How to Tell if You are a Redneck

[trc65]

This post is about me, but thought this might prove to be a funny thread over time if others contribute.

I'm pretty sure you are a redneck if you let the grass get so tall that the only way to deal with the clippings is to windrow them and burn.



This is how it looked yesterday after mowing with the highest setting I have. Started several weeks ago when we had 10" of rain in 4 days followed by more wet weather that prevented mowing. Three weeks of growth on it, and it took 4 hours to mow. Just too much there and the grass grows too fast for any of it to fall down in and decompose.

The picture shows less than half of what we have to mow out front, probably close to 2 acres. Too much to bag, too much to rake. Going to windrow it this afternoon with the mower and do some test burns. It will scorch the grass that's there, but probably won't be able to tell in a couple weeks, not that I really care anyway.

It's a long term goal to transition all of this to native prairie, but native seed for that area would be $$$$.

 

[DLJeffs]

What's a bale go for back there? Looks like you could claim weedless.

 

[2feathers Creative Making]

I beat down my dog lot and it looked like mown hay. So I let the geese out into the dog lot...

 

[Mr. Peet]

This post is about me, but thought this might prove to be a funny thread over time if others contribute.

I'm pretty sure you are a redneck if you let the grass get so tall that the only way to deal with the clippings is to windrow them and burn.

View attachment 292809

This is how it looked yesterday after mowing with the highest setting I have. Started several weeks ago when we had 10" of rain in 4 days followed by more wet weather that prevented mowing. Three weeks of growth on it, and it took 4 hours to mow. Just too much there and the grass grows too fast for any of it to fall down in and decompose.

The picture shows less than half of what we have to mow out front, probably close to 2 acres. Too much to bag, too much to rake. Going to windrow it this afternoon with the mower and do some test burns. It will scorch the grass that's there, but probably won't be able to tell in a couple weeks, not that I really care anyway.

It's a long term goal to transition all of this to native prairie, but native seed for that area would be $$$$.

If it lays on top, burn as is and minimize the scorch. Plus, you won't have the dark green stripes next year from concentrated fertilizer. To bad no one lives close by that could green chop it for livestock.

 

[trc65]

We've got some neighbors with cow-calf operations, but anymore they all hire custom operators for their forage needs. Wouldn't be enough there for anybody to even think about chopping it, even for free.

Unfortunately, could never get it raked (with hay rake) and baled efficiently. The bluegrass and fescue leaves dry down to such a thin blade that hay equipment would have a hard time picking it up and baling it.

I did some test burning today and hoping for a windy day tomorrow. I tried burning without windrowing and it just wouldn't take. The individual blades burn so quick that they don't maintain a flame long enough for it to spread. Just collapse and smoulder.

I did burn one windrow today, but it was slow going. Ran the mower over it afterwards to spread the ash and hopefully minimize streaking.


This yard is a good example of nutrient cycling and proof you don't need fertilizer on lawns. Prior to building the house 52 years ago, this was a field in corn/soybean/alfalfa rotation, and in ~ 45 years of it being turf, has never been fertilized.

 

[Mike1950]

We've got some neighbors with cow-calf operations, but anymore they all hire custom operators for their forage needs. Wouldn't be enough there for anybody to even think about chopping it, even for free.

Unfortunately, could never get it raked (with hay rake) and baled efficiently. The bluegrass and fescue leaves dry down to such a thin blade that hay equipment would have a hard time picking it up and baling it.

I did some test burning today and hoping for a windy day tomorrow. I tried burning without windrowing and it just wouldn't take. The individual blades burn so quick that they don't maintain a flame long enough for it to spread. Just collapse and smoulder.

I did burn one windrow today, but it was slow going. Ran the mower over it afterwards to spread the ash and hopefully minimize streaking.
View attachment 292820

This yard is a good example of nutrient cycling and proof you don't need fertilizer on lawns. Prior to building the house 52 years ago, this was a field in corn/soybean/alfalfa rotation, and in ~ 45 years of it being turf, has never been fertilized.

I live on edge of desert. Probably same latitude, maybe higher. You would arrested for burning. Must be humid and moist.

 

[trc65]

I live on edge of desert. Probably same latitude, maybe higher. You would arrested for burning. Must be humid and moist.

Right now we are 78° and 92% RH. Starting to see some yellowing on the lower leaves of corn, but otherwise everything is green, the soil is wet and have high humidity. Nothing is dry enough to burn but the dead grass clippings, couldn't get a fire to spread if I tried. I'll have to wait until tomorrow afternoon to try and burn more as the clippings will pick up moisture from the dew tonight.

August is typically dry for us and many years the grass will go dormant from lack of moisture. Our avg rainfall for August is around 3", this year we've had over 10"