Your grass will start to grow like crazy as summer approaches! You may be having trouble maintaining a lush lawn because of the way you mow. Here are six lawn care tips for a healthy and vibrant lawn this season.
Summer Lawn Care Tips
1. Don’t Overwater
Sprinklers can be a great way to keep your lawn moist during the summer, but they also have some drawbacks.
The more you water healthy grass, it will grow faster. You’ll have to mow more often, and your lawn will suffer long-term damage from the compaction of your grass caused by heavy mowers to the wear on the blades.
Oversaturated lawns can also cause problems. (Think rotting and musty odors!). Wet lawns can develop mold and disease, attract pests such as mosquitos, and have ruts caused by heavy equipment sinking in soft soil.
This summer, water deeply but infrequently. It will encourage deeper roots and stronger turf, which means you’ll need less water! Unsure of how to water your lawn properly? Call a lawn maintenance expert.
2. Beware of “Scalping
Scalping means cutting your lawn too short. It’s like exposing the bare scalp of your landscape in Myrtle Beach!
Your turf is left vulnerable and exposed when you cut it low. Thick grass prevents certain diseases and pests from damaging the root system of your blade. It’s not just that grass less than 2 inches tall is more prone to weeds and grubs but also more susceptible to pesticides.
The crown of the blades of grass can be damaged by a very short cut. This is an important part of the structure and health of your lawn. It can take up to a season for crown damage to heal, which will put your lawn under stress.
Remember that your grass blades absorb nutrients from sunlight, just like leaves on plants. If your blades are shorter, there is less surface to perform photosynthesis. Always leave your grass about three inches or higher.
You say “I am a golfer, and I always mow the greens very short with no issues”. Remember that these grasses are bentgrass varieties, which are meant to be mowed short. They are mowed daily. By removing 1/3 of the grass blades at a given time, cutting your turf once a week will shock it.
3. Keep Your Blades Sharp
Wearing mower blades can also make your lawn look messy. Dull scissors will pull the material they are trying to cut, instead of cutting it cleanly. Dull mower blades may not be obvious, but they can pull up your grass roots and cause them to be disturbed. Consider how much faster a clean wound on your skin heals than one that is jagged. When left uncovered, frayed grass can invite diseases.
You may forget to sharpen the blades of your lawnmower. After all, they are still spinning and doing their job! But a quick sharpening can do wonders. Sharpen your mower blades at least every two months or every time you start a new “mowing” season. Due to the heavy use of our commercial mowers we sharpen their blades twice a week.
4. Trim Weekly
How often should we mow? This depends on many factors, including the season, how much rain you get, and the type of grass that you have. Massachusetts homeowners should mow their lawns once a week in the summer.
More frequent mowing can be very stressful to your grass. It takes a lot of resources and energy to grow back, only to get hacked down before it can absorb enough nutrients from the sunlight! Mowing too often can also compact the soil and reduce the growth of the turf’s roots.
The downsides of waiting too long to mow your lawn are also significant. You may adjust the deck of your mower incorrectly in an attempt to cut that tall grass. This can cause your lawn to be scalped, as discussed above. Cutting off a large portion of grass can also cause your lawn to panic, as it will not have the resources necessary to recover and grow. Take two or three passes in a few short days to bring your grass back to its normal height if you returned from vacation to find it two weeks high. Remember that you should never cut more than 1/3 the blade of grass at one time. If you keep your height at 3″, as we recommend, you shouldn’t go much higher than 4″ for the next cut.
5. Take Your Time
It can be tempting when mowing frequently to hurry the job. Some homeowners enjoy rushing around their zero-turn mowers, as though they are in a hurry to get inside to relax.
Fast mowing can result in sloppy cuts or missed patches. Sharp turns can also tear up your lawn, creating rivets that compact your soil or damage your roots.
6. Skip the Bagging
Resist the urge to bag your clippings when you mow the lawn. Many homeowners bag the grass clippings left behind after mowing their lawns, thinking it will make their turf look neater and cleaner. However, you are actually robbing them of valuable organic matter that will be eventually broken down and reabsorbed into your soil. The grass that remains on your lawn helps it retain more water.
You should only pick up clippings in two situations. If you have waited too long to mow and did not listen to our advice, mow in increments to bring it back to its proper height. The piles of grass cut can either smother the grass, preventing it from absorbing sunlight, or too much water.
Second, you can add your trimmings to your compost. Your trimmings, when mixed with brown and nutritious table scraps, can be a great fertilizer. You can use it to give your lawn an extra mineral boost by spreading the mixture on your lawn.
Nothing is more satisfying than a well-kept lawn on a sunny day. Even the most pristine lawns will not be able to fix a messy landscape.
Call Conner’s Lawn Care Service now if you need professional help in maintaining your lawn.
Conner’s Lawn Care Service
Myrtle Beach, SC
843-504-4901
http://connerslawncare.com/
