3 Mistakes to Avoid When Mowing Your Lawn

Even though we are a professional lawn care company, we know not everyone utilizes our services, but everyone still has property to maintain. Every landscape from commercial to residential needs lawn care and this can involve a lot of different services, especially if you choose to DIY. Our goal is to educate the local community about this process, as we care about the beauty of our local area, and love seeing so many well-kept properties. Today we will be keeping it simple, with one of the most basic yet vital lawn care services. All lawns must be mowed, and in an ideal world, they would be mowed correctly. However, we know we have all seen a poorly cut yard, whether it be too short, or unkempt. In order to better mow your lawn, here are three costly mistakes when mowing your lawn to avoid.

Cutting Turf too Short: Recipe for Disaster

Many people cut their turf too short under the assumption that this will result in them needing to mow their lawn less. While this is true, the gained time is not worth the damage to your lawn. There is a reason the consensus recommendation is to cut no more than ⅓ of the blade at a time, as any shorter forces your turf to go into overdrive to try and grow back. This means your turf needs more nutrients, more water, and more intensive care to sustain growth. Generally speaking, cutting too short puts unnecessary stress on your turf, which in the worst of cases can lead to browning and decay. In essence, you are injuring your own turf. Conversely, increasing your mowing heights can have positive effects on long-term growth, creating deepened root systems, and drought tolerance. Although it may sound too simple, cutting your turf taller can have lasting positive effects on your lawn.

Cutting Turf When Wet

Our second lawn mowing mistake is all too common. Cutting turf when wet is a recipe for an inconsistent cut. WIth moisture lathered across the blades of your turf, the blade of your mower will sometimes slide across the blade of grass, rather than cutting it. This can lead to little patches of overgrown turf, and a need to go back for more. The other issue is that cutting turf always leaves clippings, and wet clippings can be a breeding ground for disease. Many fungal diseases thrive in moisture-ridden areas, and cutting wet grass can also be unsafe. For the best results, wait until the turf is dried to cut.

Mowing with Dull Blades

In terms of purely aesthetic mistakes, mowing your turf with a dull mower blade is up there. Making sure the blade on your mower is sharpened is a great way to ensure a clean-cut, rather than a patchy one. Keeping your equipment in good shape is a landscaping best practice, and this is no different for the DIY landscaper. Rather than wait, take the time today to go check the condition of your blades, and take care of what needs to be done.

 

Your landscaping is the first thing noticed by your visitors, friends, and customers. Let OakLawn Landscaping ensure that your first impressions are top notch and have your guests in awe before they even reach the door. To avoid more mistakes when mowing your lawn visit our website, or contact us today at (301) 854-0684 for any of your landscaping needs, commercial or residential.