File0790Keep ‘em sharp.  It is important to cut grass with a sharp set of lawn mower blades.  This assures a neat and clean cut.  Dull blades tear at grass, giving it a frayed look and making it more prone to disease.  Our mower blades are sharpened daily at our shop before they go out to cut our customers’ lawn.

No crew cuts here!  There are a variety of grasses in this region that can make up a lawn.  Each grass has a recommended mowing height for best conditioning.  Overall the recommended mowing height for a healthy lawn is 2 ½  – 3 inches.  It is important to never cut more than a third of a blade’s full height.  When grass is cut too short it becomes weakened.  Because the plant (grass) has less surface area taking in light, the roots may stop spreading, therefore making food less available to the plant.  A taller stand of grass will look thicker and help shade out weed seeds.

Back to Earth – What is Thatching?  A common misconception is that grass clippings contribute to thatch.  Thatch is the accumulation of dead, partially decomposed grass stems and roots.  This is the result of excessive fertilizing and/or watering.  When a lawn is overfed it grows unnaturally fast, therefore causing grass roots to cluster at the surface and die out.  This thick layer of thatch also prevents water from reaching the soil.  Instead it remains atop, holding moisture near the plant, therefore encouraging disease and pest problems.  One way to counter thatch build up is to dethatch in the spring. The dead thatch can be added to your compost pile or hauled away.  Speaking of compost, if you happen to have some mature compost hanging around, a thin layer( 3/8 of an inch) can be spread over your lawn.  This compost, full of nutrients, will also release millions of active microbes that will do the work for you by breaking down the thatch naturally.