4 Tips to Sarasota Landscape Design (1 of 2)
This is part one of a two part blog post covering how to mow your grass in Sarasota and Manatee, Florida.
We love providing you the best tips and tricks on Sarasota and Manatee Landscape Design.
There are four key points to consider, 1 and 2 will be covered in this post below, and 3 and 4 will be in the next post.
A lot of people already know that mowing your grass is one of the most important aspects of maintaining a healthy and good quality lawn. Mowing increases turf grass density, producing a tighter lawn that is resistant to weeds. Proper mowing practices, along with fertilization and irrigation, can largely determine the success or failure of a lawn. Too much or too little of either of these factors can lead to a lot of frustration, and a lawn that looks a lot less than perfect!
The two main components of mowing are:
- The cutting height your lawn mower is set to.
- The frequency that you cut your lawn.
The big question is how long should you wait before cutting the grass again, and at what height should your lawn mower cutting blades be set?
Both of these factors depend on the turf grass species, cultivar, and the level of lawn quality you desire. Several other practices involving the use of different types of mowers are also important in creating a quality looking lawn.
1. Height of Mowing
The optimum cutting height is determined by the growth habit and leaf width of the turf grass species. A grass that spreads horizontally can usually be mowed shorter than an upright-growing, bunch-type grass. In other words, depending on the type of sod you have laid, or are planning to lay in your Sarasota or Manatee yard will depend on how you approach your mowing.
Grasses with narrow blades can generally be mowed closer than grasses with wide blades. Bermuda grass is mowed at very low heights because of its numerous narrow leaf blades and low growth habit. On the other hand, Bahia grass needs to be mowed at higher heights because of its open, upright growth habit.
Turf grass undergoes physiological stress with each mowing event, particularly if too much leaf tissue is removed. Effects of “scalping,” or removal of too much shoot tissue at one time, can produce long-term damage to the turf. This can leave turf susceptible to other stresses such as insects, disease, drought, and sunscald.
Mowing also greatly influences the rooting depth of your grass, the higher the mowing height, the deeper the root system of your turf. The advantages of having a deeper root system is that your lawn will have greater tolerance to drought, insects, disease, nematodes, temperature stress, poor soil conditions, nutrient deficiencies, and traffic.
Some people are under the misconception that cutting their grass really short is good for their yard, when in fact mowing below the recommended heights for each species of grass is a primary cause of turf death and should be avoided at all times.
The rule of thumb suggested by the Cornell Extension is to, “Mow when your grass is dry and 3 to 3-1/2 inches tall. Never cut it shorter than 2 to 2-1/2 inches or remove more than one third of the leaf surface at any one mowing.”
2. Frequency of Mowing
The growth rate of your Sarasota or Manatee lawn determines how frequently you will need to mow it. The growth rate is influenced by grass species, weather conditions, time of year, and level of management.
- Slowest growth rates occur in the winter or under low fertility and irrigation.
- Fastest growth rates occur in the summer or under high fertility and watering practices.
Low-maintenance grasses like Bahia grass and centipede grass are frequently mowed just to remove seed heads, rather than to cut leaf blades. Mow frequently enough so that no more than 1/3 of the blade height is removed per mowing. For example, if your St. Augustine grass lawn is mowed at a height of 4 inches, it should be mowed when it grows to a height of 6 inches. Stress to the grass caused by mowing can be minimized by removing only 1/3 of the leaf blade at each mowing. It is important to always leave as much leaf surface as possible so that photosynthesis can occur.
In summary, grass creates a soft, clean and safe playing surface for children and pets. It reduces heat, glare, noise and odors. But most importantly, it cleans the air and helps recharge our South West Florida groundwater supplies.
