Lawn Mowing – The Key to Having a Stupendous Lawn

Now that summer is approaching in the southern hemisphere, those of us in dry climates lucky enough to own a lawn, should be beginning the regular mowing regime which may take us through into the onset of winter.

The commonest lawn grasses in hot dry climates are evergreens like the Bermuda grasses, Cynodon, Zoysia varieties, Kikuya grass ( Pennisetum ), or St. Augustine grass, ( Stenotaphrum secundatum ). With the exception of the latter, these grasses should have been de-thatched sometime in the spring. This can be done either by mechanical scarifying, or by shaving to the ground. This extraordinary treatment mustn’t ever be carried out on grasses like St.Augustine, that spread by stolons, but only, like the species discussed, on grasses that develop rhizomes.

After the grass has come back – a process that will take anything up to a month, we start our regular mowing. Regular means regular! Not when we want to it, not when the grass is a foot high, but as a regular activity. Aside from watering, regular mowing at the right height is probably the most vital factor determining the quality of the lawn.

At what height should the blade be set? The height of the blade is set by one simple rule – the grass should be as green after mowing as it was beforehand! No more than 40% of leaf length should be removed at anybody mowing. Never scalp the turf from this time on till next spring’s de-thatching. You can decide the right height by mowing a small swathe of grass with the blade set high, then go back, lowering the blade’s height until as discussed some 40% of the leaf is cut. This 40% does not include the stems, on which the leaves are attached, but only the leaves themselves.

So how frequently should you mow the grass? The answer is – it depends. As we’ve established the fact that not so much leaf should be removed at one shot, it follows the longer the longer the interval between mowings the longer the and the more leaf is going to be, and therefore the more leaf is likely removed. So don’t let the grass get so long that this situation arises. If the lawn is growing well – a function of many factors like satisfactory moisture, nutriment levels, and well aerated soil, then you need to mow once per week at the least. Each 4 or 5 days could be better. Did you know the the Greens on golf courses are customarily mowed a couple of times a day?

What we need to remember is that the plant’s photosynthesizing organ, is its source of energy. Consistent removing of OTT amounts of leaf during the plant’s most active growing season, decreases the potential energy ready to the plant, when it most wants it. Also, scalping the grass, which occurs when the blade is too low, or when the grass is too high, exposes the stems to direct sunlight which can often cause direct damage to the grass.

As a final thought. The more healthy the grass the more hardy it is to pests and sicknesses. Inversely , as the grass weakens, often as a result of a consistently poor mowing regime, the more exposed it becomes to pathogens, and the more weed species may be able to create themselves, thereby further weakening the lawn.
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