Now that summer is approaching in the southern hemisphere, those among us in dry climates fortunate enough to possess a lawn, should be starting the regular mowing regime that may take us thru into the onset of winter.

The commonest lawn grasses in hot dry climates are evergreens like the Bermuda grasses, Cynodon, Zoysia varieties, Kikuya grass (Pennisetum), or St. Augustine grass, (Stenotaphrum secundatum). With the exception of the latter, these grasses should have been de-thatched sometime in the spring. This can be done either by mechanical scarifying, or by shaving to the ground. This extraordinary treatment mustn’t ever be carried out on grasses like St.Augustine, that spread by stolons, but only, like the species mentioned, on grasses that develop rhizomes.

After the grass has come back – a process that can take anything up to a month, we start our regular mowing. Regular means regular! Not when we would like it, not when the grass is a foot high, but as a regular activity. Aside from watering, regular mowing at the correct height is probably the most critical factor determining the quality of the lawn.

At what height if the blade be set? The height of the blade is decided by one straightforward rule – the grass should be as green after mowing as it was beforehand! Not more than 40% of leaf length should be removed at anybody mowing. Never scalp the lawn from now on till next spring’s de-thatching. You can decide the right height by mowing a small swathe of grass with the blade set high, then go back, lowering the blade’s height until as discussed some 40% of the leaf is cut. This 40% does not include the stems, on which the leaves are attached, but only the leaves themselves.

So how often should you mow the grass? The solution is – it depends. As we’ve established the fact that not too much leaf should be removed at single shot, it follows the longer the longer the interval between mowings the longer the grass is going to be, and therefore the more leaf is likely to be removed. So don’t let the grass get so long that this situation arises. If the lawn is growing well – a result factors like sufficient moisture, nutriment levels, and well aerated soil, then you need to mow once every week at the least. Each 4 or 5 days could be better. Are you know that the Greens on golf courses are usually mowed a couple of times a day?

What we need to remember is that the plant’s photosynthesizing organ, is its source of energy. Consistent removing of excessive amounts of leaf during the plant’s most active growing season, reduces the potential energy ready to the plant, when it most needs it. Also, scalping the grass, which occurs when the blade is too low, or when the grass is too high, exposes the stems to direct daylight which can often cause direct damage to the grass.

As a last thought. The healthier the grass the more hardy it is to pests and illnesses. Inversely , as the grass weakens, often as a result of a consistently poor mowing regime, the more vulnerable it becomes to pathogens, and the more weed species are able to create themselves, so further weakening the lawn.
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