# How did you get started in lawn care?



## kb02gt (Aug 23, 2019)

Curious to know how you guys got started. How did you know that this was what you wanted to do. Either as a hobby, or career. What was the #1 thing you learned in the process?


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## FATC1TY (Jul 12, 2017)

I started lawn care because my wife said she wasn't going to do it.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

1. I got tired of mowing weeds.

2. Kids leave me alone on the mower unless bringing me a beer.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Moving this over to General Discussion to get more Cool Season participation.


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

Paid for my private pilot's license by mowing lawns in high school, which kicked off my career.

More recently, I had an HOA after me for my weeds. I started down the road of info on Scott's weed and feed. Found ATY, reel mowers, PGR, Lesco, Celsius, Eley, and I was off to the races.

Got booted from the Democratic People's Republic of North ATY, after helping start TLF. . .


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## Gilley11 (Nov 3, 2019)

@dfw_pilot why'd they give you the 👞?

I'm here because my wife was making everything outside look so nice with flowers and decorating......and then there was the disaster of a lawn. I'm a serial hobbyist, this is the longest I've stuck with one yet.


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## kb02gt (Aug 23, 2019)

Ware said:


> Moving this over to General Discussion to get more Cool Season participation.


 :thumbup:


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## MasterMech (Sep 24, 2017)

I started as a teenager maintaining the grounds here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt9suVZbE7s

Then took a job as a service tech for a local JD dealership. That got me into a big-time love for the equipment. Somewhere along the way I picked up a job at a golf course and things got serious. :lol:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReFe7OwS5gE

Then I moved South and all the rules changed!


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

When I was about twelve, my dear old Dad said "Son, you are tall enough now to reach the handles on this mower. Let me show you how a man mows his yard to keep his house looking well taken care of."

Then he said "This is a Jacobsen reel mower. It is expensive and cuts very well. It is self-propelled. So take care of it, and it will take care of the yard for years to come. I will be in the pool if you need me."

Then one day a neighbor asked if I would cut his yard, and said he would pay me. So I started my own lawn mowing business for that summer. I used my Dad's old Craftsman push mower with a Briggs & Stratton motor on it. Aluminum alloy deck. Tough as a mountain goat, always started....

Made a bunch more money than my paper route throwing buddies, and then bought me a brand new Schwinn ten speed. That summer showed me the value of a dollar and rewards of hard work.

It also taught me having a job where you can work with your brain in air conditioning was better. :lol:


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## kb02gt (Aug 23, 2019)

FATC1TY said:


> I started lawn care because my wife said she wasn't going to do it.


 :mrgreen:


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## kb02gt (Aug 23, 2019)

Gilley11 said:


> @dfw_pilot why'd they give you the 👞?
> 
> I'm here because my wife was making everything outside look so nice with flowers and decorating......and then there was the disaster of a lawn. I'm a serial hobbyist, this is the longest I've stuck with one yet.


Yeah, think i'd have done the same. Maybe this was part of the plan, lol.


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## kb02gt (Aug 23, 2019)

FlowRider said:


> When I was about twelve, my dear old Dad said "Son, you are tall enough now to reach the handles on this mower. Let me show you how a man mows his yard to keep his house looking well taken care of."
> 
> Then he said "This is a Jacobsen reel mower. It is expensive and cuts very well. It is self-propelled. So take care of it, and it will take care of the yard for years to come. I will be in the pool if you need me."
> 
> ...


You still have the mower from your dad? (Craftsman push mower with a Briggs & Stratton). Its interesting you say this because 7 years ago, my ex says to me hey i know you need a mower, there is this guy selling one on my street. So i went took a look at it, they guy demonstrated it to me, and i bought it for $50. It was yellow (gas cap also yellow) and black with a red round pump on the front right of the motor. There was no padding on the handles either. But it was a Craftsman push mower with a Briggs & Stratton. Never not, not one time did i have a problem starting it. 3 pumps and a pull, and she was off to the races. Yet she had a self-propelled Toro (with Kohler motor), also had a family member with one too, and theirs would always give problems and not start. By the time you got it to start you didn't want to mow cause of all the effort it took to get it going


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## kb02gt (Aug 23, 2019)

For myself really got started with just planting stuff. I liked the projects involved with planting plants such as building the rain gutter system on YouTube, different watering systems, experiments, etc. Thats where it all started. Grew peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, etc. Was just a backyard gardener.

Played sports in high school and college and when i was trying to figure out a new technique or something was bugging me, anything like that, i'd go and sit right in the middle of the field and all of sudden there was a sense of peace and focus. So flashback 1 year ago , my girl and i of 8 years mutually went our separate ways right after buying a house with a modest size yard. So went back to being out on the lawn again as i got a letter from my HOA, and it was a great feeling. I figured, i've gardened before, how hard could this lawn stuff be. What, wait a second, i have weeds, no problem. So off to home depot i go. Ahhhhh, weed product for "Southern Lawns"............ perfect. Spray, spray, spray, you know what, i'll just spray this everywhere till the bottle runs out. That killed most of the grass on the right side of the house, then came more weeds, then grubs. Left side and front yard attacked by fungus and grubs as well, along with signal and crabgrass, etc. Didn't know anything about anything, so challenge accepted. Been doing it for a year and love it. Taking a yard from terrible to even semi-good i find to be really rewarding.

If i could only give 1 single piece of advice to anyone doing or just getting started in lawn care it would be to......................... Read the label


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## Biggylawns (Jul 8, 2019)

I bought a house that needed a full gut. Renovated the entire inside, while working full time. During my home reno we had 2 kids so my away from house hobbies got cut to zero. I decided to take up lawn care seriously after the reno was done. I grew up playing and working on a golf course so I love short turf. This forum showed me how to get there!


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## ltsibley (Jul 30, 2019)

Great thread! 
I loved mowing growing up and am a perfectionist so my dad always appreciated the different angles and how I would mow...but I didn't know much about anything of what I was doing...just wanted it to look nice (St Augustine btw).
Bought my house in 2013 and yard was riddled with weeds...sand burs being one of those. I kept it mowed and tried several ways to get rid of the sandburs...even went crazy one night with a grubbing hoe and ripped up a huge part of the yard. 
Fast forward a couple of years and the sandburs seemed to be mostly gone and then I made a huge mistake...
We got my daughter a swing set for Christmas and I sprayed Round Up, laid down fabric and pea gravel in an area to put the swing set. This was in December of course and by March it was full of weeds and Bermuda coming through. I decided to call it a loss/mistake to do the pea gravel. Moved the swing set and gave the pea gravel away to whoever wanted to come and shovel it. Had a company come out and lay sod in that and one other area (mistake #2).
They put down a different variety of Bermuda...some type of hybrid. I have common as well.
Long story long but this first main mistake led to a very bumpy lawn, which I asked the sod guys how to level and he said he heard you could use sand. Google then led me to @wardconnor sand leveling video and the rest is history. By the end of that season I owned two reel mowers, had leveled with sand, and pretty much become obsessed with lawn care. So although I wish I could fix those mistakes I made it ultimately led me here.
Obviously wish I could do a complete reno of the backyard and have one type of Bermuda and a super level yard (I still have drainage issues)...but I don't believe we'll be in this house very much longer and I don't want to spend the $.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

kb02gt said:


> You still have the mower from your dad?


No, that mower threw a connecting rod later on. Shot it right through the side casing on the motor.

It happened to my Dad after I had gone on to college. I think he simply forgot to check the oil.... :|

I saw it when I came home for Christmas. It had been sitting since the Fall, giant hole in the motor....

He bought a new mower, another Craftsman push mower. Later on he bought a Craftsman rider.


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

I had just recently got married back in 2004 and was stationed here at Fort Bragg again but now I had a rental house. I'm the kind of person that if I'm going to do something most likely I'm going to do it right. So now I had a lawn to care for and a few of my neighbors were kind of into keeping their lawns looking good so I decided to do the same. So after jumping down the rabbit hole and doing the whole Scott's thing for awhile, I got on their forum they had and just kept reading and asking questions. Then came LawnSmarts forum and then ATY and now TLF. It's been a progression over the years and many, many mistakes and wasted money but I learned from it all. I was an avid golfer at the time and loved how the course looked with all the short grass which led me into reel mowing and that opened a whole new can of worms. In 2006 I bought my own house and made the decision to go with Bermuda grass (at the time I didn't know I couldn't really grow cool season grasses where I live) and it was one of the best decisions I made when building my new house. It has afforded me a great canvas to learn and perfect my craft on. I don't ever foresee myself ever NOT doing my lawn and keeping it at a high standard.


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## Jacob_S (May 22, 2018)

dfw_pilot said:


> Got booted from the Democratic People's Republic of North ATY, after helping start TLF. . .


Does that place still even exist?

Anyway for me it was when I moved into current house, new construction, so had a fresh laid centipede front yard and bare dirt blank slate back yard. I knew I wanted bermuda in back, it was only after I kind of established a yard back there I found the "Democratic People's Republic of North ATY" learned a ton and was introduced to reel mowers and above average lawn care. Had a desire to just have a nice lawn is how it started then became a hobby cause I gave up my others, getting them back slowly though.


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## kb02gt (Aug 23, 2019)

FlowRider said:


> kb02gt said:
> 
> 
> > You still have the mower from your dad?
> ...


Man that is some story. Back in those days, anything with the name Craftsman meant you were getting good quality. Am curious, you think thats still the way it is today after the deal Lowes made with Craftsman mowers and tools. Are they still the same quality as they used to be?


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

I own a lot of Craftsman hand tools - mechanic sets, sockets, wrenches, torque wrenches, etc.

I used to shop at Sears on my lunch hour, and buy what they discounted to get some really good deals.

The Craftsman brand used to mean "Made in USA"; now more products are from China or Taiwan.

I've always had good luck with Craftsman. But run a Craftsman circular saw and then use a DeWalt.

Tool quality definitely matters. Both in how long they last, how long they run, don't rust or break, etc.

You can think your machine is nice, until you run a better machine, then you can tell the difference....

The lawn mowers offered by Craftsman now may be very good; I moved away from them to Honda.

The old school Craftsman with Briggs and Stratton, and Tecumseh, engines lasted a long time....

If you are talking lawn mowers today, I much prefer Honda engines for walk-behinds, all I own now.


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## Bermuda_Newbie (Jun 15, 2018)

I bought a house with a yard that had drainage issues and was super weedy. I had a lawn service and didn't care too much as long as it was green. I had my first child and wanted her to have a sticker free non-muddy place to play. We had the whole yard redone with new drainage but I was a bit nervous about taking care of a yard by myself. I knew I needed a reel mower if I wanted it to look nice since it was Bermuda and the yard service I had only did rotary mowing. Not to mention they left tire tracks whenever it was raining. I bought a fiskars reel mower and mowed everyday until it started washboarding really bad. I found TLF trying to find a recommendation for a push mower that would work better. Everyone said to just get a gas mower but I was afraid of how loud and powerful it was. I'm a small lady so I thought it would be too much. Turns out my husband's grandpa had a caltrimmer sitting in his shed. He "lent" it to us. I got it sharpened and put a reel roller on it and was able to mow low with no washboarding.

We had sodded the front yard with fescue which was dying and costing a small fortune to water every month. My new found confidence from my beautiful backyard led me to resod the front with Bermuda and I was able to mow and take care of a yard all by myself. I leveled the next year and this year a new house with a new lawn. It's all because of the info here. I love looking out at a smooth green carpet like yard. It feels peaceful.


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## egk2 (Apr 16, 2020)

When we bought our first home, grass grew, wanted to save money, mowed lawn and liked it ever since


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## daganh62 (May 4, 2018)

I lived in a townhouse with a bunch 0f retired people who had nothing better to do than work on their lawn. In talking watched my neighbor put days into a 500 sq. Ft. yard. When my wife and I bought our first house new fresh sod it was a solid starting point and I didn't want to have the worst yard so I got started. Now I'm competing for nicest yard.


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## daganh62 (May 4, 2018)

I lived in a townhouse with a bunch of retired people who had nothing better to do than work on their lawn. Im talking, watched my neighbor put days into a 500 sq. Ft. yard that was in good shape. When my wife and I bought our first house we had new fresh sod it was a solid starting point and I didn't want to have the worst yard so I got started. Now I'm competing for the nicest yard.


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## kb02gt (Aug 23, 2019)

FlowRider said:


> I own a lot of Craftsman hand tools - mechanic sets, sockets, wrenches, torque wrenches, etc.
> 
> I used to shop at Sears on my lunch hour, and buy what they discounted to get some really good deals.
> 
> ...


Indeed. Honda is all the rage now, and for seemingly good reason. I like my Ego electric mainly for convenience as i try to cut 2x/week. LCN did the comparison and thought the Honda to be better as well. What also surprises me is that there is hardly ever a craftsman mower being used in any of the lawn care youtube videos. But like you said the quality is not the same. Am now realizing the importance of the motor as well. Used to have a Toro with the Kohler motor and had a hard time getting that thing to run. Yet i hear great things about the Toro with the Briggs and Stratton.


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## smurg (May 30, 2018)

kb02gt said:


> FlowRider said:
> 
> 
> > kb02gt said:
> ...


Sears still sources and sells tools under the craftsman name after their deal with Stanley decker. Stanley sells tools under the craftsman name as well but sources them differently. Depending on which store you buy craftsman from, it will be different.

I'd say they're bottom of the barrel with Ryobi these days.


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## Bermuda_Triangle (Sep 20, 2019)

FlowRider said:


> I own a lot of Craftsman hand tools - mechanic sets, sockets, wrenches, torque wrenches, etc.
> 
> I used to shop at Sears on my lunch hour, and buy what they discounted to get some really good deals.
> 
> ...


Do you know if you can still cash in on the Craftsman lifetime warranty at Lowe's?


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## Bermuda_Triangle (Sep 20, 2019)

Had a couple sprinkler heads break. I paid someone to replace/fix two of them. When the third one broke I googled and ran into blogs and YouTube videos on how to replace them myself. Became angry with myself for paying someone $90 to fix a $16 part. A couple more heads broke, found TLF, read thread after thread and got sucked into the blackhole of lawn domination,

Also stayed because throwin' down $16 bags of Milorganite is a waste of money. GreenTRX and CarbonX are both far superior products at a significantly cheaper price point.


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

Jess Stryker's web site began it for me. I studied, planned, and procrastinated for years, but I eventually survived a mid-July, over-planned, over-built DIY irrigation install. In the process, I discovered that heat stroke wasn't all that bad. I actually enjoyed myself and had a feeling of accomplishment.

I've always despised paying lawn care companies for shoddy work, not to mention the property damage they've done. I loathe "working out", but I also wanted to get more exercise and lose weight. So I "went Keto" and began mowing two to three times a week.

The next domino to fall was weed control. I had fired every weed control company in my town due to overcharging while not actually treating my lawn. I eventually stumbled across this forum while searching for DIY weed control advice. I lurked and began a dictionary of lawn care acronyms.

Four years later, I own three mowers, a backpack sprayer, I'm planning a major sand level project, the counter guy at Site One recognizes me, and want to build a 20-gallon spray rig build for a lawn tractor. I have formed opinions on the subject of fertilizers. What the heck?!

I blame you people, but especially @Ware.


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## BobLovesGrass (Jun 13, 2020)

We bought a house with a bad lawn and slot of trees with branches way too low causing massive shading.
Lots of compacted clay and the weeds specific to that problem.
With two kids and a dog I mostly want to grow grass that lasts all season, most weeds are temporary exposing mud parts of the year.
I started with the YouTube lawn care stuff.last summer, have made some progress, lawn looks the best it ever has but I am finding out the front has a massive POA T. Problem probably from conditions and me buying cheap seed.

I got start on be improved this spring but derailed it, tore a disc getting the chop saw out to build raised bed for the garden, took some Aleve and push mowed/bagged 25ksq because I wanted clipping to mulch the garden and make compost, I own a 46" tractor.
A few days later I was crippled and helpless, having spinal fusion soon. My wonderful wife and kids are handling the yard work probably into September now. I appreciate all they do but I can't ask them to put the effort into improvement I was planning for this year. They will maintain it though, and hopefully I am in good shape for the fall cool season growth.
Since it has been almost a month and I am getting good care/healing some I am feeling up to a little yardwork and plan to use a tow behind sprayer to put down some humic today.


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## crussell (Mar 12, 2018)

I was pretty much raised on a golf course - My dad was the head pro at a local country club. I'd spend most of my summers and weekends going to work with him. Had a lot of fun, I'd pick up caddy jobs with the members, play and practice, ride around with the beverage cart girls, and also help out washing carts, until I was old enough that I was able to be put on the payroll.

Growing up we had a few acres - I helped my dad install an irrigation system, and we also maintained a small putting green in the back yard. Wasn't perfect, but was cool for chipping around. Only remember breaking one window.

My time on the golf course I think is what sparked my interest in turf. When I bought my own house, I remember joking that I wanted to be the "nice lawn guy". Well I started off with an old rotary, upgraded to an old Mclane I found off of Craigslist, and now I have two greens mowers and a triplex. Things snowball fast!

I raced ATV's my teenage years, and worked part time at a motorcycle shop. Really fell in love with turning wrenches. I appreciate and enjoy the equipment side of this hobby just as much as the turf itself.


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## FlowRider (Apr 7, 2019)

Bermuda_Triangle said:


> Do you know if you can still cash in on the Craftsman lifetime warranty at Lowe's?


Sorry for the delay in responding - it has been awhile since I have logged back in...speed of life....

I do not know if Lowe's will honor the warranty for Craftsman for tools purchased before Sears filed for Chapter 11 (restructuring of its capital structure and discharging its debt and bad contract deals) bankruptcy protection awhile back.

I have not had any reason to make a warranty claim in a long time myself...because high quality....

I would imagine if you bought the Craftsman tool from Lowe's post-bankruptcy sale of the Craftsman brand, Lowe's may honor it and return the defective tool to Stanley/Black& Decker, but I am not sure if that is in fact the case. Normally, a brand has a reputation based on goodwill, which is why Craftsman sold for $900 million; people value the brand for its high quality and that warranty.

If you are planning a purchase, you might want to look into it first. A lifetime warranty is the best....


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## HoosierLawnGnome (Sep 28, 2017)

My neighbor was a sales rep for Advanced Turf and had a phenomenal lawn.

One day he gave me some free herbicide samples and a few tips....


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