Lawn mowing and edge care

The most difficult and time-consuming lawn care has always been haircuts. Regardless of the type of lawn you are talking about, regular, systematic procedures carried out in accordance with all the rules are the key to success. They provide not only an impeccable texture and appearance to the emerald carpet, but they are also an important means of preventing lawn problems. It takes a lot of effort to cut, but sometimes even a single skip of this procedure can lead to big problems. In the framework of lawn mowing activities, one should not forget about edge care: the ideal edges of lawn areas themselves are not formed and are not preserved.

Lawn mowing tasks and assistants in solving them

Procedures, more important than regular mowing for the health and beauty of the lawn, simply can not be found. It is thanks to systemic mowing that a thick and strong turf is formed, in which grasses actively develop and grow, are able to withstand negative factors, including moss and weeds. Problems with a lawn that is regularly mowed are far less common. But any misses with a haircut will lead to troubles much more significant than errors in any other form of care for the green carpet.

The lawn mowing season in the middle lane and regions with harsh winters traditionally covers the warmest period of the year - from May to the end of September-October. Where winters are less severe, and spring and autumn allow you to expand active work, haircuts start earlier and finish later. But it’s better to take it as a rule to finish mowing the lawn as soon as the first autumn cooling occurs and not start it earlier than before raising the grass stand to a height of 8 cm.

The first and most important rule of lawn mowing, which must not be violated under any circumstances (and the only guarantee that the lawn will look perfect) is the regularity of procedures even in extreme circumstances. Large intervals or unsystematic procedures, with uneven periods between mowing, will lead to a loss of attractiveness by the lawn, damage the turf and increase the consumption of nutrients from the soil.

Mowing when possible, occasionally for lawns is unacceptable. If you cannot ensure your emerald carpet is regularly mowed, then look for an alternative to lawns with easier maintenance.

Mowing is traditionally carried out by cutting about 3 cm of grass. Should not overgrow grass, and as soon as it rises to a height of approximately 8 cm, it is necessary to carry out the next mowing. If the grass rises higher, then it will be difficult to cut off all the “excess" in one haircut, and the development of a higher grass will affect the density of the turf and the depletion of the soil.

Before developing your own treatment schedule, consider how you can simplify the process of regularly cutting green carpets. So that an inevitable and very time-consuming duty brings pleasure, you can not do without gardening equipment. A reliable and convenient mower will turn a haircut into a fun activity even on large areas. Only on very small lawns can you handle the mowing task manually, using simple tools.

For large and medium-sized lawns, there is a huge assortment of equipment that differs in its cost and capabilities. The choice of self-propelled, mechanical, electric and gasoline lawn mowers allows you to find the best solution. When choosing a lawn mower, be sure to consider the noise characteristics, the ability to work on complex terrain, the presence of a mulching function, the ability to adjust the cutting height.

To handle hard-to-reach parts of the lawn, you will need special scissors or a motokosa (garden trimmer), which can be either electric or gasoline, but any of them always requires extreme caution in work.

Regularity of procedures

The frequency of regular lawn mowing procedures is usually set taking into account the development activity of the grass and the type of grass mixture, but on average it is worthwhile to focus on the optimal mowing frequency 1 time per week, if we are talking about a normal garden and park lawn. Sports lawns, like decorative ones, are trimmed a little differently, being guided by signs of manufacturers of grass mixtures and the type of lawn. But for ordinary garden lawns, the frequency of mowing should not be too rare or too frequent so that constant mowing does not inhibit the lawn, but supports and stimulates its development.

The approximate frequency must be adjusted depending on the weather. In wet weather, the grass develops more actively, and, therefore, it is necessary to cut the lawn more often, pausing between procedures in just 5 days. But in dry weather and with a strong knowing frequency between mowing, it is better to increase, spend one haircut in 8-9 days. If the grasses are developing actively, at the very beginning of the season there is a rapid growth of turf, then from mid-May to the end of June the lawn can be mowed even 2 times a week.

Lawn trim

An even more important issue is the cutting height. Too low a haircut can lead to the fact that the turf will not only be vulnerable to weeds, but also to diseases, infections, and with a low cut in spring or autumn, the turf may die at all. The best height for all lawns is considered to be a haircut of 4-4.5 cm. This is the minimum height of the grass stand that can be left during this procedure in high season.

On weakened lawns, during the first procedures in May-June and with the last mowing, it is necessary to leave the grass higher, at least 5 cm (the optimal indicator is 5.5-6 cm) and adhere to standard indicators from the third or fourth to the penultimate mowing.

When adjusting the mowing height, it is also better to take into account the weather, leaving it in drought and heat with a grass height of up to 6 cm. The type of lawn is also of great importance. Ground summer lawn is mowed to a height of 3 cm in spring and autumn - 4 cm. Sports lawns are mowed to a height of 2 cm and above.

If, as a result of your absence, you still allowed grass to grow, you missed one or more haircuts, then in no case should you mow the lawn, as usual. Grass with a height above 10-15 cm is first shortened exactly half, and only during the following procedures they are lowered to the optimum height. The same technique is used in the spring, if the first mowing was missed and the lawn grew above 8 cm.

Lawn mowing has a few more secrets:

1. For an impeccable cover, you must not forget to change the direction of the haircut. The more variably you mow the grass, the less uniform the movements from haircut to haircut, the better results will be achieved. Make it a rule to move during mowing perpendicular to the direction in which you mowed the lawn last time. Thanks to this simple technique, you will prevent the formation of hard and thick stems in the turf that will spoil your grass stand and turn it into a “washing board”.
2. Mowing on rectangular lawns always start from the narrower sides. But on lawns of a round or irregular shape, they first move along the contour, and then from the middle or the longest place to the edge in parallel movements, stripes.

Lawn support

Only a lawn with flawless edges looks beautiful. A flattened hem or border around a green carpet is just as important to its appeal as perfect care. And even if the edging or trimming of the edges is a purely aesthetic procedure (except for the threat of creeping sod on the flower beds), you should not forget about it either.

There are several options for aligning the edge of the lawn and maintaining its impeccable shape:

1. Regular pruning.
2. Framing with a border.
3. Bringing under flower beds with perennials covering the transition is a rare and not the most effective method that does not remove the need to manually correct the sprawling lawn.

The easiest way to provide a perfect frame for the lawn is to border it. Even a simple border made of “recessed”, buried in the soil of clinker or cobblestones will not allow the lawn to grow, limit its area and even out the edge. If desired, more complex options can be used as a border, choosing the style and bordering materials in accordance with the style of the garden.

After all, the assortment is not limited only to finished stone borders or cast concrete walls, but combined paving, a stockade of logs, fashionable steel bands or even plastic sides are also used. Do not forget about dumping with gravel or mulch as a "transitional" option.

Manual trimming of the edges is the most difficult and time-consuming. You will have to deal with pruning sod several times a year, and you can’t call this job simple. The lawn is manually leveled with a shovel or a hoe with a sickle-shaped blade, working along a long board laid along the edge of the board.

Watch the video: Lawn Care Steps. Mow, Edge, Blow. What order is best? (January 2021).