Tips For Mowing And Building Green Grass
What makes green grass, you ask? I can tell you there is more to a beautiful property than just mowing the lawn.
It’s a bit of love and a bit of preventative maintenance that will bring out the greener grass that you crave all summer long.
Last week’s post talked about common problems that you may see in your lawn, and as promised, I will talk about a few more this week.
Spring lawn tips are great but maintaining your lawn all summer long takes time and money, so get ready to put some effort into your property.
Let’s talk about all of the ways we can keep your lawn looking lush and beautiful.
We will also discuss some of the mistakes you may be making that kill your lawn or prevent its best look.
Lawn Maintenance Is More Than Mowing
What is lawn maintenance?
Lawn maintenance is simply a term used to maintaining your outside property to bring the best out of your lawn and garden.
Growing grass seems like an art, and in a way, it is because there are property services out there that specialize in growing grass and are good at it.
You can do the same if you do your research and take pride in your property, knowing that just mowing the lawn is not all it takes.
While trying to maintain healthy, luscious green grass, many obstacles may get it in your way when caring for your property, some being easier to overcome than others.
Some lawn problems are easy to prevent, and some may affect the appearance of your grass, causing little or no lasting damage to your grass.
Mowing Following City By-Laws
Just about everyone who owns property with grass will be mowing the lawn all summer long.
It’s part of owning a home that you have to take on to keep your property looking good and up to standards for your city.
If you don’t plan on just mowing your lawn or hate property maintenance, you could always call in for backup as there are plenty of people who are willing to mow your lawn for a fee.
If you are particular about how your lawn is done, do it yourself or hire professionals property services because door-to-door kids who want to make a few bucks likely aren’t professionals.
Just mowing the lawn is pretty simple but doing it right is another story.
Over-Watering Your Lawn
After mowing the lawn, most people like to give their lawn something to drink, but too much of a good thing is never good.
While water is a growth requirement for most plant species, too much water can be more harmful to your lawn than not watering at all.
As I mentioned in my earlier post, one inch of water once per week is typically enough to maintain a healthy lawn and keep your property looking top-notch.
Your municipal bylaws may allow you to water your lawn every other day, but this is often a lot more water than your grass will use.
Over-watering will fill all the soil’s porous spaces with water, blocking oxygen from the roots.
Roots deprived of oxygen will essentially drown, and your lawn overall will have a shallow root system.
I was taught never to give any plant water faster than the soil can absorb it.
When watering your lawn, if you notice that the water is starting to pool on the soil surface, your lawn likely has been overwatered, and it’s time to turn off the hose.
Allow the grass to dry out before giving another thorough watering.
Overwatering is harmful to your lawn and a waste of our resources.
Any fertilizer applied to your lawn will be ineffective as it is likely to get washed away before making it to the roots.
Since this fertilizer is being washed away, you are most likely going to fertilize again, which you wouldn’t have to do if you had given your lawn just enough water instead of too much.
Newly seeded or sodded lawns will only require daily watering until they have established a strong root system.
Mowing During Lawn Dormancy
During the hot summer months, you may be noticed your property started to look a little brown.
In Ontario, we typically see this in July and August as the grass cannot get the water it needs.
You may find that just mowing the lawn isn’t going to cut it, you aren’t moving as much, or you give up completely because the lawn isn’t as green as it could be.
If you have a strong, established lawn, allowing it to go dormant is essentially letting the grass have a rest during the hottest summer months.
Allowing your lawn to go dormant can save you money on your water bill but keep in mind it will put some stress on your lawn.
The grass may appear to be dead, but in fact, it isn’t; it will turn brown but will green up and grow new leaves when it is watered again.
Timing a fertilizer application with the fall rains will help kick-start the reappearance of a healthy green lawn.
As your lawn comes out of dormancy, it is a good time to look for any weak areas in your lawn where you can oversee and take advantage of the fall rains for watering.
Dormant periods require mowing the lawn less often, as I mentioned above, although allowing dormancy to occur can contribute to more thatch building up in your lawn, so be prepared to do some raking.
While a dormant lawn may save you some time and, in some places, unavoidable, be prepared for some extra work that may be required to green it up again.
Newly seeded or sodded lawns should not be allowed to go dormant as they will not have established a strong enough root system to withstand the stress.
Check with your municipality because while watering bans are enforced in many cities and towns, you can usually get a special watering permit after putting down a new lawn, whether it is sod or grass seed.
This permit should allow you to water your lawn as required to keep it from going dormant.
Rust On Your Lawn
Have you ever walked around your property and found your shoes covered in an orange or yellowish powder? This is rust.
Rust will be seen more often than not during the hot summer months, making dormant periods perfect for rust to settle.
A well-fertilized, well-watered lawn will be more resistant to rust though setting your lawnmower blades too low and cutting the grass too short can make your lawn susceptible to rust.
While rust is pretty easy to recognize, and in most cases, it is unlikely to kill your grass, it is a stress for your grass and may increase its susceptibility to other pests and diseases.
Rust is a fungus, so a fungicide can be used if your lawn is heavily covered though in most cases, it is unnecessary.
If your lawn is not dormant and you are experiencing rust, a fertilizer application and a thorough watering may be beneficial.
Although, If it is dormant and not actively growing, then the fertilizer would just be wasted.
Collecting your grass clippings after just mowing the lawn when rust is present instead of mulching them on the lawn will help slow down the fungal spores’ spread.
Washing off your lawn mower’s blades and deck can also help slow the spread of rust throughout your lawn.
Scalping Your Lawn During Mowing
If you notice patches of discolouration on your lawn, it could be possible that it is mechanical damage.
However, If the blades on your lawnmower are uneven or have some high spots on your lawn, you may find that your grass is being scalped.
Have you ever dropped one of the wheels of your lawn over the edge of a flower only to see more dirt than grass left behind?
Scalping will often cut your grass so short that it may kill it.
Protecting your lawn from scalping can be as easy as sharpening and lifting the height of the mower blades or levelling out ruts and high spots.
If you have eliminated your lawnmower as being the culprit, it is possible that you have an excess buildup of thatch in your lawn, and it may be time for power raking and/or aerating.
Again, just mowing the lawn is only one part of the process.
Scalped areas are slow to grow back, so while it may be tempting to fertilize these areas, it is best to wait until the area has recovered completely.
Nitrogen is more likely to burn the area and offer no benefit.
An area that has been scalped can be raked out to remove any thatch and top-dressed with a layer of topsoil and grass seed.
As mentioned, your best defence against having any problems with your lawn is to maintain a thick, well-fed, healthy lawn.
While fertilizer may seem expensive, having a healthy, luscious lawn that can crowd out weeds may save you some money to fix some of these problems later.
Maintaining a healthy lawn sounds like a lot more work than it really is but less work than fixing lawn issues.
There’s an old saying that fits this scenario very well, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Discussion: What problems have you faced with your lawn while maintaining your property?
Leave your comments, tips and advice below in the comment section.
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Mr.CBB
“…found your shoes covered in an orange or yellowish powder?” Haha…where I live we call this dirt. Love working in the Georgia red clay.
Nice article Katrina!! We do let our grass go dormant in the summer and stop cutting it if we are in for a dry spell. Given what we have to pay for water here the lawn doesn’t get watered. I do look for drought tolerant seed mixes when we over seed and get the most drought tolerant I can. Once the front is dry enough I’ll get the rake and give it a good raking. I do this every other year or so. Our biggest problem is always those dandelions!!! I can’t stand the smell of the weed killers so I try to not use them and haven’t for a number of years now. Hubby goes out and pulls what he can and that is about it.