Is It Illegal To Mow Your Lawn Early In The Morning
There are communal ordinances in place that dictate when work may start to avoid creating a ruckus too early in the morning. On weekends and holidays, yard equipment is prohibited from running before 8 or 9 in the morning. Again, this time is dependent upon where you live and what the ordinances say in your area.
Why Shouldn’t I Cut My Grass So Short
Unlike getting a short haircut in the summertime, keeping your lawn high and tight won’t keep it cool and comfortable. Although you might be tempted to cut your lawn short like greens of a golf course, you shouldn’t. In fact, cutting your grass too short can damage the soil and the grass itself.
Also, when you cut grass too short, the sun has easier access to the soil. In turn, it dries out the soil faster, making it a less-than-ideal environment for living, growing things.
Whats The Best Height To Cut The Grass
Cutting the grass is the most basic lawn care activity that every homeowner does. Despite this, there are still arguments between homeowners about the best height to cut grass! Some people prefer to cut it short, others prefer to cut it long, and there are arguments to support both sides.
However, if you want the nicest, greenest, and most lush lawn that you can have, there is an ideal height and frequency for cutting the grass. Lets discuss!
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A Trick To Help You Remember These Measurements
So how do you remember this rule of thumb? You do not want to have to go out there with a tape measure to gauge the height of your lawn and determine when it’s time to mow, right?
A tip to make things easier on yourself is to draw a line across one of your lawn mower tires that stands 3 2/3 inches above surface level. Draw an arrow, as well, to indicate which direction is up/down. That way, when you think mowing time might be near, you can just wheel the mower out and see where the grass level stands in relation to your line.
As for achieving that ideal grass mowing height , initially, you’ll have to play around with the tire adjustment mechanism on your mower. But once you’ve figured out what slot results in the mowing height you want , mark that slot so that you’ll always know where it is.
How Often Should You Cut The Grass
People often ask the question how often should I cut the grass? Rather ask yourself should I cut the grass or not? and then follow some basic lawn care advice.
There is no correct frequency in which to mow your lawn. This will vary each and every year and depend on where you live. For example in the UK people living in the south will probably have to begin cutting the lawn earlier than those in the north, because of the differences in the climate.How often you cut the grass is down to a number of factors as well as personal preference. For grass to grow you need three basic elements, heat, water and nutrients. These factors will determine the speed of grass growth and will vary on where you are living. How short you want the grass is a separate question and down to personal preference. This means, how often you need to cut the grass varies from person to person and lawn to lawn.
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Tools Youll Need To Edge Your Lawn
To start, I should say that you dont need all of these tools. In fact, any one of them will do the trick. You can decide for yourself which will work best for you :
As you can see, trimming lawn edges well doesnt take years of experience, nor does it take a lot of time or money.
With the right tools and some practice, you too can have a beautiful lawn to brag about.
Are Sharp Blades Important
Over time, your lawn mower blades will lose their sharp edges. It doesn’t matter if you use a reel mower or a zero turn you’ll eventually have to sharpen or replace your blades to keep them from leaving the tips of your grass blades torn, ragged, and brown.
Sharpening your blades is a recommended part of regular lawn mower maintenance and can be done with a handheld file. Be sure that your blades are balanced after you sharpen them and do not tip heavily toward one side.
However, the easiest solution is to buy a replacement blade. The sharp blade will clip the grass cleanly, rather than tear it, which damages the grass. Even if you prefer to sharpen your blades, having a backup mower blade on hand is handy in case of damage to the blade currently in use.
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A Quick Lesson On Grass
As I said, in order to understand why mowing your lawn too close is a bad idea, you need to know how grass works. Then itll all become clear.
Unlike animals, grass doesnt eat and digest food to survive.
Instead, grass creates its own food via .
The Lawnsmith has a very good way of describing photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is more akin to how a factory works raw materials go in one end , energy is used and food is produced .
This food is then either stored for hard times just as we store fat, or used to grow leaves and roots equivalent to muscle and bone.
Why Does My Grass Look Dead After Mowing
Improper Mowing: Mowing the lawn too short can stress the grass and cause it to turn dry and brown. … Mow regularly and don’t allow the grass to become too long. Improper Watering: Water your lawn deeply about once a week, or when the grass looks slightly wilted, providing about an inch of water each time.
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What Is The Best Tool For Cutting Grass Before A Freeze
The best tools to do the job are a lawnmower or commercial weed trimmer/commercial weed eater. These tools are low maintenance they are lightweight, convenient, and easy to use.
Its recommended to lower the cutting base of your string trimmer progressively each time to mow the lawn. This will allow the grass to cope well during the winter, as its not shocked from being trimmed all off at once.
Benefits Of Aerating Your Lawn
When you aerate your lawn, you help to maintain the health of your grass long-term. You can improve your drainage, while also increasing the flow of oxygen and fertilizer to your grass. And when you overseed immediately after aerating, you will encourage new growth, resulting in an even more lush, luxurious lawn to enjoy.
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To Fertilise Or Not To Fertilise
How are you supposed to know which one to use? Lucky for you, youve got that soil test which also lets you know what nutrient deficiencies your lawn might have. You can figure out how much fertiliser, if any, to apply to your lawn once you get the results of your soil test. You can make sure your grass is its healthiest by applying the right amount of lime and fertiliser as you need, when your precious lawn needs it. A fertilizer spreader from Hirepool can make this job a breeze.
Now, most lawns in New Zealand grow well without needing lawn fertiliser, but using fertiliser can be a real gamechanger. It basically makes sure that your grass is getting all the nutrients it needs to stay healthy, lush, green, and gorgeous. Lawn fertiliser helps your grass grow dense and strong, making it look beautiful, but also protecting it from the wear and tear of everyday use by your family, kids, friends, and pets.
Is It Ok To Mow Wet Grass
Its always best to let the grass dry before mowing it. When mowing grass, however, keep in mind that only a third or less of the grass blades should be cut. If the grass stays wet for long periods of time and continues to grow, its OK to mow the wet grass to keep it from growing too tall and going to seed.
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How Short Should I Cut My Grass Before Overseeding
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. Herein, how short should I cut my grass before aerating?
Try to mow one or two days before we arrive and make it lower than usual. We recommend you set the mowing height to 1-1/2 . This will get the lawn low enough without scalping it. Mowing low makes both aeration and seeding more effective.
Furthermore, will grass seed grow if you just throw it on the ground? If grass seeds were randomly thrown on to dirt, they may sprout, because of the poor positioning of the seeds, and poor condition of where the seeds are expected to grow, their germination rate would be reduced. For grass seeds to grow, they require direct contact with the soil, which assists them to germinate.
Just so, how long after overseeding can I mow?
In general, however, you should not do any mowing during the first two weeks to four weeks after planting the new grass seeds. They should not be disturbed while root establishment occurs. ?As for how much you should cut, you should typically mow at least three inches high.
Can you put too much grass seed down?
All plants, including grass plants, need adequate soil space for roots to spread and develop. If you put down too much grass seed, you will encourage competition that will cause your grass seedlings to struggle after germination because there will be excessive competition for sunlight, soil nutrients, and water.
A quick trick for homeowners.
M’Hammed Undona
Do Leave The Grass Clippings
Leaving behind the grass clippings instead of bagging them. The clippings release water and nutrients into the soil as they decompose, which helps the grass grow back strong and healthy. Definitely use grass clippings as mulch, says Zach Reece, a lawn care and home improvement pro and owner of Colony Roofers, an Atlanta roofing company. This minimizes water loss, retains soil moisture and lowers the soil temperature.
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How Low Should You Cut Grass Before Aeration
Theres a lot that goes into maintaining a lush, green lawn. While mowing, watering, and fertilizing are the most obvious steps, its important to consider additional ways to keep your lawn as healthy as possible, like aeration.
In this article, well walk you through the process of aerating your lawn, including how low to cut grass before aeration. Well also discuss some of the benefits that aeration can provide for your lawn.
What Does An Over
An over-watered lawn is often plagued by weeds, diseases, and insect damage and will most likely lead to a loop of turf problems and expensive chemical treatments that wont go away easily. A healthy lawn should always be a little on the thirsty side, sending roots deeper into the soil, making it healthier and more resilient. An ideal watering is deep and infrequent, imitating natural rainfall. If your lawn is overwatered, itll probably have a shallow root system since the roots wont have to travel for water because its always there pooling near to the surface.
Alternatively, under-watering your lawn is just as bad! During hot, dry summers when the weather gets warmer you can bet that your lawn is going to get stressed if its not getting enough water. But dont worry, during a drought, stresses on your lawn can be sorted out by mowing less frequently, mowing at a higher height of cut, and just staying off it! Head to the deck instead.
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How To Keep Grass Green In Winter
Once youve fine-tuned the proper height to cut your grass for winter, you may wonder whether you should fertilize, too. After all, the extreme weather conditions of winter take a toll on your lawn. But since your grass goes dormant when the freezing cold temperatures arrive, its best to do your prep before that happens.
This is why fall is the best time to fertilize grass. The plant is actively growing its root system, making it a peak growing season.
Fertilize your lawn in the fall to keeps things green and healthy. A little advance treatment will help your yard maintain its color and vibrancy until growing season begins again in the spring.
Why Is It Important To Avoid Snow Mold
Snow mold appears as patches of discolored grass, which can be straw-colored or matted with pinkish or white web-like coating. You will see this when the snow cover melts.
These spots usually shrink when the weather turns hot and dry, but some may still remain through summer and even fall.
Now if you prefer your lawn to look immaculate, you definitely dont want snow mold on your grass. Nothing ruins a green spread than these unsightly patches of discolored grass.
Sidenote: Dont forget to check out our blog post on How to Stop Icicles From Forming on Your Roof and Gutters
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How To Get Rid Of Thatch
If your thatch is hefty, you can rent a “power rake, but in many cases, its just faster and easier to hire a dethatching machine. Theyre easy and fun to use. Simply run the machine back and forth across the lawn and its spinning tines will pull out the thatch. Rake up and dispose of the thatch, and youre done!
Change Your Mowing Pattern Each Time
We all know that a large riding lawnmower is heavy, but even a push mower will flatten and break grass blades and compact the soil. Mowing in the same direction every time will train the grass to lean to one side and cause stripes of dead or damaged lawn. And mower wheels can pull up grassroots if you make tight turns.
Minimizing backtracking and turns, as well as varying the mowing pattern, will:
- prevent ruts,
- help grass blades grow upright, and
- keep the lawn greener.
Whether you choose to mow in a diagonal pattern, in spirals, rows, or something else, make the pattern a feature of your lawn. Just remember to change it up each time.
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Don’t Mow All Of Your Lawn
Choose the part you’d like to be neat and tidy but then let the rest stay a little messy. This is much better for wildlife and will encourage habitats to flourish throughout summer. You could even plant some wildflower seeds here and make it a real visual feature of your garden .
“Don’t mow all of your lawn. Find a corner of your garden where you can allow it to become, dare I say it, a little bit unkempt,” implored Chris Packham during an interview with Country Living about spring gardening. “That long grass will provide food for butterflies and other invertebrates and shelter for other animals maybe even something as exciting as a hedgehog.”
Tips On How To Best Cut Your Grass Before Winter To Be Ready For Next Spring
Slowly cutting your grass shorter will allow the lawn to winter well without the shock of being cut all off at once. The proper cutting technique requires that you do not take off more than one-third of the grass blade during a single mowing. People refer to this as the one-third rule. You might look forward to nice deep snow fall but your grass does not. If you cut the grass incorrectly you could set your lawn up for snow mold and allowing little critters to stay in the lawn for warmth.. A few tips for how to cut grass for winter to have a beautiful green lawn in the Spring.
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How To Tell When Your Blades Need Sharpening
After you mow your lawn, take a close look at it. If the tips of the blades are jagged or torn, you know its time to either sharpen the blades or buy new ones. Always inspect your mowers blades and sharpen them after 10 hours of mowing. Its worth the effort, trust us. Alternatively, if youre hiring a mower from Hirepool, you can save yourself all this maintenance, as the team regularly sharpens the blades and keep mowers in perfect condition. Grass cut with sharp blades recovers quickly and is able to resist disease and pests, staying lush and green for longer, leaving you with a beautiful looking lawn.
