Mowing : The Secret to a Great Looking Lawn

4/4/2014

Most people think of the secret to a great looking lawn, they think fertilizing, watering, aerating, and weeding. The most overlooked step is mowing. While many people think of mowing as just keeping their grass at a certain height, there are far more benefits to lawn mowing.

Lawn Mowing Guide

Walk the area you are about to cut. Remove all branches, sticks, toys, and trash that you do not want to make it in to the wrong side of your mower.

Do not cut off more than one third of your grass at a time. If you've let your grass grow for too long a period, bring it back down to the correct height over a few cuts. Do not rush it. When grass is cut too short, it stresses the grass and provides more sunlight the competition (read WEEDS).

The next most important step is how often to cut the grass? Once you know the cutting frequency, try to stick with it. If the it seems like the grass you have should be cut more than you want to cut it, think about selecting a new grass type for your lawn (WARNING: Expensive!).

Identify your grass type. There are a few select regularly grown grass types in southern Louisiana: Centipede grass, St. Augustine grass, Bermudagrass, and Zoysia.

Centipede grass should be cut every 7 to 10 days at a height of two inches.
St. Augustine grass should be cut at least every 7 days at a height of three inches.
Bermudagrass should be cut twice a week at a height of one and a half inches for common and one inch for hybrid varieties.
Zoysia should be cut once a week at a height between one inch and one and a half inches.

Do not cut wet grass if possible. The mower makes a poor cut on wet grass. The grass tears instead of getting a clean cut. Plus there are tire tracks.

Keep Your Mower in Great Condition

Sharp blades make a big difference. An average homeowner should have their blades sharpened or replaced at least once a year, preferably in spring. Mowers with a lot of use should get their blades sharpened again halfway through the year.

Keep the area underneath your mower near the blades clean and free from debris. It can slow down your blades or it could detach and hurl out.

Change the oil in your mower according to the owners manual. At the very least, change the oil each spring. Drain the remaining gas in your mower when the grass stops growing in winter.

Professional Lawn Mowing Service

It's time to enjoy your weekends again! GreenSeasons is a professional mowing company servicing the greater Baton Rouge, greater New Orleans, Slidell, Prairieville, Walker, Denham Springs, Gonzales, Baker, Zachary, Hammond and Covington areas. If you want to enjoy your weekends again, just click here for a free quote and we will give you a call.

If you would simply like some advice on mowing, please contact us and we will be excited to help.

2 Comments

Tips for mowing your lawn

5/10/2013

2 Comments

Almost everyone has cut the grass at one point or another. The general idea of it is beyond simple. Grass gets too tall, use a mower to cut it shorter. Couldn't be easier right? Then why are there some lawns that look so much better after a cut? You weed, fertilize and water your lawn. The secret is in the cut.

how to mow your lawn

Remove no more than one-third of the total height of the grass in any one cut. Doing so will damage your grass.
Recycle clippings back into your lawn. Removing clipings will remove nutrients from the soil and will lead to you fertilizing more often, which is unnecessary. Mowers with a mulching deck do a great job at this while leaving your lawn looking great.
Change the direction you cut your lawn each cut. Doing so reduces the chance
of creating ruts or divits in your lawn. It also looks
good.
Keep a sharp blade. Sharpening your mower blade or replacing it with a new
one will give a better looking cut and the cut will be cleaner. A dull blade
will leave your grass with brown tips. If you see a lot of brown tips, its time
to sharpen your blade. Grass has a lower risk of disease when cut with a sharp
blade. At the very least, replace or sharpen your blade each spring. If you have
more than an acre of grass, do so more often.
If you have inflateable tires on your mower, check the PSI. If the pressure
is off, your mower can scalp the grass more easily, especially on
turns.
The proper height to cut your lawn is based on what type of grass you
have.

Grass Type
Bermudagrass, Common
Bermudagrass, Hybrid
Centipede
Rye
St. Augustine, Common
St. Augustine, Improved
Zoysiagrass

Mowing Height
1.0"
0.5"
2.25"
2.0"
4.0"
3.0"
1.5"

Frequency (in days)
4
3
7-14
7
5-7
5-7
7-10

Mower Type
Reel
Reel
Rotary
Rotary
Rotary
Rotary
Reel

2 Comments

How to change the oil in a lawnmower

4/19/2013

0 Comments

We put together a quick video on how to change the oil in a lawnmower. It is pretty simple, but a lot of people don't really know how to change the oil on your average push mower. Follow the instructions for you particular brand of mower, but the rule of thumb is to change the oil after 30 hours of use. Let me know any questions you have in the comments section.

mower oil change video

0 Comments

Mowing : The Secret to a Great Looking Lawn

Lawn Mowing Guide

Keep Your Mower in Great Condition

Professional Lawn Mowing Service

Tips for mowing your lawn

how to mow your lawn

How to change the oil in a lawnmower

mower oil change video

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