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MOWING TIPS
Mowing the lawn is just as American as apple
pie, hot dogs and baseball. We all know what a
freshly cut lawn looks and smells like!
Here are a few tips about mowing that you may or
may not know.
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How often to mow?
How often your lawn needs mowing depends on
three things: how often and how much you water
and fertilize, what time of year it is, and the
type of grass in your lawn.
The fertilizer you apply affects the growth rate
of your lawn, and, consequently, the frequency
of mowing. The more you fertilize, the more the
lawn needs cutting.
Cool-season and warm-season grasses need
different levels of attention and respond
differently to different climate changes.
Cool-season grasses grow more during the spring
and fall and less during the summer. Conversely,
warm-season grasses are slower during spring and
fall and grow vigorously during the hot months
of summer.
Typically we like to mow our lawns once a week,
during vigorous growth periods, more frequent
mowing may be required. Conversely, when hot
conditions are present, mowing schedules should
be extended to avoid heat stress on the turf.
Try to avoid mowing grass when the turf is wet.
This causes problem with the machines clogging
up and mower blades becoming dull. If and when
wet conditions persist over several days, grass
should be cut anyway to avoid cutting more than
the recommended 1/3 of blade length off at one
time.
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What is the proper mowing height?
Proper mowing height depends primarily on the
type of grass. Here are some common cutting
heights for the a few familiar types of grass
Cool-Season Grasses
- Kentucky Bluegrass 2 1/2" - 3 1/2"
- Tall Fescue 3" - 4"
- Fine Fescue 2" - 3"
- Perennial Ryegrass 2 1/2" - 3 1/2"
Warm-Season Grasses
- St. Augustine 2'- 3"
- Bermuda Grass 1 1/2" - 2 1/2"
- Bahiagrass 1 1/2" - 3"
- Centipede 1" - 2"
- Zoisiagrass 3/4" - 1 1/2"
Mowing at the recommended height promotes
root-shoot development and thus a vigorous
growing turf grass plant.
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What to do about grass clippings?
This is a common question among gardeners and
homeowners alike. Leaving clippings of
cool-season grasses on the lawn does not cause
or contribute to thatch. It is the woody,
slow-to-decompose stems below warm-season grass
blades that contribute most to thatch buildup.
Grass clippings left on the turf aid in moisture
retention, insulating the soil and returning
some nutrients for the turf grass to use. Common
sense should be used to assessing whether or not
the amount of clippings left is excessive. Large
clumps and heavy layers of clippings can be
detrimental to the turf and should either be
mulched with the mower or raked up and taken off
the turf. Excessive clipping buildup usually is
a result of not mowing the grass frequently
enough. The use of mulching-type blades is
recommended in high visibility areas so that
clippings are cut into numerous smaller pieces,
thus avoiding an unsightly appearance on these
areas. Mulched clippings provide the same
benefits, just in a neater and cleaner method
than regular clippings.
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Change that pattern!
Alternating mowing patterns are highly
recommended to improve the quality of the cut
and appearance of the lawn. Mowing in the same
direction often results in wave-like ridges that
develop at right angles to the mowing pattern.
When lawns are cut in the same direction they
become "trained" to sway in the same direction
each week according to which way the mower is
cutting. Alternate the mowing direction in
either perpendicular or 45 degree angles to the
pattern of the week before.
If you have ever noticed a professionally
maintained athletic field for a large stadium,
the "lines" are created by the changes in the
cutting pattern. Reputable lawn maintenance
firms will always endeavor to create straight
and clean "lines" that make you lawn look like
Shea Stadium!
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Keep those blades sharp!
Dull blades create damage to the actual grass
blade. The dull blade rips the grass instead of
cutting it cleanly. The damaged or frayed edges
are more susceptible to disease and generally
give a lawn a ragged look. Homeowners should
sharpen their mower blades every fourth cut. New
blades should be sharpened before being used,
because they are shipped dull for safety
reasons.
At Environmental Landscaping and Design we
sharpen our blades on our commercial machines 2
times a day!
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Point recap
- Keep blades sharpened
- Never cut more than 1/3 of grass blade
- Mow at recommended height
- Raise mower height during the heat
- Change mowing patterns
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