We've assembled this list from our Lawn Talk series to help you and your gardener gain a better understanding about proper lawn height maintenance during the second half (six months) of the year.
July
Grass height during the summer is recommended at 2 1/2" high.Set the lawn mower's wheel settings to 6-6. Cutting gresses too low results in such consequences as thinning out, loss of color, and eventual death. Inform your gardener about this.
August
Lawn Tip: Fill a spray bottle with alcohol or ammonia and spray the undercarriage of your lawn mower after each use. This helps stop the spread of diseases.
Use your weed eater to edge the landscape outside of the lawn. Many sprinklers in the lawn are blocked and hidden by the landscaped plants, causing some dry spots. You want to expose the borderboard on the landscape side. Inform your gardener about this task.
Higher grasses relieve the stress from the summer heat. Set your lawn mower wheels to 6-6.WARNING: Cutting grasses too low combined with hot days can be hazardous to your lawns.
September
Sharpen your lawn mower blade. The lawn needs extra water to repair itself from a dull cut. Maintain wheel settings at 6-6. Cutting grasses high helps to shade the roots.
October
Continue to mow your lawns weekly but start to lower the cut. Set the front and back mower wheels to 5-5.Lawn Fact: The cool climate grasses that most of us have thrive best in the spring and fall with daytime temps in the low 80's and evening temps in the low 50's. November's cooler weather will caust some lawn problems to simply disappear.
November
Continue to mow weekly. Set your lawn mower's wheel adjustments to 4-4. Avoid lawn ruts by changing your lawn cutting patterns each time you mow. If you mow from east to west one week, then mow from north to south the next time.
December
Adjust your mower settings down one notch from wherever it is now. The initial short cut will trim off some of the green, but don't worry, it will recover quickly. Mow only when needed - most lawn can go up to 3 weeks without a cut.WARNING: Overwatering + Tall Grass = Rust
Using a fast-active, organic fertilizer mixture until the spring puts microorganisms back into the lawn.
These two newsletters outline the practes you MUST do if you want your lawn to survive in today's world: Aerate in the spring. Maintain a year-round fertilization program. Control pests and diseases as they occur. Keep your lawn mower blade sharpened. Mow lawns to the height according to the season.
