Mowing Basics
Your lawn is more than just what people look at when driving or walking by your house. A lawn is a living “Mega-Organism” comprised of living plants, billions of animals, bacteria and micro-organisms who all do some sort of job. Grass is an incredibly powerful matter which through the use of photosynthesis, produces its own food and reproduction cycles. Even dead grass goes back to earth, feeding those billions of animals again, who then go out and work even harder at making your grass grow nicer. Organic matter returned into the turf isn’t quite something to sneeze at, unless you have “grass allergies”. Pesticides and chemicals are largely unknown to nature, hence it responds less than amused when the chemical hammer is used. Besides, the use of chemicals will endanger and eventually destroy healthy soil and water.
“Cut Your Grass Higher!” a sentence said hundreds of times when being asked how to get a lawn to look nice. Grass needs to get light in order to produce its own food. Grass also provides shade to the ground and soil, thereby helping in natural weed killing as well as better moisture retention. Higher grass won’t be damaged as quickly by drought and it won’t leave your soil burned to dust during the summer months. Grass eventually cultivates to whatever cut it gets, the question is just if it will prosper along the way, providing you with a nice lush lawn, or if it will struggle. Rule of thumb: Cut 1/3 of the blade, never more than half at a time. Your mower will struggle more, burn more fuel and making your job harder. In addition, the grass will literally go into shock or loose its ability to get enough light. A HU775H has 8 height settings, numbered from 1-8 raising the deck from 1.5 to a nice 4 inches. Use anywhere between 5-8 on normal cool season grasses and you will eventually have a nice lawn. Promise! Cutting grass low in an effort to save time or mow less won’t work and you won’t need to mow at all, pretty soon.
“Keep your mower tuned up, clean and dry and the blade sharpened!” – another sentence spoken many times. In commercial lawn care, employees greatly dislike maintenance days or cleaning days. Clean equipment leaves a better impression – sharp blades running on well maintained mowers will cut grass more evenly. These machines are not rocket science, taking care of your grass doesn’t require a Masters degree in “Grass Administration” – its very simple stuff that keeps lawn grass happy. Most importantly, don’t expect a struggling lawn to turn into a golf course over night. It will take approximately two years to naturally restore a lawn to its full potential.
“Mow frequently, not just when your full grown large dog disappears in the jungle”. Mowing higher, but more often during peak growing season will cause more branching and provide a thicker, healthier lawn over time. Many lawns are over or under-fertilized, treated with pounds of chemicals which make the grass and soil a living hell to insects and provides a perfect breeding ground for weeds.
Picture: Husqvarna.com
“Mulching Or Bagging are not equals!” Most grasses benefit from mulching much more than from bagging grass clippings. Your new Generation Husqvarna Lawn Mowing Robot doesn’t bag, but instead disperses tiny cuts of grass (and therefore nitrogen) back into the lawn. Now, your robot may work at night or on Sundays, but the three secrets to its success and increased popularity is the frequency of cuts, sharp blades and mulching. Husqvarna’s design comes in as quite a looker. Pricey, but neat!
Lawn Striping is the result of bent grass, not different mowing heights. The HU775H does an incredible job striping without a striping kit or roller. If needed, a PVC pipe filled with sand and attached to the mower by simple key-rings or zip-ties will do wonders, without putting undue stress on the mower. A edge run (2) before doing straight lines or S patterns, checkerboard styles or even more complicated designs… it all depends on your taste and preference.
Watering a lawn in normal climates is a waste of resources, our grass lives well or not so well according to what mother nature provides and dictates. Energy derived from longer blades is converted to nutrients which help with proper rooting. Most grass is a “What doesn’t kill us makes us harder” type of plant. Cutting at optimal height, mulching and a sharp blade has more benefits for your lawn than several cubic feet of water dumped on grass and soil that was treated wrong. 85% of dead or suffering lawns are caused by improper (low) mowing and lack of nutrients over overuse of chemicals. Aeration and removing leafs in the fall (best to mulch and feed back to the lawn) to avoid mold and lack of oxygen will do most of what’s required to keep the lawn happy.
Disclaimer: This blog is not affiliated with Husqvarna.com, and I am not working for the company. This is simply a personal “Fan Page” of a happy Husqvarna customer, sharing tips and tricks I had to learn and find on my own. Any pictures not taken by me are credited and linked to their respective owners websites (where able) and are used for illustration and educational purposes. Please refer to your owners manual or contact your Husqvarna dealer with questions about your mower or other equipment.
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