Jeff Smith

More scything, after I mowed the rest of the lawns with the ride on mower. Getting better at this and can tell very well when the blade gets dull. But kikuyu grass is brutal. When I hit a section of some other grass with very straight, upright growth, it was so much easier.

Now a late lunch and some beer I brought back from Taiwan.

#scythe #beer #TaiwanBeer #18Days

Oct 21 at 1:17amWeb
Show threadJeff SmithOct 23

It is done! I’ve learned a lot about using the scythe (in particular that you need to sharpen it very often) and my body feels very abused, but I now have some muscle memory to be more efficient.

(Note: small patch of uncut grass was sort of short enough to use the mower and I simply had to stop as I couldn’t swing the scythe anymore today. The mower still struggled. Tonight we are expecting rain and I wanted this done!).

No AI was used for this project. 😝

#scythe

Show threadWillOct 21
@sumisu3
I don't know if you have noticed, yet, but scything in the morning tends to be easier than in the afternoon since the turgor pressure in grasses is higher, making the blades/stems more upright and stiff -- and easier (sometimes much easier) to cut.
Show threadJeff SmithOct 21
@wannabemystiker but our grass is heavier and wet with dew often in the morning. Damned if I do and damned if I don’t
Show threadJeff SmithOct 21

@wannabemystiker and the fundamental challenge is this crazy kikuyu grass. Thick stems and it runs, twists back, some spreads low to the ground - and it really likes to catch the scythe blade. But a scythe is so far proving far far better than a line trimmer or mower when it gets this long. It tangles around the rotor of the line trimmer and the mower struggles.

I hate this stuff but it also survives the dry summers. A few years back when we had a drought I think any other grass would have completely died back.

Show threadWillOct 21
@sumisu3
That would be a challenge!
Show threadWillOct 21
@sumisu3
I try to do my cutting when the dew is just starting to evaporate. If I'm cutting a small area, I really don't care what time of day it is. But if I have a large area to cut, the condition/stiffness of the grass can make a significant difference on how hard the whole task will be.