Keeping your lawn healthy and happy can actually be a strenuous task if you aren’t familiar with the necessary tips on how to care for it. Although mowing grass seems like a simple task there are actually certain factors you should consider before taking the lawn mower out. Knowing what type of grass, you have and how it should be cut is an integral step in mowing it as well as the times of year that you should cut your lawn.
Here are some helpful tips to mowing your Memphis, Tennessee lawn:
Types of Lawn Mowers
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Believe it or not, there are certain lawn mowers that should be used on particular types and sizes of grasses. Ride on mowers should only be used if you have acres of property to mow, otherwise, a push mower is just fine. For example, Bermuda Grass isn’t ideal for a Reel Mower, but more a traditional Rotary Mower. A Reel Mower would be better for a smoother, lighter grass, but they are more expensive. An advantage to having a Reel Mower is that because of its “old school” features it actually is environmentally friendly and doesn’t make a lot of noise so your neighbors won’t mind either.
Recommend Lawn Mowing Heights
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Below is a list of the recommended heights that your grass should be mowed depending on the type of grass. These are the most popular types of grass in the Memphis, Tennessee region.
Zoysia: Zoysia should be cut at about one to one and a half inches to keep it healthy. At the start of spring, however, you should cut the Zoysia at one inch and then raise afterward when summer starts to roll in. If your Zoysia Grass is in the shade then you might want to keep the grass cut at about two inches to keep it healthy.
Bermuda: The ideal height for Bermuda Grass is one and a half inches long throughout the prime growing season. When spring begins and you make your first cut of the season you’ll want to make sure that the “dead ends” from the winter dormancy are cut and new growth can begin. Bermuda clippings can also stay on the grass with no anticipated damage coming from doing so.
Centipede: If you have Centipede Grass, it is vital that you keep the lawn at the same consistent height because unlike other grasses, the Centipede is more likely to get a disease or other issues if constantly cut at the incorrect height because the new roots which have grown higher will be cut and will cause damage. Mowing once a week at the one-and-a-half-inch mark is ideal for a lawn with Centipede grass.
Fescue: Fescue Grass by no means should be cut more than once a week and no higher than two inches high each time. When the colder weather arrives, you can actually continue to cut Fescue Grass every once a week until the freezing 32°F mark.
Bluegrass: Bluegrass, in particular, Kentucky Bluegrass is considered a “cool temperature” grass and out of all types of grass will grow the most during colder weather. With a Bluegrass variety, the height can range anywhere from one to four inches with the recommendation being toward the longer lengths just so it stays thick and healthy, but not long enough to attract insects or diseases.
Additional Lawn Mowing Tips
• Keep your mower blades sharp, to do so they should be sharpened at least once in the past year depending on use. If your blade is dull then the ends of your grass will be jagged and not a crisp cut which could actually make the grass more susceptible to many types of diseases and other issues.
• Always check to make sure that your lawn mower is set to the correct height at which you want your grass mowed. Sometimes front and back wheels have different settings so assuring that they are all even is necessary.
• Some people believe that bagging the clippings is necessary, but actually, if you leave the clippings on the grass it will give the lawn necessary nutrients to thrive.
• If you are still unsure as to how tall your grass should be after the cutting, then the rule of thumb to remember is to cut no more than 1/3 of the initial blade of grass.
Still have questions about lawn care? Visit our lawn care Memphis, TN page for more details and information.
Top Photo: Zillow.com
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