Mowing Help

Importance of proper mowing

• Blades too short (less than 3 inches) reduce the amount of oxygen the grass can breath, the amount of food it can make and how much it can store.
• Blades too long (more than 4 inches) tend to lay over, making it difficult for the surface to get proper exposure to sun, air, and fertilizer.
• Blades that are mowed with dull blades basically beat the grass as opposed to actually cleanly cutting it, leading to stress.

What is proper mowing?

We trim our hair on a regular basis to keep it healthy and the lawn is no different.

• During cooler, moister weather the grass will grow much quicker requiring mowing at least once a week. Some lawns may need mowing twice a week during these conditions.
• As temperatures begin to heat up and Mother Nature stops providing moisture, the lawn will grow slower and may only need to be mowed every 10 days to two weeks.
• Sharpen mower blades at least monthly. Dull blades beat up the lawn causing stress. Imagine cutting your hair with dull scissors.
• Keep the mower clean. Weeds and disease can and will be spread by the mower throughout the lawn.
• NEVER cut more than 1/3 of the blade off at a time. Remember, the lawn stores its food in the blade so if it gets too long and it’s mowed short all its’ food stores are taken away starving the lawn. Sometimes in the spring it gets rainy making it difficult to mow and the lawn can get very long. When this happens, the mower should be raised as high as it will go for the ‘first’ mowing and then in a few days the mower can be lowered to normal and the lawn mowed again to put it back to normal.
• For the health of the lawn, try to keep the grass blade length 3 to 3½ inches. Many prefer the look of the ‘golf course green’, but keep in mind that is different grass and golf courses have to water every night and fertilize every couple of weeks. Also, when the grass is mowed that short, disease can run rampant. Golf courses are continually battling stress and diseases because of the short grass, even with the extra water and fertilizer.
• ‘Clean Ups” – In the spring it is recommended to lower the mower deck and bag the first mowing. This will suck up and remove any dead material. If the lawn looks ‘matted’ after having snow setting on it for months, use a PLASTIC fan rake and fluff the lawn before the first mowing. Research has proven that in the fall, do not lower the mower deck. Mow the lawn at 3 inches so it has room to store food for the winter.

Tips for picking a good mowing service

When searching for a mowing service, ask the following questions:

“At what height do you mow?”
Some mowers mow at approx. 2 inches, which is never recommended, even in the spring and fall. The mow height should be between 3 and 3½ inches.

“How often do you mow?”
Many ‘professional’ mowers come every week whether or not the lawn needs mowed and this is very detrimental to the health of the lawn. They will lower their blades below the minimum recommended height so your lawn will appear to have needed mowed.

“How often do you sharpen the mower blades?”
Frequently we see lawns that look like they have been burned or are really dry. This is the sign of dull mower blades. Commercial mowers should sharpen their blades every day.

“Do you wash your mower and how often?”
Mowers can spread weeds and diseases if they are not washing their mowers every day.

Asking these questions will help you find a quality mowing service without breaking the bank.