Mowing Height And Frequency

Mowing turf at appropriate heights and frequencies are critical to developing dense,actively growing and healthy lawns. Turf-type fescue and bluegrass should be mowed at 3-3.5", especially as we enter the late spring and summer. This will insure the turf remains dense, which will choke out potential weeds and keep the ground more moist and cool. This results in less water usage and lower weed pressure, thereby reducing the need for weed controls.

Mowing frequency is also a critical component for healthy turf. Turf should be mowed so that no more than 1/3 of the leaf blade is removed at one time (eg turf is 4" only remove 1" leaving 3"). This may mean multiple mowings in one week during the early to mid-spring peak growth period. The "One Third Rule" will help maintain maximum root growth. If this practice is not followed turf will become stressed and sometimes have a brown cast on the leaf tips. One more important practice to follow is to mulch clippings on the lawn. This will return nitrogen stored in the leaf blade back to your lawn. You paid for the fertilizer so why not keep it where it belongs. Just be sure the clippings are sufficiently mulched and not left in piles on the lawn.

While your at it keep those blades sharpened too. Happy mowing!

Landscape Renovation

Here is a link to a recent landscape renovation that I completed with and for my friend, Mike. If you're ever in need of a mechanical engineer, I would highly recommend him. http://servehim.wordpress.com/landscaping-in-progress/