KICKSTART YOUR SPRING!
STEPS TO PROPER MOWING FOR YOUR COOL SEASON LAWN: THE KEY TO ACHIEVING THE LAWN THAT YOU DESIRE!
With spring right around the corner, we wanted to get you prepared for the mowing season! This is one of our favorite topics to discuss, so we will dive straight into this.
Before mowing your lawn for the first time of the season and throughout the year, it's crucial to ensure that your mower blades are sharp. Sharp blades are essential for the overall health of your grass. Think of it this way: if you were to accidentally cut yourself with a butter knife versus a razor-sharp blade, the wound from the butter knife would, first of all, hurt way worse, but it would also take much longer to heal. A longer healing process requires more energy from your body. Similarly, we want to minimize the energy that the grass uses to "heal" from our mowing practices and reduce the significance of the wound to the plant as much as possible. That's why it's crucial to have blades that cut cleanly through the grass rather than tear it, much like how a sharp knife makes a cleaner cut on your skin compared to a butter knife.
If you’ve ever noticed your lawn developing a brownish tint after mowing, it’s worth examining the quality of the cut. A dull blade can create uneven cuts, causing the grass to appear less vibrant due to the torn, browning edges left behind. Keeping your mower blades sharp will help maintain a healthier, greener lawn. Something as simple as ensuring your blades are sharp can enable your grass to better resist problems later in the season, such as insect damage and fungus as well.
This is why. Plants produce and distribute their energy into three main areas throughout the year: root growth, top growth, and defense mechanisms that protect them from environmental factors, both biotic and abiotic. The less energy the grass expends on healing its "wounds," the more the grass can focus on developing its roots, defending itself from challenging environmental conditions, and healthy top growth. Every bit of energy conserved towards what it is meant to be for helps more than one may think.
In addition to the importance of sharp blades and the potential damage caused by mowing, it's important to avoid cutting off too much grass at once. You may have noticed the distinct smell of "freshly cut grass." This scent often indicates a stress response from the grass, indicating that too much of the plant has been removed. Therefore, ensure that you do not cut more than one-third of the height of the grass in a single mowing session. The more you remove in a single cutting, the more challenging it becomes for your turf to recover and repair. This is just as important to remember for the same reasons that a sharp blade is important.
During periods of excessive growth, you may need to mow more frequently. Avoid bi-weekly mowing in the spring and fall, when top growth is particularly abundant. We recommend bagging the initial mowing and mowing it shorter (2 to 2.5” if possible) than you will for the remainder of the season. Mowing and bagging the first mowing shorter helps to remove the dead tops of the grass, allowing for the new growth down low to receive more sunlight. This kickstarts the photosynthetic processes within the plant and starts to promote growth. So take your time on the first mowing. The benefits of a good spring clean-up are significant!
After the initial mowing, allow the grass to grow to 3 to 3.5” and begin mulching for the rest of the season. Mulching and returning your clippings is extremely important to the overall health of your soil, providing up to 25% of its nitrogen needs naturally, as well as improving microbial activity! This will not create thatch accumulation in your fescue lawn when mulched properly! WE PROMISE!
To ensure the correct mowing height, take a tape measure and place your mower on the lawn. Press one end of the tape measure firmly to the ground and measure the distance from the ground to the bottom of your mower deck. This method will provide a more accurate measurement than measuring on concrete or bare dirt.
Avoid mowing your cool-season grass too short, especially tall fescue. Regularly mowing at a
taller height encourages deeper root growth, increases root mass, and creates a taller, denser canopy that helps keep the top few inches of soil cooler by protecting it from the sun as the summer approaches. Tall fescue thrives when soil temperatures are between 50 to 70 degrees. Once soil temperatures reach 85 degrees or higher, root function reduces significantly until cooler air temperatures return. So, keeping the top layers of soil cool is essential because, while we want deep roots, there will always be roots in the top one to three inches of soil. Along with the roots, there are also tiny living organisms in the soil called microbes. The more ideal the soil temperatures are for your cool-season grass, the more likely these plant-helping microbes will thrive as well.
Maintaining taller grass can keep the upper soil cooler, make soil life happier, and train deeper roots to access cooler soil temperatures. As a result, your grass is much more likely to withstand the challenging environmental conditions of summer. Proper mowing height and returning your clippings to the soil are essential for preventing fungus, reducing insect pressure, improving drought tolerance, and, most importantly, enhancing soil health through nutrient cycling and increasing microbe development.
Let's clarify how this works real quick: fescue and bluegrass are classified as cool-season grasses. This classification is based on their preference for cooler temperatures and the type of carbohydrates they produce. Cool-season grasses generate a carbohydrate known as C3, requiring cooler soil and air temperatures for synthesis. In contrast, warm-season grasses, such as Bermuda, Zoysia, and Buffalo grass, produce a carbohydrate called C4 and thrive in warmer soil and air temperatures.
When these grasses actively produce food, they are more likely to thrive and maintain vitality. However, if poor environmental and soil conditions hinder carbohydrate production, the plants become more susceptible to pests, diseases, drought, and other problems. This is especially true for tall fescue, commonly found in Central Kansas. Unfortunately, when we see a problem with our lawn, we tend to throw more products at it to help it “snap” out of it so to speak. This will most likely make the problem worse. So, mowing is a science and shouldn’t be overlooked. It is the key to your cool-season grass looking fabulous all year round!
We could go deeper and deeper into this topic, but we hope that you get the point and understand more about the importance of proper mowing height. The taller you mow and mulch your grass consistently, the healthier your grass and soil will be. The shorter you mow your grass, the more unhealthy your grass and soil will be. Be sure to check out our "Irrigate To Elevate" blog, as we discuss how important proper watering habits are for the success of your turf and our program!
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