NJ Lawns Community

Hey everyone, just closed on my first place in Hackensack last month and I'm totally lost. The lawn is ryegrass apparently (the previous owner told me when I picked up the keys) but I've never owned a mower in my life. Looking at my options and totally overwhelmed - there are so many choices at Lowes and Home Depot and I don't want to spend a fortune but also don't want something that breaks after one season. Has anyone used those electric mowers? My yard is probably about 6,000 square feet - not huge but definitely bigger than my apartment balcony lol. Also wondering if I need to fertilize right away or wait until next spring? Thanks in advance for any help!

Congrats on the new place! Fellow Hackensack resident here - I've been organic/lawn chemical free for about 8 years now. For your size yard I'd honestly recommend going with a quality electric push mower. I use an Ego Power+ and absolutely love it - no gas, no fumes, starts every single time. Yes they're pricier upfront but no maintenance costs and way better for the environment. As for your ryegrass - that's actually a good cool-season grass for our area, though you'll want to keep it around 3 inches tall. For organic care just use compost topdressing in fall and spring and you'll be fine. Skip the chemical fertilizers, your soil microbiome will thank you!

NewbieNate - skip the ego stuff honestly, I've had battery mowers conk out on me mid-mow in August heat. Get a solid gas Honda self-propelled mower from Jose's Hardware on River Street in Hackensack - they've been there forever and will actually set it up right and show you how to maintain it. The Honda GX engines are bulletproof. Your ryegrass needs氮 fertilization in early fall to green up nicely - our county extension office recommends 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft around late September. Don't listen to people telling you to go full electric unless you've got a small patch - with 6k sq ft you'll be constantly charging batteries. Been doing lawns in Rutherford for 15 years.

Adding onto what LawnLover said - as someone who installs sprinkler systems throughout Bergen County, please do yourself a favor and check your sprinkler setup BEFORE you start mowing. I've seen so many heads get chewed up by mowers because people don't check their irrigation zones first. Mark your heads with flags or those little wire stand-ups from Home Depot. Also for ryegrass in our clay soil (andHackensack has some notoriously bad clay) make sure you're watering deeply but infrequently - like twice a week, 45 minutes per zone. Short frequent watering encourages shallow roots which makes your lawn dependent on irrigation. I can give you guys a list of reputable local irrigation companies if needed - plenty of hacks in this business unfortuantely.

@LawnLover - respectfully disagree on the gas mowers. I switched from a Honda to Ego three years ago and honestly the battery technology has come SO far since then. The newer models easily handle medium yards. Plus I've got probably 8-9years on my original battery still working fine - that's $200 in gas you'd be buying plus oil changes, spark plugs, the headaches. Also Jose's is great but they're closed Sundays which is when most of us have time to mow. That said @NewbieNate - whatever you get just please avoid bagging your clippings! Leave them on the lawn - natural mulch that feeds your soil. The bag is for leaves only come October.

Wow thanks everyone this is so helpful! Quick follow-up - when exactly should I mow for the first time? The grass looks a little long (maybe 5 inches?) and I don't know if I should trim it down now or wait. Also what's the deal with ryegrass vs fescue - my next door neighbor keeps saying I should interseed with tall fescue because 'ryegrass is for golf courses' and I have no idea if that's real advice or just him being a know-it-all (he's retired and has strong opinions lol). Oh and IrrigationIvan I'll definitely flag my sprinkler heads thanks!

Give it your first mow now before it gets much longer - if it's 5 inches you want to take it down to about 3-3.5 inches. Just make sure your blade is sharp (sharpen or replace at start of season regardless). And your neighbor is partially right but also wrong - tall fescue is more drought tolerant and handles our weird Bergen County summers better, but ryegrass isn't JUST for golf courses. Many mix blends work great here. Honestly at your stage I wouldn't stress about re-seeding this year - get comfortable with mowing properly first, learnyour lawn, then consider overseeding next fall when you see what you're working with. Pro tip - take a soil test through Rutgers extension ($20) so you know what your pH actually is before throwing anything down. Good luck!