Lawn Care for Beginners Articles | Lawn Care

If you want to learn how to have a lawn that looks great, you should first of all learn how to mow it properly. Proper mowing starts with learning how high you should mow in the first place.

Grass usually looks its best when it is mowed at a higher setting, this fact is most important in summer and such higher grass is liable to remain much healthier. In order to keep that lawn of yours in prime shape you should always avoid scalping and refrain from cutting more than a third of the length of grass blades in a single mowing. If the grass ends up growing much faster than you can cope with, mow it a single time at a higher length and then lower your blade and repeat your mowing a few days later.

If you aren't really sure about the length which is the most suitable for your particular grass style, these are some precise recommendations for mowing heights of some more popular residential grasses available nationwide:

Grass - Minimum Height - Maximum Height

Fine Fescue: 1½" 2½"

Kentucky Bluegrass: 1½" 2½"

Ryegrass: 1½" 2½"

Bahiagrass: 2" 4"

Tall Fescue: 2" 3"

Bermudagrass: ½" 2"

Buffalograss: 2" 3"

Carpetgrass: 2" 3"

Centipedegrass: 1" 1½"

St. Augustinegrass/Floratam: 2" 4"

Zoysiagrass: ¾" 2"

One more question which a lot of homeowners also have concerning the care of their lawn is how regularly they should more. A lot of lawn care experts are of the opinion that once is week is usually sufficient. During spring or times which are very rainy you may be required to mow more often but don't cut more than a third of the grass length in a single mowing.

The practice of keeping your lawn mower blades sharp is essential to preserving a lawn which is healthy and good-looking. If you use a dull blade to cut your grass it can tear the ends of the blades and leave ragged ends instead. All these things can end up making your lawn look dried, turn brown and dry it out. It may end up damaging the grass blades and spread dangerous fungus diseases as well.

When caring for your lawn, consider these other care tips:

• You shouldn't mow the same way twice in a single row. Use alternate mowing directions and move in a diagonal, horizontal or vertical pattern. This will assist you in preventing the “leaning” of grass blades in your lawn.

• Do not make sharp turns with your mower. Instead of doing this you should use sidewalks and driveways in order to turn your mower around. Other than this you can create “header strips” and turn the mower at the end of each strip in order to create a more cohesive look.

• Mow only dry grass. The mowing of a wet lawn can lead to cuts which are uneven . It may also open the way for fungus to penetrate the blades.

• If you want the “striped” or “checkerboard” look of the kind you see on a professional baseball field, you should simply place a roller on your mower. You can buy one rather cheaply at a local hardware store.