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Lawns should be mowed regularly at their proper heights (see below). This means that your lawn may require mowing more than once a week during peak growth and only once every two weeks during periods of slow growth. Since the root system of a grass plant grows proportionately to the above ground parts of the plant, a longer cutting height results in a stronger, deeper root system. Calculate your mower blade height by measuring the distance between the ground and the base of your lawn mower.
Warm Season Grasses
Common Bermuda – 1.5-2 inches
Hybrid Bermuda –1 to 1.5 inches
St. Augustine – 3.5 inches
Zoysia grass – 1 to 1.5 inches
Centipede grass – 1.0 to 1.5 inches
As simple as this answer sounds, your lawn should be cut frequently enough to maintain the ideal height of your grass type (see above) A longer cutting height results in a stronger, deeper root system. You should not remove more than 1/3 of the leaf blade in a single cutting as this will put stress on the grass plant and can cause it to go brown. With some water and improved conditions, these areas will usually recover on their own. This means if the lawn has been allowed to get excessively long, you should raise your mower to the highest setting before cutting and may need to cut again a couple days later to get it back to the ideal mowing height.
Lawn mower blades should be kept razor sharp. A sharp blade makes a clean, precise cut of each grass blade. The crisp cut allows the blade to heal quickly. A dull blade chews and frays grass blades. This results in rough tips, which take much longer to heal and expose the wounded tissue to possible turf disease attack. To maintain a sharp blade, it may be necessary to have the blade sharpened up to 3 times yearly. For most people, sharpening in the spring before you start mowing for the season and then again half way through the summer would be acceptable. It is also important to sharpen the mower blade of even a brand new lawnmower. Few mower blades are sold with a pre-sharpened blade. As a safety feature, a mower blade is usually sold factory sharp, which is not adequate for mowing the lawn.
Grass clippings should be left on the lawn after mowing. Returning grass clippings to a lawn is an environmentally beneficial practice referred to as grass cycling. Leaving the clippings to decompose on a lawn adds valuable nutrients back into the soil. The use of a mulching type mower is preferred for this practice since it promotes a more uniform distribution of grass clippings, allowing for faster decomposition.
It is only necessary to remove lawn clippings if they are long and will smother the grass. Contrary to popular belief, grass clippings will not contribute to thatch build up.
Additional facts about mowing:
• Ideally the lawn should only be mowed when the grass blades are dry.
• The mowing direction should be altered with each mowing. This will keep the grass growing strong and straight while helping to reduce weed infestation.
If you have any further questions regarding mowing or the condition of your lawn, feel free to contact your local WEED MAN® PROFESSIONAL. You can also visit our website at www.weedman.com for more information.