Backyard Wisdom

How Low to Mow?

Many of you have figured out that I'm not a big fan of turf. We have it, of course, and my husband handles all the turf-releated chores, especially mowing. For this, I am very grateful.

But that means I should let someone else do the talking when it comes to entries about turf here on the Backyard Wisdom blog.

So today, my friend, Danny Cain, who is the Walker County Extension Coordinator, is giving us some insights into mowing the lawn.

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Spring is truly here when the grass (or in my case, the weeds) has greened up. That means yard mowing season is here too. When most of us think about lawn care, we tend to think about fertilization, watering and even weed control. Many of us even think about soil testing and liming our lawns and gardens.

Probably the most overlooked aspect of lawn care is mowing. I think that is because most of us think about mowing simply as a once or twice per week chore that is dreaded almost as badly as the annual spring cleaning. Mowing instead should be thought of as a vital management practice almost, if not more important as fertilization and weed control. Fertilization, weed control, proper seeding and other management practices will accomplish very little if lawns are not mowed properly.

For most of us, now is a great time to drag the old mower out of the shed and give it a good service job including changing the oil, filters and belts. Also perform any other routine maintenance that is called for in your owner’s manual.

Don’t forget to replace your blades or at least have them sharpened. There is absolutely no substitute for sharp blades on your mower. A good set of sharp blades will actually help the looks and health of your grass by making clean cuts. Clean cuts will heal faster resulting in less water loss and less stress on your grass. It also will prevent the jagged grass edges from looking brown or off colored at the top.

Proper tire inflation will also ensure that you will make even passes over your lawn and will prevent you lawn from having a tiger striped appearance.
For the best appearance and quality, turfgrasses should be mowed at the proper height for the specific turfgrass that you have growing in your lawn. Each turfgrass species has a range of mowing heights that will allow it to grow optimally in your yard.

Turfgrass species that spread or grow horizontally, such as bermudagrass, can usually be mowed at a much lower mowing height than upright growing grasses such as fescue. Turfgrasses with smaller leaves that are finer textured, such as zoysiagrass, can usually be mowed lower than turfgrasses with larger coarse leaves, such as St. Augustine or centipede grass. Turfgrasses that are under environmental stress such as drought, heat, or shade should be mowed higher than grasses that are under no stress at all.

As a general rule centipedegrass can be mowed to 1 ½ to 2 inches in height while zoysiagrass should be mowed to 1 to 2 inches. Bermudagrass lawns can be mowed from ½ to 1 ½ inches depending on whether your yard is common (seed propagated) bermuda or a hybrid (sprigged or sodded) bermudagrass. Common bermuda is typically left higher than the hybrid grasses. For those people with fescue lawns, plan to mow your lawns from 2 to 3 ½ inches.

The most common mistake I see with fescue lawns is that we tend to mow them too close to the ground. The resulting “scalping” cuts will eventually thin out or else outright kill your fescue turf.

It is extremely important for us as homeowners to maintain the appropriate mowing height for the type of grass that we have in our lawns. If you hire someone else or even if you contract your lawn maintenance to a lawn care service, it is your responsibility to make sure that they understand the type of grass that you have and that they maintain it at the appropriate height.

How often should you mow your lawn? Mowing frequency should depend on the growth rate of your grass and the amount of fertility you provide it as well as the environmental and weather conditions that occur.

Another factor in mowing frequency is the optimum mowing height that we discussed earlier. A good rule of thumb is to mow your lawn regularly and never remove or mow off more than one-third of the height at one mowing. For example, if you have fescue grass and you want to maintain your mowing height at 2 inches, you should mow the lawn when the grass reaches 3 inches in height or before. Removing more than 1/3 of the height of the grass at one time can lead to stress in the grass and will also cause damaging thatch to build up around your turf. If your turfgrass becomes too tall between mowings, raise the mowing height of your mower and gradually reduce it until your grass’s optimum height is reached.

One last aspect of mowing is the type of mower that you use. Most homeowners mow their lawns with a rotary-type mower. Rotary mowers are so popular because of their low cost and easy maintenance. Many rotary mowers cannot give a quality cut at a mowing height of less than 1 inch but they are versatile and can be used on just about any taller growing grass.

Reel mowers are relatively more expensive and are commonly used for highly maintained turfgrasses, such as zoysia or hybrid Bermuda, that are often mowed to 1 inch or less. Reel mowers cut with a scissorslike action to produce a very clean, even cut. They do require a relatively smooth surface to obtain their highest quality cut and they will frequently “scalp” areas on uneven surfaces.

By Danny Cain

Don’t Make Your Beds—Raise Them

More folks are planting vegetable gardens this year than have done so in a number of years. But unlike our grandparents who had enough land to devote to a large garden plot, most people these days have much less land to devote to vegetable production.

One way to maximize the production potential of your land is to use raised beds. Raised beds lend themselves to more intensive planting and therefore greater production per square foot.

Check out this recent article from Shane Harris, a regional home grounds agent with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Shane and many other horticulture professionals contribute to the ACES Home Grounds blog.

Ways to Protect Your Plants from Late Freezes

Warm weather around here in March lured a lot of us into garden centers for bedding plants and vegetable transplants. Now this cold snap, hopefully the last blast of winter here in Alabama, threatens to wipe out our early plantings.
But there are some ways to protect those tiny tomato plants or pots of begonias.

Bring indoors all tender potted plants.

--Bring in any houseplants you have moved outdoors.
--Bring in containers of summer annuals or tender plants if possible.
--A garage, enclosed shed, basement and even the kitchen are good sites to temporarily place them.

Group container plants left outside.

--Larger groups of containers will retain heat better than individual pots.
--Wrap bases in layers of burlap or with a blanket to reduce heat loss.
--Cover them. (See next tip for how.)

Cover plants you cannot bring indoors.

--Sheets, light blankets, cardboard boxes or even excess burlap sacks can be effective.
--Avoid using plastic.
--Material should touch the ground on all sides of the plant.
--Use stakes or other items to lift the cover above the plant. When the covering touches the plant, the insulating effect is lost.
--Remove coverings during the day.
--Use what you have. Two-liter soda bottles, jars or large disposable cups can provide some protection.

Water well.

--The water will actually make the air temperature around plants a little warmer.
--A well watered plant is under less stress and will be able to handle cold temperatures better than a dry, stressed one.

Mulch.

--Mulch creates a barrier between the outside air and the plant’s roots.
--Pine stray, wheat straw, and bark mulches are all good choices.

For more information on frost protection and ways to avoid the problem next year, check out this story at the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Also check out the “ The Alabama Gardener’s Calendar” and “The Alabama Vegetable Gardener” . Finally, you can contact your county Extension office or visit www.aces.edu.