Sound mowing practices are some of the most important parts of lawn maintenance. The most important aspect of mowing that many home owners as well as for hire mowers often miss is mowing height. While there is no “perfect” height to mow your lawn, the perfect look all too often is far from the perfect practice for your grass. I recommend mowing at a height of 3″. I believe this maintains a manicured look while still allowing for grass to deal with the stresses of heat and drought. Mowing at the 1/2″ golf course look creates a high maintenance situation and unless you are prepared to water and treat your lawn with the same effort a golf course does, RAISE THOSE BLADES. Always be sure that the mower blades are sharp. Blades can be sharpened and even replaced at a fairly low cost and a clean cut is much healthier for your grass than a jagged, dull cut which allows harmful pathogens the enter the grass blades with greater ease. Also, always leave your grass clippings. If the grass is being mowed on a regular basis and the proper height, there will not be big clumps of grass sitting on your lawn. Leaving clippings recycles nutrients back into the soil which is worth it since we spend so much time, money and effort on fertilizing. If clumps do develop, simply rake them out or remove those clippings and adjust your mowing practices to ensure that the clippings left are not clumping which means raising your mower deck and/or mowing more often. Remember whenever and however you mow, always wear hearing protection and never run a weed whacker without eye protection. With that said, get out there and enjoy the warm weather and enjoy your lawn!

Everyone knows that lawns need water especially in the warmer and drier months of the year. What many don’t know is exactly HOW they should water. The first advice I can give is to water early in the day. Passengers in my vehicle can attest to my disdain whenever I see a sprinkler at full blast spraying water at noon on a mid summer day as the temperature is about 90 with full sun. It’s far more effective and environmentally conscious to water early in the morning before the heat and sun evaporates a lot of the water you are putting on your lawn. We won’t even go into my disdain for sprinkler systems that run in the middle of a rain storm. Just an FYI, there are products available to add to sprinkler systems so that they do not go on if it’s raining. The next piece of advice I will give for watering is to water deeply. This means watering for about 20-30 minutes on an area when watering. An easy way to know when you have watered enough is to use an empty tuna can. When that can is full, you have watered enough in an area. If you are watering this much each time on an established lawn, you should be able to get away with watering every other day or even every two days if your lawn is not in full sun in the summer. Lastly I will offer advice on mowing during the summer which directly affects the need for watering. Mow at 2-4″ I even tell people to “mow as high as you can stand it”. This is no time to be looking for that fairway looking lawn, leave that up to the golf courses. A thicker cut lawn will not need as much water and will be able to compete with the weeds that love to steal precious water and nutrients in your lawn, and not to mention look fairly unpleasant in the process. Enjoy your summer while it lasts for it won’t be long before fall is upon us.

It’s now time for the fun and work to begin! We will be starting lawn applications the first week of April. Now is the time to call for your free no obligation estimate on lawn care or tree fertilization. Spring is an especially  good time to fertilize your evergreen trees and shrubs around your home!

Call Shawn Smith at 413-777-5087

When you prepay for your lawn care program you will get a 10% discount off the entire plan! That’s a great way to budget your money and be sure that your lawn will be looking great for the upcoming season. Give Shawn a call today to schedule a free estimate. (413) 777-5087

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