Lawn Maintenance Tips
Lawns do require a little regular maintenance to remain healthy. Probably the most important maintenance topic is mowing. Turf grasses are one of only a few plants that actually do better when they are cut.
Using a sharp mower blade is critical to a healthy lawn. A sharp blade cuts the grass, a dull blade smashes the grass.
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Leaf blade A demonstrates what a leaf blade should look like after mowing with a sharp blade.
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Leaf blade B demonstrates a leaf blade that was injured by a dull mower blade.
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Leaf blade C was cut by the mower but indicates that the mower blade is not sharp enough. The shredded white tissue protruding from the leaf blades C and D is the vascular tissue of the plant.
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Leaf blade D has been mown for quite some time with a dull mower blade.
Mower blades made need to be sharpened several times during the growing season depending on how much lawn you have and how many pieces of debris the mower strikes during a regular mowing. Want to make your northeast Ohio lawn even better this season? Give us a call or use our easy Online Estimate Request form for your free lawn care analysis and estimate.
To bag or mulch?
Grass clippings do not contribute to thatch buildup or increase the chances of disease. If you mow your lawn at the right height, without removing any more than 1/3 of it's total height, clippings will quickly breakdown without a trace. These clippings contribute additional nitrogen and other nutrients to the soil and supply it with additional organic materials. Clippings from a 1000 sq. ft. lawn can add as much as 1 - 2 pounds of nitrogen back into the soil.
If you have a compost pile, then you may want to bag your clippings occasionally to add much needed green-matter to the compost pile. Make sure it is mixed thoroughly with brown matter to avoid a strong ammonia odor.
Watering your lawn
It is during those periodic stretches that we sometimes get stuck in that have high heat and low rainfall periods. Usually these are very sporadic and need not be a concern.
