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!

Fall Fertilization

Fall is the ideal time to fertilize turf. Among the benefits are better fall and winter color and a quicker green-up earlier in spring continuing into summer. Also, there will not be excessive blade growth as in lawns that are fertilized in spring. Other benefits that result from fall fertilization are winter survival and optimum root growth.

In basic terms it works like this: nitrogen is taken up by the roots, even though blade growth has ceased. Roots remain active during cooler temperatures. Nitrogen increases chlorophyll content, thereby enhancing color. More chlorophyll equals more photosynthesis equals increased sugars. Because turf blades are not growing during this time that sugar is being stored, winter survival and spring recovery is enhanced. As a result turf goes into spring and summer with deeper, healthier roots, and spring green-up is earlier because of the nitrogen stored in the roots.

Renovation Aftercare

Watering

Water twice daily for 3 weeks to maintain proper moisture levels for seed germination. Do not allow the seed to dry out; this reduces the germination rate. After the seed has germinated, deeper watering 2 to 3 times per week is appropriate until the lawn is established.

Mowing

Once the seed germinates and is about 3 to 3 1/2 inches high, mow it using a sharp blade. Set your mower at 3 inches or higher removing no more than 1/3 of the grass. Mowing high results in the following benefits:

· Grass roots grow deeper.

· Soil is shaded resulting in reduced water usage, as well as preventing weed seed germination.

· Reduces clippings and prevents clumps of grass from covering the new seedlings.

Do not bag clippings until the leaves fall in autumn. The clippings contain nitrogen and bagging removes this valuable nutrient from the soil.

Renovation Preparation

Now is the time to prepare the lawn for renovation. First, mow the turf lower than usual, down to 2 to 2 1/2 inches. This may take consecutive mowings over a period of a few days because mowing off more than 1/3 of the grass blade at a time will stress the turf. Next, remove all debris from the turf (e.g. leaves, sticks, gumballs, etc.) A leaf rake is ideal and will also remove some of the dead grass. Then, water heavily to soften up the ground for the aeration. Finally, flag all sprinkler heads, valve boxes, and any other underground objects that may be damaged by the aerator.