If having a gorgeous landscape is part of your summer planning, you probably have a functional lawn mower. If it runs well, and you sharpen the blade periodically, you probably think it is sufficient. But lawn mowers can ruin your lawn if you don’t use it properly.
If you look under the deck of your lawn mower after mowing your lawn, you’ll see a mess of cut greens. If you’ve mowed a weedy area, you’ll see chunks of those weeds (with their seeds) all over. This is how your mower becomes a weed spreader. If you mow different lawns or have a back lawn that is weed infested, make sure you rinse your mower. Don’t let weedy areas contaminate pristine turf!
There are many benefits to mulching grass clipping versus bagging them, but that is only if the clippings are less than one inch long. Longer clippings will mat over the surface of your lawn. This will also create a lot of thatch. Both of these things can cause mold, rust, and moist conditions that welcome disease. If you don’t mow often, bag your clippings.
Ragged blades of grass lose moisture, increase opportunity for disease, and have a poor appearance. You cannot have a lush, green yard with ragged blades. Ragged blades are caused by dull lawn mower blades, infrequent mowing, or a lawn mower that doesn’t have enough power.
You may have heard of scalping a lawn, but most lawn care specialists advise against it. The blade of the grass is responsible for photosynthesis, and your lawn cannot get nutrients without photosynthesis. Therefore, if you mow too short, you may end up with a dead lawn.
Mowing a wet lawn may not ruin it, but your lawn mower will not perform best on wet grass. Grass will clump underneath the deck, and some blades will lie horizontally and away from the blades of the mower. Therefore, you won’t get an even cut. More importantly, mowing a wet lawn can cause a slipping hazard, so it is dangerous!
Your lawn mower is probably not going to ruin your lawn, and it can aid greatly in the creation of a beautiful landscape. But it certainly has the potential to do damage, so review your mowing practices to prevent damage that can be caused by poor lawn mower use.
Have questions about your lawn care?
Greenfeet Lawncare Provides Service to the Following Areas.
770-619-2929
North Fulton, East Cobb, Cherokee, Forsyth Counties - including Alpharetta, Canton, Cobb, Cumming, Dunwoody, Gwinnett, Johns Creek, Marietta, Milton, Roswell, Sandy Spring
Topics: lawn mower
