Lawn Mowing - The Key to Having a Excellent Lawn
Now that summer is approaching in the southern hemisphere, those among us in dry climates lucky sufficient to possess a lawn, should be starting the regular mowing regime that may take us thru into the onset of winter.
The commonest lawn grasses in hot dry climates are evergreens like the Bermuda grasses, Cynodon, Zoysia varieties, Kikuya grass (Pennisetum), or St. Augustine grass, ( Stenotaphrum secundatum ). With the exception of the latter, these grasses should have been de-thatched sometime in the spring. This can be done either by mechanical scarifying, or by shaving to the ground. This extreme treatment must not be carried out on grasses like St.Augustine, that spread by stolons, but only, like the species mentioned, on grasses that develop rhizomes.
After the grass has come back - a technique that may take anything up to a month, we start our regular mowing. Regular means regular! Not when we would like it, not when the grass is a foot high, but as a regular activity. Aside from watering, regular mowing at the correct height is doubtless the most important factor determining the quality of the lawn.
At what height should the blade be set? The height of the blade is set by one easy rule - the grass should be as green after mowing as it was beforehand! No more than 40% of leaf length should be removed at anybody mowing. Never scalp the lawn from this point on until next spring’s de-thatching. You can decide the right height by mowing a little swathe of grass with the blade set high, then go back, lowering the blade’s height until as mentioned some 40% of the leaf is cut. This 40% does not include the stems, on which the leaves are attached, but only the leaves themselves.
So how regularly should you mow the grass? The answer is - it depends. As we’ve established the fact that not too much leaf should be removed at single shot, it follows that the longer the interval between mowings the longer the and the more leaf is going to be, and therefore the more leaf let the grass get So don’t let the grass get so long this situation arises. If the lawn is growing well - a function of many factors like sufficient moisture, nutriment levels, and well aerated soil, then you need to mow once every week at the least. Each 4 or five days could be better. Did you know that the Greens on golfing courses are usually mowed a day?
What we need to remember is the leaf, as the plant’s photosynthesizing organ, is its source of energy. Consistent removing of excessive amounts of leaf in the plant’s most active growing season, reduces the potential energy available to the plant, when it most wishes it. Also, scalping the grass, which occurs when the blade is too low, or when the grass is too high, exposes the stems to direct sunlight which can regularly cause direct damage to the grass.
As a final thought. The more healthy the grass the more hardy it is to pests and illnesses. Inversely , as the grass weakens, often as a consequence of a doggedly poor mowing regime, the more vulnerable it becomes to pathogens, and the more weed species may be able to build themselves, thereby further weakening the lawn.
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