What a hot and humid start this year! As we begin to adjust to the warmer weather and these high humidity levels, we wanted to remind you about the importance of caring for your lawn mower as it can have a substantial impact on the health of your lawn.
What exactly does your lawn experience when performing your weekly mow? The answer to that question is mechanical stress. As the mower makes its way around the lawn, the grass is being rolled over and cut with blades spinning quite quickly that sever the tips of each piece of grass. Immediately after it has been cut, the plant will begin to work at repairing these open cuts so that it isn’t left as vulnerable to its surrounding environment. Now that we are entering a new season with warmer temperatures, the lawn is naturally already under some newly presented heat stress. That being said, when we proceed to mow each week, we want to do our best to keep the additional amount of stress we are causing to a minimum.
Keeping your mower blades sharp will ensure a clean and easy cut is made, and reduce the amount of tearing or ripping that could result from dull blades. You will also want to refrain from cutting the lawn if it is wet, and also avoid mowing in the evening hours. The primary reason for this is that we want to avoid creating an opportunity just before evening darkness in periods of high humidity for turf diseases to have easy access to the plant tissue. We want to ensure the lawn is given ample time during the daylight hours to close its new wounds to promote a faster recovery. Another way to keep your mechanical stress to a minimum is to never cut shorter than 2.5-3 inches. This tip is extremely important when you reach the edges of your lawn during your mow as well. Surfaces such as asphalt, concrete, or gravel have the ability to absorb significant heat which can radiate through the nearby lawn causing it to go dormant or diminish in some areas.
Cutting high will result in more shade coverage and cooler temperatures for the soil beneath, creating a more favourable environment for healthy greener lawns throughout these warmer seasons. Combining proper mowing practises with a proper watering schedule of 1-2x per week providing 1 inch of water each time with even coverage will all aid in promoting healthier greener lawns, especially as we approach mid summer.
Curious to learn more about how best to maintain your lawn throughout the year? You can visit our website below or contact one of our team members at the office.
