Mowing Simplified
Most people would consider mowing the lawn somewhat of a chore, but it doesn't have to feel as much of as it seems.
In this post I will go over some basic ideas, time saving tips as well as some safety precautions.
First off is selecting the right lawn mower for your yard, take some time to walk around your yard, measuring any gates or other obstructions in your yard ( trees, flower beds, pools, etc.
) that you may have.
Selecting a lawn mower such as a one with a 60″ deck on it may seem like a real time saver, but in reality you have a small yard with rock gardens, trees and what not, leaving even smaller mow areas that this sweet mower will not fit in.
Like some in town lots that have 36″ gates leading into the back yard.
On the other hand it will take around 2 1/2 hours to mow a half acre with an 18″ push mower, while you could do it in a 1/2 hour with a 36″ riding lawn mower.
So knowing your yard and any obstructions that you may have therein will be key to selecting a lawn mower for your yard.
Now that you have selected the right lawn mower for the job, lets get into mowing your lawn with your new mower.
Again take a look at your lawn, you will want to mow in a long, straight pattern.
Lets say your lawn is 30′ x 40′ for example, you will want to mow in 40′ long swaths, making as few turns a possible and the sooner you will finish.
In most cases you will not need a bagger or grass catcher when you mow if you are only mowing one-quarter or one-third of the lawns height.
The exception being the areas that where clipping encourage disease, then you will want to bag the grass clippings.
I prefer to mulch the grass clippings and as long as you mow your lawn regularly the clipping will compost back into the soil, providing a natural fertilizer for your lawn.
If you are concerned about the clippings you can install a mulch blade on your lawn mower, this will cut the grass clippings into smaller pieces and will appear less visible.
Do not mow on a wet lawn, as the lawn will be slick and wet grass is more likely to tear rather than cut, especially if the lawn mower blade is dull.
The wet clippings blow out and fall into thick clumps, rather than a fine haze.
The wheel of your mower, especially a rider can compact the lawns wet soil, resulting in other problems for your lawn.
Always remember the guidelines: Mow at the recommended height for your lawn.
Never mow more than one-third of your lawns height.
Always keep your blades sharp, dull blades can introduce disease, leading to less leaf growth and a sparse lawn.
Using dull blades will also use about 20% more gas than sharp blades.
Time Saving Tips: Mow around the perimeter of your yard, along the sidewalks, house and an other border, mowing so that your blowing the grass clippings back into the lawn.
This will allow the blade closer to the edged, which will save you some time with the trimming of the borders, as well as a time saver for blowing off any hard surfaces that you may have.
Mow in long, straight swaths, once the edges have been done.
Also you will want to change your mowing pattern every once in awhile, the grass tends to lay flat after a few mowings and changing direction will pull it back up, given you a more even cut.
It will also help in avoiding soil compaction.
Always use sharp mower blades, this will save you time and money.
Safety Precautions: Mowing on slopes can be dangerous, so here are a couple of safety tips.
Never mow a slope greater than 15 degrees.
Slopes greater than 5 degrees may look flat, but in fact they are dangerous to mow.
If you are using a walk-behind you will want to across the hill, the mower will be less apt to hit you if you slip or fall, also the mower will be less likely to run out of control downhill.
If your using a riding lawn mower, mow up and down the hill so that the mower is less likely to rollover on top of you.
If the wheels slip or the grade is to steep, disengage the blades and back down the hill.
In this post I will go over some basic ideas, time saving tips as well as some safety precautions.
First off is selecting the right lawn mower for your yard, take some time to walk around your yard, measuring any gates or other obstructions in your yard ( trees, flower beds, pools, etc.
) that you may have.
Selecting a lawn mower such as a one with a 60″ deck on it may seem like a real time saver, but in reality you have a small yard with rock gardens, trees and what not, leaving even smaller mow areas that this sweet mower will not fit in.
Like some in town lots that have 36″ gates leading into the back yard.
On the other hand it will take around 2 1/2 hours to mow a half acre with an 18″ push mower, while you could do it in a 1/2 hour with a 36″ riding lawn mower.
So knowing your yard and any obstructions that you may have therein will be key to selecting a lawn mower for your yard.
Now that you have selected the right lawn mower for the job, lets get into mowing your lawn with your new mower.
Again take a look at your lawn, you will want to mow in a long, straight pattern.
Lets say your lawn is 30′ x 40′ for example, you will want to mow in 40′ long swaths, making as few turns a possible and the sooner you will finish.
In most cases you will not need a bagger or grass catcher when you mow if you are only mowing one-quarter or one-third of the lawns height.
The exception being the areas that where clipping encourage disease, then you will want to bag the grass clippings.
I prefer to mulch the grass clippings and as long as you mow your lawn regularly the clipping will compost back into the soil, providing a natural fertilizer for your lawn.
If you are concerned about the clippings you can install a mulch blade on your lawn mower, this will cut the grass clippings into smaller pieces and will appear less visible.
Do not mow on a wet lawn, as the lawn will be slick and wet grass is more likely to tear rather than cut, especially if the lawn mower blade is dull.
The wet clippings blow out and fall into thick clumps, rather than a fine haze.
The wheel of your mower, especially a rider can compact the lawns wet soil, resulting in other problems for your lawn.
Always remember the guidelines: Mow at the recommended height for your lawn.
Never mow more than one-third of your lawns height.
Always keep your blades sharp, dull blades can introduce disease, leading to less leaf growth and a sparse lawn.
Using dull blades will also use about 20% more gas than sharp blades.
Time Saving Tips: Mow around the perimeter of your yard, along the sidewalks, house and an other border, mowing so that your blowing the grass clippings back into the lawn.
This will allow the blade closer to the edged, which will save you some time with the trimming of the borders, as well as a time saver for blowing off any hard surfaces that you may have.
Mow in long, straight swaths, once the edges have been done.
Also you will want to change your mowing pattern every once in awhile, the grass tends to lay flat after a few mowings and changing direction will pull it back up, given you a more even cut.
It will also help in avoiding soil compaction.
Always use sharp mower blades, this will save you time and money.
Safety Precautions: Mowing on slopes can be dangerous, so here are a couple of safety tips.
Never mow a slope greater than 15 degrees.
Slopes greater than 5 degrees may look flat, but in fact they are dangerous to mow.
If you are using a walk-behind you will want to across the hill, the mower will be less apt to hit you if you slip or fall, also the mower will be less likely to run out of control downhill.
If your using a riding lawn mower, mow up and down the hill so that the mower is less likely to rollover on top of you.
If the wheels slip or the grade is to steep, disengage the blades and back down the hill.
