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HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? - Why Cutting your Lawn Too Short can be Hazardous for its Health
from:Can't wait to get out there to cut your lawn after a long winter? Neither can I. I can't wait to rake all the winter crap that ends up on your lawn every spring. This past winter has been brutally cold with temperatures hovering around -35°F with the windchill for many states as well as in Canada. We'll be out there soon enough. However, to have that beautiful lawn you've always wanted will require three certain things from you. These are, of course, to water, feed and provide shelter for your lawn. This article is not so much what you need to do, but rather what you SHOULD NOT do.
In other words, it is about restraint. Once you've provided the necessities of life for your lawn, you need to hold back. Stop feeding and stop watering! Just let it grow!!! Leave it alone for a while and let mother nature do her thing. This article was written because it hit home for me. If I hadn't been so impatient, I would have had a lush green lawn. But no, I couldn't do it. I mowed my lawn just a little too often and felt defeated. Hope this article becomes useful for you just in the nick of time.
Cutting your lawn, and understanding the science behind when and how to cut your grass is one of the important aspects to proper maintenance for your lawn that you worked so hard for. Cutting your grass at the right time and knowing the right length to cut it can helpfull in several ways for your lawn, while not cutting your grass at the right time can cause more problems and even more maintenance than you may have expected.
Common knowledge among lawn care experts says that you should allow your grass to stay at an average of two to two and a half inches in height. I certainly wish I knew this earlier. I cut mine down to only about one inch, and most of it died. When you mow your lawn, you should only remove the top third of the grass blade.
The best time to cut your grass is when it is a little over three to three and a half inches in height at most. You can either estimate these heights (the width of your pawm), or you can set your lawn mower to be able to cut this much. There are also specially made lawnmowers that will help to determine the length in which you should cut your grass with.
The measurements that have been made for cutting grass have been averaged out for several reasons. The main purpose of this is that allowing this much length in your grass allows nutrients to continue to move through each blade. When the blades of grass are growing, they take a certain amount of soil, water and sun in order to grow properly. This is done by the process of metabolism called photosysthesis. When you cut the tips of the grass blade off, they have to adjust how much of the nutrients they should continue to get. If this change is too drastic, it will cause problems with the grass.
Too much stress on grass blades is the second reason you should not cut your lawn too short. When you shorten the grass blade by cutting it too low, the change in size and amount of nutrients it receives changes very drastically. This can cause the grass blades to sress to the point of dying. This is because they have to adjust to the different length, and that is just way to much adjustment to make.
The second type of stress your lawn will receive from the shorter blades is if the weather is hotter, the blades will not have enough protection from the hot sun as it used to before you chopped it down. Too much of a difference in blade length can then cause problems by either causing brown patches, by wilting, or burning of the grass.
A third reason why you shouldn't cut your grass too short is because, well it bleeds a little. If you cut your finger, you will bleed, maybe not much, but some amount of damage has been done. By cutting the blade too short, you've left very little moisture in the blade - you cut off it's major supply of nutrients. You virtually are starving your lawn. It dries out too much and will probably burn if exposed to the hot sun.
The number one greatest reason why it is always good to only cut one third of the blade is because each time you cut your grass to the proper length, it grows back thicker and faster. If you only cut the grass by a third, it will continue to be able to receive the same amount of nutrients and sun. It's like getting your hair trimmed versus getting a brushcut or crewcut. By maintaining your lawn to between 2 & 3 inches, your lawn will be able to grow back at a faster pace and be become more thicker and robust.
Cutting your grass at this height will will also result in a greener lawn, because it has more to grow with to undergo its process of metabolism (photosysthesis). As your lawn turns thicker, empty spaces on your lawn begin to fill out. This will result in a thck, lushious carpet of lawn with a deep rich color that will beg for you to wallow around in with your bare feet.
Here's a little side benefit. Where we breath in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, your lawn does the oposite. By leaving your lawn at a decent growing length, it will use the water it has stored in it's individual blades and release the water's oxygen molecules into the air. We take this oxygen in and exchale the carbon dioxide which your lawn and all plants need to survive. Is that neat or what!?
On the maintenance side, you won’t have to remove as many grass clippings when you don’t cut as much off. By cutting regularily you will be able to just leave the grass clippings alone. No more raking. It is known to be quite healthy for your grass clippings to be left alone on the lawn as this provides more nutrients as well as protection for the growth of the other less developed grass blades. With this in mind, if you leave too many grass clippings, it will take away the sunlight and water that the plants are supposed to be receiving. Besides it would even start to look unattractive, and after all that's the point, to have an attractive lawn - right?
Another thing to keep in mind is that your lawn should not be mowed when the grass is wet. This may cause spreading of diseases, as the dampness that is on the blades of grass can not be evaporated. Because moisture will be contained it will eventually begin to mold and if toxins develop disease could be a consequence. It may seem far fetched, but it can happen. More accidents also happen. Wet grass can cause you to lose your footing and slip.
Devasting injuries are more probable by mowing under wet conditions as compared to dry conditions. The best time to mow a lawn is in the early evening after the sun has lowered. This will prevent the grass from getting stressed. The afternoon sun will usually stress your lawn the most and could burn your grass if it's too hot and sunny outside. Morning hours will usually find your lawn quite damp.
IN SUMMARY: It is best to maintain your lawn to between 2 to 3 inches in height. Beyond this, don't take off more than one third of the blade. Then let it grow for a bit. A bit could be a few days if it's in the beginning growing season or one month if it's late in the season. Mow the grass. Rake the grass if the clippings are a little thick, but leave a little bit on the lawn to act as a fertilizer and a protective covering for a little extra shelter. This is more beneficial in the cooler autumn months.
By cutting the grass at the right height by mowing your lawn when it is at least three inches tall, you will not only help keep your lawn healthy, but you will also provide a better looking, lush and greener lawn that you can enjoy all summer.
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