Lawn mowing sounds easy, right? You just have to turn on the mower and push it over the lawn. But if you want to have a healthy and better looking lawn, you need to follow these quick and easy lawn mowing tips as shared by St. Louis lawn care.
Make a plan. Every yard is unique and so the best way to tackle this task of mowing is to create a plan. Walk around your lawn or yard and try to figure out the best route to follow when using your mower. Prepare the site; remove all debris such as sticks, rocks, and other foreign objects that may cause injury such as slippage. Additionally, your mower will remain sharp since it does not hit any hard object scattered around the yard.
Choose your mower. The key in choosing the right mower is knowing the kind of machine that your lawn really needs. So take a tour of your lawn and ask yourself: How big is my lawn? Do I need to mow around objects such as trees, patio or driveway? If your lawn is less than an acre, then you can choose a walk-behind mower to do the job. If it is less than 500 square feet, a reel mower, or what they call manual push lawn mower, can do the trick.
Know your mower. It is recommended to learn on how to operate the mower first before going into the lawn. Check if the blades are sharp or needs sharpening. A dull blade will waste your precious time and will cause stress on the grass since it will rip and tear the grass instead of actually cutting it. A lawn mowed with a dull blade looks brown on top.
Mow on a dry lawn. Why do you need to mow on a dry lawn? Although mowing on a wet lawn does not hurt the grass, it results to inefficient mowing. Why? Wet grass tend to stick together and could clog the mower deck. Also, the blades of the grass bend due to the weight of the dew that makes a straight cut very difficult. Moreover, fungus and disease carrying microorganisms spread quickly on a wet grass. Most gardeners agree that the best time to do mowing is between 8 o’clock and 10 o’clock in the morning. Before 8 o’clock, the grass may still be wet from dew or rain. And after 10 in the morning, the temperature is too high—which is bad for your grass and for you as well.
Follow the one-third rule. What is this rule all about? It refers to the length of the leaf that is ideal to cut. The rule says that you should not cut more than a third of the grass’ length. If you do, it may cause injury to the crown of the grass where new leaves grow. Also, it lessens the stress on the grass and reduces vulnerability to pests and diseases. Scalping your lawn makes it susceptible to weeds.
Always vary your mowing pattern. Each time you mow your lawn, do not repeat the same direction or pattern. Why? Each time you do the same pattern, your mowing wheels compact the soil, thus leaving deep tracks or ruts in the lawn. Aside from that, when the grass eventually grows, it tends to follow the direction it was cut. Hence, switching your mowing pattern helps the grass grow upright and stay healthy.
These are just a few of the many ways to keep your lawn healthy. By heeding these simple yet helpful lawn mowing tips, you will be able to always keep your lawn healthy and perfect.