When it comes to the lawn of your dreams, what do you envision? Is it vibrant green, dense, soft to the touch, and freshly cut? And when you think about mowing the lawn, is it a necessary chore or a relaxing ritual? How you maintain your landscape can make all the difference in its health and appearance. Here are seven lawn mowing tips that will keep your yard healthy all summer long.
- Maintain your lawn mower
When it comes to lawn mowers, it’s less about which one you use and more about how well you maintain it. Lawn care Everett provides lawn maintenance services for a healthy lawn. The blades of your lawn mower need to stay sharp so that they can perform a clean cut. Dull blades lead to ragged cuts in the grass, which can expose the grass to disease and pests. To keep blades sharp, have your lawn mower serviced each spring.
- Research the proper height for your grass
Each type of grass has its own optimal height, and you may have a blend of grass on your lawn. If you know the type of grass your yard has, you can look up that type’s ideal length. If you’re unsure, you can follow the general rule of thumb for grass cutting—the rule of 1/3. Never cut more than 1/3 of the grass length, even if you have to let the lawn go longer in between cuts. In that case, mow your lawn in stages rather than in one long cut. Your grass may survive an occasional close-cut mowing, but it can lead to brown patches, weeds, and disease if you do it repeatedly.
- Mow your lawn in the mid-morning
Heat can add stress to freshly cut grass, while wet grass can get smothered and clump. Therefore, the best time to mow your lawn is mid-morning. This allows any morning dew to dry, and it’s not as hot as it can get in the middle of the day. If your schedule doesn’t allow a mid-morning cut, another option is after 4 p.m. when the heat and sun are not as intense. However, you don’t want to cut the grass too late in the evening because it needs time to recover overnight.
- Be flexible with your schedule
It’s best to go by how tall your grass is rather than a set schedule when it comes to how frequently you mow your lawn. Cutting it too often can damage the grass and allow for disease and pests. “In the height of the growing season, once a week should be fine,” says Bucks County landscapers. However, other factors like fertilization and droughts can influence the frequency in which you mow your lawn. If you have just fertilized it, it will undergo a growth spurt, which may mean you have to take out your lawn mower more often. During a prolonged dry spell, you should reduce the mowing frequency and cut the grass a little higher than usual. This allows the grass to retain more moisture.
- Keep your clippings
Leaving the clippings, known as grasscycling, is beneficial for the lawn because it adds nutrients back into the grass and helps retain moisture in the summer sun. To do this, make sure that clippings are discharged in the direction of the cut grass. Your lawn mower may even have a mulching setting on it. It’s important to consider the time, height, and frequency of your mowing with respect to clippings. If the clippings are too long, they can form clumps of wet grass and smother your newly cut lawn.
- Change up your mowing pattern
Grass has a grain to it. When you cut your grass, it leans in the direction of your cut. If you cut in the same pattern all the time, the grass will develop a slant as well as ruts. Alternate your mowing pattern to create more upright growth and avoid those ruts.
- Prep for wintertime
The one exception to cutting your grass short is right before winter. Shorter grass blades will help your lawn weather any snow during the winter season. Also, the tall grass blades won’t smother the grass when the spring comes.
When it comes to a healthy lawn, every detail of your mowing matters. The time of day and frequency in which you cut your grass can either strengthen or weaken your yard. The height of your blades keeps it dense or allows for weeds to grow. In addition, changing mowing patterns, paying attention to clippings, and keeping mower blades sharp will help keep your grass growing straight and prevent disease and pests. A beautiful, healthy lawn is achievable with the proper mowing.