#1 Mow High! – Mowing your lawn at a taller height is the single most important rule you can follow when caring for your lawn. There is a one-to-one relationship between the height of your grass and the root depth. This means if you are mowing your lawn at 2 inches, below you will have 2 inches of roots. Mowing at 3 inches will give you 3 inches of roots…you get the point. Turf that is mowed high is much more capable of defending itself against weeds, drought stress, and other uninvited pests and diseases. If there is one thing you can to do to help your lawn, it is mow as high as you can stand it! We suggest at least 3 inches, but if you are willing to go higher, your grass will thank you!
#2 The 1/3 Rule– When mowing your lawn, never remove more than 1/3 the height of the blade in one mowing. When you take off too much of the grass plant, it is shocked and requires time to recover. Your lawn will have a difficult time thriving and will look stressed.
#3 Mulch Your Clippings– When you remove clippings from your lawn, you are removing up to 1/3 of the nitrogen you are paying us to apply. You also fill up the landfills with valuable organic matter and waste fuel to transport it there.
#4 Regulate Water Intake– The rule of thumb is 1” per week. Some prefer to deep water once or twice a week. People with irrigation systems generally water every other day for 15 minutes. Both lawns will look good and both will have adequate root development. The optimum time to water the lawn is early morning between 5am and 8am. This will allow the top growth to dry reasonably quickly and reduce the risk of disease. Watering during the heat of the day can also be good because it reduces the temperature of the lawn, reducing stress and helping with some diseases. However, mid-day watering is less efficient as some of your water will evaporate and some communities regulate what times watering can be done. Note: Well watered turf in July and August is more attractive to grubs, so keep an eye out for loose turf, animal digging, and brown spots-these are all signs of grubs.
#5 Sharp Mower Blades- Dull mower blades tear the grass plant, leaving it ragged. This means a less attractive lawn because the tip of each blade will brown, giving the turf a brown appearance. More importantly, it causes the blade to lose more moisture and also makes it more susceptible to disease.
#6 Core Aeration- Aerating your lawn every fall promotes root development, reduces compaction, improves the ability of the soil to hold moisture, and reduces thatch. All of these result in less turf stress and improved turf health.
The “Mow High Guys ™” of Emerald Lawn Care are trying to ensure that you have the healthiest, most beautiful lawn possible. If we can accomplish this using less fertilizer and weed control, we will have done our part to help protect the environment and we will have happier customers. Follow the steps above, give it a little time, and you will notice an improvement in your lawn. We care about doing it right! For more information go to our website.