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grass paths

I do not have a lawn , instead I have several narrow connecting grass paths between flower beds.

  The petrol self driven mower only wants to go in straight lines and not go to the edges

  The electric rotary involves heavy pushing and pulling and the cables drag over the plants

  Robotic mowers do not seem to accept narrow routes, less than 1 metre wide

 Can any one suggest the best way to tackle my paths

Posts

  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114
    Get rid of grass paths. Yes, they look really nice at first, but you are beginning to find out their snags.



    If used a lot they will get muddy. They harbour slugs and snails. They get full of weeds. The edges look untidy. I'm sure as time goes on you will discover more problems with them.



    Have you thought of stepping stone paths?
  • landgirl100landgirl100 Posts: 655

    A mower with a battery would get rid of the trailing cable problem. Mine is made by Bosch and is very good.

  • a battery mower would solve the cable problem , but they are heavy, and at my age (81) that is a significant feature.The paths started as a lawn , and then cut out more and more beds, leaving strips of grass.They don't get muddy here because the soil is so stony.Stepping stones would be a big effort and cost.

  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,012

    Would a strimmer do an acceptable job instead of a mower?

  • WelshonionWelshonion Posts: 3,114
    My OH and I have cut down on the number of beds we originally planned because of our advancing ages.



    Perhaps you could discard a few of your plants and grass over a few of the beds.



    Lovely though a well-tended garden is, your health is more important.
  • You may be right, BUT... I get bored sitting indoors  !!, so the flowers keep me going.

      The beds are not much trouble, it is just the grass. I will probably just pay a young man, but here in Cornwall "men" are hard to get. There is more work around than gardeners

       

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117

    I'd agree with Welshonion about getting rid of them but if it's not an option, perhaps you put an advert in a local shop, or would a neighbour do them for you Valerie? It's exactly the kind of thing I'd offer if a neighbour was struggling.

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • BoaterBoater Posts: 241

    If you can keep on top of the mowing a push cylinder mower might work, but you need to keep them sharp and well adjusted and although the mower is light it needs pushing quite energetically which might not be feasible at 81 and onwards? Once the grass gets long you will need something to cut it to a height the push mower can handle, even if it will cut the long grass the wheels end up skidding on the cuttings so the blades stop spinning.

    Grass paths do have inherent problems in that the soil will get compacted over time due to being walked on which will gradually make it less suitable for grass and more suitable for moss - although perhaps your soil is stony enough that this never happens?

  • Thanks everybody for these helpful comments.I don't get moss, the whole area is open and sunny, and windswept!. I would be very happy to have one of these dreaded shady damp corners that  the pundits are always telling you how to cope with.

     I have thought of a hover mower, which is  very light and wondered if there were any problems that others have had with them  It is not so much that I  struggle but just that I like to find the best and easiest way to do things

       Any way 81 is not much different than 61 really

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