Lawn Mowing Basics
04/02/2010 By: Marc Hudson
Lawn mowing is one of the essential cultural practices of healthy lawn care
Lawn mowing is often regarded as the single most important step in proper lawn care. Poor lawn cutting practices can severely damage a lawn and promote the spread of weeds and harmful insects. In the same respect, mowing can help your grass out-compete unwanted plants and can provide a neatly manicured look that may even boost property value.
Types of Mowers
Lawn mowers are divided into two main categories, reeled and rotary. Reeled mowers consist of a series of vertically cutting blades that are usually self-propelled. Although these mowers create a cleaner cut than rotary mowers, their lack of speed and adjustable cutting height has made them obsolete for most applications. The only extensive use that vertically cutting mowers see is on commercial golf courses where reeled mowers are used for the maintenance and detail required on putting greens.
Rotary mowers are the modern standard in lawn cutting in both residential and commercial settings. Rotary mower types vary widely depending on the size of the yard or job. Walk behind or push mowers are commonly used by private home owners on small to medium sized yards where more power and speed is not required.
Larger ride along or behind mowers are used when push mowers simply aren’t efficient enough. However, there are several drawbacks to take into consideration when deciding on a bigger mower. First of all, as the deck size increases, the slower the blade will revolve. This in effect leads to more ripping of the turf, where a smaller, faster spinning blade will make a sharper cut. Ripped turf is generally more susceptible to drought and disease.
Larger mowers are also considerably heavier than their push mower counterparts. The increase in weight can lead to soil compaction. Compacted soil inhibits the passage of air, water, and essential nutrients to the turf roots. A reduction in any of these elements can drastically impact the health of a lawn. In order to combat this problem, an annual core cultivation or aeration should be implemented into the lawn care program.
Mowing height is a crucial step to reducing weed populations
Mowing Height
Mowing height is an extremely critical aspect of correct lawn maintenance. Although mowing heights vary widely with different species of grass, particularly as warm versus cool season grasses are concerned, several rules should be observed. Perhaps the most important guide to mowing is the 1/3 rule. The 1/3 rule simply means that no more than 1/3 of the leaf blade should be removed at any one mowing. Anything more can lead to root stunting or drought damage, especially during the hot summer months.
In the event that the lawn has grown to a height where more than 1/3 of a leaf blade needs to be removed to reach a desired height, then several passes should be used over the course of several days. By staggering the mowing in this manner, the plant is given time to recover and the shock is less severe.
Mulching
A common misconception about grass clippings asserts that returning clippings to the lawn will create an impenetrable layer of thatch that robs turf of valuable water and nutrients.
Many modern mowers come equipped with the ability to mulch or finely shred grass clippings and return them to the soil surface. By bagging and clippings, the lawn will require more fertilizer as valuable nutrients that are provided by clippings will need to be supplemented. A common misconception about grass clippings asserts that returning clippings to the lawn will create an impenetrable layer of thatch that robs turf of valuable water and nutrients. In reality, properly mulched clippings that are created from a frequently mowed lawn will only serve as an organic fertilizer and insulator for the grass. Only when lawns are cut from high to extremely low heights, where the mower cannot mulch all of the clippings, does thatch become an issue.
Frequency
Mowing frequency is directly contingent on several factors including temperature, rainfall, and fertilizer applications. As a resultin the variance between these three factors, there should be no set schedule for mowing, but rather the flexibility to cut when grass reaches the appropriate height. Following the same idea, as temperatures become warmer and the peak hot season hits, mowing should bedone less often and at a higher interval to reduce heat and drought stress on the turf.
Final Pointers
Remember to alternate cutting directions every other mowing. Following the same pattern every time can increase compaction and repeatedly knocking the turf down in the same direction can create inconsistent growing habits.
Finally, remember to always cut the grass with a sharp blade. Dull blades spread disease and can rip the turf. Blade sharpening should be done at least once a year, usually at the start of the season. Most local hardware stores offer a blade sharpening service or sell the appropriate tools to do the job yourself.
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Landscaping not only improves the appearance of your property, it also raises the value of your real estate. Quality landscaping can increase a home's value from 7-15%!
-Gallup Magazine
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