Lawn Care Tips
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Is there a right and wrong time to mow the lawn?
There really is not a right or wrong time to mow grass. If the facility has lights, turf can be mowed even at night.
It is a good idea to raise the height of the cut and allow the grass to grow a little higher than normal during times of draught.
The cutting height should also be raised if the grass is recovering from disease, insect or other types of damage.
To ensure good cutting quality, grass should not be mowed when it is wet!
What is the rule of thumb for the grass height before it should be mowed?
The general rule is that no more than one third of the grass blade should be removed at any one mowing while mulching.
If you are going to cut longer grass, use a bag to avoid clumps. Clumps of grass look bad, and will kill the lawn!
Cutting the tips off the grass blades will go into the soil faster to create a greener lawn.
Is there a right or wrong way to mow the lawn? What are the tips?
The one-third rule mentioned above is the most important.
If possible, try to change the mowing pattern at each mowing. In other words, try to alternate the direction of travel each time the grass is mowed. This helps to reduce compaction problems and also helps to keep the grass from leaning or growing in one direction.
What is the recommended mower cutting height setting?
For most lawns in the Comox Valley, 2 1/2 inches is the ideal height.
As we come towards summer, it can be good to raise the blade to 3 inches to give the lawn a longer life.
It is not good to cut a lawn to short because it will effect its health, and may develop weeds, and disease.
Lawn Mower Maintenance
A poorly maintained mower can affect the health and appearance of the lawn area. Dull cutting blades will tend to tear the leaf tissue rather than cutting the grass cleanly. The frayed ends of the leaf turn brown and give the lawn an overall brown or tan color for several days after mowing.
How can I control weeds with mowing?
The best weed control is a thick healthy lawn.
Proper mowing is an important part of maintaining a healthy lawn area. Height of cut can influence weed invasion. A thick or dense turf that is mowed on a higher setting will choke out weeds
The best weed control is to do the things (i.e. proper mowing, fertilization, irrigation, pest control, etc.) necessary to ensure a thick and healthy turf area.
How fast does grass grow?
This depends on many factors: the type of grass, the amount and type of fertilizer applied, how much or how little the grass is watered, soil type, sun or shade, etc.
There are significant differences in growth rates among lawns. There are some Bermuda grasses that can grow an inch or more in a single day. In fact, there is a report of a Bermuda grass used for forage that grows up to 4 inches in one day!
On the other extreme, zoysia has an extremely slow growth rate that might not even exceed an inch in a week. There are grasses with growth rates between these two extremes.
What are the pros and cons of laying sod versus sowing grass seed?
Sod provides instant lawn. The primary disadvantage of sod is cost. Also, there are some types of turf that are not available as sod. In addition, there is a limited number of species and varieties available as sod. Seed is inexpensive, but the length of time needed for obtaining an established lawn can be extensive for some lawns. One advantage of seed is the greater selection of species and varieties.
There are several factors to consider when selecting a turf variety for a particular site. They include:
Use of the area: for example, is it a high traffic or low traffic area?
Maintenance requirements: certain turf require more maintenance and a greater budget than others, as well as a greater level of expertise.
Environmental conditions: does the site call for a cool season or warm season turf? What is the annual rainfall? Will irrigation be necessary? Is the site shaded or in full sun?
Soil factors: what is the pH of the soil? Is it a fertile soil or will it require considerable supplemental fertilization? Does it have good moisture holding capacity?
Expected level of quality: if a high level of quality is expected, certain turf should not be considered.
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mikeslawns.org 
awesome advice !!
Comment by catrionarichardson January 14, 2016 @ 2:10 amI want to get my lawn to look better. I didn’t know that it is a good idea to mow your lawn in different patterns every time you do it. I will make sure to keep this in mind whenever I have time to mow or that whomever does it for me knows this as well.
Comment by john Mahoney November 29, 2016 @ 12:06 am