Sometime between the first frost and the release of the last leaf from a surrounding tree, the lawn needs a final cut. The month of October has offered a welcome respite from the regularity of mowing (particularly during a wet year) as the cool temperatures and lower exposure to sun has slowed the growing process. The smell of the soil is no longer of moist, heady growth but of sweet decay and sleep. The annual weeds have stopped their expansion attempts though they have created seeds for a future takeover. Patches thick with sedge have become brown and thin with nothing vying to take their place. For the first time in months, bare soil can be seen in spots under the thinning seasonal invaders. The fescue has made a small last growth attempt with a few blades sticking up contrasted to most that are flat on their sides after a long season of competition.
Before the final cut, the turf must be cleared of leaves as my primitive reel lawn mower can’t cut grass well against a blanket of competition. While its gasoline- or electric-powered counterparts can shred the leaves into a fine pre-mulch dust, my mower needs a clean landscape so our efforts are not in vain. So the rake comes out and the grass is revealed. For some leaves that have been sitting for a while, they are pressed flat against soil requiring extra pressure to release them from their suction-like hold on the ground. When all the leaves have been removed, the lawn appears more patchy as different weeds in different stages of decay have colonized different sections all of which are displayed in differing colors and textures. The fescue is holding its own in shady areas, but in more sunny ones, Japanese sedge and wild strawberry is doing well this year.
The larger specimens of golden rod, jewelweed and thimbleberry hang low over the edge of the lawn and must be pushed aside so I can mow the grass. They are faded and have lost their rigidity and are bent over, spent for the year. I set the blades low for the final cut knowing that the sun is too weak to burn the grass and by cutting the grass short I will have a good chance in the Spring to reseed areas that will become barren this winter as the annual weeds fade away. The clippings are a mix of dead brown detritus and green fescue. The mix is always there on the lawn but it matters little to me as the bugs, frogs, worms and other creatures thrive in this untreated area. Few frogs and toads are jumping out of the way as I make my over the lawn; I suspect they have long since dug themselves into the mud someplace, readying themselves for even colder weather in the months ahead.
I continue to push and see a cropped, neat lawn revealed. A buzz cut has taken all vegetation down revealing a covering that will grow no longer but fade to brown.
