There are few better ways to express pride in your home than with a well-manicured, great looking lawn, no matter what time of year it is. This is why American homeowners take a great deal of pride in their yards. Lawn watering, fertilizing and mowing are labors of love homeowners from coast to coast painstakingly put forth season after season, year after year.
Many don’t’ realize, however, there are certain requirements that change with the season when it comes to lawn care. There’s more to grass cutting than starting a lawnmower and pushing it across your lawn. Mowing height and frequency are crucial components to a healthy lawn.
For example, cutting your grass short is harmful to your lawn in the long run. This removes nutrients stored in grass and exposes the soil to sunlight. This is where weeds can start to overtake your lawn. This is because taller grass is better able to compete with weeds with a larger root system, higher tolerance for heat and acts to shield the soil from transient weed pollen carried by the wind.
Higher grass is also effective in shading the ground and subsequently retaining water more effectively. Determine what kind of grass you have and seek professional advice on what level is best suited for optimum health. These heights could range anywhere from 1-4 inches, so it’s quite the range.
Moreover, you are going to want to mow your lawn often enough to remove no more than the top one-third of the blades- regardless of the type of grass- and use a mulching mower. This prevents stress on the grass and brown patches, as smaller clippings are able to decompose more quickly without killing any grass underneath. And the best food for your grass is grass clippings so avoid bagging.