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Texas Gardening

Can a old fashioned push mower work on St. Augustine?

13 years ago

Our ancient, gas-powered mower won't start, even after my husband took it apart, cleaned it and put it back together again. We're looking to buy a new mower now.

We have a very small lot in the Metroplex (.2 acres) that doesn't have much lawn anymore since I've converted half of it into garden beds. An old-fashioned reel-type mower might just do the job for us now, but the question is, do those reel push mowers work on a thick bladed grass like St. Augustine? We had one when I was a kid in the midwest, but we were cutting Kentucky blue grass, which is much finer than St. Augustine.

Thanks

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Comments (6)

afirefly
13 years ago
I use one on my lawn (St. A)and I love it so much. It is quiet and so light weight. Much nicer to use than an electric or gas powered mower.

The push mower seems to be some kind of weird novelty item for people passing by, though. I -always- get someone stopping and wondering how I could use such a freaklishly archaic item. Yet, in every way it is superior to the newer technologies.

It cuts our grass but can come to a stop for something as small as a twig. I am sure that would annoy some people but I don't mind at all. Also, I keep my lawn a bit on the long side since it is mostly in dappled shade in the summer. I will say that it does not cut weeds well. I have to use a weed wacker for that.
merrybookwyrm
13 years ago
What kind of push mower do you have? When we had one years ago, the mower could not be set to mow high enough to be useful. Thank you!

You also need to find someone in your area who can sharpen the blades periodically.
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Hey everyone, wow thanks for the quick responses! Pam, I'd LOVE to have it if you're sure ya'll won't need it anymore. I was prepared to buy one but this would be doing me a big favor. I'll send you an e-mail and we can discuss the pick-up details. Shot and Buford, thanks for the advice on using one. I'll be sure and not let the lawn get too unruly. Since it is such a small area I'm hoping I'll be more likely to mow it on schedule. Harriet, I appreciate the review about the Scott's mower. I looked at those on Amazon too and that was one I was thinking about. Pam's offer is too good to pass up though but I'll keep the Scotts in mind if I ever do need to buy one new. Ya'll have a good day and I hope everyone got some rain yesterday. Sincerely, Danielle
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afirefly
13 years ago
It is a Craftsman that we got from Sears. It has a number of blade heights. You can get a kit to sharpen the blades. They said when we bought it to sharpen the blades frequently but I've only needed to do that once in the past eight years that we have had it. Might be about time to do it again I suppose ...
houstontexas123
13 years ago
i have a reel mower and st augustine looks great when cut with it. the blades are cut even and smooth. where as a gas mower pretty much just shred and rips the grass blades making them look jagged.

only problems i have with the reel mower is my uneven lawn and weeds.
merrybookwyrm
13 years ago
Thanks. Our old reel mower was not a Craftsman. I'll have to look one up and see if it still has the different heights suitable for St Augustine.

Yeah, our old reel mower did pretty good on bermuda, but watch out for dallis grass or anything else weedy. It mowed too short to be good for St Augustine.
maden_theshade
13 years ago
I have a Scott's brand reel mower. I use it on my St. Augustine and it always looks terrific. Like the other member noted, the grass looks better cut with the reel. A gas mower rips up the end of the grass blade and damage it. The trick to using the reel mower is to keep your speed up. I sometimes sprint through the yard b/c the faster you go, the better it cuts! Great exercise!

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