Trimming-Before or after mowing

[wxman1]

Trim last but I also trim at least every week if not every week.

I echo the sentiments of those that say you are a little girl if you point to the city ordinance as your reason to trim first to get it off the pavement. The only chance it is enforced is if someone else complains a lot.

 

[Stewo]

The next time I see someone trim before they mow would be the first time. I suppose, it depends on your yard though. I have a lot of landscaping that I need to get around and it wouldn't make much sense.

 

[roundball]

What city comes and enforces that. Seriously it will be gone within a day. Maybe it's different here because our neighbor has a forest of weeds that like to try and come through the fence and into our yard so people don't see it as the problem.

From what I know, city governments rely on the neighbors to "enforce" ordinances like this...if the neighbor calls and complains, they might send a code enforcement officer out to write a citation or give a warning. It's not like cops are taking time away from arresting robbers and busting up meth labs to make sure that Mr. Johnson's lawn is up to code.

I've never even heard of trimming first, but now, after reading all of the virtues of trimming first, I shall explain why the silent majority.

We really don't care nearly as much as you trim-firsters. Our bu++holes don't clench up at the thought of 'unmulched' trimmings, nor at the prospect of clippings on our sidewalks. Heck, we don't even really care that much if it doesn't look as nice. Does it look decent? Good enough. With that mindset, trimming last makes the most sense. You mow, then finish what you didn't get with the trimmer. Feeling a little lazy on cutting your tight corners with the mower? Well, got a little more trimmin' to do. Feeling even lazier? Welp, guess I ain't trimming this week. You trim first...no matter what, you still gotta mow. You trim last, and you run out of time...skip it, brah.

So we have been silent because we're sitting here trying to figure out who the heck cares. Voting, that ain't hard. Typing why we trim last didn't seem worth the effort until it went this long.

Heck, I'm just impressed that a man with such a professed laziness and nonchalance about lawn care bothers to trim at all! Kudos to you, good sir.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

Cyclone Fanatic. Tackling the tough off-season issues.
United on the field, divided on the lawn.

 

[iowast8fan]

I go both ways, depending on how tall the grass edges are. Since I trim only every other mow, the grass along my back yard landscaping can get really tall. If I mow first then trim second, I end up with tall pieces of cut grass laying along the borders of my landscaping. I don't like that. So, if it is really tall there, I will trim it first so the mower can mulch that up and make the grass look cleaner.

 

[CtownCyclone]

Used to ALWAYS mow first...but then neighbor moved in who used to own his own landscaping company and noticed he trimmed first always...asked him why and he provided the same standard answer as above.

A...The final product looks nicer with the mower used as a mulcher for the long trimmings.
B...Less work if you use a nice trimmer with long reach...

I always trim first now...

Better question...

To bag or not to bag? I only bag about twice a year and if it is right before my son's birthday party or if I've been on vacation for awhile and the lawn clippings will look like s*** in the yard...

Other neighbors around me bag more often than me for sure...same neighbor said bagging is a no no with nutrients...

Why in the name of all that's holy would you bag? I have never bagged, even when I mowed my parents lawn in Iowa. This includes leaves. Mulch those bad boys up. Of course now, I don't have to worry about leaves so much since I live in the south.

 

[MeanDean]

When I was a teener my Dad had one of the first string trimmers. It was a POS. Repeatedly would break off the string and not push more out. So he would have to take 20 minutes to disassemble it in the garage and pull some more line out. Oh, he did that after he cussed and swore at me and called me an idiot. I swore I'd never own one of those damn things and I never have.

I used to have a nice little mower that would get right up on the edges and usually that was good enough. If I was feeling particularly ambitious I would pull out the manual trimmers that look like giant scissors and go around and trim the few places that were just too hard to get with the mower.

I voted never trim.

Nowadays, I mow and the other half trims. I think about every third time. After I mow.

 

[00clone]

From what I know, city governments rely on the neighbors to "enforce" ordinances like this...if the neighbor calls and complains, they might send a code enforcement officer out to write a citation or give a warning. It's not like cops are taking time away from arresting robbers and busting up meth labs to make sure that Mr. Johnson's lawn is up to code.



Heck, I'm just impressed that a man with such a professed laziness and nonchalance about lawn care bothers to trim at all! Kudos to you, good sir.

First part: If my neighbor turned me in for clippings on the sidewalk, I'd be getting a hefty fine...for punching him in the throat.

Second part: If it weren't for the kid's swing set and sandbox and waterhead hawk fan next door who plants grass seed or puts down sod and never waters it putting in a chain link fence, I wouldn't. As it stands, I blow my clippings toward the fence, which sometimes builds up enough along the fence to kill off the grass enough to prevent trimming there, and the kids' stuff...well, we sacrifice for our kids.

 

[NickTheGreat]

I personally take my leaf blower out and blow everything off the sidewalk. But I'm a little OCD when it comes to things.

 

[Trice]

Used to ALWAYS mow first...but then neighbor moved in who used to own his own landscaping company and noticed he trimmed first always...asked him why and he provided the same standard answer as above.

A...The final product looks nicer with the mower used as a mulcher for the long trimmings.
B...Less work if you use a nice trimmer with long reach...

I always trim first now...

Better question...

To bag or not to bag? I only bag about twice a year and if it is right before my son's birthday party or if I've been on vacation for awhile and the lawn clippings will look like s*** in the yard...

Other neighbors around me bag more often than me for sure...same neighbor said bagging is a no no with nutrients...

The only time I ever bag grass clippings is if I've rented a power rake/dethatcher because that leaves a TON of grass behind. Beyond that I only use bags for leaves (of which I have few since my trees are young) and dead plant matter in late fall or early spring when I've cut the ornamental grasses down.

 

[Trice]

It seems like most of the comments are in favor of trimming first, but the poll results indicate a preference for mowing first.

Why are the mow-firsters such a silent majority? And what is the merit of mowing before trimming? I can think of none.

It's funny you mention this because I voted before I looked at the results, and based on my experience I figured I'd be among the few who voted "trim first." Because in both houses I've owned, among all those neighbors, I'm the only one I ever see doing that. So even though I can't figure out why anyone would trim last, I'm kind of wondering where all these trim first people are because I've never seen one.

 

[Knownothing]

This thread is why I hate the offseason. No offense to the OP or people who are commenting in it. It's just that we would all rather be discussing the fact that we beat Kansas last night or the umcoming game again OU. Instead we are discussing grass.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

This thread is why I hate the offseason. No offense to the OP or people who are commenting in it. It's just that we would all rather be discussing the fact that we beat Kansas last night or the umcoming game again OU. Instead we are discussing grass.

We beat Kansas last night?!? Son of a *****! It must have been when I was mowing my lawn.

 

[TruClone]

This thread is why I hate the offseason. No offense to the OP or people who are commenting in it. It's just that we would all rather be discussing the fact that we beat Kansas last night or the umcoming game again OU. Instead we are discussing grass.

Hence the forum title, "Off topic". You can find what you are looking for in the forums for football, basketball, etc. Yet you took the time to open and then comment in this thread. No offense taken though.

 

[Knownothing]

Not really. No way this topic goes 5 pages long during the season.

 

[chewbocka]

Depending on the length of the trimmings, I generally trim after. I don't like the long crap lying around. If I need to do heavy-duty trimming, it happens first.

I generally mow first so that I know what length the end result is going to be so that I can trim to match it. Depending on how many beers have been consumed, my eye doesn't always know around what height the lawn will be cut to.

 

[dmclone]

OK, time for a confession.....

Even though my weed wacker would cut everything just fine by idling, I often feel the need to rev it to the max. I think I've been secretly trying to blow the thing up for the last few years. I use old gas/oil mix, run it maxed out, never change the plug, etc. but it won't die.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

OK, time for a confession.....

Even though my weed wacker would cut everything just fine by idling, I often feel the need to rev it to the max. I think I've been secretly trying to blow the thing up for the last few years. I use old gas/oil mix, run it maxed out, never change the plug, etc. but it won't die.

Mine smoked like a Nebraska stripper for about 2 years, but it would...not....die. It also leaked oil, was loud as hell and I had to yank the cord until my shoulder was almost dislocated. But, once it started, it did a good job so I couldn't justify getting rid of it.

Last year I was outside doing yard work on the morning of our annual "Big Item Pick Up". I noticed the truck coming up the street so I literally edged around my flower bed, shut it off and threw it on the truck before it drove away. My wife wasn't happy, but the next day I had my new trimmer. Sucker purrs like a kitten on the first pull....the trimmer, not my wife. There wasn't much purring from Mrs Cooler for awhile after I pulled that stunt.

 

[3TrueFans]

OK, time for a confession.....

Even though my weed wacker would cut everything just fine by idling, I often feel the need to rev it to the max. I think I've been secretly trying to blow the thing up for the last few years. I use old gas/oil mix, run it maxed out, never change the plug, etc. but it won't die.

Couldn't you just buy a new one?

 

[00clone]

Couldn't you just buy a new one?

See the above post by cooler. Sure, he *could* just buy a new one, but 'it's broken, I need a new one' prevents any guff from the missus.