Frequent, Uniform Mowing Helps Grass
By Dr. William H. Daniel
Perhaps no homeowner’s simple techniques and under
task is more taken-for-granted stand how mowing can help
than mowing the lawn. your lawn, you can defeat your
But unless you follow a few purpose in having a nice look-
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ANSWERS TO
YOUR DRYING
ing, tight and dense lawn.
Before reviewing specific
lawn mowing pointers let’s
briefly review why frequent
uniform mowing is desirable.
Repeated mowing weakens
tall grasses and big weeds so
new grass plants haveachance
to grow and get sun. In addi
tion, your lawn helps regulate
crabgrass and other weeds.
Change Path Regularly
Begin by mowing around the
exterior of your lawn and do
not cut the center until last.
Reverse the starting direction
of the exterior cut every time
you mow your lawn. After
you’ve mowed the exterior, be
gin a normal cross-lawn cut.
Every time you cut your lawn
mow it in a totally different
direction so the grass is never
forced to grow in one direc
tion. By altering your mowing
pattern, your lawn will be more
uniform and take on a pictur
esque appearance.
How high should you cut
your lawn? The rule of two
inches for common bluegrass,
fescues and ryegrasses had
merit when disease and
drought were common. Today
newer bluegrass can be mowed
less than one-inch when dis
ease has been avoided and den
sity is maintained. Southern
grasses, including bermuda
and zoysia, can be cut one
fourth to three-fourths inches
high. Such grasses have under
ground roots and can look rug
ged unless closely trimmed.
A rule of thumb is to cut your
grass before the length of clip
pings exceed the height of the
cut. For example, on two-inch
bluegrass, you would cut it
weekly or about 16 times per
year on' the average in the
Midwestern United States. If
in doubt, cut the grass a little
higher, more frequently and
with well-sharpened blades. A
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dull blade will rip, tear and
beat grass. Within limits,
higher mowing favors deeper
roots, gives mure drought tol
erance and generally permits
less weed infestation.
It’s not uncommon to have
thicker grass when healthy
grasses are cut close and often.
Many lawn specialists are re
writing lawn care rules tow
ard shorter cuttings because
of new grass varieties, auto
matic irrigation, fungicide pro
tection and special lawn pro
grams. Yet if disease or stress
occurs, the turf is more sub
ject to damage when cut short.
Nutrients Can Recycle
Experiments have proven
that repeated mowing can re
move up to 50 per cent of the
nutrients applied, especially
nitrogen. So if you use a lawn
bag to catch clippings you
should use additional fertilizer
to compensate for the loss of
nutrients. Otherwise, your
lawn could become weak and
less resistant to weeds or
disease.
If you leave grass clippings
in your lawn nutrients can re
cycle in place, but you also
run the risk of building up
thatch and increasing the dis
ease incidence.
Rotary mowers, especially
self-propelled machines, can
save you time in mowing your
lawn and also are economical,
adaptable and dependable. But
Gasoline Dangerous
for Starting Fires
There are many reasons for not
using gasoline to start barbecue
fires, cautions the Cooperative
Extension Service Farm and
Home Safety Committee of The
Pennsylvania State University.
Kerosene is safer although ex
treme care should be taken when
any liquid fire starter is used. On
hot days a liquid starter can
vaporize in the pit and explode
when lighted. Remember not to
add liquid fire starters to a
burning fire - this is also very
dangerous.
Watch Children
Playing in Water
Keep a sharp eye on children
playing in water. They can chase
wind-blown floating toys or wade
into perilous depths within
seconds, cautions the
Cooperative Extension Service
Farm and Home Safety Com
mittee of The Pennsylvania State
University.
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never leave your rotary mower
running unattended on your
lawn. Not only is it unsafe,
but the constant rotation of
the blade in one place can
damage the grass.
Adjusted and sharp reel
mowers can give a better
clipped leaf tip and an array of
of them are used by profes
sional turf managers on golf
courses and parks. However,
rotary mowers are a wise
choice for the average home
owner. Remember that grass
is a manufacturing plant and
its leaves produce carbohy
drates for other leaves, the
crowns and roots. Thus, you
must take care to avoid scalp
ing, disease or poor mowing
habits if you want a thick,
green lawn.
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