Lawn Mowing Tips: Mowing sounds easy enough, but you’re paving the way for your lawn’s success or failure any time you cut your grass. Mow well and you’re going to groom a good, drought-tolerant, and dense enough lawn to choke out weeds. Mow it wrongly, and the lawn is going to struggle to survive.
Cutting time so that for each cutting you never remove more than one-third of the total leaf surface (of a single grass blade).
Let us have a look at some of the best lawn and landscape maintenance ideas to help you enjoy the best.
Table of Contents
1. Do Not Scalp The Lawn
The grass is diminished too easily by scalping, which leaves the grass too susceptible to weed infestation and numerous types of disease. Stop revealing the ground, while the vegetation stays sparse and scarce.
Weed development is caused by reduced competition to soil from the lawn grasses, as it allows the rooting of the weed crop. A thin lawn often causes too much light to penetrate the grass blades, which enhances the growth of the weeds.
2. Sharpen The Blades
For better efficiency, your mower blades should be sharp before any mowing session. A sharp blade is able to cut turf well, while a rough blade with sharp rims destroys the lawn’s surface. The intermittent tears of the grass blades would most likely give access to viruses and pests.
For contrast, a lawn cut with a rough rusty blade could develop as a brownish or white shade as the tips of the individual grass-blades die.
Allow routine in the mowing season to sharpen the blades of your mower regularly. You can also reduce the frequency of sharpening by not mowing over stone or dense leaves, which can increase blade dullness. Getting a spare mower blade is not expensive and it always comes in handy.
3. Adjust The Height Of The Mower
You will have to raise the height of the mower as the seasons change. You should, for instance, shift the cutting deck higher in summer to allow the turf to grow longer. This is because, from the summer heat and exposure, taller vegetation can shade the surface. Preventing the growth of weeds and rapid water evaporation from the soil.
In comparison, taller grass is expected to grow deeper roots, making the lawn more resistant to drought. In late autumn, especially in places where snow cover comes with winter. Lower the cutting deck so that the mould resulting from snow does not grow on the lawn.
4. Use Different Patterns
Any time you mow, do not mow in the same pattern or direction. This is because you are at risk of soil compaction and ruts or potholes in the lawn developing.
Take notice that the health of your grass as it is probably compromised by compacted soil and furrows. In addition, weeds would probably seize the chance to flourish in the compacted soil.
5. No Mowing On The Wet Grass
When it is dry, it is advisable for you to mow your lawn. This is because the mower deck will not be clogged with damp grass and clump together, leaving you with rough cuts.
Use a silicone spray on the underside of your lawnmower if you must mow in wet or humid weather. This way, for better and even slices, the grass does not stick anywhere on it. It also helps prevent rust and the mower deck deterioration. An example of this spray can be seen here:
6. Do Not Forget To Leave Clippings
After mowing, leave the grass on your lawn rather than bagging it because it turns into natural fertilizer which is good for the lawn. The term for this is called grass recycling which is best accomplished by frequent lawn maintenance with just one-third of the grass blades removed with each mowing and the cuttings left on the lawn.
Grass recycling will save you time and money because it accounts for up to 25 percent of lawn fertilizer. First, you need to cut it for long grass, then mow more frequently with sharper cutting blades.
7. The Evening Is The Best Time For Mowing
The high heat of mowing is likely to stress you and your lawn. If you cannot mow in the dark, wait in the evening for the sun to set and then mow. When temperatures are cooler, it is easier to mow so that individual grass doesn’t lose as much water and recovers easily after mowing.
Conclusion
Except in harsh weather conditions such as high temperatures, drought, and even during winter snow, mowing properly will make the lawn look better over time. So take care of your grass for a better lawn, with the above lawn and landscape maintenance ideas.
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This is a guest contribution from Vaishali Sonik.