[caption id="attachment_1240" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Photo courtesy JBUK_Planet via Flickr."]
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As homeowner's we do it every week from spring until fall. But how can something so simple as mowing can have such a huge effect on the overall health of our lawn? Well, it's true. Mowing is more than maintaining your lawn's appearance, it's as much about maintaining its health too!
1. Proper Mowing Height - Most people prefer a short lawn. It's a preference that was born from the ultra-short grass found on golf course fairways and greens. But before you try for your own Pebble Beach, consider this. Golf courses use special grass and spend tens of thousands of dollars to keep it alive. So unless you're literally committed to a "million dollar lawn", you might want to consider growing your grass taller. Why? Mowing your lawn at the right height can keep your from getting one of several lawn diseases and it chokes out weeds. So, in the spring never to mow more than a 1/3 of the blade off. So that means you'll be mowing sometimes twice a week to keep it at a proper height of 3-4".
2. Keep that Blade Sharp! - Would you cut your hair with dull scissors? Of course not. Using dull tools can ruin any project! Cutting your grass with dull blades causes ripping of the grass tissue, which stresses the turf. Stress turf leads to lawn disease! So sharpen your blades every 8-10 cuttings to keep them cutting clean! If you're uncertain how to sharpen your own blade, we recommend finding a local expert who can do it for you. Typically lawn mower repair shops or even some hardware stores can perform this task relatively inexpensively.
3. Mix Up Your Routes - There is something very pleasing about the lines in freshly mowed grass. But, mowing it the same way every time can have a negative effect on your lawn. Those cool lines created are caused by the mower as it passes over and it forces the grass to "lay" down a certain direction. The stripes are caused by the grass reflecting the sun in a certain direction. However, it's not good for your lawn to receive light on only one side, so mix up the way you mow your grass, allowing for the lawn to lay different directions. So while you may prefer your lawn to look a certain way, your lawn would appreciate a little change of pace.
4. Don't Cut Your Lawn When It's Wet! - Besides the grass clippings becoming tangled and clumped in your mowers catcher, mowing when it's wet is hard on your soil. Too much weight on the surface of your lawn when it's wet can cause soil compaction which, reduces the "breathing room" for the roots of your grass and can create problems.
Any questions? Comments? Just let us know. If you're experiencing an issue with your lawn, go to our contact page and send us a note. You can even send a photo along to show us the exact issue you're facing.
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As homeowner's we do it every week from spring until fall. But how can something so simple as mowing can have such a huge effect on the overall health of our lawn? Well, it's true. Mowing is more than maintaining your lawn's appearance, it's as much about maintaining its health too!
1. Proper Mowing Height - Most people prefer a short lawn. It's a preference that was born from the ultra-short grass found on golf course fairways and greens. But before you try for your own Pebble Beach, consider this. Golf courses use special grass and spend tens of thousands of dollars to keep it alive. So unless you're literally committed to a "million dollar lawn", you might want to consider growing your grass taller. Why? Mowing your lawn at the right height can keep your from getting one of several lawn diseases and it chokes out weeds. So, in the spring never to mow more than a 1/3 of the blade off. So that means you'll be mowing sometimes twice a week to keep it at a proper height of 3-4".
2. Keep that Blade Sharp! - Would you cut your hair with dull scissors? Of course not. Using dull tools can ruin any project! Cutting your grass with dull blades causes ripping of the grass tissue, which stresses the turf. Stress turf leads to lawn disease! So sharpen your blades every 8-10 cuttings to keep them cutting clean! If you're uncertain how to sharpen your own blade, we recommend finding a local expert who can do it for you. Typically lawn mower repair shops or even some hardware stores can perform this task relatively inexpensively.
3. Mix Up Your Routes - There is something very pleasing about the lines in freshly mowed grass. But, mowing it the same way every time can have a negative effect on your lawn. Those cool lines created are caused by the mower as it passes over and it forces the grass to "lay" down a certain direction. The stripes are caused by the grass reflecting the sun in a certain direction. However, it's not good for your lawn to receive light on only one side, so mix up the way you mow your grass, allowing for the lawn to lay different directions. So while you may prefer your lawn to look a certain way, your lawn would appreciate a little change of pace.
4. Don't Cut Your Lawn When It's Wet! - Besides the grass clippings becoming tangled and clumped in your mowers catcher, mowing when it's wet is hard on your soil. Too much weight on the surface of your lawn when it's wet can cause soil compaction which, reduces the "breathing room" for the roots of your grass and can create problems.
Any questions? Comments? Just let us know. If you're experiencing an issue with your lawn, go to our contact page and send us a note. You can even send a photo along to show us the exact issue you're facing.