Hate to mow the lawn? You're not alone. While it might not seem like there isn't any way to totally avoid this chore, there are a few solutions that can minimise the amount of effort needed from you. So what are some great solutions if mowing your lawn is something that you simply detest?
1. The Robotic Solution
Perhaps the easiest way to avoid having to mow your own lawn is to have someone else do the work for you. But it doesn't have to be a person doing the work, and nowadays it can be a machine. Robotic lawn mowers are becoming increasingly common, and most lawn mower stockists now offer a range of them. The process for setting up a robotic lawn mower is fairly straightforward. You generally just need to bury a guide wire around the edges of the area to be mowed, thus creating an electronic perimetre. Beyond that, the machine largely takes care of itself, whether you set a timer or manually deploy it as needed. Opt for a machine that can be synched with your smartphone. You would then get a notification on the occasions when some human intervention is necessary, such as when the grass catcher needs to be emptied, or when the mower encounters an obstacle it cannot pass (such as if a branch has blown into its path).
2. The Specialised Grass Solution
One way to ensure that your lawn doesn't require regular mowing is to replace the grass with a type that doesn't need it. No, this doesn't mean that you will need to install astroturf or anything artificial. There are types of lawn available that grow to a certain length and then simply stop, much like a tree that has reached maturity. These types of lawn are generally comprised of festuca, a type of grass that grows to a height of anywhere between 10 and 200 centimetres. Naturally, the types of grass sold as lawn only grow to the lower end of this scale. They are often blended with bent grass, which (as the name suggests) bends over slightly, flopping down at the top to keep the surface of the lawn at a uniform level. These types of lawn will still require occasional mowing, but with infinitely less frequency than a regular lawn.
3. The Animal Solution
It might not be feasible for you to simply purchase a goat or two and then leave them to their own devices in your backyard. Certainly, they will keep the grass trimmed, but they will also eat any other plants that they might find interesting. It is in fact possible to rent goats for a predetermined period of time—even just for a day might be sufficient. Look for a company in your area that specialises in vegetation management services, since one of their options might be goat rental. Remember that this will not result in a pristine lawn of a uniform height and is more of a rough trim than a clean cut. There is some preparation work that needs to be done prior to the goat's arrival, and you need to check with your local council first. There might be restrictions on allowing goats on your property, even if it's just for a short period of time. But still, this is an environmentally friendly solution to keeping your lawn under control.
It's not as though you can really ever leave your lawn to its own devices forever, and yet by using these methods, you're not really going to spend all that much time pushing a lawn mower around anymore!
