Lawn Care Tips – Mowing

The very first thing that any visitor or passerby will see on the property is the lawn and yard. The impression and health of your lawn will give a better curb appeal to any property and by that virtue to the entire neighbourhood surrounding the property. Maintaining the healthy lawn is not difficult or impossible task as long as some common sense and few simple tips are followed.

Mowing: Never let your lawn outgrow the ideal mowing height and always leave some growth when mowing your lawn. You should never mow more than one-third of the blade length (if your lawn is 3 inch high, you should trim up to a maximum of 1 inch per single mowing cycle). The ideal blade height differs for different varieties of turf but in general is recommended to maintain between 0.75 inches and 3 inches tall (if you do not know your turf composition or are unsure, keep your lawn at 1.5 inches tall in between mowing cycles).

Frequency: As you mow shorter, you will need to mow more frequently especially during peak growing season when your lawn is growing at most rapid pace. However, do not let that discourage you as with more frequent moving cycle you will mow faster as well as have less clipping and yard refuse to deal with.

Direction: Certain weeds will adapt to your mowing patterns and will grow in the direction that minimizes the damage from the lawn mower. To maximize weed control and minimize weed regrowth, you should alternate your mowing pattern every time you mow. For example, if on last mowing cycle you mowed your lawn from the east to west, the next time you mow your lawn mow it in the north to south direction.

Equipment: Keep your lawnmower blades sharp and damage free. Make sure you re-sharpen your lawn mower blades at least once a year or more often if you notice that your lawnmower is gnawing the lawn rather than cutting it sharp. Look at grass blades after you mow. If the cut is sharp, your lawnmower blades are OK. If the cut is dull and edged or if you see any signs of roots being pulled, re-sharpen your blades. Furthermore, visually inspect the area you will be mowing and remove any rocks and hard debris that could damage or dull your lawnmower blades.

Recycle: Where convenient, leave some clippings on your lawn for a day or two. This will allow nutrients from clippings to be re-absorbed back to the ground where your lawn can access them to aid it in growth and nutrition. Where you cannot leave clippings on the lawn, composting them is a great way to recycle. Grass clippings compost easy and can be reintroduced back as soil compost in your garden, around your trees and hedges as well as by sprinkling the compost on your lawn after you have mowed it.

Weed Trimming: Weed trimmer is not your lawn’s best friend but rather is a necessary companion. Weed trimmer is harder to control and can result in damage to the lawn (commonly referred as lawn scalping). Exercise caution when using weed trimmer and try to level your edging around flowers and tree beds so you can access and overlap it more easily with your lawnmower. Design your edging and beds with less of sharp or tight corners for the same reason (so you can access the area more easily with your lawnmower).