Electric Lawn Tractors

[SpaceBus]

And they fertilized the area while at it.

Some folks near us are giving us an alpaca and I'm really excited for his compost.

 

[begreen]

Some folks near us are giving us an alpaca and I'm really excited for his compost.

Get it a companion. Alpacas are social herd animals. And yes, their poop is good garden fertilizer.

 

[SpaceBus]

Get it a companion. Alpacas are social herd animals. And yes, their poop is good garden fertilizer.

That's part of why we are adopting him. For years this alpaca had a companion, but he died and his current caretakers are getting too old to take care of him anyway. We hope to find another alpaca, but are also on the lookout for goats. The alpaca owners also have six peacocks that I think they need to let go. For some reason they thought they wanted a bunch of animals? Two of the six pea fowl are females, one white, one green. There are also two white males and two green males. I hope to get at least one of their males and one female, I've read pea fowl eggs are delicious.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Iv done exactly that. Fenced off a few acres and started raising beef cattle 2 at a time for personal use. Kept the grass and weeds mowed all summer, fed the family all year. Thats something no electric or gas mower can do.

Love it, although steer yoga is hell on the back compared to goat yoga with mini Nubians. Two steer would keep me in red meat for a decade, if I decide to keep eating cows.

 

[SpaceBus]

Love it, although steer yoga is hell on the back compared goat yoga with mini Nubians. Two steer would keep me in red meat for a decade, if I decide to keep eating cows.

With a deep freezer I think it would last us the same. A cow has a lot of meat.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Did that for a couple years and ended up giving some meat to friends ,freezing some. You only butcher 1 per yr as they take 2 yrs to mature. As much as i love good beef, i eat it sparingly ,mostly just the tenderloin and ribeye. Nothing like home grown grass fed and grain finished beef. After that most other beef doesnt ever measure up.

 

[Circus]

If folks were really concerned with the environment impact of lawns they would plant low mow, deep rooted turfs that you mow ever 7 week, not days. Roots that are two feet, not inches.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

If folks were really concerned with the environment impact of lawns they would plant low mow, deep rooted turfs that you mow ever 7 week, instead of days. Roots that are two feet instead of inches.

Sounds great. Where do you get the seed/what kind of grass is it?

 

[SpaceBus]

Sounds great. Where do you get the seed/what kind of grass is it?

I think everyone would jump on a that kind of grass if it worked well.

 

[begreen]

I think everyone would jump on a that kind of grass if it worked well.

It costs more.
https://www.pearlspremium.com/our-story/secret-roots

 

[semipro]

That's part of why we are adopting him. For years this alpaca had a companion, but he died and his current caretakers are getting too old to take care of him anyway. We hope to find another alpaca, but are also on the lookout for goats. The alpaca owners also have six peacocks that I think they need to let go. For some reason they thought they wanted a bunch of animals? Two of the six pea fowl are females, one white, one green. There are also two white males and two green males. I hope to get at least one of their males and one female, I've read pea fowl eggs are delicious.

Donkeys make good companion animals in general and seem readily available in our area.
We have friends with goats and if they perceive a threat they all gather around the donkey for protection. Apparently, a donkey that knows what its doing can handle most predators.

 

[semipro]

Get it a companion. Alpacas are social herd animals. And yes, their poop is good garden fertilizer.

Just be careful of herbicides like Grazon that are making their way through the digestive systems of animals only to stunt vegetables.
(broken link removed)

Between this and the juglone from Black Walnut tree chips we've had several adverse impacts in our garden.

 

[begreen]

Yes, there are lots of reasons not to use toxins on a lawn or chemical fertilizers. The original purpose of big manor lawns was for sheep grazing. Now everyone is trying to play lord of the manor, but the ties to the original purpose of providing food and fiber for the manor has been forgotten. I think that idea should be put back into play today.

 

[SpaceBus]

Donkeys make good companion animals in general and seem readily available in our area.
We have friends with goats and if they perceive a threat they all gather around the donkey for protection. Apparently, a donkey that knows what its doing can handle most predators.

Thanks for the tip about the donkey. I've read that alpaca can defend themselves as well. My goal is to have a little barn and fence up by the end of August. If not I'll probably call up one of the local large alpaca farms and they will take him. Either option is better than staying were he is.

 

[SpaceBus]

It costs more.
https://www.pearlspremium.com/our-story/secret-roots

Yeah, that's not too surprising. If we have to plant any grass, that seems like a good option. I didn't see pricing on the website, how much more does it cost?

 

[Ashful]

It costs more.
https://www.pearlspremium.com/our-story/secret-roots

I’m finding zero information on the actual blend of species used, here. The site reads like a bad infomercial for snake oil. Without disclosing the species, which I had always thought was a requirement by law on the bag, it’s hard to take him seriously.

 

[SpaceBus]

I’m finding zero information on the actual blend of species used, here. The site reads like a bad infomercial for snake oil. Without disclosing the species, which I had always thought was a requirement by law on the bag, it’s hard to take him seriously.

Wouldn't every business on this planet use such a grass if it were easily available? I get that a grass that needs less mowing is bad for the lawn care industry, but I doubt that matters to other companies.

 

[begreen]

I’m finding zero information on the actual blend of species used, here. The site reads like a bad infomercial for snake oil. Without disclosing the species, which I had always thought was a requirement by law on the bag, it’s hard to take him seriously.

Links to the product specifications are listed at the bottom of the FAQ page.
https://www.pearlspremium.com/faqs/frequently-asked-questions

Wouldn't every business on this planet use such a grass if it were easily available? I get that a grass that needs less mowing is bad for the lawn care industry, but I doubt that matters to other companies.

I suspect that long rooted turf-grass does not make good sod. A lot of new housing gets a sod lawn rolled out in a day.

 

[Ashful]

Links to the product specifications are listed at the bottom of the FAQ page.
https://www.pearlspremium.com/faqs/frequently-asked-questions
.

Much better, but they say blends will vary from bag lot to lot, based on what... current seed pricing?

He claims drought tolerant, which would be true of the proportion of tall fescue is the majority of the blend. The tall fescue species he has chosen are pretty good in that regard, but they have zero natural damage recovery. The rye and bluegrass provide that, and faster germination, but rye will die damn near 100% in the very first draught. It just can’t weather any summer stress.

Without knowing the percentages, it’s impossible to really make a conclusion. Overall, it looks like he probably has a good blend for homeowner application, but nothing magic.

Seed blend requirements vary a lot by zone (region), and age of lawn. For my zone, that is tall fescue for mature lawns, which is unfortunately the most expensive of the three. I wouldn’t waste any time with rye, in our normal climate, except to get some fast coverage on a new lawn. Some like to include some bluegrass, as it has some self-healing properties that tall fescue lacks, but that gives your lawn a non-uniform appearance.

This appears to me as another person making claims of something special about their product, which it simply isn’t. It may be a very good quality blend, but there is no magic, here.

His FAQ does have great advice, though. Use quality seed appropriate for your zone and lawn age, test and manage your pH and nutrient levels, and you will have a beautiful lawn. That’s whether you mow it with Dino juice, lithium ion, or alpaca.

 

[sloeffle]

FYI - this probably more for @SpaceBus since it sounds like he might be a grass farmer shortly.

Fescues that used for lawns and for forage are two different animals. The lawn fescues have something called endophyte in them. If you graze animals long enough on endophyte infected grasses their hoofs can actually develop lameness. The horse people call it founder. Us folks that eat our animals call it fescue foot. Endophyte free or novel endpohyte forage grasses are great to have in your pasture mix. Just like anything else, I'd use them in moderation with other forage species such as orchardgrass, festolium, rye grass, brassicas, clovers and various other species.

http://oregonstate.edu/endophyte-lab/files/tall-fescue-endophyte-booklet.pdf

http://oregonstate.edu/endophyte-lab/files/ext-pub-nov-2016.pdf

Endophytes: The Friendly Fungi in Turfgrass

https://turf.umn.edu/news/endophytes-friendly-fungi-turfgrass

 

[begreen]

Has anyone besides Jags actually put together an electric riding mower? I think a 48v section of a Chevy Volt battery would be ideal, but haven't found anyone doing this yet.

 

[semipro]

Has anyone besides Jags actually put together an electric riding mower? I think a 48v section of a Chevy Volt battery would be ideal, but haven't found anyone doing this yet.

I'm not sure what you mean by "put together" but I did put 48VDC of Chevy Volt battery in an Ariens Amp rider per post
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/electric-lawn-tractors.175836/#post-2366079
My son used it this weekend to mow. I hope to squeeze two of these battery modules in there eventually.

 

[begreen]

I was thinking a more complete conversion like the fellow in the post I put up earlier where the chassis and transaxle were reworked to convert an ICE to battery power. The Arien 38" is a little small and already electric, but that's also a cool idea. Was the mower 48v to start with? How many hours before recharge? What are you charging it with?

 

[semipro]

I was thinking a more complete conversion like the fellow in the post I put up earlier where the chassis and transaxle were reworked to convert an ICE to battery power. The Arien 38" is a little small and already electric, but that's also a cool idea. Was the mower 48v to start with? How many hours before recharge? What are you charging it with?

It was 48VDC to start with so the conversion was easy, not like replacing the ICE anyway. I charge with the same charger I use on my e-bike. Limited use so far so I'm not sure how long it runs between charges.
I'm trying to standardize on 48VDC though as it seems somewhat universal for solar PV, mowers, even vehicles (in series).

In general, mowers and tractors seem like a great opportunity for electrification -- tractors especially where weight is typically an asset rather than a detriment.

 

[SpaceBus]

FYI - this probably more for @SpaceBus since it sounds like he might be a grass farmer shortly.

Fescues that used for lawns and for forage are two different animals. The lawn fescues have something called endophyte in them. If you graze animals long enough on endophyte infected grasses their hoofs can actually develop lameness. The horse people call it founder. Us folks that eat our animals call it fescue foot. Endophyte free or novel endpohyte forage grasses are great to have in your pasture mix. Just like anything else, I'd use them in moderation with other forage species such as orchardgrass, festolium, rye grass, brassicas, clovers and various other species.

http://oregonstate.edu/endophyte-lab/files/tall-fescue-endophyte-booklet.pdf

http://oregonstate.edu/endophyte-lab/files/ext-pub-nov-2016.pdf

Endophytes: The Friendly Fungi in Turfgrass

https://turf.umn.edu/news/endophytes-friendly-fungi-turfgrass

We have zero turf, but I appreciate the reading material all the same. So far it's wild blueberries, strawberry, buttercups, daisies, tree seedlings, and wild grasses. I just use a string trimmer around the house.