Spring has sprung and it's time to get those lawn mowers out and start beautifying
a winter stricken lawn. We would like to help you to just that with these great
tips on your lawn and mowing your lawn. Please take the time to look at these
helpful tips. Do it for your lawn, it deserves it...
Mowing Your Lawn
Proper Mowing
Mowing Height
Mowing Frequency
Scalping
Blade Sharpness
Improved Mowing Practices
Clippings
Be Green: Grasscycle Your Lawn
How to Tell You Need to Change Your Mowing Practice
Proper Mowing
Proper mowing, along with proper watering, can be the most critical factor in
the appearance of a lawn. Good mowing techniques not only enhance the appearance
of the lawn, but also increases the turf grass vigor.
Mowing Height
Turf grass stressed by mowing too low is more prone to disease, weed
invasion, drought and traffic stress. Removal of most of the leaf blade limits
food production. Limited food production decreases root, thizome, and stolon
growth. Plants with limited food production and a limited root system will not
have vigorous growth. A vigorous, dense turfgrass area is one of the best
defenses against weed invasion. Weak grass plants with a limited root system are
more prone to drought damage. It is particularly important to mow high during
dry weather. Mowing height varies for different turf grass species:
- Many turf grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass should be cut at 2 1/2 to 3
inches.
- Bentgrass and Bermuda grass should be cut at 1 to 1 1/2 inches.
- Determine the type of turf grass in a lawn before recommending mowing
heights.
Mowing Frequency
The second critical factor is mowing the lawn on a frequent basis
- The grass should be mowed so that no more than 1/3 of the leaf blade is
removed.
- If the desired height is 3", mow the grass when it has grown to
4".
- Mowing frequency will change throughout the year with different weather
patterns.
- Cool season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass may require mowing twice a
week in the spring, but only every 7-10 days in the summer.
- Warm season grasses such as Bermuda grass may need more frequent mowing in
the summer than in the fall or spring.
Scalping
When a lawn is allowed to grow too high and then mown too low, excess leaf
blade tissue is removed. Such "scalping" of the lawn can cause severe
visual damage. More importantly, scalping shocks the grass plants and growth
slows or stops, limiting the vigor of the turf. A scalped lawn may dry out
quickly from drought, or may develop unusual weed and disease problems.
Blade Sharpness
A dull mower blade shreds the tips of the grass blades. The shredding opens
the ends of the leaf blades for increased moisture loss and potentially provides
a site for disease invasion. Lawns cut with a dull mower blade may have an
overall white appearance from the shredded grass blades.
Improved Mowing Practices
Mowing during the heat of the day during hot weather may cause the lawn to
brown. It is best to mow during the cooler part of the day. And leave your grass
clippings on the grass.
Clippings
When grass is mowed frequently, clippings are small and degrade rapidly.
Recycle plant nutrients by returning clippings to the lawn rather than bagging
them.
Be Green: Grasscycle Your Lawn
As the world observed Earth Day on April 22, many U.S. homeowners did their
part for the environment in their own backyards by grasscycling. Grasscycling or
leaving grass clippings on the lawn when you mow, saves time, landfill space and
nurtures the soil. The Professional Lawn Care Association of America (PLCAA)
coined the term and educates the public about it's benefits.
"About 20 percent of all waste that goes into a landfill is landscape
debris and about half of that is simply grass clippings," says Michael
Gaffney, PLCAA's technical resource specialist. "With yard waste bans in
place in many areas of the country, grasscycling offers you an alternative, and
at the same time increases the health and beauty of your lawn."
Grass clippings are 85 percent water, decompose rapidly, and return nutrients
to the soil with no thatch buildup. They actually return 20 percent of their
nitrogen to the soil to feed the lawn's root system. And grasscycling can be
practiced year-round with most mowers.
"The key is to follow the one-third rule when you mow-never remove more
than one third of the grass leaf blade at any one mowing," says Gaffney. He
recommends cutting the grass when dry and keeping the lawn mower blade sharpened
properly.
How to Tell You Need to Change Your Mowing
Practices
Symptoms that indicate mowing practices require change are:
- Frayed grass blades
- Excess clumps of clippings
- Tall grass mowed short resulting in a yellow color
- Short grass with thin areas and weeds
