enormous cotton white clouds building in the bright blue sky in unbelievable yellow, pink, and red hues. I do 2.25 acres with a push mower in three stages, 2X - 3X per week. Have a tractor, but have pushing the mower this year. With all of the rain this year, the grass is as lush as I can remember. So far, I haven't taken a break from mowing this year, and cut the grass in the backyard Friday night in 95+ degree heat. 90 minutes of pushing the mower didn't bother me at all. |