How Often Should We Mow The Lawn In Summer
Now the growing season is in full effect. Youre mowing your lawn frequently. In most regions of the country, at least once a week, and if the suns bright and youre fertilizing, possibly twice a week. Early and mid-Summer youll want to maintain higher grass . Late Summer, youll start cutting down to 3. Youll need to make sure the blades are sharp, as dull blades will damage the grass, and cause uneven levels as Fall approaches. Youll also abide by the rule later in the Summer. This will help preserve the grass as cooler temperatures are approaching.
Create A Double Spiral
While the concentric circle pattern is a fast, efficient way to mow your lawn, you’ll wind up finishing in the center of your lawn. It isn’t a major issue, but you’ll have to roll the mower off the lawn, and this may cause unsightly tracks and crushed vegetation. To avoid winding up with your mower in the center, try a double spiral pattern instead. This pattern is nearly as efficient as concentric circles because you follow the same route until you reach the center of the lawn, but leave every other row unmowed. Once in the middle, move your mower in an S shape so that you can go back in the direction you came and mow over the rows that you skipped on the first go-around. When you finish, you’ll wind up on the opposite corner of the lawn from where you started.
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Why You Shouldnt Bag Your Clippings
If you are looking for time-saving tips and tricks, experts recommend skipping the time it takes to bag and dispose of your lawn clippings. For the absolute most manicured look, there is no way to avoid bagging your clippings. Sports fields and golf courses always remove clippings so that they wont interfere with gameplay. But when youre maintaining your home turf, there are good reasons not to bag your clippings.
- Skipping the bagging saves you time. Taking extra time to bag your clippings is simply not the most efficient way to mow your lawn.
- Its really not that much of an eyesore. As long as you are mowing regularlyonce a week should be enoughthe clippings wont be thick enough to smother your grass or make unsightly piles. You should never cut off more than the top third of your grass, so if your clippings are piling up, you should probably be mowing more often.
- Its good for your lawn! All that grass you cut is full of precious nutrients that it absorbed from the soil as it grew. When you let the clipping naturally decay on your lawn, many of those nutrients are returned to the soil. Also, a thin layer of clippings can insulate and shade your soil, keeping in moisture and maintaining a steady temperature for your roots.
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The Consequences Of Close Mowing
The upshot of all this close mowing is that all the plants food reserves get used up replacing leaves cut after cut. This is at the expense of fighting off disease and maintaining good colour.
In addition, cutting grass short reduces rooting depth, which in turn reduces the water the plant gets. This can cause stress, weakness and even grass death during extended dry spells.
What Is The Fastest Way To Mow A Lawn
Before deciding which is the fastest way to mow a lawn, you should test several mowing methods. Remember that the optimal way is varied depending on:
- Size and shape of your landscape
- Its surface and terrain
- Your mower
- Number and distribution of obstacles in your lawn
These obstacles are probably walkways, landscaping rocks, flowerbeds, and ornamental trees, which will avoid mowing in an even way. Below is an ultimate guide to help you:
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Avoid Cutting Wet Grass
While mowing wet grass doesn’t cause any problems to the lawn as such, you will probably notice huge ruts left behind by your mowers wheels. Then there is the annoying problem of wet grass clippings sticking to the underside of the cutting deck. And don’t even think about tackling hills and slopes with your lawn mower unless you fancy an ice-skating experience with spinning blades.
It’s not all doom and gloom though. The Husqvarna Automower® is lightweight enough to mow your lawn without leaving any track marks. Come rain or shine, it is able to cut your grass to perfection, handle hills and slopes, and make its way around a wet lawn when you physically can’t. In fact, an Automower® is so good at keeping lawns in check that we are going to make it the next top tip.
Getting To Know The Electric Lawn Mower
As the name implies, electric lawnmowers feature an engine that requires electricity not a gasoline and additive mix to power the rotating blade.
Functionality of both gasoline and electric mowers is comparable except when dealing with heavily overgrown areas. Moreover, the proper way to mow the lawn does not change depending on the type of mower used.
With all that being said, there is a bit of learning curve associated when using this kind of lawn cutting device:
- Electric mowers function either with an extension cord that must remain plugged in at all times during operation or a rechargeable battery.
Charge the battery for the latter at least 12 hours in advance of gardening manufacturers generally suggest keeping the batteries plugged in until needed.
- Understand the limitations. Most any battery-powered electric mower cuts a quarter of an acre a bigger property may require the use of two batteries that need to be switched out halfway through the job.
Along the same lines, think carefully before opting for the extension cord model if the lawn is sizeable for smaller backyards with easily accessible exterior outlets, the corded mowers are no problem.
- Enjoy the start button. Forget everything you may have learned about mixing oil and gasoline, fine-tuning the engine and pulling on starter cords. Just like a sports car, pressing the start button gets the engine going.
For the best lawn mower battery on the market today, visit Green New Lawns battery review page.
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Modifications You Can Make To Your Lawn Mower To Make It Faster
How do you make a lawn mower go faster? As well as routine maintenance, you can also make some modifications to your mower to increase its speed. Changing the length of the governor spring and upgrading to a premium engine oil and premium gas can be good ideas for walk-behind mowers. For riding mowers, changing your current wheels for bigger ones, reducing the weight of the mower, and upgrading to a bigger engine pulley are all ways to get some extra speed.
Mow It Yourself Or Hire A Pro
Your other choice is to forgo the lawn mower purchase and instead hire a lawn service. Lawnstarter.com is in the business of helping consumers find qualified lawn professionals. So if you dont want to learn the fine art of lawn care, see if we provide service to your area. Regardless of whether you use us or another service, make sure to check references and Better Business Bureau ratings.
Get references and if people are qualified and reasonable I think its a fair tradeoff, Vaughn said.
Main photo by Daniel Watson on Unsplash
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Purge The Hydraulic Drive
Hydro gear purge procedure is an essential procedure when using a mower, especially when maintaining a racing mower transmission
If you ask people how to build a racing lawn mower transmission, this is the first thing they will tell you to do.
This is the reason for your Craftsman riding mower moving slow, your Cub Cadet hydrostatic slow performance, or your Simplicity hydrostatic transmission problems.The hydraulic system isnt purged before deployment.
Heres why the procedure is important for mowers transmission adjustment like Toro hydrostatic transmission or Craftsman hydrostatic transmission adjustment.
A hydrostatic transmission typically uses oils and the system needs to be sealed tightly to transfer to force efficiently. However, as time goes on, air can mix with the oils.
If you dont purge the hydraulic system, the pump will try to pressurize the air. The result is less force is transferred and it will impede the pump and cause it to be sluggish.
After storing a lawn mower for more than 2 months during the close season, servicing, or the oil was replaced, you should always purge the hydraulic drive so that your mower stays at top speed for a long time.
If you want to remove the trapped air inside the system, first purge the new mowers. This can be done whether you use the mower for cutting grass or racing.
Use A Mulching Blade And Leave Your Clippings In The Grass
Mulching blades are a type of mower blade designed to chop up grass clippings into little pieces so they can fall down into the lawn, decompose, and provide fertilizer. While most lawns still need extra fertilizer, grass clippings applied regularly are a big help.
If you dont like the sight of grass clippings, dont worry! Assuming your grass isnt wet or too long, the clippings will appear practically invisible . Additionally, they wont cause thatch, again assuming the grass wasnt too long or wet to begin with.
If youve let your grass get out of hand, theres nothing wrong with leaving unsightly clippings out. Or, you can prefer to bag them and recycle them, or use them as compose to help feed your plants or shrubs.
In summary: Nobody wants to clean up grass clippings, and grass clippings are good for your lawns root system. Leave clippings on the grass.
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Types Of Grass: Maintaining The Right Height & Understanding Mowing Frequency
As we highlighted, its not just the season of the year or the temperature thats going to determine how often youll mow your lawn. Although, these are two driving factors. The type of grass/lawn youve planted, is possibly as important as those variables, in helping you determine how often to mow the lawn.
Here are a few examples of warm-season grass and proper length to maintain it
1. Centipede grass: 1 to 2.52. Bahia Grass: 2.5 to 43. St. Augustine grass: 1 to 3
Then, there are cold-season grass varieties including4. Tall Fescue grass: 1.5 to 45. Fine Fescue grass: 1.5 to 4
And, there are other varieties. Remember, in warmer climates, the grass will grow faster. Therefore, youll want to follow the growing height suggestions for the type of grass youve planted in your yard. And, depending on the preferred height , youll mow the lawn once it reaches the taller lengths and youre ready to mow. The same goes for cold-season grass. But, youre not going to mow the lawn as often when temperatures are colder. Therefore, youll want to make sure youre measuring the lawn regularly, paying attention to the season, and understand how quickly the lawn grows where you live.
Whats The Best Time Of Day To Cut Grass
Grass needs the benefit of the day to dry and heal before dusk settles. Since mowing your grass in the early morning can damage it and mowing it during the early afternoon can burn it because of all the high temperatures, the ideal time is mid-morning. That is of course if youre free during that time of day.
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Cutting Grass In Modern Times
Ohio State University puts it best when it refers to the gardening chore of cutting the grass as being the partial defoliation of the turfgrass plant.
While this may sound a bit stilted to the average gardening hobbyist, it does help to put the task of lawn mowing into the proper perspective: discovering how to mow with electric mower power is a newer take on a simple mechanical application that traditionally relied on gasoline.
Staunch traditionalists may hold on to their fume-belching machines because thats just how its been done.
Of course, when breaking down the task into its individual components a motor propels a rotating blade that cuts the individual plants in a horizontal fashion it sounds a bit silly to not at least give the electrical mower a second look.
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How To Mow Your Lawn Faster And Easier
Lawn mowing in any season is not a job that everybody relishes. However, its an essential task if you want a healthy and good looking garden. Ignoring the necessity of lawn mowing will leave you with an unkempt and untamed lawn, making things even more difficult. This is why cutting down the time you take to mow can be a great benefit. Read on to discover our tips on how to get it done faster:
Step 1: Tackle around your features first.
Finding the fastest approach to mowing your lawn may involve some testing. Features such as flowerbeds, paths and ornamental planters can slow your progress. By cutting around the features first, you will be able to get results faster.
Step 2: Use circular motions
You can save time by reducing the number of turns you need to make. Using a concentric pattern for your mowing can do this for you. You wont need to struggle to go back the other way if you make turns that are not quite as sharp.
Step 3: Double spiral pattern
Although concentric lawn mowing is a fast approach, you may not want to end up right in the middle of your lawn. You can approach it from another way. Try spiral-mowing.
You would still mow up and down but leave a row in between each row unmown. When you reach the end, then you turn and go back the way you came whilst mowing the unmown rows.
Step 4: Select your direction
Faster mowing is also dependent upon good maintenance of your lawn mower. Best results can be achieved by avoiding wet grass.
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Sharpen Mowing Blades Regularly
If you cant remember the last time you sharpened your lawn mower blade, its time to do so. A dull blade is about the worse thing you can do to a lawn, Vaughn said, because where sharp blades cut cleanly, dull blades tear. When you tear the leaf, it opens it up for diseases to attack it. A clean cut helps it regenerate a lot faster and be a healthier plant in the long run.
How often you need to get your blade sharpened will depend largely on how many hours of mowing it does. Mowing a large lawn frequently will cause more wear and tear than occasional use on a small patch of turf.
Your lawn will tell you if you have a dull blade. Take a look at the evenness of the cut and whether the individual blades of grass have been neatly sheared. An uneven, tatty appearance and torn leaves are your cues that its time to sharpen the blade.
You can take the mower into a shop to have the blade professionally sharpened, or you can do it yourself. Lawn mower blade sharpening kits cost as little as $10.
Inspect your blade. If there are chips or gaps, it may be time for a new one. Replacing a blade isnt too tough and can be accomplished with tools most of us have around the house.
Mow In A Concentric Pattern
If you find that mowing in a row patterns does not reduce your mowing time considerably, you can consider mowing in a circular pattern. You will follow the same principle- that is limiting the number of turns you make. You will also find that your turns while mowing are in the same direction which improve your mowing speed considerably.
Another advantage of mowing in a concentric circular pattern is the fact that the turns are gentle therefore it will be easier to maneuver with your lawn. Mowing in concentric circle will also make is it easier to mow around any obstacles such as a flower bed or an ornament tree present in the middle of your lawn.
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How To Mow A Lawn
This article was co-authored by Lauren Kurtz. Lauren Kurtz is a Naturalist and Horticultural Specialist. Lauren has worked for Aurora, Colorado managing the Water-Wise Garden at Aurora Municipal Center for the Water Conservation Department. She earned a BA in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from Western Michigan University in 2014. This article has been viewed 355,841 times.
Many homeowners see mowing the lawn as an unwelcome chore, while others view it as an opportunity to beautify their property. When done properly, mowing supports green, healthy grass, and reduces weeds and bare spots. With a bit of practice, you can even mow eye-pleasing patterns into your lawn!
How To Make A Lawn Mower Fast: Other Tips And Tricks
If the above methods are not enough for you and you want even more speed out of your mower, here are some more things you can try:
- Remove unnecessary attachments: Its simple fewer unnecessary attachments means a faster mower since the engine has less mass to carry.
- Use better fuel: We recommend high-octane gas since it is more efficient and can send more power to the engine.
- Disconnect the blade assembly: If you intend to use the mower for racing, try this method.
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Keep The Grass Long Enough
You may think giving your grass an extreme cut will prolong the time until you need to mow again, but cutting more than one-third of the blade at a time can damage the grass. Plus, longer blades shade the ground, which slows evaporation and helps prevent weeds from sprouting. In this way, more frequent, less extreme cuts result in a healthier lawn and fewer .
