Mowing : The Secret to a Great Looking Lawn

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.

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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.