In the Tampa Bay area, we're fortunate enough to have good weather all year-round. We can spend the day swimming at Clearwater Beach or soaking up some sun in St. Petersburg, the Sunshine City. We can enjoy the arts by visiting the Dali Museum or enjoy the outdoors taking a stroll through the Sunken Gardens. For all the sports fans, there's the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium and the Tampa Bay Rays playing at The Tropicana Field. But do you know what the best thing about living in Tampa is? It's the fact that we really can spend time outdoors, enjoying the beautiful Florida weather in every season.
Lawn Mowing Tips and Tricks
Since we have such terrific weather, however, we are required to mow the lawn all year. If you take a minute to review these best lawn mowing practices, you'll be prepared to up your game and have an attractive yard that will make all your neighbors jealous.
It's best to water or irrigate your lawn in the morning because it gives your lawn time to absorb the water before the afternoon's higher temperatures. Watering in the morning, or in the evenings before sunset, discourages water evaporation. While it's better to water in the morning or evening hours, it's best to mow your grass when it's completely dry in the afternoon.
Water in the Mornings and Mow in the Afternoons
Why is a dry lawn better? When your grass is damp, like after a rain or first thing in the morning, grass naturally tends to clump together. You won't get clean lines when you mow, as the grass will be cut to different heights. A second issue is that the grass will clump together in your lawn mower, clogging it. Be sure to wait till your lawn is completely dry, and that's the perfect time to mow.
Take Your Time When Cutting Grass
Take your time and don't rush when you're cutting grass. We've become so accustomed to lawn mowing that sometimes we forget that the mower does have sharp blades. It's a good idea for you to push the mower at a normal walking pace to ensure you stay safe. The quality of your lawn mowing will be better, too.
Don't Mow Too Short
It's essential that you maintain your yard's appearance by mowing regularly. There can be too much of a good thing, though. The rule of thumb is that you should never cut more than one-third of the grass length at a time. If you refrain from cutting your grass too short, your lawn can retain moisture better, and it will stay looking green longer.
Be Sure to Edge Your Yard
Spend the time to edge your lawn and do the finishing touches. Walk around your yard before you begin mowing and take note of all the irrigation sprinkler heads, raised garden beds and other areas that you want to avoid running over with the mower and edge them first. You will have a more polished result if you edge around the garden brick, walkways and around your yard's periphery.
Create Patterns as You Mow
To get the upscale look of the golf course or baseball diamond, you can mow your grass in a pattern. First, be sure to mow east to west (or north to south). After you've completed your first pass over the lawn, you want to run the mower for a second pass over the same expanse of yard to create the coveted mowing pattern. Grass, by its nature, will bend in the direction it was last mowed. Use that knowledge to your advantage to get the mowing pattern you like.
Taller Grass Length Shows Patterns Better
You can emphasize the look of your mowing pattern by doing a couple more things. First, consider keeping your grass slightly taller, maybe around 2 to 2½ inches. The longer length helps your pattern to show more. However, you want to take care that your grass length isn't too long, because once it begins to exceed about 3 inches in length, the grass blade starts to bend. That makes your lawn have a messy appearance.
Secondly, be aware that all mowers can create the striped or diamond pattern in the grass that you are wanting to create. Since the grass does naturally bend in the direction last driven over, you can achieve some degree of striping.
But if you want a more accentuated pattern, you can use a lawn striping roller attachment on your mower. That's the trick that most golf courses and baseball diamonds use to create patterns. What creates the pattern that we see? As grass bends in one direction or the other, the light reflects differently.
Mulch or Bag Grass Clippings
Should you mulch the grass clippings or rake and bag them? It's your preference whether you mulch or bag them, but mulching the grass creates an organic compost that really nourishes your lawn. Keep in mind that mulching them is not the same thing as just letting mowed grass sit on the yard.
Most lawn mowers have a grass catcher, and you'll want to keep your clippings together so that your lawn doesn't look messy. Your clipped grass will be mulched relatively quickly because grass has a high water content so it begins to decompose within a couple of weeks. We realize that you want to keep your lawn and gardens looking attractive, but it's demanding to work so hard at yard work all year. Have you thought about hiring a team of professionals to help you with the hard work?
Hire a High Tech Lawn Care Company
We are a high tech company that offers new solutions for all your home, lawn, and garden maintenance needs. Our service area extends through the Tampa-Clearwater Beach-St. Petersburg area and includes Pinellas Park, Bradenton, Lakeland, and Winter Haven, among others. It's our mission to eliminate all the headaches that are involved in finding service providers. We take care of scheduling and paying them for you to optimize your convenience. Why not give us a call? You'll love your lawn, we guarantee it.
