In my previous blog I told you that we (residents of the Midwest) are smack in the middle of a horrendous heat wave. With each passing day our lawns get crispier and crispier. The blades of grass in my front lawn look like deep-fried potato sticks. I don’t even want to venture out of my air-conditioned haven to get my mail, so you can imagine what I was thinking when I saw my shirtless neighbor mowing his lawn last night.
Had the heat compromised his better judgement? Should you even be mowing your lawn during a drought? I wasn’t sure about either question. I did a little research and found out some interesting information about the latter. Apparently, the way you mow your lawn can have a big impact on how it appears, fights disease and stands up to the droughts of summer.
Here are a few basic rules to keep in mind before you fire up the mower:
Mowing Height–Mowing height is vital to a healthy lawn. Blue grass is the most popular grass here in the Midwest, and it prefers to be mowed quite high. In spring and fall lawn care experts recommend you set your mower height to no less than 2.5 inches. When the heat of summer arrives raise the mowing height to 3 –3.5 inches. The taller the grass, the deeper the roots, which help create a drought tolerant lawn. Also, taller mowing heights will help to shade out weeds, which translates into you having to use less chemical herbicides.
Mowing Frequency: How often you mow should not be based on the day of the week. Experts say you should tackle your lawn when no more than 1/3 of the grass blade will be removed by the mowing. For example, a lawn which is mowed to a height of 3 inches should be mowed when it has reached a height of 4.45”. This may mean that you are mowing every 3 to 4 days in the moist cool days of spring and perhaps once every 10 days during the hot, dry days of summer.
Direction: Lawn care specialists recommend changing the direction of your mowing frequently. One week mow in a north to south direction, the next week mow east to west, follow that by mowing a diagonal pattern, and so on. This will help to limit soil compaction and make sure the grass is actually being cut instead of simply being laid down underneath the mower blade.
Mower Blades: It is critical that your mower blades are sharp and balanced. To achieve this you should examine and care for your mower blades at least once a year. If you have a large yard or mow an area where hidden objects regularly dull or nick the blades, you may need to change the blades multiple times throughout the year.