Mow your grass too short? The idea in itself is quite aesthetically pleasing. After all, who doesn’t enjoy looking at the lush green and smooth surfaces of a golf course or those beautiful turfs used in football stadiums? And that’s why there are so many people who wish to replicate that same look on their home lawns. However, doing it at home, especially with the wrong type of lawn will cause you to mow your grass too short. The problem is that most people end up hurting their lawns in the process of trying to make them look better by cutting their lawn too short.
To begin with, those golf courses have special reel mowers working on them. Additionally, there are a number of fungicides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers that are virtually unheard of by the regular homeowner. Apart from this, there is a computerized system with a whole squad or gardeners and caretakers working 24/7 just to keep the grass at optimum levels. Most homeowners don’t usually consider the level of work that goes into making these courses look the way they do.
While many homeowners tend to cut their grass short to replicate the golf courses look, many do it to avoid having to mow more regularly. While it does save them this time, it comes at a great cost. The shorter height causes an increased amount of stress on the turf. A shorter turf means a shorter leaf blade. This means a lot less photosynthesis which will ultimately lead to even less root growth and shoot growth.
A shorter turf also leads to a scalped surface. As the turf is damaged, it puts most of its energy towards dealing with this weakness. This means it has virtually no strength left in battling insects and weed growth. As many homeowners continue mowing their lawns short, this process is virtually endless. This means that they rely heavily on pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides to tackle the weed and insect problem. As the lawn industry profits incredibly from this, it is happy to play along.
The best way to avoid these problems, as well as getting rid of over-reliance on pesticides is simple; mow the grass as high as possible. Don’t mow your grass too short. Mow your lawn once a week, and keep the height anywhere from at least 3 inches to 4. A mulching lawn mower works best in this case. Additionally, you can also return the clippings back into the lawn so that it has more organic material to use.
All these steps will lead to a lawn that has a taller turf with taller leaf blades. This will lead to greater photosynthesis meaning that the grass would have the strength to tackle many problems on its own like insects and weed growth. Other threats like drought and warm temperatures can also be withstood by lawns that have proper grass growth. Though you might feel that shorter lawn still have a better aesthetic feel. However, a lawn with taller grass won’t have the problems that the shorter ones do. And in the end, it’s the lawn’s own health that should matter more than anything else.
Another problem that effects lawns are allowing your grass to get too tall between cuts. To learn more click here.